The biological basis of suicidal behavior extends beyond psychiatric diagnosis, and alterations in stress-response regulation, monoaminergic signaling, and GABAergic function may contribute to suicide risk. We enrolled 69 adults presenting to the emergency department after a suicide attempt episode and 72 controls. Expression of eight candidate genes (SLC6A3, SLC6A4, NR3C1, NR3C2, DRD2, MAOA, GABRA2, and GABBR2) was measured by qRT-PCR in paired peripheral blood and buccal swab samples, with GAPDH as the reference gene. Multiple testing was addressed with the Benjamini—Hochberg false discovery rate. NR3C2, which encodes the mineralocorticoid receptor, was the only gene downregulated in both sample types after FDR correction (blood: q = 0.0007; swab: q = 0.0004). Blood additionally showed changes in SLC6A4 (↓), DRD2 (↑), and GABBR2 (↑). In buccal swabs, every gene that reached significance—SLC6A3, NR3C1, GABRA2, and GABBR2—was downregulated. No gene achieved AUC ≥ 0.90 in ROC analysis. Gene-by-biochemistry correlations did not survive FDR correction, suggesting transcriptional changes independent of acute metabolic status. Overall, peripheral expression was matrix-dependent, and NR3C2 downregulation stood out as the one signal that replicated across both. Blood and buccal swabs captured complementary biological information, together pointing to impaired HPA-axis buffering. Because group-level confounders could not be adjusted for, these findings should be read as hypothesis-generating and warrant confounder-controlled, longitudinal validation.

Objectives: RASSF gene family can inhibit the growth of RAS oncogene. This gene family is suggested to have a role in cell cycle control, apoptosis, cell migration, and mitosis control. This study evaluated RASSF4 gene expression levels, SNPs and serum levels in tissues dissected from both healthy individuals and patients diagnosed with head, and neck cancer. Methods: RASSF4 gene expression levels were determined using the RT-PCR. Serum levels of RASSF4 were tested using the Enzyme-Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay technique in study groups. RASSF4 rs7896801 and rs884879 genotypes were identified using by the RT-PCR. Results: No statistical difference was observed between study groups according to RASSF4 gene expression levels. According to SNP results, rs7896801 revealed a 2.4 fold increase of G-allele presence in patients (p=0.015). The increase in the presence of AA genotype was statistically significant for the control group (p=0.015). Distribution of genotypes and alleles for rs884879 showed a 2.2 fold increase in CC genotype for healthy group (p=0.031) however, the presence of T allele showed a significant increase in the patients (p=0.048). Conclusions: We suggest that this study will play a pioneering role for the next studies on RASSF4 gene, especially on SNPs.

Parotid oncocytoma is a rare benign salivary gland tumor, often misdiagnosed due to overlapping features with other parotid neoplasms. We present the case of an 87-year-old male with a progressively enlarging right parotid mass, confirmed as oncocytoma through imaging and histopathological analysis. The excised oncocytoma measured approximately 9 cm in its greatest dimension, making it one of the largest parotid oncocytomas reported in the literature to date. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges associated with parotid oncocytomas, the limitations of fine-needle aspiration, and the importance of comprehensive diagnostic tools. Surgical resection was curative, with no recurrence at 12 months.