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Introduction: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most prevalent type of head and neck cancer and is associated with high mortality, particularly in Southeast Asian countries. Areca nut usage, smoking, and alcohol consumption are the most common risk factors for OSCC. Areca nut chewing is highly prevalent in Pakistan and has been attributed to an increase in OSCC cases. This study aimed to determine the association between areca nut usage and various clinicopathological features of OSCC and further evaluate the association of clinicopathological parameters of OSCC with tumor recurrence., Materials and Methods: The study was conducted using the data of 228 patients with OSCC resected at Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, over 5 years between 2018 and 2022. Clinicopathological data were collected from hospital archives, and associations between various risk factors and clinicopathological parameters were determined., Results: Males were more commonly affected (77.2%), and the most common age group was <50 years (54.4%). Areca nut usage was reported in 59.6% of cases, and the buccal mucosa was the most common site (62.7%). Areca nut usage was significantly associated with male gender, greater tumor size, greater depth of invasion (DOI), higher tumor stage, nodal stage, presence of perineural invasion (PNI), and recurrence. In addition, multivariate analysis revealed that OSCC recurrence was significantly associated with older age, larger tumor size and DOI, nodal metastasis, and areca nut usage., Conclusion: Areca nut-related OSCCs were associated with poor prognosis and recurrence in our study population. Furthermore, OSCC recurrence was associated with various clinicopathological parameters, such as larger tumor size, a higher DOI, and nodal metastasis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2024 Atif Ali Hashmi et al.)

Introduction The ampulla of Vater is a structure in the duodenal wall in which the biliary and pancreatic ducts open. Malignant epithelial tumors arising at this site are commonly referred to as ampullary adenocarcinomas. In this study, we compared the clinicopathological features of intra-ampullary and periampullary carcinomas, including survival outcomes. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Pathology, Liaquat National Hospital. All radiologically suspected cases or biopsy-proven (endoscopic biopsy) cases of intra-ampullary/periampullary carcinoma were included in the study. All patients underwent surgical resection (Whipple's procedure/pancreatoduodenectomy). The classification of intra-ampullary and periampullary carcinomas was performed according to the College of American Pathologists (CAP) guidelines. Results Among the 188 case studies, most (61.7%, n = 116) were males, with a median age of 55 years. Most tumors were of the pancreatobiliary subtype (57.4%, n = 108). Similarly, intra-ampullary carcinoma was more common than periampullary carcinoma (61.7% vs. 38.3%). Intra-ampullary carcinoma showed a higher extent of involvement of adjacent structures, a higher frequency of perineural invasion, and a higher nodal stage than periampullary carcinoma. Similarly, the median disease-specific survival of intra-ampullary carcinoma was significantly lower (46 months) than that of periampullary carcinoma (53.5 months). Conclusion We found a higher incidence of intra-ampullary carcinoma in our study. In addition, intra-ampullary carcinoma had a worse survival rate and was associated with poorer pathological parameters, such as perineural invasion and higher nodal and tumor stages than periampullary carcinoma., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. NA issued approval NA. IRB was not needed as it was a retrospective study (as per institutional policy). Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Hashmi et al.)

Introduction: Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare subgroup of breast neoplasms associated with adverse outcomes because of its aggressive nature. Typically, MBCs show triple-negative hormone receptor (HR) status. Determining the HR status of breast cancer is an integral part because it is an important prognostic factor and helps in the treatment course of the disease. This study aimed to determine the HR status of MBC, its significance, and its association with various clinicopathological parameters., Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted at the Department of Histopathology, Liaquat National Hospital. A total of 140 biopsy-proven cases of MBC were enrolled in the study. Clinical and pathological data were retrieved from the institutes' archives. Immunohistochemical studies were conducted to determine the estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status., Results: The mean age of MBC in our population was found to be 52.18 ± 12.19 years. The HR positivity rate in our population was found to be 32.9%. A significant association was found between HR status and tumor laterality, tumor size, tumor grade, tumor stage, and recurrence. ER/PR-negative MBCs were most probably associated with higher grade and higher tumor stage and were larger in size (6.62 ± 3.43 cm) than ER/PR-positive MBCs (4.20 ± 1.88 cm). Moreover, ER/PR-positive MBCs showed a higher recurrence rate than ER/PR-negative MBCs (43.5% vs. 25.5%, respectively). No statistically significant relationship was found between HR status and patient age, histological subtype, or survival rate., Conclusion: MBC is a rare breast neoplasm. MBC was found to be triple negative in most cases, but a significant percentage were HR (ER/PR) positive. Moreover, we found an association between HR status and various clinicopathological features, indicating that HR status is a significant predictor of MBC prognosis., Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2024 Atif Ali Hashmi et al.)

Vocal learning in songbirds is thought to have evolved through sexual selection, with female preference driving males to develop large and varied song repertoires 1-3 . However, many songbird species learn only a single song in their lifetime 4 . How sexual selection drives the evolution of single-song repertoires is not known. Here, by applying dimensionality-reduction techniques to the singing behaviour of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), we show that syllable spread in low-dimensional feature space explains how single songs function as honest indicators of fitness. We find that this Gestalt measure of behaviour captures the spectrotemporal distinctiveness of song syllables in zebra finches; that females strongly prefer songs that occupy more latent space; and that matching path lengths in low-dimensional space is difficult for young males. Our findings clarify how simple vocal repertoires may have evolved in songbirds and indicate divergent strategies for how sexual selection can shape vocal learning., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)