Oral Lactobacillus species and their probiotic capabilities in patients with periodontitis and periodontally healthy individuals.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify oral Lactobacillus species and characterize their adhesion properties and antibacterial activity in patients with periodontitis compared with periodontally healthy individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred and fifty-four isolates from the saliva, subgingival, and tongue plaque of 59 periodontitis patients and 59 healthy individuals were analyzed. Oral Lactobacillus species were identified through the culture method in the modified MRS medium and confirmed by molecular testing. Moreover, the radial diffusion assay and cell culture methods were used to determine the antibacterial activities of oral strains against oral pathogens and their adhesion activity in vitro. RESULTS: 67.7% of the cases and 75.7% of the control samples were positive for the Lactobacillus species. Lacticaseibacillus paracasei and Limosilactobacillus fermentum were the dominant species in the case group, whereas Lacticaseibacillus casei and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum were dominant in the control group. Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus gasseri had higher antibacterial effects against oral pathogens. Moreover, Ligilactobacillus salivarius and L. fermentum demonstrated the highest ability to adhere to oral mucosal cells and salivary-coated hydroxyapatite. CONCLUSION: L. crispatus, L. gasseri, L. fermentum, and L. salivarius can be introduced as probiotic candidates since they demonstrated appropriate adherence to oral mucosal cells and salivary-coated hydroxyapatite and also antibacterial activities. However, further studies should be conducted to assess the safety of probiotic interventions using these strains in patients with periodontal disease.

Salivary Gland Secretory Carcinoma: Clinicopathologic and Genetic Characteristics of 215 Cases and Proposal for a Grading System.

Salivary gland secretory carcinoma (SC), previously mammary analog SC, is a low-grade malignancy characterized by well-defined morphology and an immunohistochemical and genetic profile identical to SC of the breast. Translocation t(12;15)(p13;q25) resulting in the ETV6 :: NTRK3 gene fusion is a characteristic feature of SC along with S100 protein and mammaglobin immunopositivity. The spectrum of genetic alterations for SC continues to evolve. The aim of this retrospective study was to collect data of salivary gland SCs and to correlate their histologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular genetic data with clinical behavior and long-term follow-up. In this large retrospective study, we aimed to establish a histologic grading scheme and scoring system. A total of 215 cases of salivary gland SCs diagnosed between 1994 and 2021 were obtained from the tumor registries of the authors. Eighty cases were originally diagnosed as something other than SC, most frequently acinic cell carcinoma. Lymph node metastases were identified in 17.1% (20/117 cases with available data), with distant metastasis in 5.1% (6/117). Disease recurrence was seen in 15% (n=17/113 cases with available data). The molecular genetic profile showed ETV6 :: NTRK3 gene fusion in 95.4%, including 1 case with a dual fusion of ETV6 :: NTRK3 and MYB :: SMR3B . Less frequent fusion transcripts included ETV6 :: RET (n=12) and VIM :: RET (n=1). A 3-tiered grading scheme using 6 pathologic parameters (prevailing architecture, pleomorphism, tumor necrosis, perineural invasion (PNI), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and mitotic count and/or Ki-67 labeling index) was applied. Grade 1 histology was observed in 44.7% (n=96), grade 2 in 41.9% (n=90), and grade 3 in 13.5% (n=29) of cases. Compared with low-grade and intermediate-grade SC, high-grade tumors were associated with a solid architecture, more prominent hyalinization, infiltrative tumor borders, nuclear pleomorphism, presence of PNI and/or LVI, and Ki-67 proliferative index >30%. High-grade transformation, a subset of grade 2 or 3 tumors, seen in 8.8% (n=19), was defined as an abrupt transformation of conventional SC into high-grade morphology, sheet-like growth, and a tumor lacking distinctive features of SC. Both overall survival and disease-free survival (5 and 10 y) were negatively affected by tumor grade, stage, and TNM status (each P <0.0001). SC is a low-grade malignancy with predominantly solid-microcystic growth patterns, driven by a gene fusion, most commonly ETV6 :: NTRK3 . There is a low risk for local recurrence and a good overall long-term survival, with a low risk for distant metastasis but a higher risk for locoregional lymph node metastasis. The presence of tumor necrosis, hyalinization, PNI and/or LVI, and positive resection margins correlate with higher tumor grade, less favorable prognosis, and increased mortality. The statistical results allowed us to design a 3-tiered grading system for salivary SC.

Impact of educational intervention regarding COVID-19 on knowledge, attitude, and practice of students before dental school re-opening.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Lack of knowledge on COVID-19 among people and healthcare staff significantly impacts late management and its rapid transmission. Dental students must be aware of the exact preventive instructions due to their close contact with patients and clinical work in the dental setting during the pandemic. This interventional study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of designed educational content regarding COVID-19 on Iranian dental students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices at Alborz University of medical sciences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 88 dental students were investigated in this study. Educational content was designed based on the clinical guidelines regarding COVID-19 in dentistry. The content was presented to dental students as a three-hour webinar. In addition, the online, validated questionnaire was obtained from the students as pre, post, and follow-up surveys. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference between students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices were obtained before and after the intervention and the follow-up survey. 48.58% improvement in knowledge score, 6.37% in attitudes, and 17% in practice scores were observed. CONCLUSION: Although this educational intervention significantly improved the knowledge, attitude, and practice of dental students, additional education and clinical training are mandatory for effective and safe dental practice management in future crises.

Prognostic Significance of Cancer Stem Cell Markers in Patients With Salivary Gland Carcinomas.

OBJECTIVES: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small group of cells resistant to therapy and play a major role in tumor progression, recurrence, and poor clinical outcomes of patients. This study aimed to evaluate the association of CSC markers with clinicopathologic features and survival in patients with salivary gland carcinomas (SGCs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of 48 patients affected by mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) and 47 patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) were reviewed retrospectively. SOX2, CD133, and CD44 expression was appraised by immunohistochemistry and statistically analyzed to weigh the correlation between these markers and patients' clinicopathologic features and tumor outcomes. RESULTS: In AdCC patients showing poor outcomes, a trend toward a high expression of CD133 and CD44 and low expression of SOX2 was observed, while in MEC patients experiencing the same outcomes, there was a trend toward a high expression of CD44 and low expression of CD133 and SOX2. Only the increase of MEC histopathologic grade was statistically significant with decreased SOX2 expression. Distant metastasis in AdCC patients, tumor grade, lymph node involvement, and local recurrence in MEC patients had significant correlations with patients' survival. CONCLUSION: Besides the significant association between low SOX2 expression and higher grades of MEC, we found no statistically significant correlation between the studied CSC markers and patients' survival or clinicopathologic features. Therefore, a larger sample size with long-term follow-up is beneficial for thorough investigations toward the main role of CSCs in patients with SGCs.

Clinical Significance and Prognostic Value of SOX2 Protein Expression in Patients With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Cancer stem cells are a small group of highly tumorigenic cells with the trend of self-renewal, tumor progression, metastasis, recurrence, and therapeutic resistance. SOX2 is an important cancer stem cell marker that is involved in tumorigenesis and correlated with aggressive features in various types of malignancies. The present study was aimed to investigate the expression of this biomarker in neoplastic tissues of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) to determine whether it has the potential to predict the outcomes and survival of the affected patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of 73 patients diagnosed with OSCC were retrospectively studied. Clinical and pathologic features included age, sex, tumor size, histologic grade, lymph node involvement, recurrence, metastasis, and follow up. Immunohistochemical analysis for SOX2 protein expression was performed, and its correlations with clinicopathologic features were evaluated. RESULTS: SOX2 was significantly associated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and patients' survival. We found no apparent correlation between SOX2 and tumor recurrence, distant metastasis, or differentiation. The multivariate analysis identifies patients' age, sex, and SOX2 expression as independent prognostic factors for overall survival. CONCLUSION: SOX2 may worsen the prognosis and be a progressive malignant factor, which can help clinicians investigate OSCC patients' survival and plan the appropriate treatment accordingly.

Oral rehabilitation in a patient with sclerotic-phenotype chronic graft versus host disease: a case report.

Acute myeloid leukemia is a bone marrow malignancy in which blasts count increases by more than 20% in the bone marrow. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHCT) is a treatment option for these patients with high risk of graft versus host disease (GVHD) development. Chronic GVHD (cGVHD) often mimics a variety of autoimmune conditions such as systemic lupus erythematous or systemic sclerosis. Sclerotic cGVHD has a wide spectrum of oral manifestations, including mucosal atrophy, microstomia, and hyposalivation. This report presents a full-mouth implant-retained reconstruction in a 35-year-old male patient who had undergone alloHCT for treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and developed sclerotic cGVHD afterwards. Implant-retained prosthetics might be a practicable treatment for patients with these complications.

Molecular Profiling of Mammary Analog Secretory Carcinoma Revealed a Subset of Tumors Harboring a Novel ETV6-RET Translocation: Report of 10 Cases.

ETV6 gene abnormalities are well described in tumor pathology. Many fusion partners of ETV6 have been reported in a variety of epithelial, mesenchymal, and hematological malignancies. In salivary gland tumor pathology, however, the ETV6-NTRK3 translocation is specific for (mammary analog) secretory carcinoma, and has not been documented in any other salivary tumor type. The present study comprised a clinical, histologic, and molecular analysis of 10 cases of secretory carcinoma, with typical morphology and immunoprofile harboring a novel ETV6-RET translocation.

Well-differentiated liposarcoma of the floor of the mouth: Report of a rare case and review of the literature.

Liposarcomas are extremely rare in the oral cavity. Less than 100 cases of oral liposarcoma have been reported in the world wide literature, mostly occurring in the buccal mucosa, whereas only <10 cases have been reported in the floor of the mouth. We present a rare case of oral liposarcoma that occurred in the floor of the mouth of a 45-year-old female patient. She had a history of two previous recurrences and underwent surgical excision with 24 months of follow-up. Clinical as well as histopathological features and therapeutic approaches of liposarcomas are discussed here, and a literature review is presented. Intraoral liposarcomas have a high rate of local recurrences but generally favorable prognosis based on the histopathologic subtype, location and clear surgical margins. Conservative surgical therapy without adjuvant chemoradiotherapy is recommended, due to the rarity of distant metastasis.

Cementogenesis in Patients with Localized Aggressive Periodontitis.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the cementum thickness in the first molars of patients with localized aggressive periodontitis (LAP) compared to healthy individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This case-control study compared eight first molar teeth affected by LAP with eight third molar teeth of healthy individuals. The teeth were disinfected by immersion in 10% buffered formalin solution for three days and were then sectioned. External mesial root surfaces (middle one-third) were evaluated under a stereomicroscope by a blinded pathologist to determine the mean thickness of cementum. SPSS software (version 16.0) and t-test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Histological examination revealed a significant difference between the two groups in terms of the amount of cementogenesis (P<0.001) .The thickness of cementum was higher in the control group (105.16±11.5 µm) than in LAP patients (86.44±7.3 µm). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the presence of cementum hypoplasia in mesial root surfaces of first molars affected by LAP.

Granular cell type of a unicystic ameloblastoma: An unusual case and review of the literature.

Ameloblastomas are locally invasive tumors of odontogenic epithelial origin. They have been categorized broadly into three biologic variants: solid, cystic (unicystic) and peripheral, of which only 13% of all cases are unicystic. Although rare in unicystic or cystic ameloblastoma, granular cell change in ameloblastoma is a recognized phenomenon. Here we present a distinctive case of cystic ameloblastoma with an unusual histopathological pattern along with an added emphasis on its review.