Detection of metabolic signature for breast cancer (BC) has the potential to improve patient prognosis. This study identified potentially significant metabolites differentiating between breast cancer patients and healthy controls to help in diagnosis, grading, staging and determination of neoadjuvant status. Serum was collected from 152 pre-operative breast cancer (BC) patients and 155 healthy controls in this case-controlled study. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to obtain metabolic profiles followed by chemometric analysis with the identification of significantly differentiated metabolites including 7 for diagnosis, 18 for grading, 23 for staging, 15 for stage III subcategory and 10 for neoadjuvant status (p-value < 0.05). Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) model revealed a distinct separation between healthy controls and BC patients with a sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 100% on external validation. Models for grading, staging and neoadjuvant status were built with Decision Tree Algorithm with predictive accuracy of 71.5%, 71.3% and 79.8% respectively. Pathway analysis revealed increased glycolysis, lipogenesis, and production of volatile organic metabolites indicating the metabolic alterations in breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the first or second leading cancer among females across the globe. A large number of studies have been conducted to assess any relationship between vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms and breast cancer development. Epidemiological studies have indicated that ethnic traits exhibited by a group of people with a common ancestry and culture, alter the link between VDR gene and breast cancer. It has been hypothesized that VDR polymorphisms have the capacity to impact both on incidence of breast cancer occurrence and to predict its outcome. A survey was here conducted to assess and compare the impact of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms Fok1, Bsm1, Taq1, Apa1 and poly (A) on development of breast cancer. Information was obtained from electronic databases including PubMed and Google Scholar for articles published during the period from 1996 to 2015. This search was achieved by using the terms "genetics", "breast cancer", "VDR gene", "polymorphisms". However, due to inconsistent results, no conclusive statements could be presented about the significance of the VDR genotype as far as the development of breast carcinoma is concerned'

Introduction Burning Mouth Syndrome is characterized by variable symptoms that include pain, burning and paraguesia in an otherwise healthy-appearing oral mucosa. Although the etiopathogenesis of Burning Mouth Syndrome is unknown, some studies provide evidence of subclinical inflammation leading to disrupted cytokine levels. Aim To investigate the expression of cytokines and role in the etiopathogenesis of Burning Mouth Syndrome. Methods Online databases (MEDLINE and EMBASE) were searched from November 1986 to November 2018 for case control/cross-sectional studies comparing the levels of cytokines in patients with Burning Mouth Syndrome and healthy controls. Results A total of eight studies were included in the current review. Four studies were of high and four studies were of moderate quality. Seven studies evaluated IL-6, out of which four showed comparable results, two showed higher levels and one study reported lower levels in Burning Mouth Syndrome patients compared to controls. Four studies assessed IL-2, out of which two reported comparable results whereas one study reported higher levels and one study reported lower levels in Burning Mouth Syndrome patients compared to controls. IL-10 levels were measured in three studies that reported no significant differences in the levels between Burning Mouth Syndrome and healthy controls. Discussion and conclusion The etiopathogenesis of Burning Mouth Syndrome is multifactorial. Studies have provided scientific evidence that inflammation plays a key role in Burning Mouth Syndrome pathogenesis. However, whether up-regulation or down-regulation of specific cytokines contribute to the etiopathogenesis of Burning Mouth Syndrome remains debatable. Further high-quality studies with larger sample size and assessing a wider array of cytokines are warranted in order to obtain strong conclusions.

Chronic periodontitis (CP) is a multifactorial oral inflammatory disease characterized by progressive destruction of bone and ultimate tooth loss. The alarming rise in the prevalence of periodontitis has led to the development of innovative diagnostic techniques. Several quantifiable biomarkers in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and saliva of chronic periodontitis patients have been detected in the field of oral fluid diagnostics. Bone turnover biomarkers hold a valuable diagnostic potential in determining the extent of alveolar bone destruction and the risk of future bone loss. This review article highlights the importance of bone turnover markers in facilitating earlier detection, accurate diagnosis, and effective treatment strategies, leading to optimal clinical management of chronic periodontitis.

Objectives The present study aimed to investigate osteocalcin levels in saliva of healthy and periodontitis patients and correlate these levels with periodontitis severity. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in a hospital setup. A total of 95 individuals participated in the study with 46 subjects in group I (healthy individuals) and 49 subjects in group II (mild, moderate, and severe chronic periodontitis patients). A detailed assessment of clinical periodontal parameters and alveolar bone loss was made. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from all study subjects and osteocalcin levels were quantitatively analyzed by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent essay technique. Statistical Analysis One-way analysis of variance, Spearman’s correlation test, and Pearson’s chi-squared test were applied at a significance level of 95%. p-Values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results The results showed a significant association of qualification with group II (p < 0.02). Bone loss scores were also significantly associated with periodontitis severity (p < 0.01). However, no statistically significant difference was observed between group I and group II in terms of mean salivary osteocalcin levels (p = 0.68). Also, an insignificant correlation was also observed between osteocalcin levels and periodontitis severity (p = 0.13). Conclusion The overall study results showed that there was no significant difference between saliva osteocalcin levels of healthy and periodontitis patients. Also, there was a nonsignificant correlation between osteocalcin levels and periodontitis severity. The findings of the present study support the hypothesis that low osteocalcin levels in saliva might be considered as a poor indicator of periodontal disease progression and severity.

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Science is digging for the varied presentation of COVID-19 patients exposed to the same risk factors, and medical conditions may be influenced by the presence of polymorphic genetic variants. This study investigated the link between ACE2 gene polymorphisms and the severity of SARS-CoV-2. This cross-sectional study recruited COVID-19 PCR-positive patients by consecutive sampling from Ziauddin Hospital from April to September 2020. DNA was extracted from whole blood, followed by gene amplification and Sanger’s sequencing. Most of the patients, 77: 53.8%, were serious. Males were higher (80; 55.9%) with age more than 50 years (106: 74.1%). We found 22 ACE2 SNPs. rs2285666 SNP was most prevalent with 49.2% CC, 45.2% TT, 4.8% CT heterozygosity, and 0.8% AA genotypes. Variants with multiple genotypes were also insignificantly associated with the severity of COVID-19 in the analysis of the dominant model. Only rs2285666 had a significant statistical link with gender (p-value 0.034, OR; 1.438, CI; 1.028–2.011) while rs768883316 with age groups (p-value 0.026, OR; 1.953, CI; 1.085–3.514). Haplotypes ATC of three polymorphisms (rs560997634, rs201159862, and rs751170930) commonly found in 120 (69.77%) and TTTGTAGTTAGTA haplotype consisting of 13 polymorphisms (rs756737634, rs146991645, rs1601703288, rs1927830489, rs1927831624, rs764947941, rs752242172, rs73195521, rs781378335, rs756597390, rs780478736, rs148006212, rs768583671) in 112 (90.32%) had statistically significant association with the severity having p = value 0.029 and 0.001 respectively. Males of old age and diabetics are found to have more severe COVID-19 infection in the current study. We also found that common ACE2 polymorphism rs2285666 influences the susceptibility of acquiring the severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Science is digging for the varied presentation of COVID-19 patients exposed to the same risk factors, and medical conditions may be influenced by the presence of polymorphic genetic variants. This study investigated the link between ACE2 gene polymorphisms and the severity of SARS-Cov-2. This cross-sectional study recruited COVID-19 PCR-positive patients by consecutive sampling from Ziauddin Hospital from April to September 2020. DNA was extracted from whole blood, followed by gene amplification and Sanger’s sequencing. Most of the patients, 77: 53.8%, were serious. Males were higher (80; 55.9%) with age more than 50 years (106: 74.1%). We found 22 ACE2 SNPs rs2285666 SNP most prevalent with 49.2% CC, 45.2% TT, 4.8% CT heterozygosity, and 0.8% AA genotypes. Variants with multiple genotypes were also insignificantly associated with the severity of COVID-19 in the analysis of the dominant model. Only rs2285666 had a significant statistical link with gender (p-value 0.034, OR; 1.438, CI; 1.028-2.011) while rs768883316 with age groups (p-value 0.026, OR; 1.953, CI; 1.085-3.514). Haplotypes ATC of three polymorphisms (rs560997634, rs201159862, and rs751170930) commonly found in 120 (69.77%) and TTTGTAGTTAGTA haplotype consisting of 13 polymorphisms (rs756737634, rs146991645, rs1601703288, rs1927830489, rs1927831624, rs764947941, rs752242172, rs73195521, rs781378335, rs756597390, rs780478736, rs148006212, rs768583671) in 112 (90.32%) had statistically significant association with the severity having p=value 0.029 and 0.001 respectively. Males of old age and diabetics are found to have more severe COVID-19 infection in the current study. We also found that common ACE2 polymorphism rs2285666 influences the susceptibility of acquiring the severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.