Herpes labialis remains exceedingly prevalent and is one of the most common human viral infections throughout the world. Recurrent herpes labialis evolves from the initial viral infection by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) which subsequently presents with or without symptoms. Reactivation of this virus is triggered by psychosocial factors such as stress, febrile environment, ultraviolet light susceptibility, or specific dietary inadequacy. This virus infection is also characterized by uninterrupted transitions between chronic-latent and acute-recurrent phases, allowing the virus to opportunistically avoid immunity and warrant the transmission to other vulnerable hosts simultaneously. This review comprehensively evaluates the current evidence on epidemiology, pathogenesis, transmission modes, clinical manifestations, and current management options of herpes labialis infections.

Mcl-1 is an important therapeutic target for oral squamous cell carcinomas Mcl-1 is an important therapeutic target for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Oral cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Indian men and is the leading cause of cancer deaths. It is considered as a multistep and multifactorial disease. Besides accumulation of genetic mutations, numerous other carcinogens are involved. In this category, viral and chemical carcinogens are well studied and documented. However, in the oral cavity, the role of microbiota in carcinogenesis is not known. Microbial populations on mouth mucosa differ between healthy and malignant sites, and certain oral bacterial species have been linked with malignancies, but the evidence is still weak in this respect. Nevertheless, oral microorganisms inevitably up-regulate cytokines and other inflammatory mediators that affect the complex metabolic pathways, and may thus be involved in carcinogenesis. Poor oral health associates statistically with prevalence of many types of cancer such as pancreatic and gastrointestinal cancer. This review presents possible carcinogenesis pathway involved in bacterial carcinogenesis, commonly implicated bacteria in oral carcinogenesis, and their role in cancer therapeutics as well.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to address whether age can be a determinant of overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence, distant metastasis (DM) and second primary (SP) in surgically treated oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OOPSCC). A total of 4981 cases and 44254 controls from 25 comparative observational studies were included in the analysis. A significantly better OS (matched subgroup analysis: OR 1.64; 95% CI 1.31–2.04, overall analysis: OR 1.48; 95% CI 1.09–2.01) was observed in young patients compared to older adults, with heterogeneity ranging from moderate to severe. Worse DFS (unmatched subgroup analysis OR 0.43; 95% CI 0.27–0.68) was observed in young patients compared to older adults with minimal to moderate heterogeneity. The frequency of recurrence (OR 1.49; 95% CI 1.10–2.02) and DM (OR 1.83; 95% CI 1.10–3.03) was significantly higher in the young patients, as found in unmatched and matched subgroup analysis, with the least heterogeneities. Young age can be considered as an independent prognostic factor for recurrence and distant metastases in OOP-SCC. Larger and methodologically robust observational studies with longer follow-up are needed to establish the definitive role of age as an independent prognostic factor on OS and DFS in OOPSCC.

Periodontal disease is a broad term given when the periodontium is affected by inflammation. There are several methods to diagnose periodontitis, but no method to quantify the cancellous bone is presently used. For this purpose, a non-invasive tool that is efficient in analyzing bone quality called fractal analysis can be employed. The objective of the study was to utilize fractal dimension (FD) to evaluate cancellous patterns of interproximal alveolar bone using a digital intraoral periapical radiograph (IOPAR) in different clinical presentations of periodontitis classified according to the latest classification by the World Workshop for Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions, 2017 (WWDC, 2017). The study aimed to numerically calculate the periodontitis changes in the cancellous bone around the affected tooth on an IOPAR using fractal analysis and to provide an additional criterion for the staging of periodontitis. In this cross-sectional observational study, 75 patients were selected and equally allotted to five groups based on the staging system proposed by the WWDC, 2017. The region of interest was selected on the IOPA radiograph of the tooth with the site having the most significant clinical attachment loss, and FD was calculated using Image J analysis. The association of gender and age with stages of periodontitis was studied using the chi-square test of independence. A comparison of % bone loss and fractal dimension among stages was studied by using the non-parametric Kruskal Wallis test. The relationship between % bone loss and fractal dimension within stages and gender was studied by using the Karl Pearson correlation. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed for FD value as a marker of periodontitis patients. We demonstrated that the FD values decreased significantly with the increase in stages (p < 0.0001). The overall relationship between % bone loss and FD showed a significantly strong negative correlation of −0.739 (p < 0.0001), except for stages III and IV. FD can be utilized as a quantitative method for detecting cancellous bone changes in different stages of periodontitis, aiding in diagnosing periodontitis.