Feasibility of online learning among Indian students of dentistry during the CoVid-19 outbreak.

Even though there were several online dentistry academic programs available, the pandemic accelerated the development of e-learning processes and presented unprecedented obstacles to dental education. The pandemic has given rise to a technology-powered teaching style that replaced the centuries-old chalk-talk method. However, because it was a quick change, it had flaws and limitations and has caused turmoil and confusion among many educational teams, particularly in the academic sector. As a necessary consequence, this study is performed to evaluate undergraduate dental students' lived experiences, as well as their capability, willingness and frame of mind for the adoption of online teaching and learning approaches as part of blended learning. Hence, the use of online tutorials should be an effective method of providing meaningful insights for undergraduate dental students.

Erratum: Sociome Data Commons: A scalable and sustainable platform for investigating the full social context and determinants of health - ERRATUM.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1017/cts.2023.670.].

Evaluation of Type, Nature, and Prevalence of Common Oral Pathology Lesions Involving Periodontium and Implant in Patients of Tertiary Level Dental Hospital in Hazaribagh City, Jharkhand.

Background: Evaluation of type, nature, and prevalence of common oral pathology lesions involving periodontium and implant in patients of tertiary level dental hospital in Hazaribagh City, Jharkhand. Materials and Methods: A total of 2467 people were requested to take part in the oral examination. The current study cohort was made up of the 62.4% of the initial subgroup who participated in the clinical oral examination and granted their agreement for the use of the data. Between January 2023 and June 2023, the clinical oral examination was completed. Results: No changes were observed in 89.6% of study participants. 88.2% males had no changes while 90.4% females had no changes. Normal variations were observed in 3.4% of study participants. 4.3% males had normal variations while 2.7% females had normal variations. Infectious oral pathology was observed in 3.3% of study participants. 2.4% males had infectious oral pathology while 3.2% females had infectious oral pathology Ulcerative lesions were observed in 4.1% of study participants. 3.6% males had ulcerative lesions while 2.4% females had ulcerative lesions. White lesions were observed in 6.7% of study participants. 8.2% males had white lesions while 5.6% females had white lesions. Conclusion: This study provided a detailed evaluation of type, nature, and prevalence of different oral pathology lesions focusing on periodontium and implant.

Effectiveness of Injectable Platelet-Rich Fibrin in the Treatment of Oral Lichen Planus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the oral mucosa. The current review investigated the potential effectiveness of injectable platelet-rich fibrin (i-PRF) as a treatment for OLP when compared to other interventions. The current review adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A comprehensive search strategy was implemented across databases such as PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. The search utilized a combination of Boolean operators (AND, OR) and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms to capture relevant studies. Comparative clinical studies focusing on i-PRF as a treatment for OLP and other interventions were included. Outcomes assessed were pain, surface area of lesions, and patient satisfaction. Review Manager 5.4 was used for statistical analysis. The Risk of Bias 2.0 (RoB 2.0) tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies. Three studies were included for the final analysis. The findings indicated that both the i-PRF and comparison treatment groups demonstrated reductions in pain and lesion size. The post-treatment Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores showed a decrease in pain intensity, and there was an improvement in lesion extension in the i-PRF-treated sites. The results also revealed increased patient satisfaction with i-PRF treatment. Adverse effects were not reported or specified in the included studies. Quantitative analysis for pain (VAS) showed a mean difference of 0.38 (95% CI: 0.63-1.40), but there was no significant difference between the i-PRF and control groups at p=0.46. Though intragroup differences showed statistically significant differences between pre and post intervention, intergroup differences were not significant for any of the assessed outcomes. The findings from this study suggest that i-PRF holds promise as a potential treatment for OLP. The use of i-PRF resulted in pain reduction, lesion size improvement, and increased patient satisfaction. However, it is important to consider the limitations of the included studies, such as variability in study designs, small sample sizes, and the limited number of studies.

Knowledge, Awareness, and Interest in Forensic Odontology Among the Dental Teaching Staffs in the Dental Colleges of Jharkhand.

BACKGROUND: Forensic dentistry is a subspecialty of forensic science that handles, examines, and presents evidence from teeth in the most ethical manner possible. In addition to doing research, forensic odontology (FO) entails managing, examining, assessing, and presenting evidence from dentistry in civil or criminal investigations. In these circumstances, the forensic odontologist aids the court system by reviewing the dental findings. AIM: The present investigation was carried out to assess the dental faculty member's awareness, interest, and knowledge of FO at dental educational institutions in Jharkhand, India. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The sample size calculation assumes a simple random sampling technique and a large population size using the formula E=sqrt((Z^2*p*(1-p))/n). A total of 102 dental teaching faculty members from diverse dental specialties participated in the survey. Utilizing a validated questionnaire that was sent directly after receiving approval from the institutional ethics committee in January 2023, data were gathered in a tailored manner. The questionnaire included 12 questions to gauge the dental teaching faculty members' awareness, knowledge, and interest in FO. Closed-ended questions were included. The outcomes were computed using a percentage system. RESULTS: In this study, 95% of study participants agreed with the fact that teeth are a possible source of DNA, while 5% were unaware of this fact. 68% of study participants said that visual examination constitutes the initial stage in the identification process for unidentified bodies while 8% of study participants said that DNA fingerprinting constitutes the initial stage in the identification process for unidentified bodies. However, 8% of study participants didn't know anything about this aspect. 72% of dental teaching faculty members agreed to the fact that Barr bodies should be used to determine sex. 89% of study participants responded positively to the question "Can teeth or enamel serve as a tool for determining age?" 11% of study participants did not know that teeth or enamel can serve as a tool for determining age. 41% of study participants had the correct information that FO instruction for bachelor of dental surgery (BDS) students takes place and, as per Dental Council of India (DCI) standards, should be given in both BDS second and third years. CONCLUSION: The results of the current survey provided information on FO practices among Jharkhand dental institutes' dental faculty. The poll revealed that they have the necessary information, which they must have learned either while studying, participating in continuing dental education, or teaching.

The social vulnerability metric (SVM) as a new tool for public health.

OBJECTIVE: To derive and validate a new ecological measure of the social determinants of health (SDoH), calculable at the zip code or county level. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: The most recent releases of secondary, publicly available data were collected from national U.S. health agencies as well as state and city public health departments. STUDY DESIGN: The Social Vulnerability Metric (SVM) was constructed from U.S. zip-code level measures (2018) from survey data using multidimensional Item Response Theory and validated using outcomes including all-cause mortality (2016), COVID-19 vaccination (2021), and emergency department visits for asthma (2018). The SVM was also compared with the existing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to determine convergent validity and differential predictive validity. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: The data were collected directly from published files available to the public online from national U.S. health agencies as well as state and city public health departments. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The correlation between SVM scores and national age-adjusted county all-cause mortality was r = 0.68. This correlation demonstrated the SVM's robust validity and outperformed the SVI with an almost four-fold increase in explained variance (46% vs. 12%). The SVM was also highly correlated (r ≥ 0.60) to zip-code level health outcomes for the state of California and city of Chicago. CONCLUSIONS: The SVM offers a measurement tool improving upon the performance of existing SDoH composite measures and has broad applicability to public health that may help in directing future policies and interventions. The SVM provides a single measure of SDoH that better quantifies associations with health outcomes.

Comprehensive Assessment of Albumin and Uric Acid Levels in Oral Submucous Fibrosis: A Comparative Case-Control Study Involving Different Risk Groups.

Background Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a premalignant disorder that impacts the oral cavity and pharynx. Major risk factors for OSMF are attributed to the consumption of betel nuts or tobacco. These substances harbor various carcinogens that trigger the production of free radicals and reactive oxygen species. Antioxidants are pivotal in preserving cellular integrity and impeding the oncogenic transformation of body cells. In this context, albumin and uric acid, being primary antioxidants present in body fluids, bestow a defensive effect against this condition. Thus, the present study is designed to elucidate the differential concentration of albumin and uric acid between patient cases and healthy cohorts. Methodology This case-control study was conducted to evaluate the albumin and uric acid levels in individuals diagnosed with OSMF (cases) and compare them with healthy controls for a period of six months. A cohort of 100 individuals was partitioned into four groups, with each group comprising 25 individuals: Group I was made up of healthy individuals; Group II consisted of individuals who chew tobacco and areca nuts but are not affected by OSMF; Group III included individuals who only use tobacco without areca nuts and are afflicted with OSMF; and Group IV comprised individuals who consume a combination of areca nuts and tobacco and are diagnosed with OSMF. Biochemical evaluation was carried out using the BS-380 chemistry autoanalyzer (Mindray, Shenzhen, China), and the quantification of serum albumin and uric acid was performed by the uricase-peroxidase (POD) method with dihydroxybenzene sulfonic acid (DHBS). Results The study cohort of 100 individuals was made up of 70 males and 30 females, with an average age of 42.51 (11.62) years. The comparison of the mean concentration of serum albumin across all groups revealed that healthy controls exhibited the highest serum albumin concentration of 4.284 (0.618), with a statistically significant p-value (0.001) across all groups. A comparison of the mean value of serum uric acid among all groups showed that healthy controls had the highest value of serum uric acid (5.26±1.161), with a considerable p-value (0.001) between all groups. Conclusion The present study concluded that serum biomarkers assessed were high in healthy individuals and consumption of areca nuts, tobacco, and their products was significantly associated with low levels of albumin and uric acid. Therefore, both albumin and uric acid can be used as important biomarkers for uncovering oral premalignant lesions and conditions ahead of time and can also be used in mass screening.

Sociome Data Commons: A scalable and sustainable platform for investigating the full social context and determinants of health.

Background/Objective: Non-clinical aspects of life, such as social, environmental, behavioral, psychological, and economic factors, what we call the sociome, play significant roles in shaping patient health and health outcomes. This paper introduces the Sociome Data Commons (SDC), a new research platform that enables large-scale data analysis for investigating such factors. Methods: This platform focuses on "hyper-local" data, i.e., at the neighborhood or point level, a geospatial scale of data not adequately considered in existing tools and projects. We enumerate key insights gained regarding data quality standards, data governance, and organizational structure for long-term project sustainability. A pilot use case investigating sociome factors associated with asthma exacerbations in children residing on the South Side of Chicago used machine learning and six SDC datasets. Results: The pilot use case reveals one dominant spatial cluster for asthma exacerbations and important roles of housing conditions and cost, proximity to Superfund pollution sites, urban flooding, violent crime, lack of insurance, and a poverty index. Conclusion: The SDC has been purposefully designed to support and encourage extension of the platform into new data sets as well as the continued development, refinement, and adoption of standards for dataset quality, dataset inclusion, metadata annotation, and data access/governance. The asthma pilot has served as the first driver use case and demonstrates promise for future investigation into the sociome and clinical outcomes. Additional projects will be selected, in part for their ability to exercise and grow the capacity of the SDC to meet its ambitious goals.

Sexual Predilection of Lingual Morphology - A Cross-sectional Comparative Study.

Background: Proof of identity acts as a key title role in any criminal investigation. Training of tongue prints has been documented and acknowledged as the gold standard for personal identification worldwide nowadays. Tongue printing has proved as an innovative biometric tool and can be relied upon as an authoritative forensic tool. Research works have been carried out on tongue print independently. However, studies focusing on the morphology or shape of the tongue have not been commenced to a prodigious scope. Aim: The contemporary trial was undertaken upon the people to train and scrutiny the morphological shape of the tongue and validate their magnitude as assistance in sexual dimorphism. Materials and Methods: Hundred dental students in the age group of 18-25 years were included in the trial. For the trial clinical scrutiny, photographs and lingual impressions were recorded of the tongue. Results: In the current trial of the shape of the tongue for gender identification, we used two classifications. According to TCM criteria, five tongue shapes were used for gender identification: rectangle, acute triangle, obtuse triangle, square, and circle. Among the 100 subjects, the square-shaped tongue was chiefly observed, trailed by the circle and obtuse triangle. In the second criteria, Stefanescu et al. classified tongues into two shapes: U- and V-shaped. When the tongue shape was scrutinized, U shape was seen in 79 persons and V shape in 21 persons out of 100 subjects. Conclusion: Hence, the trial concluded that tongue prints exhibited a qualitative result among diverse sex groupings. It can be preached that the human tongue possibilities to distribute a point of exceptionality in morphological shape; besides, it is apt for utilization in gender acknowledgment.

Graphical analysis of guideline adherence to detect systemwide anomalies in HIV diagnostic testing.

BACKGROUND: Analyses of electronic medical databases often compare clinical practice to guideline recommendations. These analyses have a limited ability to simultaneously evaluate many interconnected medical decisions. We aimed to overcome this limitation with an alternative method and apply it to the diagnostic workup of HIV, where misuse can contribute to HIV transmission, delay care, and incur unnecessary costs. METHODS: We used graph theory to assess patterns of HIV diagnostic testing in a national healthcare system. We modeled the HIV diagnostic testing guidelines as a directed graph. Each node in the graph represented a test, and the edges pointed from one test to the next in chronological order. We then graphed each patient's HIV testing. This set of patient-level graphs was aggregated into a single graph. Finally, we compared the two graphs, the first representing the recommended approach to HIV diagnostic testing and the second representing the observed patterns of HIV testing, to assess for clinical practice deviations. RESULTS: The HIV diagnostic testing of 1.643 million patients provided 8.790 million HIV diagnostic test results for analysis. Significant deviations from recommended practice were found including the use of HIV resistance tests (n = 3,007) and HIV nucleic acid tests (n = 16,567) instead of the recommended HIV screen. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a method that modeled a complex medical scenario as a directed graph. When applied to HIV diagnostic testing, we identified deviations in clinical practice from guideline recommendations. The model enabled the identification of intervention targets and prompted systemwide policy changes to enhance HIV detection.

"Triple Tooth Synodontia" of Primary Incisors in Triangular Configuration: A Rare Aberrant Case Report.

Aim: This case report aims to present triple tooth synodontia of primary teeth and its management. Background: Synodontia refers to the fusion of teeth and is a morphological developmental dental aberration. This anomaly is also acknowledged with different terminologies like fusion, germination, and concrescence. Synodontia with two teeth is not uncommon however it is found sporadic in primary dentition. This type of anomaly can include two or more teeth; if the number is two, it is called as double tooth and if three, is called as triple tooth or triplication defect or triploid tooth. Case Description: In this article, we report an unusual case of triplication of primary teeth occurring unilaterally between the upper deciduous right central, lateral incisor and supernumerary tooth. The triple tooth was extracted under local anesthesia and was sectioned at three levels that are coronal, middle, and cervical one-third, and analyzed by Cone-beam Computerized Tomography (CBCT) respectively. The coronal segment revealed three individual pulp chambers, middle third and apical third revealed one single unified pulp chamber. Conclusion: Triple tooth in a triangular configuration with mixture of incomplete fusion at the coronal portion and cervical third and complete fusion at middle and apical third of root is an elusive anomaly. Clinical significance: This aberrant fusion of two deciduous incisors with supernumerary tooth had been documented as rare anomaly, so its early diagnosis and management protocol is imperative to comprehend. How to cite this article: Ahuja V, Verma J, Bhargava A, et al. "Triple Tooth Synodontia" of Primary Incisors in Triangular Configuration: A Rare Aberrant Case Report. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2022;15(6):779-783.

Data on morphometric analysis of anterior teeth from Hazaribag College of Dental Sciences and Hospital,jharkhand.

It is of interest to document data on morphometric (measurement of external form) analysis of maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth collected from a dental set up using mesio-distal (MD) dimension. The mesiodistal dimensions of all permanent anterior teeth (central incisor, lateral incisor and canine) of 25 males and 25 females patients were recorded using digital vernier calipers. Data were charted and statistical analysis was done using Mann Whitney U test. Data shows sexual dimorphism for every tooth between males and females. However, dimorphism was exhibited only in maxillary and mandibular canine, mandibular central incisors, and lateral incisor. Hence,odontometric parameters offer simple, reliable and cost-effective in forensic investigation for recording gender discrimination.

Hidden reservoirs of pathogens in dental settings.

Nosocomial infections are a major concern to both clinicians and health care seekers. Investigations have suggested that laptops & mobile phones may contribute to cross-contamination and can serve as vehicles for infection transmission. Therefore, it is of interest to document the data on hidden reservoirs such as mobile phones and laptops of pathogens in dental settings at the Hazaribag College of dental sciences and Hospital, Jharkhand. The samples were collected from 25 laptops and 25 mobile phones from dentists working in a dental college in Hazaribag city. The samples were collected aseptically using sterile cotton swabs dipped in sterile saline by rotating the swabs on the keyboard surfaces of laptops and mobile phones, inoculated into Brain Heart Infusion broth, vortexed for 1 minute in Fischer Vortex Genie 2 on highest setting & streaked immediately on 5% sheep blood agar plates and were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours aerobically. The isolates were identified based on the colony morphology, colony characteristics and biochemical reactions. The bacterial species isolated were Staphylococcus aureus, Coagulase negative Staphylococcus, Bacillus species, Enterococci, Micrococci, and Pseudomonas etc. Predominant species isolated was Staphylococcus aureus and least was Micrococci. Higher percentage of organisms was found at the Department of Periodontics, Endodontics and least was found in Department of Public Health Dentistry. The percentage and type of organism isolated from keyboards of laptops and mobile phones were similar. Thus, laptops and mobile phones act as vehicles for transfer of potential pathogens associated with dental hospitals. Disinfecting the hands prior to examination of patients and disinfection of laptops and mobiles with alcohol wipes should be done to prevent nosocomial infections.

A Machine Learning Model to Successfully Predict Future Diagnosis of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia With Retrospective Electronic Health Records Data.

BACKGROUND: Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a clonal stem cell disorder accounting for 15% of adult leukemias. We aimed to determine if machine learning models could predict CML using blood cell counts prior to diagnosis. METHODS: We identified patients with a diagnostic test for CML (BCR-ABL1) and at least 6 consecutive prior years of differential blood cell counts between 1999 and 2020 in the largest integrated health care system in the United States. Blood cell counts from different time periods prior to CML diagnostic testing were used to train, validate, and test machine learning models. RESULTS: The sample included 1,623 patients with BCR-ABL1 positivity rate 6.2%. The predictive ability of machine learning models improved when trained with blood cell counts closer to time of diagnosis: 2 to 5 years area under the curve (AUC), 0.59 to 0.67, 0.5 to 1 years AUC, 0.75 to 0.80, at diagnosis AUC, 0.87 to 0.92. CONCLUSIONS: Blood cell counts collected up to 5 years prior to diagnostic workup of CML successfully predicted the BCR-ABL1 test result. These findings suggest a machine learning model trained with blood cell counts could lead to diagnosis of CML earlier in the disease course compared to usual medical care.

Data Object Exchange (DOEx) as a Method to Facilitate Intraorganizational Collaboration by Managed Data Sharing: Viewpoint.

BACKGROUND: To help reduce expenses, shorten timelines, and improve the quality of final deliverables, the Veterans Health Administration (VA) and other health care systems promote sharing of expertise among informatics user groups. Traditional barriers to time-efficient sharing of expertise include difficulties in finding potential collaborators and availability of a mechanism to share expertise. OBJECTIVE: We aim to describe how the VA shares expertise among its informatics groups by describing a custom-built tool, the Data Object Exchange (DOEx), along with statistics on its usage. METHODS: A centrally managed web application was developed in the VA to share informatics expertise using database objects. Visitors to the site can view a catalog of objects published by other informatics user groups. Requests for subscription and publication made through the site are routed to database administrators, who then actualize the resource requests through modifications of database object permissions. RESULTS: As of April 2019, the DOEx enabled the publication of 707 database objects to 1202 VA subscribers from 758 workgroups. Overall, over 10,000 requests are made each year regarding permissions on these shared database objects, involving diverse information. Common "flavors" of shared data include disease-specific study populations (eg, patients with asthma), common data definitions (eg, hemoglobin laboratory results), and results of complex analyses (eg, models of anticipated resource utilization). Shared database objects also enable construction of community-built data pipelines. CONCLUSIONS: To increase the efficiency of informatics user groups, a method was developed to facilitate intraorganizational collaboration by managed data sharing. The advantages of this system include (1) reduced duplication of work (thereby reducing expenses and shortening timelines) and (2) higher quality of work based on simplifying the adoption of specialized knowledge among groups.

Estimating Aspirin Overuse for Primary Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (from a Nationwide Healthcare System).

The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association recently published guidelines narrowing the indications for low-dose aspirin use. The suitability of the electronic health record (EHR) to identify patients for low-dose aspirin deprescribing is unknown. To apply the 3 low-dose aspirin guidelines to EHR data, the guidelines were deconstructed into components from their narrative text and assigned computer-interpretable definitions based on electronic data interchange standards. These definitions were used to search EHR data to identify patients for aspirin deprescribing. To verify EHR records for low-dose aspirin, we then compared the records with a survey of patients' self-reported use of low-dose aspirin. Of the 3 aspirin guidelines, only 1 had a definition suitable for EHR implementation. The other 2 contained difficult-to-implement phrases (e.g., "higher ASCVD risk", "increased bleeding risk"). An EHR search with the single implementable guideline identified 86,555 people for possible aspirin deprescribing (2% of 5,598,604). Only 676 of 1,135 (60%) patients who self-reported taking low-dose aspirin had an active EHR record for low-dose aspirin at that time. Limitations exist when using EHR data to identify patients for possible low-dose aspirin deprescribing such as incomplete EHR capture of and the interpretation of non-specific terminology when translating guidelines into an electronic equivalent. In conclusion, data show many people unnecessarily take low-dose aspirin.

A 20-Year Evaluation of LOINC in the United States' Largest Integrated Health System.

CONTEXT.­: Clinical laboratories are obligated to implement Logical Observation Identifier Names and Codes (LOINC), an informatics standard used to uniquely identify laboratory tests. The historical progress of laboratories in achieving this goal is unknown. OBJECTIVE.­: To evaluate the implementation of LOINC by clinical laboratories with attention to LOINC's adoption, diversity, and correctness over time. DESIGN.­: We aggregated data from 130 facilities within the Veterans Health Administration (VA), an early adopter of LOINC, during a 20-year period (1999-2018). To assess the adoption of LOINC, we calculated the annual proportion of tests and results without a LOINC. To assess the diversity of LOINC, we counted the yearly number of distinct LOINCs in active use. To assess the correctness of LOINC over time, we compared the assigned LOINCs to a manually reviewed gold standard for each year. RESULTS.­: We reviewed a total of 586 000 tests and 9.162 billion results. LOINC adoption, measured as a proportion of both tests and results, improved over time (P < .001). In the final year reviewed, 85% (172 142 of 202 125) of laboratory tests and 99% (547 229 066 of 551 205 087) of results had LOINCs. The number of distinct LOINCs in active use from 1999 to 2018 increased 2.78-fold from 4502 to 12 503 (P < .001). Correctness generally improved but varied considerably by test and across time. CONCLUSIONS.­: The adoption of LOINC has improved during the past 2 decades. More diverse LOINCs were associated with increased adoption and were a challenge to keep up-to-date. The correctness of LOINCs has improved but remains an issue that likely necessitates supplemental review for most applications.

Identification of Candida albicans by using different culture medias and its association in potentially malignant and malignant lesions.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluates the association of Candida albicans with normal control group, potentially malignant and malignant lesions of oral cavity by using two different liquid culture media. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Saliva was collected and biopsy was taken only from those clinically suspected potentially malignant and malignant lesions for histopathological diagnosis. Saliva samples were inoculated for fungal growth in Sabouraud's dextrose agar and culture-positive samples had undergone for Germ tube test. Germ tube-positive samples were further taken for quantification of chlamydospore production in liquid media at 8 and 16 hours. RESULTS: In normal control groups no fungus growth was found; however, potentially malignant and malignant cases showed fungus growth, positive germ tube test and chlamydospore formation. The result also showed rapid and quantitatively more chlamydospore formation in corn meal broth + 5% milk in comparison to serum milk culture media. CONCLUSION: The oral mucosa is compromised in potentially malignant lesions, it can be argued that this species may be involved in carcinogenesis by elaborating the nitrosamine compounds which either act directly on oral mucosa or interact with other chemical carcinogens to activate specific proto-oncogenes and thereby initiate oral neoplasia.

[Stem cell--is there any role in tumorigenic activity]. / Kök Hücre - Tümörijenik Aktivitede Rolü Var mi?

Stem cells are a quintessential key to proper behavior of homeostatic processes. They are often thought of as the solution to a wide range of human conditions, with the ability to rescue malfunctioning or non-functioning organs and tissues. However, there is increasing evidence that stem cells can play a central role in disease. Most recently stem cells have been implicated in cancer after not responding to homeostasic controls such as proliferation and differentiation. Cancer has long been seen as a disease that arises from mutations that impair the capacity of any cell within the organism to respond to the signals that regulate proliferation. Besides their scarcity or abundance, a second important issue with respect to cancer stem cells is their origin. A new defining model for carcinogenesis, the "cancer stem cell hypothesis" was put forward in 2006, according to which cancer is a stem cell disease that places malignant stem cells at the centre of its tumorigenic activity as they have the capacity to undergo self-renewal, and have the potential to differentiate into different types of cells in a specific lineage.