Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) has been shown to be involved in cancer metastasis in several cancer types. There is however conflicting evidence of HIF-1α expression with oral cancer prognosis. Therefore, this study set out to investigate HIF-1α overexpression and its relationship with the aggressiveness and grade of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to explore the diagnostic potential of HIF-1α overexpression in OSCC in a cohort of Pakistani patients. Immunostaining of HIF-1α was performed on 54 OSCC and 14 normal oral mucosa (NOM) tissue samples and various cut-offs were used to evaluate its immunohistochemical expression. HIF-1α expression in OSCC samples was significantly higher than in controls, with minimal immunoreactivity in NOM. HIF-1α overexpression was significantly associated with increased tumor size (p = 0.046). However, no association was found between HIF-1α overexpression and increasing Broder’s histological grade or TNM stage. The cut-off >10% cells with moderate to marked intensity carried a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 100% to distinguish between tumor and control. ROC curve analysis of HIF-1α weighted histoscores showedHIF-1α overexpression as a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic test (p < 0.001, AUC = 0.833). HIF-1α overexpression is a tumor-specific finding associated with increased tumor size and carries a potential diagnostic role.

Purpose of Review: Dental erosion (DE) is an irreversible, non-bacterial loss of tooth structure caused by acids from external or internal sources. This systematic review aims to determine the association between sports drink consumption and DE, considering their increasing popularity and potential adverse effects on dental health. Recent Findings: A systematic review of five cross-sectional studies revealed varied findings. While three studies found no significant association between sports drinks and DE, one study demonstrated a dose–response relationship, and another showed that swimmers consuming energy sports drinks had over twice the risk of DE compared to non-swimmers. Additionally, factors such as having gastroesophageal reflux disease were associated with DE. Summary: This review highlights the challenges in establishing a definitive relationship between sports drink consumption and DE due to the diversity in study populations and methodologies. Swimmers were identified as a high-risk group for DE. Future research should employ standardised indices and longitudinal study designs to better understand the long-term impacts of sports drinks on dental health.

Introduction: Matrix metalloproteinase‐8 (MMP‐8) is considered as one of the most promising diagnostic markers for periodontal disease. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has been correlated with impaired collagen synthesis and an increase in periodontal tissue susceptibility to pathogenic microorganisms.Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of ADT on salivary MMP‐8 level and periodontal parameters, which might be useful in monitoring periodontal disease in prostate cancer patients undergoing ADT.Materials and Methods: A total of 88 subjects were selected and were divided into two groups: Group I included n = 78 PC patients who have been undergoing ADT); Group II included n = 10 healthy individuals. Periodontal parameters such as plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), periodontal probing depth (PPD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were examined. The salivary MMP‐8 level was estimated by using the sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay method.Results: Significant differences in mean salivary MMP‐8 level were found between PC patients undergoing ADT and healthy individuals. Salivary MMP‐8 levels of all individuals were positively correlated with GI, PI, PPD, and CAL. Salivary MMP‐8 can distinguish between periodontitis and healthy individuals with an accuracy of about 80%.Conclusion: Salivary MMP‐8 levels were found to be higher in prostate cancer patients undergoing ADT compared to healthy individuals.

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) may arise from premalignant oral lesions (PMOL) in most cases. Minichromosome maintenance 3 (MCM3) is a proliferative marker that has been investigated as a potential diagnostic biomarker in the diagnosis of oral cancer. Objectives: To evaluate the association of MCM3 expression, its clinicopathologic parameters and to identify snuff (also called naswar) as a potential risk factor for changes in MCM3 expression in PMOL and OSCC. Methodology: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) of MCM3 was performed on 32 PMOL, 32 OSCC and 16 normal controls after optimization of IHC methodology. Histoscore (0–300) was used as a scoring system and seven different cut-offs were identified for analyses. Data were analyzed using various statistical tests. Results: Among the seven cutoffs, 40% strong positive cells were found to be a better cut-off as they were associated with many pathological variables (Broder’s grade, Aneroth’s grade, and mitotic activity). The differential MCM3 expression in oral lesions (PMOL and OSCC) was statistically significant (p = 0.03). Moreover, MCM3 expression is raised with increased duration and frequency of snuff use. Conclusion: High MCM3 expression is associated with disease progression and is a potential indicator of malignant transformations from PMOL to OSCC. Moreover, the use of snuff is associated with MCM3 over-expression.

Background: There are various treatment options for breast cancer, but a delayed diagnosis at an advanced stage negatively affects overall survival. Our objective is to investigate the prognostic significance of the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) with different treatment modalities. Materials and methods: The study was a longitudinal cohort conducted in the Biochemistry laboratory of the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences at Khyber Medical University. Enrolling 121 patients with invasive breast carcinoma from November 2018 to February 2021, blood samples were collected at various stages. Data analysis utilized SPSS^® version 22, employing the Kaplan–Meier method for overall survival (OS) calculation. The log-rank test assessed P-values for OS, and the chi-square test analyzed the association of modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) with different treatments. Statistical significance was considered for results with a P-value (p < 0.05). Results: The study results indicated that mGPS 2 was linked to lower overall survival, while mGPS 0 and 1 were associated with good overall survival. Chemo-endocrine therapy exhibited the highest median survival of 40.9 months compared to other treatment options. Conversely, chemoradiotherapy combined with targeted therapy demonstrated the lowest overall median survival of 22.5 months. Conclusion: The findings of the current research suggested that mGPS could be used as a prognostic screening tool in patients with breast cancers receiving different therapeutic modalities.