Tumour Angiogenesis and Angiogenic Inhibitors: A Review.

Angiogenesis is a complex process depending on the coordination of many regulators and there by activating angiogenic switch. Recent advances in understanding of angiogenic mechanism have lead to the development of several anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic agents that use the strategy of regulation of angiogenic switch. Antiangiogenic therapy is a form of treatment not cure for cancer and represents a highly effective strategy for destroying tumour because vascular supply is the fundamental requirement for growth of tumour. Because of the quiescent nature of normal adult vasculature, angiogenic inhibitors are expected to confer a degree of specificity when compared to nonspecific modalities of chemo and radiotherapy, so it has the advantage of less toxicities, does not induce drug resistance and deliver a relatively non toxic, long term treatment of tumour.

Oral myiasis involving palatal mucosa of a young female.

In literal terms myiasis is the invasion of the tissues and organs of human beings by fly larvae. This phenomenon is well documented in the skin, especially among animals and people in developed and developing countries. When the tissues of oral cavity are invaded by the parasitic larvae of flies, the condition is called as oral myiasis. With the paper we are presenting a case of 19-year-old female suffering from oral myiasis of upper lip and palate. The treatment consisted of manual removal of the larvae, surgical debridement of the wound and oral therapy with doxycycline used as a locally acting drug for faster and better recovery.

Matrix metalloproteinases and cancer - roles in threat and therapy.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc dependent extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling endopeptidases having the ability to degrade almost all components of extracellular matrix and implicated in various physiological as well as pathological processes. Carcinogenesis is a multistage process in which alteration of the microenvironment is required for conversion of normal tissue to a tumour. Extracellular matrix remodelling proteinases such as MMPs are principal mediators of alterations observed in the microenvironment during carcinogenesis and according to recent concepts not only have roles in invasion or late stages of cancer but also in regulating initial steps of carcinogenesis in a favourable or unfavourable manner. Establishment of relationships between MMP overproduction and cancer progression has stimulated the development of inhibitors that block proteolytic activity of these enzymes. In this review we discuss the MMP general structure, classification, regulation roles in relation to hallmarks of cancer and as targets for therapeutic intervention.

Qualitative and quantitative assessment of relationship between mandibular third molar and angle fracture on North Indian population: A clinico-radiographic study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between impacted mandibular third molar presence and the risk for mandibular angle fracture with the effect of various positions of mandibular third molar and the risk of mandibular angle fracture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the North Indian territory, a total of 289 patients with mandibular angle fractures were studied and evaluated for the possible relationship with impacted third molar on the basis of clinical and panoramic radiographical findings. RESULTS: Results that confirmed the highest risk for mandibular angle fracture was associated with mesioangular angulations (45.42%) followed by vertical (26.34%), distoangular in sequence and least risk was found with bucco-version angulations (2.67%) according to Winter's classification. Additionally, the highest risk of mandibular angle fracture was reported with partially erupted third molar (47.75%), followed by erupted (23.53%) and unerupted third molar (19.38%). CONCLUSION: The risk for mandibular angle fracture is not only affected by status of eruption, angulations, position, number of roots present in third molar but also by the distance of mandibular third molar from inferior border of mandible and the percentage of remaining amount of bone at the mandibular angle region.

Artefacts: a diagnostic dilemma - a review.

The significance of proper handling of biopsy specimens is important and obvious for any histopathological diagnosis. Accuracy of tissue diagnosis by the pathologists is heavily dependent upon the competence of histotechnologists. The aim of a good histopathological technique is to produce microscopic preparation of tissues, usually stained, that represents as closely as possible, their structures in life. But this is not always possible and some sort of tissue morphology is bound to be seen. The ability of oral pathologists in interpreting a biopsy correctly is directly proportional not only to the quality, but also to the quantity of the specimen. There are many ways through which the exact interpretation of tissue specimen becomes compromised and the major pitfall is the presence of artefacts. These artefacts may occur during surgical removal, fixation, processing, embedding, microtomy and staining procedures. It is therefore important to identify the common occurring artefacts during interpretation of oral biopsies.