Background:The study aims to analyze Thymidylate Synthase (TS) and Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase (DPD) Expressions on 5-Fluorouracil in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). Methods:50 oral squamous cell carcinoma samples were taken from non-treated cancer patients at Hiroshima University Dental Hospital. The patients were investigated for TS, that included 36 males and 14 females. Additionally, 31 patients were evaluated for DPD that included 22 males and 9 females.Results:The samples had also undergone clinical and pathological evaluation, immunohistochemical staining, evaluation of immune-staining, enzymatic expression, and statistical analyses. Mean age of the population was 62.1 years. Conclusion: Over-expression of TS contributes significantly to the resistance of 5-FU treatment; while inhibition of intra-tumoral DPD increases the sensitivity level. TS levels are not only predictive of 5-FU response, but also prognostic in clinical value of non-treated cancer patients.

Bangladesh Journal of Anatomy, January 2012, Vol. 10 No. 1 pp 37-42 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bja.v10i1.15758

Abstract:Background: It has been reported that the number of masticatory motor and sensory neurons were seriously diminished and the masseter muscles were severely atrophied in the genetically mutant osteopetrotic (op/op) mouse with no eruption of teeth and less-developed periodontal ligaments. The present study was designed to observe whether the sensory input from the periodontal mechanoreceptive afferents be involved in the development and maintenance of the masticatory system. Methods: A case-control study was carried out with 2 groups of male ICR mice. Unilateral extraction of upper and lower molars was carried out in the case group on day 20 after birth. For assessing effects of tooth loss on the masticatory neurons, both mice groups were sacrificed on days 30, 60, 90, 120, 180 and 360 after birth and the trigeminal mesencephalic neurons (Me5) and trigeminal ganglion (TG) were traced and counted on both sides of the central nervous System (CNS). Results: In case group, severe degeneration of the ipsilateral inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) was observed on as early as day 40 after birth and there was significant decrease in the number of labeled Me5 and TG neurons between 60 th and 360 th postnatal days on the tooth-extracted side. Labeled primary afferent terminals were also severely diminished in the trigeminal sensory nuclear complex (TSNC) on the tooth-extracted side. Conclusion: Present study suggests that the decrease in the sensory input due to the tooth loss causes the disorder of the development and maintenance of the masticatory system even in the normal animal.