Search

There is a lack of consensus in the management of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED). The purpose of this study is: 1) to evaluate whether surgical excision with histologically negative margins impacts the 5-year malignant transformation rate of OED, and 2) to compare the disease-specific survival outcome of patients diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) that progressed from OED to those presenting with OSCC on initial biopsy. In this retrospective study, the electronic health records of all patients diagnosed with OED or OSCC between years 2009 and 2015 were reviewed. Patient age, gender, presence of risk factors, biopsy location, grade of dysplasia, and oncologic staging were collected. Of the OED cases, patients were divided into observational and excisional groups. Histopathologic reports of excisional biopsies were reviewed for margin status. Oncologic management and survival outcome details for cases progressing to OSCC were collected. All cases of OSCC at initial biopsy were also reviewed for oncologic management and survival outcome details available until January 2021. In total, 115 patients diagnosed with OED between 2009 and 2015 met the inclusion criteria; 58 were managed by observation, while 57 had surgical excision. The overall malignant transformation rate was 26%. Surgical excision with histologically negative margins did not significantly reduce malignant transformation rate. Of the 30 cases of OED that progressed to OSCC, 5 (17%) died of disease; 66 patients were diagnosed with OSCC on initial biopsy, 19 (29%) of which died of disease. The difference in disease-specific survival was significantly different between the groups. Surgical excision with negative margins does not reduce the rate of malignant progression of OED. However, lower oncologic staging and improved disease-specific survival was observed in cases of OSCC arising from previously biopsied OED compared to those presenting with OSCC on initial biopsy. These observations support the role of surgical excision as purely diagnostic rather than curative in the management of OED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is commonly preceded by preinvasive lesions. These are collectively described as oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). We hypothesized that OSCCs that are associated with a previously diagnosed OPMD have better clinical outcomes. To determine the clinical characteristics and outcomes of OSCC diagnosed in Ontario and compare cases with or without previous biopsy-proven OPMD. We searched for OPMD diagnosed from 2001 to 2015 in the databases of 4 pathology services in Ontario: Oral Pathology Diagnostic Services at University of Toronto, Western University, Mt. Sinai Hospital, and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. The database was linked to the Cancer Care Ontario database (2005-2015) to identify OSCC cases with a preceding OPMD. Variables included age at cancer diagnosis, sex, geographic location of the patient's residence, cancer site, stage, and outcome. There were 11,213 patients diagnosed with OSCC between 2005 and 2015 and 390 of these patients had a preceding diagnosis of OPMD (3.48%). In addition, 17.12% of patients with OSCC with precursor lesions died of disease, compared with 31.87% of those without a precursor (P <.0001). Stage I disease predominated in patients with precursor lesions (46.71%) and Stage IV disease was more frequent in patients without precursor lesions (56.73%). The proportion of patients with cancer with previously diagnosed OPMD was influenced by the location of patients' residence (P <.0001), suggesting that differences in access to care play an important role. Clinical and histopathologic diagnosis of OPMD is critical for early cancer detection and leads to improved clinical outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The occurrence of Mendelian incompatibilities between true father and child is not an uncommon situation. Thus, in paternity investigations, when only a few are observed, it is possible that the alleged father is either the real father or his close relative. In this study, we intended to test how a set of autosomal indels can complement the results obtained with a routine battery of STRs in paternity investigations where the alleged father is, in fact, a close relative of the real one. We analyzed 100uncle/nephew and grandfather/grandchild unrelated duos, through the amplification of 15 STR markers and a set of 38 non-coding bi-allelic indels. For each duo, we determined the number of observed incompatibilities and calculated the LR assuming a father/son relationship, for both STRs and indels. As expected, in a significant proportion of cases, no incompatibilities were found. In these instances, indel''s LR contribution was always in favour of the “wrong” hypothesis, strengthening a false paternity. Therefore, in dubious cases, an extended battery of indels can be useful to exclude false fathers but should be taken with caution when no incompatibilities are detected. We estimated that to obtain a satisfactory probability (less than 1 in 500) of finding zero incompatibilities between 2nd degree relatives, approximately 100 indels with maximum diversity would be necessary. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sustainable management of forest resources, including nutrient retention and protection of the soil structure, is required to ensure long-term soil fertility and productivity of later rotations. Potential depletion of soil nutrients is particularly likely in production systems based on fast-growing trees, such as eucalypts. We have studied production of second rotation Eucalyptus globulus stands at two sites in northern Spain and two in central Portugal, after replanting or coppicing, under four treatments, in which plant residues from the firstcrop were utilised. The residues were either removed from the sites (Treatment R), spread over the soil surface (Treatments S, uniform spreading, and W, in which the woody debris was confined to rows between the trees) or incorporated into the soil by harrowing to 15-cm depth (Treatment I). We measured tree height and girth at intervals over three growing seasons, and root biomass at the Portuguese sites. Decomposition of three residue components: leaves-plus-bark, twigs and branches, was measured in litter bags placed in the position corresponding to the placement of the organic residues. By the end of the experiment, tree height was significantly greater in Treatment I than in Treatment R at both Spanish sites, if planted as seedlings, with intermediate growth in S and W. In Portugal, tree height was smaller in R,though not significantly. DBH showed similar trends, although treatment differences were not significant. Coppiced trees grew faster thanseedling trees, but a significant treatment effect on the growth wasonly observed at the inland Portuguese site, where it was better in Treatment I by the end of the experiment. The residues decomposed significantly faster in I than S or W at the Portuguese sites, but not in Spain. Leaves-plus-bark decomposed faster than twigs, and twigs faster than branches. The results are discussed in relation to recommended management options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]