Expression of miR-31 in saliva-liquid biopsy in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a commonly reported cancer in men and is second only to breast cancer in women in Pakistan.. Investigations for identifying biomarkers of OSCC are essential for diagnostic, therapeutic, or prognostic significance. This study aims to examine the miR-31 expression in the pre- and post-operative OSCC patients and correlate this expression with clinicopathological characteristics. METHODS: Patients with histopathologically confirmed OSCC who had undergone surgical resections of tumours were recruited. A total of 40 saliva samples (pre- and post-operative) were collected from 19 patients and two healthy individuals. Levels of salivary miR-31 expressions were examined through quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The salivary miR-31 expression was significantly higher in the preoperative patients than in postoperative patients (p < 0.001). However, no significant correlation had been found between the salivary miR-31 expression and clinicopathological characteristics (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that miR-31 can be used as an adjunct non-invasive marker to monitor surgery outcomes during postoperative follow-up in patients with OSCC.

Determining the relationship among stress, xerostomia, salivary flow rate, and the quality of life of undergraduate dental students.

OBJECTIVE: Xerostomia may result in several oral conditions, which ultimately affect oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL). This study aims to evaluate the relationship of stress, xerostomia, salivary flow rate, and OHRQOL among young adults. METHOD: We invited 72 participants to complete three validated questionnaires including the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10), a shortened version of the Xerostomia Inventory (SXI), and the shortened Oral Health Impact Profile (S-OHIP). Unstimulated saliva was collected, and flow rate was determined. Based on the SXI scores and hyposalivation, the participants were categorised into four groups: subjective xerostomia, subjective and objective xerostomia, objective xerostomia, and true non-xerostomia. Based on the median PSS score, participants were categorised into high stress and low stress groups. Data were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and Spearman's correlation coefficient. A p value of 0.05 was set for all tests. RESULTS: A significant difference was observed in the unstimulated salivary flow rate (χ2(3) = 26.677, p < 0.001) and PSS scores (X2(3) = 8.552, p = 0.036) between xerostomia groups, while OHIP scores were not statistically different (X2(3) = 5.488, p = 0.139). A significant correlation was observed between SXI and S-OHIP scores (r = 0.348, p = 0.003) and unstimulated salivary flow rate and PSS (r = -0.259, p = 0.028). CONCLUSION: This study shows that perceived stress can influence salivary flow rate. Among the xerostomia groups, stress scores and salivary flow rates varied significantly. Additionally, subjective xerostomia has an impact on OHRQOL.