A Review on Noma: A Recent Update.

Noma is a gangrenous infection primarily affecting under developed countries. The aim of this paper was to review all recent articles on noma from January 2003 to August 2014 and briefly update the latest information related to the topic. A literature search was done on PUBMED using the keywords "noma/cancrum oris". Noma is commonly seen in malnourished children. There has been an increased incidence of noma in HIV patients. Apart from these, noma has also been reported in association with cyclic neutropenia, herpetic stomatitis, leukemia, Down's syndrome and Burkett's disease. Treatment of acute noma includes transfusion of blood and intravenous fluids, administration of antibiotics, putting the patient on a high protein diet and debridement of necrotic areas. Surgical phase is usually initiated 6 to 18 months after a period of quiescence. Although, the mortality rate associated with noma has reduced significantly with the advent of modern generation antibiotics, the functional, cosmetic and psychological challenges associated with the destruction of soft or hard tissues still remains a huge challenge. Adequate steps must be implemented by the government or medical professionals to prevent the disease and provide an early intervention.

P27 expression in pleomorphic salivary gland adenoma.

AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aims to characterise alterations in the immunohistochemical expression of p27 in normal tissue of the salivary gland surrounding pleomorphic adenoma and in the tumour cells of pleomorphic adenoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study of data including 120 cases of pleomorphic adenomas (66 female, 54 male) retrieved from the files of the Oral Pathology Departments of Aleppo University, Syria and Al-Farabi Dental and Nursing College. Immunohistochemical expression against p27 was examined in the selected cases. The percentage of p27-positive nuclei was semi-quantitatively assessed by two independent observers and scores were given. The statistical analysis included the use of descriptive statistics and proportional frequencies. RESULTS: The results showed that P27 nuclear staining with high staining (moderate to strong positive staining in more than 50% of nuclei, depending on the percentage of nuclei for the cells) was noted in tumour duct cells of pleomorphic adenoma in 90 (75%) cases out of 120, while 30 (25%) cases showed low staining (positive staining in less than 5% of nuclei, depending on the percentage of nuclei for the cells). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggests that p27 might have a minor role in the development of pleomorphic adenoma.

p53 expression in pleomorphic adenoma of salivary glands: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: There are conflicting data regarding immunohistochemical expression of p53 in pleomorphic adenoma. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine whether p53 expression has a role in the pathogenesis of pleomorphic adenoma. DESIGN: A comprehensive literature search for relevant studies published from 2000 up to end of 2014 was performed using PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library Databases. Only articles in which p53 detected by immunohistochemical staining were included. The meta-analysis was done using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. RESULTS: Eighteen eligible studies were included in this meta-analysis. Heterogeneity measures showed a statistically significant Cochrane Q value (P-value<0.001). The random effects model showed an effect size of 0.254 with a 95% CI (0.139-0.417). The overall p53 positivity is 25.4%. CONCLUSION: Mutant p53 has to be detected by more precise techniques to emphasize on its role in development of pleomorphic adenoma of salivary gland.

Oral manifestations of Parry-Romberg syndrome: A review of literature.

Parry-Romberg syndrome (PRS) or progressive facial hemiatrophy is a developmental craniofacial disorder of unknown etiology characterized by a slowly progressive unilateral facial atrophy. It is associated with different systemic manifestations particularly, maxillofacial, neurologic and ophthalmologic abnormalities. Dentists must be aware of PRS to identify this invalidating disorder. In this article, we review the etiology, clinical features (especially craniofacial and dental manifestations) and treatment of PRS. We searched in PubMed line using specific words such as PRS from 2008 to 2014 (August). We identify 14 papers have described oral manifestations of this syndrome. We excluded all the article papers that did not indicate to oral manifestations of PRS.

Oral cancer awareness of the general public in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the level of awareness and knowledge about signs and risk factors of oral cancer in the general population in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information from Saudi adults aged 15 years and older. A total of 679 persons participated in the survey. Descriptive statistics were calculated and chi-square tests, t-tests, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine differences between groups. The significance level was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: Only 53.6% of the participants had heard of oral cancer. Smoking and alcohol consumption were identified as the major risk factors by 81.7% and 56.3% of the participants, respectively. Only 22.2% and 18.2%, respectively, were able to correctly identify red and white lesions as early signs of oral cancer. Participants with less than high school education were significantly less aware, and had much less knowledge, of the signs and risk factors of oral cancer (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This survey demonstrates a general lack of awareness among the public about oral cancer and a lack of knowledge about its signs and risk factors. There is a clear need to inform and educate the public in matters relating to the known risk factors associated with oral cancer. A media campaign informing the public about oral cancer is clearly required.