BackgroundAlthough age-related loss of chromosome Y (LOY) in normal hematopoietic cells is a well-known phenomenon, the phenotypic consequences of LOY have been elusive. However, LOY has been found in association with smoking, shorter survival and higher risk of cancer. It was suggested that LOY in blood cells could become a predictive biomarker of male carcinogenesis.Aims, Methods & FindingsTo investigate the association of LOY in blood cells with the risk for development of colorectal (CC) and prostate cancers (PC), we have analyzed DNA samples from peripheral blood of 101 CC male patients (mean age 60.5±11.9 yrs), 70 PC patients (mean age 68.8±8.0 yrs) and 93 healthy control males (mean age 65.8±16.6 yrs). The methodology included co-amplification of homologous sequences on chromosome Y and other chromosomes using multiplex quantitative fluorescent (QF) PCR followed by automatic detection and analysis on ABI 3500 Genetic Analyzer. The mean Y/X ratio was significantly lower in the whole group of cancer patients (0.907±0.12; p = 1.17x10-9) in comparison to the controls (1.015±0.15), as well as in CC (0.884±0.15; p = 3.76x10-9) and PC patients (0.941±0.06; p = 0.00012), when analyzed separately. Multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusting for LOY and age showed that LOY is a more significant predictor of cancer presence than age, and that age probably does not contribute to the increased number of subjects with detectable LOY in cancer patients cohort.ConclusionIn conclusion, our results support the recent findings of association of LOY in blood cells with carcinogenesis in males.

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a quite frequent, painful, ulcerative disease that affects the lining of the oral cavity and has an unknown etiology. The aim of this article is to examine the impact of the medication proaftol on epithelization speed and severity of pain in patients with RAS. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study respondents were divided into two groups where one group was treated with proaftol spray and the other with a placebo. Aphthae considered for treatment had a diameter of 5-6 mm. The participants were given instruction on the use of the spray, two sprayings on the place of the aphtae 3-4 times a day. We examined two parameters in the symptomatology of RAS-lesion size (mm) and pain intensity (noted on four subjective levels: 0-no pain, 1-discomfort, 2-moderate pain, 3-severe pain). These parameters were noted on the baseline, the third, the fifth and the eighth days of examination.Results: A significant faster reduction of the dimension of aphthous ulcers in patients treated with proaftol 3rd day p < 0.001, 5th day p < 0.0006, 8th day full epithelization in the control group. The magnitude of pain in the experimental compared with the control group on 3rd, 5th and 8th day was also significantly reduced: p < 0.0001, p < 0.007, p < 0.007 respectively.Conclusion: The use of proaftol positively influences the rate of epithelization and reduction of subjective feeling of pain in patients with RAS. The action of propolis should be the goal of studies with a larger number of subjects.

The Roma Diaspora — traditionally known as Gypsies —remains amongst the least explored population migratory events in historical times. It involved the migration of Roma ancestors out-of-India through the plateaus of Western Asia ultimately reaching Europe. The demographic effects of the Diaspora – bottlenecks, endogamy, and gene flow – might have left marked molecular traces in the Roma genomes. Here, we analyze the whole genome sequence of 46 Roma individuals pertaining to four migrant groups in six European countries. Our analyses revealed a strong, early founder effect followed by a drastic reduction of ∼44% in effective population size. The Roma common ancestors split from the Punjabi population, from -Northwest India, some generations before the Diaspora started, less than 2,000 years ago. The initial bottleneck and subsequent endogamy are revealed by the occurrence of extensive Runs of Homozygosity and Identity By Descendent segments in all Roma populations. Furthermore, we provide evidence of gene flow from Armenian and Anatolian groups in present-day Roma, although the primary contribution to Roma gene pool comes from non-Roma Europeans, which accounts for more than 50% of their genomes. The linguistic and historical differentiation of Roma in migrant groups is confirmed by the differential proportion, but not a differential source, of European admixture in the Roma groups, which shows a westward cline. In the present study we found that despite the strong admixture Roma had in their diaspora, the signature of the initial bottleneck and the subsequent endogamy is still present in Roma genomes.

The formation of white spot lesions, or enamel demineralization, around fixed orthodontic attachments is a common complication during and following fixed orthodontic treatment, which marks the result of a successfully completed case. This article is a contemporary review of the risk factors and preventive methods of these orthodontics scars. Preventive programmes must be emphasized to all orthodontic patients. The responsibility of an orthodontist is to minimize the risk of the patient having decalcification as a consequence of orthodontic treatment by educating and motivating the patients for excellent oral hygiene practice. Prophylaxis with topical fluoride application should be implemented: high-fluoride toothpastes, fluoride mouthwashes, gels and varnishes during and after the orthodontic treatment, especially for patients at high risk of caries.

Background The quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR) has proven to be a reliable method for detection of common fetal chromosomal aneuploidies. However, there are some technical shortcomings, such as uncertainty of aneuploidy determination when the short tandem repeats (STR) height ratio is unusual due to a large size difference between alleles or failure due to the presence of maternal cell contamination (MCC). The aim of our study is to facilitate the implementation of the QF-PCR as a rapid diagnostic test for common fetal aneuploidies. Methods Here, we describe an in-house one-tube multiplex QF-PCR method including 20 PCR markers (15 STR markers and 5 fixed size) for rapid prenatal diagnosis of chromosome 13, 18, 21, X and Y aneuploidies. In order to improve the aneuploidy classification of a given diallelic STR marker, we have employed a multilevel logistic regression analysis using "height-ratio" and "allele-size-difference" as fixed effects and "marker" as a random effect. We employed two regression models, one for the 2:1 height ratio (n = 48 genotypes) and another for the 1:2 height ratio (n = 41 genotypes) of the trisomic diallelic markers while using the same 9015 genotypes with normal 1:1 height ratio in both models. Furthermore, we have described a simple procedure for the treatment of the MCC, prior DNA isolation and QF-PCR analysis. Results For both models, we have achieved 100% specificity for the marker aneuploidy classification as compared to 98.60% (2:1 ratio) and 98.04% (1:2 ratio) specificity when using only the height ratio for classification. Treatment of the MCC enables a successful diagnosis rate of 76% among truly contaminated amniotic fluids. Conclusions Adjustment for the allele size difference and marker type improves the STR aneuploidy classification, which, complemented with appropriate treatment of contaminated amniotic fluids, eliminates sample re-testing and reinforces the robustness of the QF-PCR method for prenatal testing.