Epiganthus presenting as respiratory distress in a male neonate: A rare case report.

An epignathus is an extremely rare form of oropharyngeal teratoma that arises from the oral cavity, most commonly from the palate and is associated with a high mortality secondary to airway obstruction in the neonatal period. It predominantly occurs in females. Here, we are presenting a case of giant epignathus in a male baby with associated cleft palate.

Role of platelet aggregation in metastatic breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Breast cancer is the most common female cancer in the world. Although early detection and systematic adjuvant therapy has improved survival, distant metastasis remains the leading cause of breast related mortality. The relationship between tumor and the hemostatic system is increasingly recognized as an important regulator of breast cancer progression. Tumors have the ability to induce platelet aggregation which is referred as tumor cell induced platelet aggregation (TCIPA). This study highlights that increased platelet aggregation plays an important role in metastasis of breast cancer. The aim here is to study the role of platelet aggregation in metastatic breast cancer patients using: • ADP • Thrombin. METHODS: 30 cases (n = 30) of metastatic breast cancer and 30 controls (n = 30) of non-metastatic breast cancer which were clinically diagnosed and histopathologically confirmed were included in this study. Platelet aggregation studies in vitro using ADP and Thrombin were performed using an optical aggregometer in both cases and controls. Other parameters like platelet count, histological grade and surrogate molecular classification was also correlated with platelet aggregation. RESULTS: In this study, increased aggregation was seen with ADP and thrombin in the metastatic cases and none showed increased aggregation in the non-metastatic breast cancer patients. Also, high platelet count and higher histological grade correlated with increased aggregation. However, no correlation was seen between platelet aggregation and the surrogate molecular classification. CONCLUSION: It was concluded from this study that platelet aggregation has an important part to play in the tumor metastasis of breast cancer patients.

Incidental Finding of Microfilariae in Cervicovaginal Smears on Liquid-based Cytology - A Case Report of two Cases with Review of Literature.

Filariasis is a vector-borne disease, which is quite common in tropical countries such as India. In India, it is most commonly caused either by Wuchereria bancrofti or Brugia malayi. It can present in any possible site, possibly, because of their ability to migrate along the lymphatics. Very few cases have been reported in the literature where microfilariae have been found in cervicovaginal smears. Most of the cases have been reported on conventional Pap smears. Here, we present two such cases where microfilaria was found as an incidental finding in liquid-based cytology preparation.

Expression of p53, epidermal growth factor receptor, c-erbB2 in oral leukoplakias and oral squamous cell carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: Oral cancer is a leading cause of cancer in India and contributes to 12% deaths worldwide. The identification of high-risk oral premalignant lesions such as leukoplakia and intervention at premalignant stages could result in significant loss of mortality and morbidity among these patients. The most frequently observed genetic aberrations in these lesions are of mutations in p53, c-erbB2, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). No specific tumor markers have been identified consistently in oral leukoplakias and the available studies show wide variations in their expression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of eighty cases were taken up for study which included forty cases of leukoplakia and forty cases of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between the expression of markers p53 and EGFR in leukoplakia and SCC. The expression of p53 was correlated between leukoplakia, SCC, and control and was found to be significant (P ≤ 0.001). Similarly, EGFR expression was significant (P ≤ 0.001) between cases of leukoplakia, SCCs, and controls. c-erbB2 was found to be negative though cytoplasmic positivity was observed in a few cases. Similarly, in SCCs, it was observed that lesser the differentiation, more is the expression of both p53 and EGFR. Similarly, a definite correlation was observed between p53 and EGFR (P ≤ 0.001) but not with c-erbB2 (P ≤ 1.000). CONCLUSION: Thus, the author concludes that p53 and EGFR are useful biomarkers for the diagnosis of leukoplakia and their risk of malignant transformation.

Determination of sexual dimorphism via maxillary first molar teeth in Himachali population.

CONTEXT: Sex determination of skeletal remains forms part of archaeological and medicolegal examinations. It is an aspect of forensic odontology. Forensic odontology primarily deals with identification, based on recognition of unique features present in an individual's dental structures. Correct sex determination limits the pool of missing persons to just one half of the population. AIM OF STUDY: Purpose of this study is to evaluate the existence of sexual dimorphism and variation in left and right maxillary first molars using bucco-lingual and mesio-distal dimensions in population of Sirmour District, H.P. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Base sample comprised 100 subjects (50 males and 50 females) of an age group ranging from 17 to 25 years. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Unpaired t-test. RESULTS: It was observed that the comparison of mean values of bucco-lingual and mesio-distal parameters showed highly statistically significant differences between males and females, measured both intraorally and on study casts. There were no significant differences between the mean values of both the parameters on the left side as compared to right side. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that sexual dimorphism is population specific. Among Himachali people, mesio-distal dimensions and bucco-lingual dimensions of first molar can aid in sex determination.