Prospective observational study of surgery alone for locally advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma: a real-world study.

INTRODUCTION: A prospective observational study was modified to assess the efficacy of surgery alone for the treatment of locally advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma. (LA-OSCC) MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective, single-institution, single-arm study involved 174 patients who underwent major surgery for LA-OSCC. Participating patients did not receive postoperative radiation. After initial curative treatment, patients were routinely monitored via clinical examination and imaging. The follow-up period was 3-70 months. Tumour recurrence and death were considered as the Clinical End Point in Research. RESULTS: The 5-year overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and locoregional control rates for 174 patients were 66.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 59.8 to 73.6), 66.1% (95% CI, 59.2 to 73.0), and 82.4% (95% CI, 76.5 to 88.3), respectively. CONCLUSION: A study of patients with LA-OSCC treated with surgery alone may have the optimal therapeutic impact for LA-OSCC, as evidenced by solid data for our next RCT trial. This conclusion still needs to be validated in higher-level RCTs.

Application of anatomy unit resection surgery for lateral basicranial surgical approach in oral squamous carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The basicranial region lacks definite boundaries and includes various anatomical units. We developed a novel concept of the posterior oral anatomical complex (POAC) to identify these anatomical units in the basicranial region. OSCC with POAC involvement is termed posterior oral squamous cell carcinoma (POSCC) with poor prognosis. The principal aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of anatomy unit resection surgery (AUSR) on patients with POSCC. METHODS: A total of 120 POSCC patients who underwent radical surgical treatment were recruited for this study. These POSCC patients were treated with conventional surgery or AUSR. According to the extent of primary tumor resection in the AUSR group, the lateral basicranial surgical approach can be subdivided into four types: face-lateral approach I, face-lateral approach II, face-median approach or face-median and face-lateral combined approach. Facial nerve function was evaluated according to the House-Brackmann Facial Nerve Grading System. RESULTS: The overall survival rate was 62.5% and 37.5% in the AURS group and conventional group (hazard ratio: 0.59; p < 0.0001), respectively. The disease-free survival rate was 62.5% and 34.3% in the AURS group and conventional group (hazard ratio: 0.43; p = 0.0008), respectively. The local disease control rate in the AURS group (71.4%) was significantly better than that in the conventional group (34.4%) in present study (p < 0.0001). Compared to the conventional group, all the patients undergoing AURS were classified as T4 stage and presented with more lymph node metastasis (71.4%). A total of 20 patients (face-lateral approach I and face-lateral combined approach) were temporarily disconnected from the temporofacial branch of the facial nerve. Fifteen patients exhibited slight paresis, and five patients presented with moderate or severe paresis. The survival rate of zygomatic arch disconnection was 94.6% (54 of 56 patients). CONCLUSION: This lateral basicranial surgical approach based on AUSR improves the survival rate and enhances the local control rate while also preserving a good prognosis without damaging the nerve and zygomatic bone. This surgical approach based on AUSR provides a novel and effective surgical treatment to address POSCC with better prognosis, especially for patients without metastatic lymph nodes.

Postoperative radiotherapy may not be necessary for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a case-match multicentre study.

BACKGROUND: Some head and neck cancer surgeons found that many patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC) without postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) also have a good prognosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of PORT on survival in patients with LA-HNSCC. METHODS: A case-match cohort analysis was performed at two institutions on patients with LA-HNSCC. Patients who received surgery alone were case-matched 1: 1 with patients treated by surgery plus PORT based on pT, pN, tumor subsite etc. RESULTS: 114 patients were matched into 57 pairs, with a median follow-up period of 40.2 months. No difference in overall survival (OS, HR 0.88; 95% CI 0.50-1.58; P = 0.79) or disease-specific survival (DFS, 0.86; 95% CI 0.50-1.50; P = 0.76) was observed with no PORT. CONCLUSIONS: PORT isn't necessary for patients with LA-HNSCC who are treated for the first time as long as the head and neck cancer surgeon adhere to appropriate surgical concepts. The indications of PORT for patients with LA-HNSCC need to be further discussed.

Hypoxia-induced ROS promotes mitochondrial fission and cisplatin chemosensitivity via HIF-1α/Mff regulation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Chemotherapy based on cisplatin (CDDP) has been established as the treatment of choice for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Malignant tumors respond to microenvironmental alterations through a dynamic balance between mitochondrial fission and fusion. HNSCCs are known to exhibit hypoxic conditions, yet the respective effects and underlying mechanisms of hypoxia on chemosensitivity and mitochondrial dynamics remain to be resolved. METHODS: The effect of hypoxia on the chemosensitivity of HNCC cells was determined by flow cytometry. Mitochondrial fission factor (Mff) expression was assessed by RT-PCR and Western blotting in hypoxic HNSCC cells, and further verified in primary CDDP-sensitive and CDDP-resistant HSNCC samples. The biological function of Mff was evaluated by loss of function and gain of function analyses, both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: We found that hypoxia promoted mitochondrial fission and CDDP sensitivity in HNSCC cells. Importantly, Mff was found to be correlated with chemosensitivity in primary clinical samples under hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) was found to markedly increase Mff transcription and to directly bind to Mff. Hypoxia enhanced the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and upregulated the expression of Mff via HIF-1α in HNSCC cells. ROS depletion in HNSCC cells attenuated HIF-1α expression, Mff expression and mitochondrial fission. Moreover, Mff knockdown led to suppression of hypoxia-induced mitochondrial fission and to decreased CDDP chemosensitivity in vivo and in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that hypoxia-induced release of ROS can promote mitochondrial fission and CDDP chemosensitivity via HIF1α/Mff regulation in HNSCC cells, indicating that Mff may serve as a biomarker to predict neoadjuvant chemosensitivity in HNSCC patients and as a target for overcoming chemoresistance.

"Sushi roll" technique for precise total tongue functional reconstruction using a pre-sutured femoral anterolateral myocutaneous flap.

OBJECTIVES: Reconstruction of the total tongue after cancer resection remains one of the challenges in head and neck surgery. Inadequate reconstruction after subtotal or total glossectomy defects leads to poor quality of life. The aim of this study was to explore an economical, practical and effective flap design for functional tongue reconstruction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty patients were randomly divided into two groups, namely, a "Sushi roll" technique group (30 patients) and a conventional surgery group (30 patients). Then, the patients underwent total or subtotal tongue reconstruction. Swallowing function, speech intelligibility, cosmetic results, and quality of life were assessed with the appropriate scales. Outcomes were analysed, and a p-value <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The perioperative recovery of the "Sushi roll" group was superior to that of the conventional group. Relative to patients in the conventional group, patients in the "Sushi roll" group showed significantly improved speech intelligibility (p = 0.025), cosmetic results (p < 0.001) and swallowing function (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The innovative "Sushi roll" anterolateral thigh myocutaneous flap approach for total tongue reconstruction creates a free neotongue tip with adequate volume and protuberance and causes minimal damage to the donor site, producing acceptable swallowing function and speech intelligibility.

Nonvascularized Iliac Bone Reconstruction for the Mandible Without Maxillofacial Skin Scarring.

PURPOSE: There are many methods to reconstruct the mandible, but they are often accompanied by trauma, which can lead to scarring of the maxillofacial skin. The purpose of this study was to show the utility of a minimally invasive method for reconstruction of the mandible with nonvascularized iliac bone grafts without a skin scar, as well as to evaluate the success rate and complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective case series. We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent transoral resection of benign mandibular pathologies, followed by nonvascularized iliac bone graft reconstruction. The primary outcome variable was the success rate of the bone grafts. Secondary outcome variables were postoperative complications at the grafted bone recipient and donor sites, the long-term absorptivity of grafted bone, and the type of mandibular defect. We computed descriptive statistics or performed the χ2 test for each variable. RESULTS: Overall, 54 patients were included in the study, including 21 male and 33 female patients, with an age range of 10 to 65 years. The complete survival rate was 87.0% (47 of 54 patients), and the partial survival rate was 98.1% (53 of 54). The average bone absorption rate 3 years after surgery was 1.8 to 30.7%. We propose a new classification method for mandibular defects based on the extent of the tumor, location of the osteotomy, and degree of surgical difficulty. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoral nonvascularized iliac bone grafting is a highly successful minimally invasive method for mandibular reconstruction. It is also one of the best methods for mandibular reconstruction in patients with benign mandibular tumors without soft tissue involvement.

HOXC10 promotes migration and invasion via the WNT-EMT signaling pathway in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

As a master regulator of embryonic morphogenesis, homeodomain-containing gene 10 (HOXC10) has been found to promote progression of human cancers and indicate poor survival outcome. Therefore, we concentrate on elucidating the role of HOXC10 in progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In our study, the expression of HOXC10 was significantly increased in human OSCC samples and was significantly correlated with TNM stage and lymph node metastasis. Upregulation of HOXC10 indicated a poor overall survival of OSCC patients according to the Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Furthermore, HOXC10-knockdown dramatically suppressed migration, invasion, and expression of N-Cadherin, Vimentin and Snail, as well as increased E-cadherin level both in vivo and in vitro. Bioinformatics and cellular study further confirmed that HOXC10 may promote invasion and migration of OSCC cells by regulating the WNT/epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling pathway. These findings suggest that HOXC10 plays a pivotal role in the metastasis of OSCC and highlight its usefulness as a potential prognostic marker or therapeutic target in human OSCC.

Retraction Note: Upregulation of the long non-coding RNA AFAP1-AS1 affects the proliferation, invasion and survival of tongue squamous cell carcinoma via the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

The authors have retracted this article [1] because there are errors in Figures 4a and 4b.

Application of a new classification of chimeric anterolateral thigh free flaps.

BACKGROUND: The anterolateral thigh free flap is one of the most commonly used flaps in reconstructive procedures. The purpose of this study was to assess this new classification of chimeric anterolateral thigh free flaps. METHODS: Sixty-five patients underwent free anterolateral thigh chimeric free flap reconstruction of defects in the head and neck region. We summarized the anatomic features of perforators, including the number and origin of the perforators. RESULTS: Sixty-five cases of femoral anterolateral double island flaps were divided into 3 types: trunk type (type I), 11 cases (16.9%), in which the perforators of two flaps originated in the descending branch and the transverse branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery; branch type (type II), 45 cases (69.3%), in which both the perforators originated in the descending branch or the transverse branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery; and bifurcation type (type III), 9 cases (13.8%), in which two perforators originated in the bifurcation of one perforator that originated in the descending branch or the transverse branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery. All 65 flaps survived and none showed partial necrosis. CONCLUSIONS: The anterolateral thigh chimeric flap can be divided into 3 types: trunk type (I type), branch type (II type) and bifurcation type (III type).

Prediction of Flap Compromise by Preoperative Coagulation Parameters in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.

PURPOSE: Studies on coagulation parameters (including activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, thrombin time, fibrinogen [FIB], platelet count, and D-dimer) in flap compromise are limited. The aim of the present study was to compare coagulation parameter variables in patients with and without flap compromise. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, patients were recruited from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Second Xiangya Hospital (Changsha, Hunan, China) from July 2016 through July 2017. The primary predictor variable was a set of coagulation parameters. The primary outcome variable was flap compromise. The other variables were age, gender, tumor stage, smoking, and prior radiotherapy. Descriptive, bivariate, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and regression statistics were computed. Statistical significance was set at less than .05 with 95% reliability. RESULTS: A total of 503 patients with 42 compromised flaps were identified in this study. Venous thrombosis, arterial thrombosis, or no confirmed reason for compromise was observed in 28, 5, or 9 compromised flaps, respectively. Only FIB was associated with flap compromise or venous thrombosis at adjusted analyses, although the predictive values were low at ROC analysis. For patients with D-dimer lower than 0.4 µg/mL, the likelihood of venous thrombosis was greater than that for patients with D-dimer of at least 0.4 µg/mL (P = .0414). For patients with FIB lower than 3.5 g/L, the likelihood of venous thrombosis was greater than that for patients with FIB of at least 3.5 g/L (P = .0336). CONCLUSION: Decreased FIB was associated with a higher rate of flap compromise. In patients with D-dimer lower than 0.4 µg/mL or FIB lower than 3.5 g/L, the risk of venous thrombosis was higher.

Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Incidentally Found in Cervical Lymph Nodes During Neck Dissection for Patients With Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A 3-Case Report and Literature Review.

The incidence of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) found in the cervical lymph nodes during neck dissection for patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is infrequent, with the coexistence of PTC and SCC in the same cervical lymph node being the rarest. Some of these patients present with primary lesions in the thyroid gland, whereas others have no obviously malignant thyroid lesion. The reasons behind this clinical phenomenon and the relationship between tongue SCC and PTC found in the cervical lymph nodes are unclear. Moreover, for surgeons, making the choice between thyroid surgery and follow-up is still a clinical dilemma. Of the 956 patients who underwent neck dissection owing to maxillofacial tumors from January 2011 through December 2017 at Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, 3 with tongue SCC presented with PTC in the cervical lymph nodes. Neither the preoperative physical examination nor ultrasonography after surgery showed substantial nodules in the thyroid glands of these patients, so none of them underwent thyroid surgery or chemoradiotherapy. At follow-up (1 to 6.5 years), we found no obviously malignant lesions in the patients' thyroid glands or related metastatic disease. Our study suggests that tongue SCC may not affect the occurrence and development of PTC in the cervical lymph nodes. For patients with tongue SCC presenting with PTC in the cervical lymph nodes, it is not necessary to carry out thyroid surgery immediately if ultrasonography shows no substantially malignant lesion in the thyroid gland. Nevertheless, conducting periodic follow-up is very important.

Characteristics and Management of Free Flap Compromise Following Internal Jugular Venous Thrombosis.

PURPOSE: Free flap compromise after internal jugular venous thrombosis (IJVT) occurs fairly infrequently in oral and maxillofacial rehabilitation and reconstruction but could seriously affect the patient's postoperative recovery. The aim of this study was to analyze and discuss the characteristics and management of such flap compromise. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective case series of 13 patients who underwent reconstruction of oral and maxillofacial defects with anterolateral thigh flaps and developed flap compromise from IJVT from July 2014 through December 2016 at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (Changsha, China). The clinical features of flap compromise are described, and the precautions and improvement measures are reported. RESULTS: All 13 patients were men with an average age of 50.3 years. Flap compromise caused by IJVT occurred on postoperative days 3 to 7, of which 2 flaps were salvaged (15.4%) and 11 flaps failed completely after immediate urgent re-exploration. Four patients presented with orocutaneous fistula after salvage surgery that healed well after a period of wound dressing. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the late occurrence and low salvage rate of flap compromise caused by IJVT, intensive flap monitoring after reconstruction surgery is necessary for patients with free flap transfer.

Upregulation of the long non-coding RNA AFAP1-AS1 affects the proliferation, invasion and survival of tongue squamous cell carcinoma via the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) actin filament associated protein 1 antisense RNA1 (AFAP1-AS1) is oriented in an antisense direction to the protein-coding gene AFAP1 in the opposite strand. Previous studies showed that lncRNA AFAP1-AS1 was upregulated and acted as an oncogene in a variety of tumors. However, the expression and biological functions of lncRNA AFAP1-AS1 in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) are still unknown. METHODS: The expression level of AFAP1-AS1 was measured in 103 pairs of human TSCC tissues and corresponding adjacent normal tongue mucous tissues. The correlation between AFAP1-AS1 and the clinicopathological features was evaluated using the chi-square test. The effects of AFAP1-AS1 on TSCC cells were determined via a CCK-8 assay, clone formation assay, flow cytometry, wound healing assay and transwell assay. Furthermore, the effect of AFAP1-AS1 knockdown on the activation of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway was investigated. Finally, CAL-27 cells with AFAP1-AS1 knockdown were subcutaneously injected into nude mice to evaluate the effect of AFAP1-AS1 on tumor growth in vivo. RESULTS: In this study, we found that lncRNA AFAP1-AS1 was increased in TSCC tissues and that patients with high AFAP1-AS1 expression had a shorter overall survival. Short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated AFAP1-AS1 knockdown significantly decreased the proliferation of TSCC cells. Furthermore, AFAP1-AS1 silencing partly inhibited cell migration and invasion. Inhibition of AFAP1-AS1 decreased the activity of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway and suppressed the expression of EMT-related genes (SLUG, SNAIL1, VIM, CADN, ZEB1, ZEB2, SMAD2 and TWIST1) in TSCC cells. In addition, CAL-27 cells with AFAP1-AS1 knockdown were injected into nude mice to investigate the effect of AFAP1-AS1 on tumorigenesis in vivo. Downregulation of AFAP1-AS1 suppressed tumor growth and inhibited the expression of EMT-related genes (SLUG, SNIAL1, VIM, ZEB1, NANOG, SMAD2, NESTIN and SOX2) in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings present a road map for targeting the newly identified lncRNA AFAP1-AS1 to suppress TSCC progression, and these results elucidate a novel potential therapeutic strategy for TSCC.

Reconstruction design before tumour resection: A new concept of through-and-through cheek defect reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE: To explore a new method of reconstruction of through-and-through cheek defects and to evaluate this method's efficacy and patient prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 70 patients who underwent reconstruction of through-and-through cheek defects. The surgical approach, design of facial skin incisions, selection and design of flaps, postoperative quality of life and prognosis of patients were recorded and reported. RESULTS: Postoperative quality of life gradually increased over time, and the mean scores of University of Washington Quality of Life (UW-QOL) Questionnaire was more than 80 at 1-year postoperatively. The appearance, oral competence, chewing, swallowing, speech and other oral functions were well recovered in about 90% of patients at 1-year postoperatively. CONCLUSION: This new idea of reconstruction before tumour resection, brings the effect of plastic and reconstructive surgery to a new height.

Unit resection of buccal squamous cell carcinoma: Description of a new surgical technique.

This study characterized the infiltration of primary tumors along the muscles, fascia and spaces of the maxillofacial region in buccal squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC) and suggested a new surgical strategy that is suitable for most stages. Based on the anatomic characteristics and infiltration of the primary tumor a new surgical approach - unit resection buccal surgery (URBS) - was developed. We evaluated this new surgical strategy, across a cohort of 127 BSCCs: 60 cases treated with URBS and 67 cases treated with conventional surgery. Notably there was no statistical difference in the clinicopathological variables between the two groups. After initial treatment with curative intent, the patients were regularly followed-up with clinical examination and imaging. URBS proved suitable for almost all stages of BSCC, and was particularly advantageous for advanced stages of BSCC. At 2 years post-treatment, the rates of overall survival were 83.3% in the URBS group and 60.1% in the conventional surgery group, respectively (hazard ratio 0.38; 95% CI 0.20 to 0.75; P=0.005). Similarly, the rates of disease-free survival were 76.6% and 51.9% in the URBS group and the conventional surgery group, respectively (hazard ratio 0.42; 95% CI 0.23 to 0.75; P=0.003). The principles of URBS are suitable for almost all stages of BSCC, especially advanced stages. URBS may improve the prognosis of BSCC patients.

Reconstruction of Through-and-Through Oromandibular Defects With Combined Fibula Flap and Anterolateral Thigh Flap.

PURPOSE: The reconstruction of massive through-and-through oromandibular defects is still a challenge because no single adequate candidate for a donor site of vascularized bone and a large amount of soft tissue has yet been found. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and reconstructive efficacy of the combined fibula flap and anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap in tandem for the reconstruction of such defects. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective case series of patients who had undergone reconstruction of through-and-through oromandibular defects with the combined fibula flap and ALT flap in tandem from January 2012 through December 2014 at the Second Xiangya Hospital. The flap design and the methods for defect reconstruction are described, and the reconstructive efficacy is reported. RESULTS: Of the 14 patients, 13 were men and 1 was a woman, with an average age of 49.36 years. Postoperatively, all flaps survived completely, without vascular compromise or major wound complications. All of the donor sites were closed directly, leaving only linear scars and no thigh or leg motor dysfunction. All patients were followed for approximately 12 to 48 months, and the appearance and oral functions were acceptably recovered in about 90% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the convenient flap design, satisfactory functional and esthetic results, and lower complication rates at the donor and recipient sites, the use of a combined fibula flap and ALT flap in tandem is a good choice for the reconstruction of complex through-and-through oromandibular defects.

Clinical Application of an Original Vascular Anastomosis: A Clinical Multicenter Study.

PURPOSE: Vascular anastomosis is the most important technical step required for the possibility of free tissue transfer, and mismatch of the donor and recipient vessel size is the most common surgical challenge. As recent reports have described a new method (Ren anastomosis) to resolve this challenge, the goal of this study was to assess these newly described microvascular anastomosis methods. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted at 2 institutes in China in different periods. Patients were recruited from the Second Xiangya Hospital between February and May 2013 and from the Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital between March and May 2015. All patients who participated in this study needed free flaps for oral and maxillofacial defects. Patients were divided into the experimental group and the control group. In the experimental group, isometric double-notch end-in-end microvascular anastomosis (Ren anastomosis) was performed, whereas end-to-end anastomosis was performed in the control group. Statistical differences were assessed by use of χ2 and t tests. RESULTS: A total of 148 patients (108 men and 40 women) were treated over the course of this study. There was a statistically significant difference (P < .001) in the operation time for the microscopic artery anastomosis between the experimental group (70 cases; 5.6 ± 1.8 minutes) and the control group (78 cases; 14.6 ± 3.7 minutes). In each group, 1 case of artery compromise was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The Ren anastomosis was time-saving, straightforward, efficient, and easy to learn, with a high patency rate.

[Clinical analysis of 35 flap crisis in anterolateral thigh free flaps].

UNLABELLED: PURPOSE：The aim of this study was to analyze the causes of anterolateral thigh (ALT) free flap compromise and improve the success rate of ALT. METHODS: Patients were recruited from September 2005 to December 2012 in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Central South University. All patients underwent reconstructive surgery using ALT free flaps. Outcome measures included ethnicity, defect type, incidence and timing of flap compromise, type of flap compromise (i.e. arterial or venous), causes of vascular occlusion and salvage rate. The data was analyzed using SPSS 16.0 software package. RESULTS: There were a total of 812 ALT free flaps transplanted during 7 years. Among the 812 transferred flaps, 794 survived and 18 showed necrosis, the overall survival rate was 97.8%. 35 flap compromises due to vascular obstruction were identified and 18 flaps were salvaged completely after exploration. Venous occlusions occurred in 31 flaps (88.6%) and arterial occlusion in 4 flaps (11.4%). The successful salvage rate within 16 h was significantly higher than those over 16 h (70.6%: 27.8%, P=0.011). The successful salvage rate of venous occlusions was higher than that of arterial occlusion, but there was no significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: Early detection, re-exploration, and effective handling of the flap crisis increase the rate of flap salvage tremendously. Prick test is the gold standard for early detection of flap compromise.

A preliminary microarray assay of the miRNA expression signatures in buccal mucosa of oral submucous fibrosis patients.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study are threefold: First is to perform a preliminary microarray analysis of miRNA expression profile to filter out differentially expressed miRNA in oral submucous fibrosis, second is to perform a bioinformatics analysis to identify miRNA-specific predicted genes, and third to retrieve those miRNAs from literature and account for the findings of our investigations. METHODS: Buccal mucosa samples from three clinically evident OSF patients and three normal volunteers were collected. Agilent Human miRNA microarray experiments were carried out to analyze the miRNA expression profile in both OSF and normal tissues. To identify molecular pathways potentially altered by expression of miRNAs, DAVID software was used. This application performs an enrichment analysis of multiple miRNA target genes comparing each set of miRNA targets to known KEGG pathway. RESULTS: A total of 11 unique miRNAs were differentially expressed. The overexpressed miRNAs were hsa-miR-455-3p, hsa-miR-455-5p, and hsa-miR-623, and underexpressed miRNAs were hsa-miR-1290, hsa-miR-3180-3p, hsa-miR-4792, hsa-miR-509-3-5p, hsa-miR-5189, hsa-miR-610, hsa-miR-760, and hsa-miR-921. Six miRNAs namely miR-455, miR-760, miR-623, miR-610 and miR-509-3-5p were selected. CONCLUSION: This study shows that miRNA chip can be used for high-throughput screening of miRNA. Target prediction and annotation of the miRNAs demonstrated that the binding, metabolic process, molecular, and cellular process are the most common functions of the predicted targets of these newly identified miRNAs.