Detection of Micro-invasion in Sudanese Oral Verrucous Carcinoma Samples Using Syndecan-1 Stain.

AIM: Verrucous carcinoma (VC) is a low-grade rare variant of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Syndecan-1 (CD138) is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan which participates in cell-to-cell adhesion and cell-matrix interaction. Being misled by the apparent non-aggressive nature of VC, some clinicians and pathologists believe that this tumor is not an aggressive tumor, not realizing the fact that some of these lesions may contain nests or foci of well-differentiated SCC. This study aimed to assess syndecan-1 expression of VC and detection of micro-invasion in VC using syndecan-1 immunohistochemical (IHC) stain. METHODS: Observational analytical study of 34 paraffin block of VC cases and 24 cases of variable grades of oral epithelial dysplasia. Cases were stained by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and then IHC stain for syndecan-1 was applied. Nine paraffin blocks from specimens of normal oral mucosa were used as the reference group for syndecan-1 stain positivity. RESULTS: In this study, we found that 32 (94.1%) out of 34 of verrucous carcinoma cases showed loss of syndecan-1 expression. Moreover, highly statistically significant association was found between the presence of suggestive micro-invasion in H&E and loss of syndecan-1 expression in micro-invasive area in the same case. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, syndecan-1 stain can be used as a biomarker in detection of micro-invasion in verrucous carcinoma.

Burden and Correlates of Anaemia among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus in a Tertiary Health Facility in Northwestern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Anaemia is a common disorder occurring in about 33% of the global population. It is an important cardiovascular risk factor and a key indicator of some chronic complications of Diabetes Mellitus (DM). This study aimed to determine the burden of anaemia and its correlation with some clinical and biochemical parameters among patients with DM attending a tertiary health facility in Zaria, Northwestern Nigeria. SUBJECTS, MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a case-control study in which 168 participants were enrolled (84 DM patients, 84 controls). It was conducted in the Endocrinology and Metabolic clinics of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria. Consenting DM patients were enrolled consecutively and subsequently, sex- and age-matched with non-diabetic controls. Data on age, gender and Haemoglobin (Hb) concentrations were collated for all study participants. Additional data on type of DM, duration of DM once diagnosis, treatment, type of treatment, history of hypertension, chronic kidney disease, peripheral neuropathy, and Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) were collated for all cases. Data were collated and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Level of significance was set at <0.05. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Institutional Health Research Ethics Committee and informed consent was obtained from the all the participants. RESULTS: Females constituted 39/84(46.4%) of each arm of the study. The mean ± SD of age for both cases and controls was 53.7 ± 8.9 years. The mean ± SD duration of DM, treatment for DM and FBS were 8.4 ± 5.7 years, 5.0 ± 3.6 years and 6.1 ± 2.5mmol/L respectively. Cases had significantly lower Hb concentration compared to controls (12.1±2.2g/dl vs. 13.1 ± 1.4g/dl, t= -3.446, p = 0.001). Overall prevalence of anaemia among cases and controls was 36/84(42.9%) vs. 26/84(31.0%) Z = 1.6, p = 0.110. Among cases, haemoglobin concentration had very weak, inverse and non-statistically significant relationships with age, duration of DM diagnosis, duration of therapy and FBS levels. There was a significant relationship between anaemia on one hand and type of DM and treatment on the other. The odds of DM patients with history of CKD or uncontrolled FBS having anaemia were OR= 0.600 (95% CI 0.196, 1.836) and OR=1.755 (95% CI 0.737, 4.181) respectively. CONCLUSION: The burden of anaemia amongst patients with DM is high in Zaria, Northwestern Nigeria, and it is associated with poor glycaemic control. Hence, the need to include haematological assessment as part of routine care of patients with DM.

Splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes: case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes (SLVL) is a rare but recognized distinct disease entity among chronic B lymphoproliferative disorders. It is frequently misdiagnosed as chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, (CLL) Prolymphocytic leukaemia or Hairy Cell leukaemia. Few cases have been reported worldwide. METHOD: The case records of a sixty year old Nigerian male with a splenic lymphoma and a review of the literature on the subject using MEDLINE, other internet sources and manual library search was utilized. RESULT A sixty-year-old male with splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes, seen at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria is presented. However review of the blood film, bone marrow and Splenic aspirates showed absolute lymphocytosis, consisting of "villous" lymphocytes. He was commenced on an alkylating agent and a glucocorticoid, with partial remission in the first three months but was lost to follow up. CONCLUSION: Adequate morphologic evaluation is advocated particularly in the resource limited settings were Cytogenetics, immunohistochemistry and immunophenotyping are not available.

Influence of Surgicel gauze on the incidence of dry socket after wisdom tooth extraction.

At a hospital in Damman, Saudi Arabia, it was noticed that many patients had developed dry socket after surgical removal of wisdom teeth. To enhance haemostasis, Surgicel (oxidized cellulose) gauze was sometimes used in the tooth socket in patients who were operated under general anaesthesia. An analysis was made of the records of 104 lower wisdom teeth removed surgically from 86 patients. The incidence of dry socket in the 20 Surgicel-treated teeth was 25.0%, compared with 6.0% among the 84 non-Surgicel-treated teeth. The use of Surgicel in wisdom tooth extraction seems to be associated with an increased incidence of dry socket.

Influence of surgicel gauze on the incidence of dry socket after wisdom tooth extraction

At a hospital in Damman, Saudi Arabia, it was noticed that many patients had developed dry socket after surgical removal of wisdom teeth. To enhance haemostasis, Surgicel [oxidized cellulose] gauze was sometimes used in the tooth socket in patients who were operated under general anaesthesia. An analysis was made of the records of 104 lower wisdom teeth removed surgically from 86 patients. The incidence of dry socket in the 20 Surgicel-treated teeth was 25.0%, compared with 6.0% among the 84 non-Surgicel-treated teeth. The use of Surgicel in wisdom tooth extraction seems to be associated with an increased incidence of dry socket

Prevalence of cleft lip and palate in a hospital-based population in the Sudan.

UNLABELLED: Cleft lip and palate represents one of the most common developmental deformities seen in oral surgery clinics. It is usually associated with problems which include not only cosmetic and dental abnormalities, but also speech, hearing and facial growth difficulties. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of cleft lip and palate in births taking place in hospitals in the Sudan. METHODS: The records of 15,890 Sudanese new-borns delivered at three hospitals during the period from 1997 to 2000 were examined. RESULTS: Thirteen cases of cleft lip and palate were found, demonstrating a prevalence of 0.9 per 1000. There were more girls than boys, with a male:female ratio of 3:10. Fifty-four per cent of the cases had cleft lip with cleft palate, 30% had only cleft palate and the remaining 16% had cleft lip alone. CONCLUSIONS: The present study was confined to hospital-based births in one city, and the true incidence of cleft lip and/or palate in the Sudan is not yet known. Findings differ from reports from other countries in terms of suggesting a higher incidence in girls.

Tuberculous parotitis: report of 3 cases.

Tuberculous parotitis, particularly the diffuse form, is rare. I describe here three patients with diffuse tuberculous parotitis, two of whom presented with unilateral parotid swelling while the third had swellings of both glands. All had discharging sinuses. In two of the patients, the parotitis was associated with active pulmonary tuberculosis. In the patient with bilateral parotitis, the disease seemed to be confined to the glands. The diagnosis of tuberculosis was confirmed by the finding of tubercle bacilli in the lesion or the sputum. They all responded well to standard antituberculous drugs.

Secretory responses in granular ducts and acini of submandibular glands in vivo to parasympathetic or sympathetic nerve stimulation in rats.

The roles of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves in the secretion of saliva from submandibular glands of rats have been tested by electrical stimulation of either nerve for 1 h unilaterally in separate animals. The flows of saliva thereby induced and their protein content were monitored. Structural changes in each gland were assessed by light- and electron microscopy and compared with the unstimulated contralateral control gland, and the extent of the changes was determined morphometrically. Sympathetic nerve stimulation induced a relatively low flow of saliva that was rich in protein and was accompanied by extensive degranulation from both acinar and granular duct cells. In contrast parasympathetic nerve stimulation induced a considerable flow of saliva that had a low protein content and no detectable degranulation occurred from the secretory cells. It is possible, therefore, that some protein in parasympathetic saliva may have arisen from a non-granular pathway.