Rare labial ulcer related to the use of all-trans retinoic acid in a patient with acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is the first-choice therapy for the treatment of this disease, but has been associated with side effects, the most serious of which is retinoic acid syndrome (RAS). RAS is characterized by unexplained fever, dyspnea, pulmonary infiltrate, leukocytosis and nephropathy. Genital ulcers have been described in some cases, but only two cases of oral ulcers related to this syndrome have been described in the literature. This paper describes the third case of oral ulceration related to ATRA in a 32-year-old white man with diagnosis of APL. Clinicians should know the side effects of ATRA and identify oral ulcers resulting from this therapy. The prompt identification of these ulcers enables the institution of appropriate treatment and can therefore contribute to continuation of the patient's cancer treatment.

Impact of crack cocaine use on the occurrence of oral lesions and micronuclei.

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of oral lesions and micronuclei in crack cocaine users. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 106 crack users and 106 non-users matched for age, sex, and tobacco use. Socio-demographic characteristics, the consumption of psychoactive substances, and the occurrence of fundamental lesions were investigated. Cellular changes in the oral mucosa (karyolysis, karyorrhexis, 'broken egg' events, and micronuclei) were determined by exfoliative cytology for 54 participants in each group. Crack users had a greater occurrence of fundamental lesions (P=0.001). Furthermore, they had higher mean occurrences of micronuclei (17.25 vs. 3.80), karyolysis (12.39 vs. 9.46), and karyorrhexis (30.39 vs. 10.11) (number per 1000 cells) than non-users (all P<0.05). No difference between the groups was found with regard to broken egg events (P>0.05). After controlling for confounding variables, fundamental lesions were 2.02-fold more frequent and micronuclei were 3.54-fold more frequent in crack users. Crack use was found to be associated with clinical and cellular changes in the oral mucosa. These findings can contribute to the planning of health care for individuals who are dependent on street drugs.

CT Images of a Severe TMJ Osteoarthritis and Differential Diagnosis with Other Joint Disorders.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common arthritis which affects the human body and can affect the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The diagnosis of TMJ OA is essentially based on clinical examination. However, laboratory tests and radiographic exams are also useful to exclude other diseases. The diagnosis of OA may be difficult because of other TMJ pathologies that can have similar clinical and radiographic aspects. The purpose of this study was to describe an unusual case of bilateral TMJ OA in an advanced stage and discuss its most common clinical, laboratory, and radiographic findings, focusing on their importance in the differential diagnosis with other TMJ diseases. Erosion, sclerosis, osteophytes, flattening, subchondral cysts, and a reduced joint space were some of the radiographic findings in TMJ OA. We concluded that, for the correct differential diagnosis of TMJ OA, it is necessary to unite medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and radiographic findings. Computed tomography is the test of choice for evaluating bone involvement and for diagnosing and establishing the degree of the disease.

An unusual case of adenoid cystic carcinoma with hard palate perforation.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a malignant tumor which occurs frequently in hard palate associated with minor salivary glands. The lesion generally presents as a painful slow growing mass and it is characterized by recurrences and distant metastasis resulting in a poor prognosis for the patient. This paper reports an atypical adenoid cystic carcinoma with palatal perforation which occurred in a young woman. Initial diagnostic hypothesis were necrotizing sialometaplasia and lues. Although adenoid cystic carcinoma is common in hard palate, cases with palatal perforation are uncommon and may lead to delay in diagnosis and therapy.

Differential expression of galectin-3, beta-catenin, and cyclin D1 in adenoid cystic carcinoma and polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma of salivary glands.

BACKGROUND: Galectin-3 has been implicated in tumor progression of some malignancies as thyroid, prostate, and salivary gland tumors. Recently, it has been suggested that this protein may be an important mediator of the beta-catenin/Wnt pathway. Moreover, nuclear galectin-3 expression has been implicated in cell proliferation, promoting cyclin D1 activation. Thus, the present study aimed to correlate galectin-3 expression with beta-catenin and cyclin D1 expressions in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) and in polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma (PLGA). METHODS: Fifteen formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded cases of each tumor were retrieved from the files of the Surgical Oral Pathology Service at the University of São Paulo and the proteins were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Adenoid cystic carcinoma showed galectin-3 immunostaining mainly in the nuclei, while PLGA revealed a positive mostly cytoplasmic reaction to galectin-3 in the largest part of tumor cells. Both tumors showed intense cytoplasmic/nuclear staining for beta-catenin in majority of cases. Cyclin D1 immunoreactivity was not detected in 14/15 PLGA and showed specific nuclear staining in 10/15 cases of ACC in more than 5% of the neoplastic cells. Cyclin D1 expression was correlated with cytoplasmic and nuclear galectin-3 expression in ACC (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that in ACC galectin-3 may play a role in cellular proliferation through cyclin D1 activation. In addition, nuclear expression of galectin-3 in ACC may be related to a more aggressive behavior of this lesion. Although beta-catenin seems to play a role in carcinogenesis in both lesions, it seems that it does not bind to galectin-3 for cyclin D1 stimulation.

EBV detection in HIV-related oral plasmablastic lymphoma.

OBJECTIVES: Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) of the oral cavity is an aggressive neoplasm derived from B cell, considered to be the second more common among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated malignancies. As Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection has been associated with this neoplasm, the aim of the present study was to assess the presence of EBV in 11 cases of oral HIV-related PBL and investigate the controversial issue of the presence of Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) in these tumors. METHODS: DNA was extracted from nine cases of HIV-associated oral lymphomas, diagnosed as PBL, and genomic material was amplified by polymerase chain reaction to verify the presence of EBV. In situ hybridization (ISH) for EBV was performed in five cases. Immunohistochemical analysis was conducted to confirm previous diagnosis and verify HHV-8 infection. RESULTS: The 11 cases had diagnosis confirmed by immunohistochemical analysis. Only nine cases presented an adequate amount of DNA for analysis, and EBV was detected in seven of them. The five cases tested for EBV viral infection by ISH showed positive signals. All 11 cases were negative for HHV-8. CONCLUSION: The presence of EBV in all cases studied favors a direct role of this virus in the development of HIV-related PBL, and this finding could be considered when dealing with HIV patients.