Pineapple has been used as part of traditional folk medicine since ancient times and it continues to be present in various herbal preparations. Bromelain is a complex mixture of protease extracted from the fruit or stem of the pineapple plant. Although the complete molecular mechanism of action of bromelain has not been completely identified, bromelain gained universal acceptability as a phytotherapeutic agent due to its history of safe use and lack of side effects. Bromelain is widely administered for its well-recognized properties, such as its anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic and fibrinolytic affects, anticancer activity and immunomodulatory effects, in addition to being a wound healing and circulatory improvement agent. The current review describes the promising clinical applications and therapeutic properties of bromelain.

Personal identification has a pivotal role in forensic investigations. Gender determination is an essential step in personal identification. Despite the advent of advanced techniques such as DNA fingerprinting, methods such as lip print and fingerprint analysis and mandibular canine index calculations are routinely used in gender determination, as they are simple and cost-effective. The present study investigated the hypothesis that lip print analysis is an effective tool in gender determination compared with fingerprint analysis and the mandibular canine index. The predominant patterns of lip prints and fingerprints were analyzed in males and females, and the efficacy of the mandibular canine index in gender determination was evaluated. The study group comprised 50 students, 25 males and 25 females who were 18-25 years of age. Lip prints and fingerprints were obtained and classified according to Tsuchihashi's classification and Kücken and Newell's classification, respectively. Mandibular impressions were made and the mandibular canine index was calculated. Type I and Type I' lip prints were predominant in females, and Type IV lip prints were predominant in males. The analysis of fingerprints revealed that the loop fingerprint pattern was predominant in both males and females. The mandibular canine index was not found to be significant in gender identification. The predominant patterns of lip prints were distinct for males and females; conversely, fingerprints were demonstrated to be similar in both genders. Therefore, lip prints hold an increased potential for gender determination, as compared with fingerprints, and the mandibular canine index is not a reliable indicator of gender.

Gingival overgrowth is a side effect of certain medications. The most fibrotic drug-induced lesions develop in response to therapy with phenytoin, the least fibrotic lesions are caused by cyclosporin A, and the intermediate fibrosis occurs in nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth. Fibrosis is one of the largest groups of diseases for which there is no therapy but is believed to occur because of a persistent tissue repair program. During connective tissue repair, activated gingival fibroblasts synthesize and remodel newly created extracellular matrix. Proteins such as transforming growth factor (TGF), endothelin-1 (ET-1), angiotensin II (Ang II), connective tissue growth factor (CCN2/CTGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF), and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) appear to act in a network that contributes to the development of gingival fibrosis. Since inflammation is the prerequisite for gingival overgrowth, mast cells and its protease enzymes also play a vital role in the pathogenesis of gingival fibrosis. Drugs targeting these proteins are currently under consideration as antifibrotic treatments. This review summarizes recent observations concerning the contribution of TGF-β, CTGF, IGF, PDGF, ET-1, Ang II, and mast cell chymase and tryptase enzymes to fibroblast activation in gingival fibrosis and the potential utility of agents blocking these proteins in affecting the outcome of drug-induced gingival overgrowth.

Mast cells (MCs) are multifunctional effector cells that were originally thought to be involved in allergic disorders. Now it is known that they contain an array of mediators with a multitude of effects on many other cells. MCs have become a recent concern in drug-induced gingival overgrowth (DIGO), an unwanted outcome of systemic medication. Most of the studies have confirmed the significant presence of inflammation as a prerequisite for the overgrowth to occur. The inflammatory changes within the gingival tissue appear to influence the interaction between the inducing drug and the fibroblast activity. The development of antibodies to MC-specific enzymes, tryptase and chymase, has facilitated the study of mast cells in DIGO. Many immunohistochemical studies involving MCs have been conducted; as a result, DIGO tissues are found to have increased the number of MCs in the gingiva, especially in the area of fibrosis. At the cellular level, gingival fibrogenesis is initiated by several mediators which induce the recruitment of a large number of inflammatory cells, including MCs. The purpose of this paper is to access the roles played by MCs in gingival overgrowth to hypothesize a relationship between these highly specialized cells in the pathogenesis of DIGO.

Abstract. Gingival overgrowth is an undesirable outcome of systemic medication and is evidenced by the accretion of collagenous components in gingival connective tissues along with diverse degrees of inflammation. Phenytoin therapy has been found to induce the most fibrotic lesions in gingiva, cyclosporine caused the least fibrotic lesions, and nifedipine induced intermediate fibrosis in drug-induced gingival overgrowth. In drug-induced gingival overgrowth, efficient oral hygiene is compromised and has negative consequences for the systemic health of the patients. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are involved in the effective recognition of microbial agents and play a vital role in innate immunity and inflammatory signaling responses. TLRs stimulate fibrosis and tissue repairs in several settings, although with evident differences between organs. In particular, TLRs exert a distinct effect on fibrosis in organs with greater exposure to TLR ligands, such as the gingiva. Cumulative evidence from diverse sources suggested that TLRs can affect gingival overgrowth in several ways. Numerous studies have demonstrated the expression of TLRs in gingival tissues and suggested its potential role in gingival inflammation, cell proliferation and synthesis of the extracellular matrix which is crucial to the development of gingival overgrowth. In the present review, we assessed the role of TLRs on individual cell populations in gingival tissues that contribute to the progression of gingival inflammation, and the involvement of TLRs in the development of gingival overgrowth. These observations suggest that TLRs provide new insight into the connection among infection, inflammation, drugs and gingival fibrosis, and are therefore efficient therapeutic target molecules. We hypothesize that TLRs are critical for the development and progression of gingival overgrowth, and thus blocking TLR expression may serve as a novel target for antifibrotic therapy.

Introduction Developmental anomalies are malformation which arises due to the disturbances during the development of the organs. Although there have been many studies that have described the prevalence of these anomalies in the oral cavity, none have specified the prevalence of clinically manifested anomalies and their distribution between gender. Materials and methods In this study, 500 patients aged 18 to 50 years were screened for clinically manifested developmental anomalies. These were then divided based on age, sex, and jaws, which were then analyzed using a chi-square test and tabulated. Results We detected anomalies in 12.2% of the study population. Supernumerary teeth were the most prevalent anomaly detected (4.25%). The frequency of developmental anomalies was higher in men (57.1%). Conclusions Supernumerary teeth were the most widely recognized anomaly. Other anomalies identified were related to the shape and size of teeth. These anomalies can lead to severe orofacial problems. Therefore, proper care of these anomalies should be taken.

Introduction: Iron deficiency anemia is one of the most widespread disorders in humans. Early diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia is challenged by assessing serum ferritin levels. However, studies across the globe have concluded that ferritin is present in quantifiable amounts in saliva. Thus, in the study, the scope of using salivary ferritin as a diagnostic biomarker in detecting iron deficiency anemia is studied.Methods: Levels of salivary ferritin in patients with iron deficiency anemia (test group, n=15) and nonanemic subjects (control group, n=15) were assessed by an automated chemilumesent method with a total sample size of 30 volunteers.Results: The mean level of salivary ferritin in subjects with iron deficiency anemia was 139.37±47.90 µg/dl, which was significantly higher when compared to the level in non-anemic subjects, 94.18±62.90 µg/dl, which was contradictory when compared to the levels of serum ferritin. Conclusion:The raise in the levels of salivary ferritin in subjects with iron deficiency anemia can be attributed to the iron-dependent enzymatic function of saliva. Thus, salivary ferritin can become a biomarker that helps in the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia; however, more research is needed for devising a more standard cutoff value for diagnosing iron deficiency anemia.