Salivary level of microRNA-146a and microRNA-155 biomarkers in patients with oral lichen planus versus oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa, which has potential for malignant transformation. MicroRNAs play an important role in immunopathogenesis of OLP, and may be used for prediction of its malignant transformation. This study aimed to assess the salivary level of microRNA-146a and microRNA-155 biomarkers in patients with OLP and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS: In this case-control study, unstimulated saliva samples were collected from 60 patients, including 15 patients with dysplastic OLP, 15 OLP patients without dysplasia, 15 patients with OSCC, and 15 healthy controls according to the Navazesh technique. After RNA extraction, the expression of microRNA-146a and microRNA-155 was quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The data were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn-Bonferroni tests. RESULTS: The difference in expression of microRNA-146a and microRNA-155 among the four groups was significant (P < 0.05). Pairwise comparisons of the groups showed significantly higher expression of microRNA-146a in OLP (P = 0.004) and dysplastic OLP (P = 0.046) patients compared with the control group. Up-regulation of this biomarker in OSCC patients was not significant compared with the control group (P = 0.076). Up-regulation of micro-RNA-155 was only significant in OLP group, compared with the control group (P = 0.009). No other significant differences were found (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Considering the altered expression of MicroRNA-146a and microRNA-155 in dysplastic OLP and OSCC, their altered expression may serve as an alarming sign of malignancy. However, further investigations are still required.

Herpes simplex encephalitis following ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Ever since the administration of early doses of COVID-19 vaccines, instances of adverse effects have been reported. Viral infections, specifically herpes simplex reinfection and coinfections, have been reported following administration of different types of vaccines. To our knowledge, there have not been any reports of herpes simplex encephalitis following administration of any type of COVID-19 vaccine to date. CASE PRESENTATION: In this article intends to report a case of herpes simplex encephalitis in a 27-year-old male patient who was vaccinated with the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests a possible but very rare side effect of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine, which requires immediate medical attention and can lead to devastating consequences if left undiagnosed and untreated.

Sublingual varicosity as a possible indicator of hypertension.

Oral varices are a common acquired vascular malformation that might be associated with several heart diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate whether an association exists between the severity of sublingual varices and stage of hypertension. Oral examinations were conducted, and the sublingual varicosity of 151 patients was categorized as grade 0, 1, or 2 based on severity. The blood pressure of the patients was measured and classified as normal, prehypertension, stage 1 hypertension, or stage 2 hypertension according to the guidelines of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Pearson chi-square test, linear-by-linear association, and logistic regression were used for data analysis. Of 151 patients, 91 (60.3%) had sublingual varices, with 68 (45.0%) having grade 1 varicosity and 23 (15.2%) having grade 2. Sublingual varices were seen most frequently (84.4%) in patients older than 60 years. The frequency of hypertension (stage 1 or 2) among the sample was found to be 24.5%. The Pearson chi-square test showed a positive correlation between hypertension and sublingual varicosity (P < 0.0001; γ = 0.499). Logistic regression showed that the risk of hypertension in patients with grades 1 and 2 sublingual varicosity was 2.53 and 7.57 times greater, respectively, than that in patients with grade 0. In addition, sublingual varicosity (grade 1 or 2) was 2.32 times more frequent in men than in women (P = 0.022; 95% CI = 1.12-4.79) and 3.55 times more frequent in smokers than in nonsmokers (P = 0.003; 95% CI = 1.01-1.06). Therefore, sublingual varicosity may be a sign of hypertension.