Abstract The aim of this study was to identify tumor parenchyma cells exhibiting immunohistochemical profile of stem cells by evaluating the immunoreactivity of OCT4 and CD44 in a number of cases of salivary gland neoplasms. The sample consisted of 20 pleomorphic adenomas, 20 mucoepidermoid carcinomas, and 20 adenoid cystic carcinomas located in major and minor salivary glands. The expression of OCT4 and CD44 was evaluated by the percentage of positive cells and the intensity of expression. All studied cases showed positive expression of OCT4 and CD44 and higher values than the control groups. For OCT4, luminal and non-luminal cells were immunostained in the case of pleomorphic adenomas and adenoid cystic carcinomas. Moreover, the immunoreactivity of CD44 was particularly evident in the non-luminal cells of these lesions. In mucoepidermoid carcinomas, there was immunoreactivity for both markers in squamous and intermediate cells and absence of staining in mucous cells. For both markers, a significantly higher immunostaining was verified in neoplasms located in the major salivary glands compared with lesions in minor salivary glands (p<0.001). In the total sample and in minor salivary glands, malignant neoplasms exhibited higher immunoreactivity for OCT4 than pleomorphic adenoma. A significant moderate positive correlation (r = 0.444 and p ≤ 0.001) was found between OCT4 and CD44 immunoexpression in the total sample. The high expression of OCT4 and CD44 may indicate that these proteins play an important role in identifying tumor stem cells.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Recurrent aphthous ulcerations are common benign ulcerated lesions on the mouth, whose etiology is poorly understood, with controversial treatment and difficult to control in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cases of recurrent aphthous ulcerations with a focus on treatment, diagnosis and etiology. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of the cases of the Oral Diagnosis service of the Rio Grande do Norte Federal University in Natal/RN. Data such as sex, age, race, location, smoking habits, types of treatment, relapsing episodes, laboratory test results and clinical characteristics were collected. The associations between the variables were analyzed using the Pearson Chi-square test (p <0.05). RESULTS: A total of 4895 patients were seen in the service over a period of 11 years. Of these, 161 (3.3%) had complaints of oral aphthous ulcerations, of which 76 (47.2%) were diagnosed as suffering from recurrent aphthous ulcerations and 68 (42.2%) with clinical information necessary for evaluation. The tongue was the most affected anatomical region, with 27 individuals (39.7%), followed by the buccal mucosa, with 22 cases (32.3%). STUDY LIMITATIONS: Retrospective study with data from medical records. CONCLUSION: Dental surgeons, dermatologists and otorhinolaryngologists are the main responsible for the first contact with patients with this disease and should be attentive to the clinical aspects and treat each patient in an individualized way, since the therapy is palliative, its diagnosis is by exclusion and its etiology is unknown.

ABSTRACT: In this study, we report the case of a patient presenting a severe atrophic mandible that was treated with short implants and stable internal fixation, without using bone grafts or biomaterials. The patient had a long history of failure of several previous consecutive treatments. Cone-bean tomography revealed a small amount of mandibular bone, suggesting a high risk of fracture of the mandible during drilling and installation of osseointegrated implants. We opted to place 5 implants (4.0 × 7.0 mm) between the mental foramens. Since the mandible presented a high risk of fracture, we inserted a titanium plate (2.3 mm) as bone reinforcement along the entire length of the mandible, including the bilateral mandibular angles. A Branemark type prosthesis was installed 5 days after the procedure. After 24 months, the patient continues to be satisfied and presents good masticatory functions without any complications.

Abstract Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR) act in the proteolysis of basement membrane and extracellular matrix structures, facilitating tumor invasion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between these proteins and clinicopathological parameters in squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue (SCCOT). Sixty cases of SCCOT were submitted to immunohistochemistry and analyzed semiquantitatively at the invasion front and in the tumor core. The results were associated with lymph node metastasis, clinical stage, locoregional recurrence, clinical outcome and histological grade of malignancy. A higher expression of uPA was observed in cases of tumors of high-grade versus low-grade malignancy (p = 0.010). Moreover, the cases with the worst pattern of invasion presented an overexpression of uPA (p = 0.011). The presence of locoregional recurrence was associated with uPAR (p = 0.039), and the expression of both biomarkers was much higher at the invasion front than in the tumor core (p < 0.001). The results suggest uPA and uPAR are involved in the progression and aggressiveness of SCCOT, mainly at the tumor-host interface.

Resumo Contexto A angiogênese tem sido associada à progressão de neoplasias malignas e, embora haja estudos acerca de marcadores angiogênicos no carcinoma epidermoide oral (CEO), existem resultados conflitantes na literatura. Objetivos Avaliar a expressão imunoistoquímica do CD105 e do fator de von Willebrand (FvW) em CEO e sua relação com parâmetros clínicos do tumor. Métodos A imunoexpressão dos referidos biomarcadores foi analisada em 30 casos de CEO e correlacionada a parâmetros clínicos do tumor (idade e sexo dos pacientes, localização anatômica e estadiamento clínico Tumor, Nodo e Metástase, TNM). Resultados A imunomarcação com o anticorpo anti-FvW foi mais efetiva que a do CD105 no CEO. No que concerne à localização anatômica, o assoalho bucal e a região retromolar apresentaram diferenças estatisticamente significativas quanto aos índices angiogênicos (p = 0,004), determinados pela técnica de contagem microvascular (MVC). Não houve relação estatisticamente significativa entre o estadiamento clínico TNM e os índices angiogênicos, com os dois biomarcadores. Conclusões Com base nos achados deste estudo, sugere-se um envolvimento da neoformação vascular na carcinogênese oral, embora não tenha sido evidenciada associação significativa com o estágio clínico da lesão.

Abstract Background Angiogenesis has been linked with progression of malignant neoplasms and although studies have been conducted investigating angiogenic markers in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), contradictory results are reported in the literature. Objectives To evaluate immunohistochemical expression of CD105 and von Willebrand factor (vWF) in OSCC and their relationships with clinical parameters of the tumors. Methods Immunoexpression of these biomarkers was analyzed in 30 cases of OSCC and correlated with clinical parameters of the tumors (age and sex of patients, anatomic site and Tumor, Node and Metastasis clinical staging [TNM]). Results In OSCC specimens, immunostaining was more effective using the anti-vWF antibody than using the anti-CD105 antibody. Angiogenic indices, determined by microvascular count (MVC) technique, were different for the floor of the mouth and the retromolar region, with statistical significance (p = 0.004). There were no statistically significant relationships between results for the two biomarkers and TNM clinical staging or angiogenic indices. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that vascular remodeling is involved in oral carcinogenesis, although there was no evidence of a significant association with clinical stage of lesions.

O hemangioma é uma neoplasia benigna comum na região de cabeça e pescoço, e é relativamente rara na cavidade oral, podendo causar prejuízo estético e funcional a depender da sua localização. Sua localização mais frequente é o lábio superior, mas pode ocorrer em outras regiões, como língua, mucosa jugal e palato. O seu tratamento depende, principalmente, do correto diagnostico da lesão, bem como da localização anatômica da mesma. A proposta deste artigo é relatar um caso de hemangioma em lábio superior tratado com esclerose terapêutica com oleato de monoetanolamina (Ethamolin®), considerando as características clínicas e os métodos de diagnóstico desta lesão. Por meio de um diagnóstico preciso e uma conduta terapêutica adequada, o caso apresenta-se com um acompanhamento de um ano, sem sinais de recidiva, e com um resultado estético funcional satisfatório, com regressão total da lesão.

Hemangiomas are benign neoplasms that are common in the head and neck, but relatively rare in the oral cavity. They can cause esthetic and functional impairment, depending on location. The most common site is the upper lip, but they can occur in other areas, such as the tongue, buccal mucosa and palate. Treatment is primarily dependent on correct diagnosis of the lesion and on its anatomic location. The purpose of this article is to provide a description of a case of a hemangioma on the upper lip, treated by therapeutic sclerosis with monoethanolamine oleate (Ethamolin®), covering clinical characteristics and methods for diagnosing these lesions. Precise diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic management resulted in satisfactory esthetic and functional results, with total regression of the lesion and no signs of relapse at 1-year follow-up.

Objetivo:Esta pesquisa objetiva estabelecer a prevalência, os fatores associados ao surgimento e as características clínicas e histopatológicas das leucoplasias e eritroplasias orais, a fim de que estes dados possam contribuir na estratégia de prevenção ao desenvolvimento dessas lesões e, consequentemente, do câncer oral.Material e método:Foi realizado estudo retrospectivo em um serviço de referência da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) no período de 2000 a 2012. Para verificar a associação das variáveis foi utilizado o teste qui-quadrado e o exato de Fisher (p ≤ 0,05).Resultados:Foram investigados 6.560 prontuários, tendo sido selecionados 54 casos, dos quais 44,4% do sexo masculino e 55,6% do feminino, com idade média de 56,93 anos. Com relação aos hábitos, 72,2% eram fumantes e 25% usuários de álcool, sendo que 17,9% exibiam associação dos dois hábitos. As leucoplasias orais foram as lesões mais prevalentes (0,65%), e as eritroplasias orais apresentaram maior associação com apresentação maligna no diagnóstico histopatológico (p = 0,001). A maioria das lesões não apresentou sintomatologia (p = 0,004). A leucoplasia oral foi mais frequente em mulheres fumantes com média de idade de 57 anos.Conclusão:O conhecimento dos fatores associados e das características clínicas das eritroplasias e leucoplasias orais é essencial para o estabelecimento do correto diagnóstico e tratamento.

Objective:This research aims to establish the prevalence, factors associated with the onset, and clinical and histopathological features of oral leukoplakia and erythroplakia, so that these data can contribute to the prevention of these lesions and, consequently, of oral cancer.Material and method:A retrospective study was conducted at a reference service of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) from 2000 to 2012. To verify the association of variables, Pearson's chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test (p ≤ 0.05) were used.Results:Among 6,560 investigated records, 54 cases were selected, of which 44.4% were male and 55.6% female, with mean age of 56.93 years. Regarding habits, 72.2% were smokers and 25% were alcohol users; 17.9% showed association of both habits. Oral leukoplakia lesions were the most prevalent (0.65%) and oral erythroplakia showed greater association with malignancy in the histopathological presentation (p = 0.001). Most lesions showed no symptoms (p = 0.004). The most frequent was oral leukoplakia in smoking women, with mean age of 57 years.Conclusion:Knowledge of associated factors and clinical characteristics of oral leukoplakia and erythroplakia is essential for establishing the correct diagnosis and treatment.