Heat Shock Proteins' Expression Profiles in Odontogenic Ameloblastomas and Cysts.

Tumors and cysts with odontogenic origin represent a family of lesions with specific histo-genetic and clinical characteristics. Among them, ameloblastomas are common benign neoplasms, predominantly detected in the anatomic areas of the jaws and also in the mandible and maxilla. Although they are characterized by a slow and stable growing pattern, a subset of them shows a tendency for local tissue invasiveness and partially increased recurrence rates after surgical excision. Furthermore, heat shock proteins (HSPs) are potentially implicated in ameloblastoma onset and progression. HSPs regulate the folding and refolding of proteins and are induced in response to oxidative stress. They are crucial members of the chaperone intracellular system and are categorized based on their molecular weight (i.e., HSP27, HSP60, HSP70, HSP90). In the current review, we describe HSPs origin and function, focusing on their deregulation mechanisms and impact predominantly on ameloblastomas and also on inflammatory and developmental odontogenic cystic lesions.

Impact of CD34-dependent Micro Vessel Density on Periapical Odontogenic Cysts.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Odontogenic cysts belong to a type of lesions with endodontic origin that in some cases mimic even aggressive odontogenic tumors sharing with them similar radiographic features. Periapical cysts (PCs) belong to the inflammatory odontogenic cysts sub-category and rarely squamous cell carcinoma arises from their hyperplastic/ dysplastic epithelia. This study aimed to explore the impact of cluster differentiation 34 (CD34) protein expression combined with micro vessel density (MVD) on PCs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight (n=48) archival, formalin-fixed, and paraffin-embedded PC tissue specimens were included in the study. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed in the corresponding tissue sections using an anti- CD34 antibody. CD34 expression levels and also MVD in the examined cases were measured by implementing a digital image analysis protocol. RESULTS: CD34 over-expression (moderate to high staining intensity levels) were detected in 29/48 (60.4%) cases, whereas the rest of them (19/48-39.6%) were characterized by low levels of expression. Extended MVD was identified in 26/48 (50.1%) cases correlated with CD34 over-expression, epithelial hyperplasia (p-value=0.001), and marginally with inflammatory infiltration level in the examined lesions (p-value=0.056). CONCLUSION: CD34 over-expression combined with increased MVD is associated with a neoplastic-like (hyperplastic) phenotype in PCs as a result of increased neo-angiogenic activity. These histopathological characteristics rarely form an eligible substrate for squamous cell carcinoma onset in untended cases.

Evidence That Cigarette Smoking Alters Alveolar Type I Cell Nuclear Fractal Dimension.

A large number of alveolar type I and II cells from the lungs of both smokers and non-smokers was collected using 40x magnification histological images from our digital archive. These images underwent a transformation into binary images of nuclear contours, followed by the application of the box-counting method. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in the mean box-counting dimension values between type I cells of smokers and non-smokers. However, no significant difference was observed in the mean fractal dimensions of alveolar type II cells. This study provides preliminary evidence of the impact of cigarette smoking on the nuclear shape of alveolar type I cells. Given the high toxicity of cigarette smoke to lung cells and the interconnection between morphology and function, further study is needed to understand its impact on the nuclear shape of these cells. Future research should also explore the effects of second-hand smoke on cell shape.

The Goodness-of-fit of the Fractal Dimension as a Diagnostic Factor in Breast Cancer.

A large number of studies have found that the fractal dimension increases with the progression towards pathological or more pathological states, but there are also studies that have demonstrated the opposite relationship. In this study, we calculate the nuclear box-counting fractal dimension of 109 malignant, 113 benign, and 80 normal isolated breast cells in order to investigate its possible diagnostic importance. We computed the fractal dimension and its goodness-of-fit (i.e., the r-squared value that describes how well the regression line fits the set of the measurements) for two different sets of box size lengths. The statistical analysis did not confirm an important diagnostic potential of the nuclear fractal dimension of isolated breast cells. However, the goodness-of-fit did display a diagnostic potential. The r-squared value may be able to serve as a complementary diagnostic parameter.

Chemical Pesticides and Human Health: The Urgent Need for a New Concept in Agriculture.

The industrialization of the agricultural sector has increased the chemical burden on natural ecosystems. Pesticides are agrochemicals used in agricultural lands, public health programs, and urban green areas in order to protect plants and humans from various diseases. However, due to their known ability to cause a large number of negative health and environmental effects, their side effects can be an important environmental health risk factor. The urgent need for a more sustainable and ecological approach has produced many innovative ideas, among them agriculture reforms and food production implementing sustainable practice evolving to food sovereignty. It is more obvious than ever that the society needs the implementation of a new agricultural concept regarding food production, which is safer for man and the environment, and to this end, steps such as the declaration of Nyéléni have been taken.

Sun lotion chemicals as endocrine disruptors.

Ultraviolet solar radiation is a well-known environmental health risk factor and the use of sun lotions is encouraged to achieve protection mainly from skin cancer. Sun lotions are cosmetic commercial products that combine active and inactive ingredients and many of these are associated with health problems, including allergic reactions and endocrine disorders. This review focuses on their ability to cause endocrine and reproductive impairments, with emphasis laid on the active ingredients (common and less common UV filters). In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated their ability to show oestrogenic/anti-oestrogenic and androgenic/anti-androgenic activity. Many ingredients affect the oestrous cycle, spermatogenesis, sexual behaviour, fertility and other reproductive parameters in experimental animals. Their presence in aquatic environments may reveal a new emerging environmental hazard.