Pediatric upper lip myopericytoma: a case report and comprehensive review.

BACKGROUND: Myopericytoma is a rare spindle cell tumor of mesenchymal origin, typically benign, characterized by concentric proliferation of tumor cells around blood vessels within subcutaneous tissue. It primarily occurs in middle-aged adults and is often located in distal extremities, although cases have been reported in proximal extremities and head-neck regions. However, occurrences within the oral cavity are exceedingly rare. To date, literature reviews have identified only two cases in children under 10 years old and reported only five cases of myopericytoma occurring in the lip region. We provide a comprehensive review and analysis of all documented cases to better understand this condition. CASE PRESENTATION: A 7-year-old girl presented to oral and maxillofacial surgery with the discovery of a painless mass on the inner aspect of the upper lip. The diagnosis of myopericytoma was confirmed by histological examination (HE staining), alcian blue staining, and immunohistochemistry. CONCLUSIONS: Following surgical excision, there were no signs of recurrence at a 3-month follow-up. The pathological diagnosis of myopericytoma is quite challenging, and immunohistochemical testing is necessary.

Evaluation of stromal myofibroblasts in oral submucous fibrosis and its malignant transformation: An immunohistochemical study.

BACKGROUND: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a precancerous lesion, with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) being the most prevalent malignancy affecting the oral mucosa. The malignant transformation of OSF into OSCC is estimated to occur in 7-13% of cases. Myofibroblasts (MFs) play pivotal roles in both physiological and pathological processes, such as wound healing and tumorigenesis, respectively. This study aimed to explore the involvement of MFs in the progression of OSF and its malignant transformation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 94 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were collected, including normal oral mucosa (NOM; n = 10), early-moderate OSF (EMOSF; n = 29), advanced OSF (AOSF; n = 29), paracancerous OSF (POSF; n = 21), and OSCC (n = 5) samples. Alpha-smooth muscle actin was used for the immunohistochemical identification of MFs. RESULTS: NOM exhibited infrequent expression of MFs. A higher staining index of MFs was found in AOSF, followed by EMOSF and NOM. Additionally, a significant increase in the staining index of MFs was found from EMOSF to POSF and OSCC. The staining index of MFs in NOM, EMOSF, AOSF, POSF, and OSCC was 0.14 ± 0.2, 1.69 ± 1.4, 2.47 ± 1.2, 3.57 ± 2.6, and 8.86 ± 1.4, respectively. All results were statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of MFs exhibited a gradual increase as the disease progressed from mild to malignant transformation, indicating the contributory role of MFs in the fibrogenesis and potential tumorigenesis associated with OSF.

Differentiating progressive supranuclear palsy from other movement disorders using transcranial sonography: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is an atypical parkinsonism that presents with different phenotypes. There are still no validated diagnostic biomarkers for early diagnosis of PSP. Transcranial sonography (TCS) is a promising tool in the differential diagnosis of parkinsonian disorders; however, there are no systematic investigations about the application of TCS in PSP patients. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to discuss the role of TCS in diagnosing PSP by systematically searching PubMed, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wan Fang databases. Of 66 obtained records, 16 articles, including 366 patients with PSP, were included. Our results showed the estimated random-effects pooled prevalence of substantia nigra hyperechogenicity in patients with PSP was 22% (95% CI 12-32%), lenticular nucleus hyperechogenicity was 70% (95% CI 52-82%), and enlarged third ventricle was 71% (95% CI 55-85%). Additionally, a normal echogenicity substantia nigra in TCS showed 70% sensitivity (95% CI 56-81%) and 86% specificity (95% CI 75-86%) to differentiate PSP from Parkinson's disease. In conclusion, TCS is an important supplementary biomarker for diagnosing PSP. At the same time, the diagnostic value of TCS in discriminating PSP from other atypical parkinsonism and between different PSP phenotypes needs further exploration.

Skewed Th17/Treg balance during progression and malignant transformation of oral submucous fibrosis.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to determine the impact of Th17/Treg imbalance on the progression and malignant transformation of oral submucosal fibrosis (OSF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: To assess Th17 and Treg expression, overall 52 peripheral blood samples from OSF, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients, and healthy donors were analyzed by flow cytometry. Thirty normal oral mucosa, 72 OSF, and 90 OSCC samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In peripheral blood samples, in OSCC with OSF, Th17 and Treg expression were significantly higher than those in OSF and OSCC without OSF as confirmed by immunohistochemistry. During OSF progression, Th17 and Th17/Treg ratio showed an increasing trend, while Treg expression showed a decreasing trend. Treg expression was significantly higher in OSCC with OSF than in OSF and OSCC without OSF, whereas the Th17/Treg ratio was significantly lower in OSCC with OSF. Treg expression was significantly correlated with smoking and clinical stage. Th17/Treg ratio was significantly associated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and clinical stage. A low Th17/Treg ratio was significantly associated with poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Th17/Treg ratio is a potential diagnostic indicator for OSF occurrence and malignant transformation and was an independent prognostic factor for OSCC.

Synovial sarcoma of the head and neck: A review of reported cases on the clinical characteristics and treatment methods.

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a high-grade soft-tissue sarcoma that occurs predominantly in older children and young adults in their thirties. It is usually very challenging to diagnose and treat synovial sarcoma in the head and neck region. The purpose of this review is to investigate the clinical manifestations and different treatment methods in the management of primary synovial sarcoma of the head and neck. HNSS has an aggressive nature and poor prognosis. Surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are the primary treatment methods. Typically, surgical resection with negative margins remains the foundation of therapy, which is not very easily achieved in the head and neck due to its complex anatomical structure and the presence of many blood vessels and nerves. However, synovial sarcoma has a high recurrence rate, so aggressive management and close follow-up are warranted for the optimal outcome.

Differential expression of programmed death-1 and its ligand, programmed death ligand-1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma with and without oral submucous fibrosis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to investigate the expression of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)/programmed death-1 (PD-1) between oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients with and without oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), and its correlation with clinic-pathologic features and its prognostic value. METHODS: PD-L1 and PD-1 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining, double immunofluorescent staining and real-time PCR, and the correlation of PD-L1/PD-1 expression with clinical outcome was assessed. RESULTS: The level of PD-L1 expression was significantly higher in OSCC with OSF than in OSCC without OSF (p = 0.006). Moreover, PD-L1 expression was strongly correlated with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.016), and advanced tumor stage (p = 0.030). Increased PD-L1 expression was positively correlated with the incidence of OSCC with OSF (p = 0.006, p = 0.008, respectively). PD-L1 expression was an independent marker of unfavorable prognosis (p = 0.035, p = 0.048, respectively). High PD-L1 expression had a significantly worse outcome in OSCC patients with OSF (p = 0.014). Double immunofluorescent staining showed that OSCC with OSF were more strongly expressed both PD-L1 and PD-1 than OSCC without OSF. Moreover, the expression of PD-L1 were upregulated in OSCC tissues than normal control (p = 0.0422), and both PD-L1 and PD-1 was significantly higher in OSCC with OSF than OSCC without OSF tissues (p = 0.0043 and, p = 0.0012, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggested that PD-L1 may be an unfavorable indicator for prognosis. PD-L1/PD-1 signaling might play an important role in the malignant transformation of OSF, and targeting PD-L1/PD-1 signaling may be a new therapeutic strategy for OSCC, especially in OSCC patients with OSF.

Long non-coding RNA DNM3OS/miR-204-5p/HIP1 axis modulates oral cancer cell viability and migration.

BACKGROUND: Non-coding RNAs play a critical role in the occurrence and development of oral cancer. The present study is aimed to identify long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that might be novel effective targets for the treatments of oral cancer and the underlying mechanism. METHODS: The microarray profiling and RNA-sequencing analysis were performed to identify lncRNAs related to oral cancer development, and lncRNA DNM3OS was selected. DNM3OS knockdown was generated in cancer cell lines, and the specific effects of DNM3OS knockdown on cell phenotype were examined. DNM3OS targeted miRNA and miRNA targeted downstream mRNA were selected, the predicted bindings were verified, and the specific effects of miRNA on oral cancer cells were examined. Finally, the dynamic effects of DNM3OS and miRNA on target mRNA expression and oral cancer cell phenotype were examined. RESULTS: DNM3OS was upregulated in oral cancer tissues and cells. DNM3OS knockdown in CAL27 and SCC-9 cells inhibited cell viability and migration. DNM3OS targeted miR-204-5p to inhibit miR-204-5p expression. miR-204-5p overexpression suppressed oral cancer cell aggressiveness. miR-204-5p targeted HIP1 to inhibit HIP1 expression. HIP1 knockdown inhibited oral cancer cell viability and migration. The effects of DNM3OS knockdown were significantly reversed by miR-204-5p inhibition. Within oral carcinoma tissue samples, expression of DNM3OS and HIP1 was increased whereas the miR-204-5p expression was downregulated; miR-204-5p had a negative correlation with DNM3OS and HIP1, respectively, while DNM3OS and HIP1 were positively correlated with each other. CONCLUSION: Long non-coding RNA DNM3OS, miR-204-5p, and HIP1 form an axis that modulates oral cancer cell viability and migration.

Repertoire of peripheral T cells in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The establishment of adaptive immune responses to neoplasms involves not only the tumour tissue, but also the peripheral blood. We aimed to conduct a preliminary exploration to understand the immune response of T lymphocytes of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC-Ts) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS: A total of 103 blood samples from OSCC patients and 18 blood samples from healthy donors (HD) were analysed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Compared to those in HD, a series of unique features of PBMC-Ts were observed in OSCC patients including a significant increase in CD4+ T cells, a shift from naïve to memory/effector phenotype, an increased frequency of exhausted phenotypes (programmed death-1 [PD-1], T cell Ig and mucin protein-3 [Tim-3] and Tregs), an abundance of Th17s and Tc17s and an imbalance in Th17/Tc17 and Th17/Treg ratios. Furthermore, in OSCC patients, we also found that CD4+ T cells were significantly increased in patients with larger tumours than smaller tumours, memory/effector phenotype and exhausted phenotypes were significantly associated with advanced clinical stage and lymph node metastasis, and the Th17/Treg ratio was associated with early clinical stage and no lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSION: PBMC-Ts may be involved in the development and progression of OSCC, which suggested to be a manifestation of an immune response between host and tumour neoantigens.

The repertoire of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes within the microenvironment of oral squamous cell carcinoma reveals immune dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: The role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in the immune remodeling of tumor microenvironments (TME) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains controversial. In this study, we pursued a comprehensive characterization of the repertoire of TILs and then analyzed its clinical significance and potential prognostic value. METHODS: Fresh tumor tissue samples and peripheral blood from 83 OSCC patients were collected to comprehensively characterize the phenotypes and frequencies of TILs by flow cytometry. Archived paraffin-embedded tissues derived from 159 OSCC patients were analyzed by immunohistochemistry to further assess the TIL repertoire. The clinical significance of TILs and their potential prognostic value were further analyzed. RESULTS: A series of unique features of TILs were observed. IL-17 was highly expressed in betel nut chewers, and CD20 was abundantly expressed in patients who did not drink alcohol; high expression of CD138, PD-L1, and Foxp3 was associated with poor prognosis. The Th17/Treg ratio was an independent prognostic factor for patient survival with greater predictive accuracy for overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest an antigen-driven immune response; however, the immune dysfunction within the microenvironment in OSCC and the Th17/Treg balance may play important roles in the modulation of antitumor immunity.

Investigation of the association between miR­181b, Bcl­2 and LRIG1 in oral verrucous carcinoma.

Abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is involved in the development of and anti­apoptotic effects in various types of human cancer. However, miRNA­mediated regulation of oral verrucous carcinoma (OVC) remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of miR­181b in OVC and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The expression levels of miR­181b were determined using reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The expression levels of B­cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl­2) and leucine rich repeats and immunoglobulin like domains 1 (LRIG1), were evaluated using immunohistochemical staining. The correlation between Bcl­2 and LRIG1 expression was determined using a Pearson correlation analysis. The expression levels of miR­181b and Bcl­2 in OVC were significantly higher compared with normal mucosal tissue (NM); however, lower compared with the OSCC. The key target of miR­181b was LRIG1 and it was significantly lower in OVC tissues compared with NM tissue; however this was higher when compared with OSCC tissue. The expression levels of Bcl­2 were correlated with expression levels of LRIG1 in OVC tissues. Therefore, LRIG1 may be associated with anti­apoptotic function in OVC tissues.

Oral verrucous carcinoma: From multifactorial etiology to diverse treatment regimens (Review).

Oral verrucous carcinoma (OVC) is a verrucous variant of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which accounts for 2-12% of all oral carcinomas with a 5-year survival rate of only approximately 50%. Enormous effort has been dedicated to this cancer, and the past decades have witnessed significant advances in relevant diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Currently, there exist three challenges from primary sub-fields of research and clinical practice of the cancer, namely multifactorial etiology, complex molecular mechanism, and deficient treatment. This study reviews the existing literature on the cancer, encompassing its etiology, clinical manifestations and pathology, molecular mechanism, diagnosis and differential diagnosis, and treatment. For improved treatment of OVC, multifactorial etiology analysis, incorporation of effective biomarkers for mechanism illustration, and integration of multidisciplinary modalities are expounded, in an attempt to resolve the challenges and to provide a useful guide for future research in the field.

Comparing the Clinical Outcomes Between Insulin-treated and Non-insulin-treated Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus After Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Several studies have shown coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) to be beneficial in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and multivessel coronary artery diseases. Patients with insulin-treated T2DM (ITDM) are usually patients with poor glycemic control and are expected to suffer more complications compared with patients with non-insulin-treated T2DM (NITDM). However, the adverse clinical outcomes in patients with ITDM and NITDM after CABG are still not very clear. Hence, to solve this issue, we aim to compare the short-and long-term adverse clinical outcomes in a larger number of patients with ITDM and NITDM after CABG, respectively.Randomized controlled trials and observational studies comparing the adverse clinical outcomes such as mortality, major adverse events (MAEs), stroke, myocardial infarction, and repeated revascularization in patients with ITDM and NITDM after CABG have been searched from Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane, and PubMed databases. A short-term follow-up (≤30 days) and a long-term follow-up (≥1 year) were considered. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to express the pooled effect on discontinuous variables and the pooled analyses were performed with RevMan 5.3.Eleven studies involving a total of 64,152 patients with T2DM (23,781 patients with ITDM and 40,371 patients with NITDM) have been included in this meta-analysis. During the short-term follow-up period, patients with ITDM had a significantly higher mortality (OR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.33-1.61, P < 0.00001) and MAEs (OR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.48-1.87, P < 0.00001). During the long-term follow-up period, patients with ITDM still had a significantly higher rate of mortality, MAEs, and stroke (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.02-1.49, P = 0.03; OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.07-2.12, P = 0.02; OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.22-1.59, P < 0.00001, respectively) after CABG. However, our results showed similar repeated revascularization rate between the ITDM and NITDM groups after CABG (OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 0.81-2.12, P = 0.27).According to this study, patients with ITDM had a significantly higher rate of mortality and MAEs compared with patients with NITDM after CABG. Stroke was also significantly higher in patients with ITDM during a long-term follow-up period. However, since the result for the long-term mortality had a higher heterogeneity as compared with the other subgroups, and because a similar revascularization rate was observed between the ITDM and NITDM groups after CABG maybe because of a limited number of patients analyzed, further studies still need to be conducted to completely solve this issue.

An adaptive immune response driven by mature, antigen-experienced T and B cells within the microenvironment of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Lymphocyte infiltrates have been observed in the microenvironment of oral cancer; however, little is known about whether the immune response of the lymphocyte infiltrate affects tumor biology. For a deeper understanding of the role of the infiltrating-lymphocytes in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), we characterized the lymphocyte infiltrate repertoires and defined their features. Immunohistochemistry revealed considerable T and B cell infiltrates and lymphoid follicles with germinal center-like structures within the tumor microenvironment. Flow cytometry demonstrated that populations of antigen-experienced CD4+ and CD8+ cells were present, as well as an enrichment of regulatory T cells; and T cells expressing programmed death-1 (PD-1) and T cell Ig and mucin protein-3 (Tim-3), indicative of exhaustion, within the tumor microenvironment. Characterization of tumor-infiltrating B cells revealed clear evidence of antigen exposure, in that the cardinal features of an antigen-driven B cell response were present, including somatic mutation, clonal expansion, intraclonal variation and isotype switching. Collectively, our results point to an adaptive immune response occurring within the OSCC microenvironment, which may be sustained by the expression of specific antigens in the tumor.

Gene profiling analysis for patients with oral verrucous carcinoma and oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Oral verrucous carcinoma (OVC) is one malignant tumor which was carved out from the oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the clinical and pathological features as well as the treatment strategies of OVC are different from OSCC. Here, global transcript abundance of tumor tissues from five patients with primary OVC and six patients with primary OSCC including their matched adjacently normal oral mucosa were profiled using the Affymetrix HGU133 Plus 2.0. Ingenuity Systems IPA software was used to analyse the gene function and biological pathways. There were 109 differentially expressed genes (more than 2-fold) between OVC and the adjacently normal tissue, among them 66 were up-regulated and 43 were down-regulated; 1172 differentially expressed genes (2-fold) between OSCC and the adjacently normal tissue, among them 608 were up-regulated and 564 were down-regulated. There were 39 common differentially expressed genes in OVC and OSCC compared with their matched normal oral mucosa, among them 22 up-regulated and 17 down-regulated, and 8 of them different between OVC and OSCC. In addition, the gene expression profile was further validated by quantitative real-time PCR (Q-RT-PCR) analysis for four of those 39 selected genes.

Distal-less homeobox 2 promotes the osteogenic differentiation potential of stem cells from apical papilla.

Dental tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a reliable cell source for dental tissue regeneration. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the directed differentiation of MSCs remain unclear; thus, their use is limited. The histone demethylase, lysine (K)-specific demethylase 4B (KDM4B), plays critical roles in the osteogenic commitment of MSCs by up-regulating distal-less homeobox 2 (DLX2) expression. The DLX2 gene is highly expressed in dental tissue-derived MSCs but the roles of DLX2 in osteogenesis are unclear. Here, we investigate DLX2 function in stem cells from apical papilla (SCAPs). We found that, in vitro, DLX2 expression was up-regulated in SCAPs by adding BMP4 and by inducing osteogenesis. The knock-down of DLX2 in SCAPs decreased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and mineralization. DLX2 depletion affected the mRNA expression of ALP, bone sialoprotein (BSP) and osteocalcin (OCN) and inhibited SCAP osteogenic differentiation in vitro. Over-expression of DLX2 enhanced ALP activity, mineralization and the expression of ALP, BSP and OCN in vitro. In addition, transplant experiments in nude mice confirmed that SCAP osteogenesis was triggered when DLX2 was activated. Furthermore, DLX2 expression led to the expression of the key transcription factor, osterix (OSX) but not to the expression of runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2). Taken together, these results indicate that DLX2 is stimulated by BMP signaling and enhances SCAP osteogenic differentiation by up-regulating OSX. Thus, the activation of DLX2 signaling might improve tissue regeneration mediated by MSCs of dental origin. These results provide insight into the mechanism underlying the directed differentiation of MSCs of dental origin.

A comparative study of the influence of three pure titanium plates with different micro- and nanotopographic surfaces on preosteoblast behaviors.

There is a great demand for dental implants with the ability to accelerate periimplant bone regeneration. Modification of surface micro- and nanotopographies has been revealed to affect bone cell metabolism. In this study, we utilized dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) technology to modify commercially pure titanium (Ti-tr) surfaces and then investigated the cytocompability of DBD-modified Ti surface when compared with machined (Ti-m) and polished (Ti-p) Ti surfaces. These three kinds of Ti plates exhibited different surface energies and topographies at the micro- and nanoscale levels. The DBD-treated pure Ti surface significantly enhances cell adhesion, spread, and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast cells compared with the Ti-p and Ti-m surfaces, suggesting that Ti-tr has better cytocompatibility compared with the other two surfaces. Preosteoblast cells on Ti-m surface exhibited higher alkaline phosphatase activity than cells on Ti-tr and Ti-p surfaces 14 days after seeding. No significant difference in alkaline phosphatase activity was observed between cells grown on Ti-tr and Ti-p surfaces. Our study demonstrated that DBD modification significantly enhanced cell adhesion, spread, and proliferation of preosteoblasts with no negative effects on cell differentiation. Microtopography and nanotopography of the surfaces of different materials and chemical/energetic properties have a synergistic effect on cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation.

[Study of αB-crystallin and its possible role of anti-apoptosis in oral verrucous carcinoma].

PURPOSE: To investigate the expression of αB-crystallin and its possible role of anti-apoptosis in oral verrucous carcinoma. METHODS: The expression of αB-crystallin and activated caspase-3 was detected in oral verrucous carcinoma, oral squamous carcinoma and normal mucosa by immunohistochemistry, and their relationship was investigated. SPSS 16.0 software package was used for statistical analysis. Nonparametric test and spearman correlation test were performed. RESULTS: The expression of αB-crystallin in oral verrucous carcinoma and oral squamous carcinoma was significantly higher than that in normal mucosa(P<0.05). And in oral verrucous carcinoma, the increase of expression of αB-crystallin coincided with the decrease of expression of activated caspase-3(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: αB-crystallin may play a role of anti-apoptosis by inhibiting the activation of caspase-3 in oral verrucous carcinoma.

Stereology study of oral verrucous carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most prevalent malignant neoplasm of the oral cavity and oral verrucous carcinoma (OVC) is a verrucous variant of SCC. The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical classification of OVC and see for any difference in the biological behavior between OVC and CSS. METHODS: OVC and SCC were divided into 5 groups: the exogenic type of OVC (eOVC), cystoid type of OVC (cOVC) and infiltrative type of OVC (iOVC); well differentiated SCC (wdSCC), and medium/poorly differentiated SCC (m/pdSCC). A normal mucosa (NM) group was also created and studied. Stereology was used to measure and describe the morphological parameters of the nucleus to cytoplasm ratio (Vnp), desmosomes, mitochondria, etc. Analysed were also the nucleus volume density (Vv), Vnp, desmosomes and intracellular desmosomes number density (Nv), which were observed by stereology. RESULTS: We noticed some statistically significant differences in the morphological parameters among the 6 groups including the Vv (p<0.05), the Vnp (p<0.05), the number density of desmosomes (p<0.05), and the Nv (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: This study provides a theoretical basis for the clinical diagnosis and therapy of OVC.

Expression of αB-crystallin and its potential anti-apoptotic role in oral verrucous carcinoma.

αB-crystallin, a member of the small heat shock protein family, acts as a molecular chaperone. αB-crystallin has been found to be overexpressed in a number of cancer tissues, including head and neck cancers. Overexpression of αB-crystallin in cancer tissue may be related to its anti-apoptotic properties; however, its mechanism of action remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-apoptotic role of αB-crystallin in oral verrucous carcinoma (OVC). Since oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common tumor of the oral cavity, we selected OSCC as a control group. Immunohistochemical staining was used to evaluate the expression levels. The results showed that the expression of αB-crystallin was detected in OVC, OSCC and normal oral mucosa (NM). The expression in OVC was higher compared to that of NM, but lower compared to OSCC, indicating that OVC was less aggressive than OSCC with respect to malignancy potential. Furthermore, we found that in OVC, the increased expression of αB-crystallin coincided with the decreased expression of activated caspase-3. The results indicated that αB-crystallin may play an anti-apoptotic role via inhibition of the activation of caspase-3 in OVC.

[Myoepithelial carcinoma of salivary glands: a clinical analysis of 13 cases].

PURPOSE: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 13 patients with myoepithelial carcinoma of salivary glands for improving the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment outcome. METHODS: Thirteen cases with myoepithelial carcinoma of the salivary glands in Xiangya Hospital from January 1992 to September 2010 were reviewed, including the clinical biological behavior, diagnosis,treatment and prognosis. RESULTS: Thirteen patients included 6 men and 7 women, aged from 14 to 71 years (median 40 years).The tumor occurred predominantly in the parotid gland (53.8%).Among the 13 cases,7 were clinically misdiagnosed as benign tumors and 2 were misdiagnosed pathologically. All cases underwent operation. Two cases received surgery plus adjuvant chemotherapy; five cases underwent surgery plus adjuvant radiotherapy. 4(30.8%) had cervical lymph node metastasis and 2 cases(15.4%) developed distant metastasis. Follow-up time ranged from 3 months to 6 years. Six cases died of local recurrence or distal metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Myoepithelial carcinoma of the salivary glands is a rare tumor. The diagnosis is depended on histology and immunohistochemistry. The tumor has a high rate of distant metastasis and high rate of lymph node metastasis in T3 to T4 cases. Radical surgery is the treatment of choice. Elective neck dissection should be considered in T3 to T4 cN0 cases. The effect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy needs to be investigated.