Biological implications of decoding the extracellular matrix of vulva cancer.

The present review aimed to elucidate the roles of extracellular matrix (ECM) components in the progression of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) and explore potential therapeutic avenues for this type of malignancy. This exploration holds promise for identifying precise molecular targets within the ECM milieu, thus facilitating the development of innovative therapeutic modalities tailored to disrupt these interactions and ultimately improve patient outcomes in VSCC. The dysregulated ECM serves as a potent driver of SCC tumor progression, orchestrating key processes such as angiogenesis, inflammation and stromal cell behavior.

Increased expression of CXCL10 and CCL3 salivary gland chemokines in primary Sjögren's syndrome detected and systematically quantified using RNAscope®in situ hybridization.

Primary Sjögren's syndrome is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the destruction of exocrine glands. We have previously shown significantly upregulated levels of CXCL10 and CCL3 chemokines in saliva from Sjögren's syndrome patients. In this study, we examined the expression pattern and localization of these chemokines at the site of inflammation in patients' minor salivary glands using novel RNAscope® in situ hybridization.

Gas Hydrate Dynamics with Parameter-Free Clathrate Phase Description: Validation for Hydrate Formation and Dissociation.

One of the major challenges involved in clathrate hydrate science that has remained for more than six decades lies in highly parametric clathrate phase estimation. In this contribution, a recently developed parameter-free hydrate phase statistical equilibrium model is employed for the first time to formulate the formation and dissociation dynamics of clathrates and predict their experimental observation at diverse geological conditions. This rigorous thermokinetic model takes into account various practical issues, notably hydrate formation in nanometer-sized pores (confirmed through seismic survey studies), irregularity in porous particle shape and pore size, renewal of the particle surface over which hydrate majorly forms and decays, and th-order phase transformation.

Heterogeneity of cancer-associated fibroblasts and tumor-promoting roles in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Tumor microenvironment (TME) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a major influence on disease progression and therapy response. One of the predominant stromal cell types in the TME of HNSCC is cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF). CAF constitute a diverse cell population and we are only at the beginning of characterizing and understanding the functions of various CAF subsets.

Development of a high dimensional imaging mass cytometry panel to investigate spatial organization of tissue microenvironment in formalin-fixed archival clinical tissues.

To decipher the interactions between various components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and tumor cells in a preserved spatial context, a multiparametric approach is essential. In this pursuit, imaging mass cytometry (IMC) emerges as a valuable tool, capable of concurrently analyzing up to 40 parameters at subcellular resolution. In this study, a set of antibodies was selected to spatially resolve multiple cell types and TME elements, including a comprehensive panel targeted at dissecting the heterogeneity of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF), a pivotal TME component.

Penile Cancers Attributed to Human Papillomavirus Are Associated with Improved Survival for Node-positive Patients. Findings from a Norwegian Cohort Study Spanning 50 Years.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a risk factor for the development of penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC). It remains inconclusive whether HPV-related PSCC has a different prognosis from non-HPV-related PSCC.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between HPV status and survival as well as temporal changes in the proportion of HPV-related PSCC.

TP53 mutation and human papilloma virus status as independent prognostic factors in a Norwegian cohort of vulva squamous cell carcinoma.

Introduction: Vulva squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) develops through two separate molecular pathways-one involving high-risk human papilloma virus infection (HPV-associated), and the other without HPV infection (HPV-independent) often involving TP53 mutation. HPV-associated VSCC generally has a better progression-free survival than HPV-independent VSCC. The aim of this study was to determine TP53 mutation status using immunohistochemistry, compare different methods of HPV detection and correlate both with survival in a retrospective cohort of 123 patients with VSCC.

The Codon 72 Arginine Polymorphism Is Found with Increased Somatic Mutations in HPV(-) and in an Increased Percentage among HPV(+) Norwegian HNSCC Patients.

Background: Somatic mutations are frequent in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and are important pathogenic factors.

Objective: To study mutations relative to the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in tumors in HNSCC patients.

Methods: Using a custom-made next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue, we analyzed somatic mutations and the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) codon 72 (P72R; rs1042522) (proline → arginine) from 104 patients with HNSCC.

Comparative study lumbar plexus block and lumbar erector spinae plane block for postoperative pain relief after proximal femoral nail for proximal femoral fractures.

Background: The clinical outcomes (time to ambulation, length of stay, and home discharge) after proximal femoral nail (PFN) for proximal femoral fractures (PFF) is dependent on successful pain management. Currently, the lumbar erector spinae plane block (LESPB) is in vogue and is associated with favorable outcomes in the postoperative period. Our study aimed to evaluate whether a LESPB provided equivalent analgesia and clinical outcomes as compared to LPB in PFN for PFF.

Peri-humeral block for postoperative analgesia in patients with distal humerus surgery: A case series.

The brachial plexus blocks (BPBs) are routinely performed for all surgeries in the vicinity of the elbow joint. Phrenic nerve paresis is a major problem with above-clavicle blocks especially the interscalene approach. The primary aim of this pilot study was to assess feasibility and to evaluate if perioperative pain management with the articular and cutaneous nerve block, the peri-humeral block (PHB) resulted in decreased use of opioid consumption in the intraoperative and postoperative period for the first 24 hours.

Human gingival epithelial cells stimulate proliferation, migration, and tube formation of lymphatic endothelial cells in vitro.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the response of gingival epithelial cells to microbial and inflammatory signals.

Background: The gingival epithelial barrier provides the first line of defense and supports tissue homeostasis by maintaining the cross-talk between gingival epithelium, oral microbiota, and immune cells. Lymphatic vessels are essential to sustaining this homeostasis.

Ultrasound-guided Parasagittal Infraclavicular Block for Patients without Neurostimulation Endpoints: A Case Report in Crush Injuries of the Upper Limb.

Evoked motor responses (distal muscle responses) to a specific nerve stimulation are considered an endpoint. Often in crush injuries of the upper limb below the level of the elbow, the distal muscle responses are irrelevant. We report 14 cases of crush injuries of the upper limb that underwent an amputation below the level of the elbow.

A thermodynamic framework to identify apposite refrigerant former for hydrate-based applications.

High latent heat storage capacity with naturally assisted salt rejection makes the clathrate compounds appropriate for applications towards load management and desalination processes. Adding to these energy savings are the ease of operations provided by water and the mild conditions at which the refrigerant hydrates are occurred. A direct comparison between these hydrates becomes unfeasible due to the scattered experimental data.

Epithelial PD-L1 expression at tumor front predicts overall survival in a cohort of oral squamous cell carcinomas from Sudan.

Background: We recently described the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) from Sudan by assessing the core of the lesions. However, the invasive tumor front (ITF) is the most active part of OSCC lesions; thus, TIME should also be characterized at the ITF in this patient cohort.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate patterns of immune cell infiltration at the ITF in a cohort of OSCC patients from Sudan previously investigated at the tumor center and their association with clinicopathological parameters.

Diagnostic and prognostic role of protein and ultrastructural alterations at cell-extracellular matrix junctions in neoplastic progression of human oral malignancy.

Despite advancements in technology and increase in favorable outcomes associated with oral cancer, early detection remains the most significant factor in limiting mortality. The current study aimed to develop early diagnostic and prognostic markers for oral tumorigenesis. Protein and ultrastructural alterations at cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion junctions were examined concurrently using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on progressive grade of oral carcinomas (n = 285).

Postoperative Pain Relief With Ultrasound-Guided Dorsal Sacral Foramen Block for Foot and Ankle Surgeries.

This case series describes the use of ultrasound (US)-guided dorsal sacral foraminal block (DSFB) for providing postoperative analgesia in six patients who underwent foot and ankle surgeries under spinal anesthesia. Postoperatively, all of them received a US-guided DSFB at the level of the brim of the second sacral foramina (SF2). Needle placements were confirmed with fluoroscopic (FL) images and injected radiocontrast defined the diffusion with a postoperative CT scan.

MicroRNA-138 Abates Fibroblast Motility With Effect on Invasion of Adjacent Cancer Cells.

Background: Recent studies have shown aberrant expression of micro-RNAs in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). This study aimed to investigate miR-138 dysregulation in CAFs in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and its effects on their phenotype and invasion of adjacent OSCC cells.

Methods: Expression of miR-138 was first investigated in OSCC lesions ( = 53) and OSCC-derived CAFs ( = 15).

Microsecond molecular dynamics of methane-carbon dioxide swapping in pure and saline water environment.

This work aims at proposing the nondestructive methane-carbon dioxide (CH-CO) replacement mechanism as an ecofriendly energy production technique from the natural gas hydrate reserves in seafloor and permanently frozen grounds. Although the experimental data is widely available in literature, this replacement mechanism has not been elucidated at molecular level. In this contribution, we perform the microsecond level molecular dynamic simulations to evaluate two different CH-CO replacement mechanisms: (i) direct CH displacement from hydrate structure, and (ii) dissociation of existing methane hydrate followed by a reformation of mixed CH-CO hydrates.

Corrigendum: Ectopic Bone Tissue Engineering in Mice Using Human Gingiva or Bone Marrow-Derived Stromal/Progenitor Cells in Scaffold-Hydrogel Constructs.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.

Ectopic Bone Tissue Engineering in Mice Using Human Gingiva or Bone Marrow-Derived Stromal/Progenitor Cells in Scaffold-Hydrogel Constructs.

Three-dimensional (3D) spheroid culture can promote the osteogenic differentiation and bone regeneration capacity of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC). Gingiva-derived progenitor cells (GPC) represent a less invasive alternative to bone marrow MSC (BMSC) for clinical applications. The aim of this study was to test the bone forming potential of human GPC and BMSC cultured as 3D spheroids or dissociated cells (2D).

Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing of Cancer-Related Genes in a Norwegian Patient Cohort With Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Reveals Novel Actionable Mutations and Correlations With Pathological Parameters.

Background: Targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) is increasingly applied in clinical oncology to advance personalized treatment. Despite success in many other tumour types, use of targeted NGS panels for assisting diagnosis and treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) is still limited.

Aim: The focus of this study was to establish a robust NGS panel targeting most frequent cancer mutations in long-term preserved formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples of HNSCC from routine diagnostics.

Characterization of immune cell infiltrate in tumor stroma and epithelial compartments in oral squamous cell carcinomas of Sudanese patients.

Background: Tumor immune infiltrate has been explored in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), but studies on simultaneous characterization of multiple immune cell subtypes separately in stromal and intraepithelial tumor compartments are limited.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the immune cell infiltrate in OSCC by using immunohistochemistry (IHC) for a panel of inflammatory cells in stromal and epithelial tumor compartments for a better characterization of the tumors.

Methods: Thirty-six OSCC lesions and nine normal oral mucosa (NOM) samples from patients attending Khartoum Dental Teaching Hospital, Sudan were investigated for presence of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, tumor-associated macrophages, tumor-associated neutrophils, and PD-L1 positive cells in the inflammatory infiltrate by single and double IHC.

Combined In Situ Hybridization and Immunohistochemistry on Archival Tissues Reveals Stromal microRNA-204 as Prognostic Biomarker for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Micro-RNAs (miRs) are emerging as important players in carcinogenesis. Their stromal expression has been less investigated in part due to lack of methods to accurately differentiate between tumor compartments. This study aimed to establish a robust method for dual visualization of miR and protein (pan-cytokeratin) by combining chromogen-based in situ hybridization (ISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC), and to apply it to investigate stromal expression of miR204 as a putative prognostic biomarker in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Microscopic Molecular Insights into Hydrate Formation and Growth in Pure and Saline Water Environments.

The growth dynamics of natural gas hydrates in saline water has been studied using copious experiments and spectroscopic observations; however, the microscopic evidences to the structural and molecular transformations that they have provided are poorly understood. In this view, we perform extensive molecular dynamics simulations to gain physical insights into the formation and growth mechanism of naturally occurring gas hydrates with a wide variation in the amount of methane (1:5 to 1:18 methane/water ratio) in pure and salt (0-5 wt %) water environments at 50 MPa and 260 K. A couple of new findings analyzed from the number of cages and order parameter are as follows: (a) 1:6 (methane/water ratio) is an optimum ratio for the rapid growth of a properly ordered hydrate in pure water at which the hydrate growth retards with increasing salt concentration, (b) there is an inconsequential difference between methane hydrate dynamics in pure water and 0.