Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC) is an aggressive, high-grade, variant of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), which is uncommon in the oral cavity but slightly more common in the oropharynx. We present two cases of BSCC, one arising in the floor of the mouth and the other arising on the lateral border of the tongue. The diagnosis of this subtype of SCC is important owing to its particular behavior, with an aggressive course, a high incidence of local recurrence, regional lymph node metastases and mortality rate.

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE) is a benign vaso proliferative disease of undetermined origin. It presents with painless, vascular nodules in the dermal and subcutaneous tissues of the head and neck, particularly around the ear. It is thought to arise due to a atopic hypersensitivity reaction. The lesion is often confused with other possible causes of similar lesions like mesenchymal tumour of the vessels, nerves or muscles in the head and neck, Kimura's disease etc. Complete excision and follow-up is the treatment of choice which is associated with a 33% recurrence rate. We are presenting a case of ALHE which presented mimicking a vascular malformation in the pre-temporal region in a 26 year old male.

Since the discovery of acquired immuno deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in late1980s, the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has reached pandemic proportions, representing a global developmental and public health threat. Finding of a safe, globally effective and affordable HIV vaccine offers the best hope for the future control of the disease pandemic. Significant progress has been made over the past years in the areas of basic virology, immunology, and pathogenesis of HIV/AIDS and the development of anti-retroviral drugs. However, the search for an HIV vaccine faces formidable scientific challenges related to the high genetic variability of the virus, the lack of immune correlates of protection, limitations with the existing animal models and logistical problems associated with the conduct of multiple clinical trials. Most of the vaccine approaches developed so far aim at inducing cell-mediated immune responses. Multiple vaccine concepts and vaccination strategies have been tested, including DNA vaccines, subunit vaccines, live vectored recombinant vaccines, various prime-boost vaccine combinations and vaccine based on broadly neutralizing human anti-HIV Antibody 2G12. This article reviews the state of the art in HIV vaccine research, summarizes the results obtained so far and discusses the challenges to be met in the development of a successful HIV vaccine.

Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is a ubiquitous rare mesenchymal neoplasm. Pleura is the favored site of origin and is rare in the oral cavity. SFT occurs across a wide histopathologic spectrum. Fibrous form characterized by hyalinized, thick-walled vessels with opened lumina and strong CD34 reactivity constitute one end and on the other end, a cellular form representing the conventional hemangiopericytoma, with branched, thin-walled vessels and focal or negative CD34 reactivity characterize the spectrum. A case of oral SFT in a 30-year-old female patient with its clinical, histopathological and immunohistochemical features is being presented here.

No abstract