Osseointegration evaluation of an experimental bone graft material based on hydroxyapatite, reinforced with titanium-based particles.

Bone graft materials are more and more frequently used in dentistry for improving the periodontal support and for creating a bone support favorable for the insertion of dental implants. The experimental study carried out on laboratory animals aimed to evaluate the biocompatibility and the manner of integration of an experimental bone augmentation material, based on hydroxyapatite (HAp), reinforced with titanium-based particles by comparison with a commercial synthetic graft material already existing on the profile market, also based on HAp. We noticed a common pattern of evolution, although there were differences related to the speed of new bone tissue formation and implicitly the morphological elements captured at the two moments of time. In the presence of both synthetic materials, ossification also begins from the center of the cavity at distance from the margins of the bone defect, with a common pattern with an appearance with the presence of osteon-like structures. The experimental material generally determined a more intense initial inflammatory reaction, followed by the generation of a repair bone tissue with a denser appearance but with a less uniform structure and a greater number of residual particles.

The prognostic value of CXCR4, MMP-2 and MMP-9 in tongue squamous carcinoma.

Currently, tongue squamous cancer appears to be more frequent, especially among adults under the age of 45. Approximately 50% of these patients are diagnosed late, with clinically detectable metastases; the five-year survival rate of patients with loco-regional metastases is less than 60%. In order to explain this behavior, many investigations have been conducted in recent years, most of them focusing on identification of potential prognostic and therapeutic markers involved in the pathogenesis of tongue cancers. Our research follows the same trend, which aims to study the prognostic implications of immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of markers C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 in 54 cases of tongue squamous carcinoma. The cases were selected from the archives of the Laboratory of Pathology, Emergency County Hospital, Craiova, Romania, from the 2015-2017 period. They were immunohistochemically processed using the labeled Streptavidin-Biotin (LSAB) enzyme detection technique, and as a method of evaluating reactions, the IHC score developed by Remmele & Stegner. Reactivity for the investigated markers was recorded in both primary tumors, parenchymal and stromal, and in lymph node metastases, and also in normal or dysplastic mucosa adjacent to tumor lesions. The maximum tumor reactivity was recorded for CXCR4, followed by MMP-9 and MMP-2. In addition, all of these markers were expressed stronger in the invasion front and especially in the lymph node metastatic forms. This immunoprofile would suggest their implication in loco-regional invasion and dissemination processes, allowing the selection of the most aggressive forms of tongue squamous carcinoma.

The prognostic value of CXCR4, α-SMA and WASL in upper lip basal cell carcinomas.

Lip cancers account for 10-12% of the total head and neck cancers and, although squamous cell carcinoma is by far the most common lower lip cancer, the basal cell carcinoma (BCC) seems to be more common for the upper lip. Most BCCs have a clinically indolent behavior, but there are also local aggressive and∕or metastatic cases, with the incidence of such cases being estimated at about 1-10% of all cases of BCC. Many of the molecular mechanisms underlying this aggression are still unknown, which is why our study aimed to investigate the potential prognosis of a few markers, such as C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4), alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome like (WASL) in upper lip BCCs. For this purpose, 24 basocellular cancers with this localization have been investigated immunohistochemically, histopathologically belonging to the next varieties: superficial, nodular, micronodular, adenoid cystic, keratotic, sclerodermiform and mixed. Regardless of the histopathological subtype, for all invasive cases we have recorded an increased reactivity of the three markers especially in the invasion front, reactivity also present at the stroma level, especially at the stroma-parenchyma interface. The most intense immunoreactivity was obtained for the micronodular and sclerodermiform subtypes, confirming their biological behavior to be more aggressive than the rest of the investigated strains. All these results confirm the prognostic value of the CXCR4∕α-SMA∕WASL panel in assessing the biological behavior of the upper lip BCC.

Morphological features of tongue squamous cell carcinoma diagnosed in Dolj County population between 2012-2014.

Tongue squamous carcinoma can be found in many forms, having a lot of risk factors, and whose morphological characteristics can be used as a prognostic. The purpose of this study was to histologically characterize a number of 54 patients diagnosed between 2012-2014, with tongue squamous carcinoma. Surgical resection specimens of tongue tumors were processed by paraffin inclusion technique. The diagnose samples were reevaluated according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for head and neck tumors diagnosis, by screening the Hematoxylin-Eosin staining sections. The most common histopathological variety of tongue carcinoma observed in our cases was the non-keratinized form, the basaloid and sarcomatoid types of carcinoma being ranked on the last places. The study outlined the prevalence of non-keratinized forms of tongue squamous carcinoma and all types of tumoral invasion patterns have been observed in different percentages.