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Rationale: COVID-19 patients, especially immunocompromised or severely ill, have a higher probability of suffering from invasive fungal infections. Patient Concerns: A 41-years-old male reported with pain and heaviness in the face for the past 20 days. Patient had tested COVID-19 positive 20 days back and was recently diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. On histopathological examination numerous hyphae resembling mucor and asper fungi were evident. Diagnosis: Chronic invasive aspergillosis with fulminant mucormycosis sparing palate. Treatment: Since the lesion was spreading very rapidly the patient was referred to an isolation facility for further management. Outcomes: We have postulated few hypothesis for the coinfection of aspergillosis and mucormycosis in our patient. Take-away Lessons: It is important for the clinicians to systematically screen post COVID-19 patients for fungal infections, especially in immunocompromised and severely ill patients.

BackgroundTobacco usage in the form of smoking or chewing has increased the risk of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) and oral cancer. These deleterious habits are also related to changes in dentition and the oral mucosa.

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To estimate the ABO blood groups from saliva samples and to correlate with the secretor status. Materials and methodsA sample size of 300 individuals was selected from the outpatient department of Surendera Dental College & Research Institute, Sriganganagar, India, and from dental camps organized by the college in the near vicinity. Informed consent was obtained from selected individuals to collect their blood and saliva samples. Salivary samples were evaluated for ABO blood groups by the absorption-inhibition method. The indicator erythrocytes were prepared after blood group confirmation from serum. It was used to identify the blood group antigens in saliva to confirm the secretor status. The results were tabulated and the Pearson's chisquared test was performed for statistical analysis using SPSS 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). ResultsThe present study showed that 282 subjects (94%) were Rhesus positive and 18 subjects (6%) were Rhesus negative. Two-hundred-and-fifty subjects (83.3%) were secretors of antigens in saliva. Non-secretors were 50 subjects (16.7%). We identified that 250/300 were secretors and the majority were in AB & A group. ConclusionBlood groups could not be detected from the saliva of subjects who were non-secretors. In contrast, blood types could be accurately identified from the saliva of those subjects who were secretors of antigen.

Introduction Oral dysplasia is a frequent precancerous condition that may lead to oral cancer. The histopathologic abnormalities exhibited in a chronic, progressive, and premalignant condition of the oral mucosa are referred to as oral epithelial dysplasia (OED). It might show up as erythroplakia, leukoplakia, or leukoerythroplakia. OED is a premalignancy histologic marker that predicts a higher likelihood of squamous cell carcinoma development. Aims and objectives The aim of this study is to identify an association between Ki-67 protein expression and histological grading of OED and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to compare the expression of Ki-67 in different grades of OED and OSCC with the prognosis. Materials and methods The current retrospective research is focused on evaluating epithelial dysplasia and analyzing the function of Ki-67 as a prognostic marker after receiving institutional ethical approval. Group I - normal oral mucosa (NOM), Group II - OED, and Group III - OSCC were included in the study. For statistical analysis, SPSS Statistics version 21.0 (IBM Corp. Released 2021. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 28.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp) was utilized. The Cox regression model was employed to look at interactions between various prognostic variables. At p<0.05, differences were deemed statistically significant. Results Ki-67 expression was confined to the basal layers in the normal oral epithelium and in the basal, suprabasal, and spinous layers in OED. Ki-67 positive cells were mostly found on the perimeter of well, moderate, and poorly differentiated OSCC tumor nests with Ki-67 positive cells scattered throughout OSCC. According to statistical analysis, there is a substantial difference in expression between OED and NOM, OSCC and NOM, and OED and OSCC. Conclusion Our study showed that there is a progressive increase in Ki-67 expression across various grades of OED, and the highest expression was noted in OSCC. Early identification and prompt treatment will help in improving the quality of life of such patients.

Pathologists play an important role in the final diagnosis for the patient and help the clinician in appropriate treatment planning. Both clinicians and pathologists have a crucial role in the laboratory process and it should be monitored properly for accurate and timely reporting.There are many steps in the laboratory process, where errors can occur which can affect the final diagnosis and prognosis for the patient. Errors can be major or minor but it eventually affects the patient's outcome. The laboratory process is broadly classified into three categories- pre-analytic, analytic and post-analytic phases. The errors that could frequently occur in each phase and the troubleshooting methods are broadly discussed in this article. Errors that have occurred should be investigated properly by identifying the main source of error and preventive action should be taken to avoid it in the future.

Background: One of the most prevalent malignancies in India is oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which is found in more than 90% of cancer cases and has a reduced survival rate of 30%. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc-containing and calcium-dependent endopeptidases that regulate angiogenesis, migration, and proliferation. MMP-9 in OSCC increases tumor progression through angiogenesis, degrades the basement membrane, and facilitates metastasis by changes in tissue shape. Its overexpression in OSCC has also been shown to have prognostic significance.Aim: This study aims to evaluate the serum levels of MMP-9 in OSCC patients and healthy controls and to correlate with its clinicopathological staging.Materials and methods: This study included 40 individuals; 20 patients with OSCC and 20 healthy controls. MMP-9 was determined in serum samples utilizing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.Results: Descriptive statistics showed that 90% of the patients included in the OSCC groups were above 40 years, and 85% were males. There was a significant increase in the serum level of MMP-9 in OSCC patients compared to healthy controls with a mean difference of +28% (393.21 pg/ml) and a significant p-value of 0.001. (1365.80 ±236.414 pg/ml vs 973.67 ± 83.416 pg/ml). There was a significant increase in the serum levels of MMP-9 among the tumor stages and nodal involvement with a significant p-value of 0.002 and 0.001. No significant association was found between the age and gender groups in OSCC patients and serum levels of MMP-9.Conclusion: MMP-9 was significantly increased in OSCC when compared to healthy controls. Hence, MMP-9 can be used as a prognostic indicator in assessing tumor staging and nodal involvement.