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Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most prevalent oral cancers in the world. The major etiological factors are considered to be tobacco and alcohol. However, the etiological factors for non-habit associated oral squamous cell carcinoma (NHOSCC) remains an enigma. So we focused in assessing various etiological factors like genetic factor, microbial factor, dental factor and the biochemical factor of non-habit associated oral squamous cell carcinoma. The aim was to assess Harvey Rat Sarcoma Virus gene (HRAS) mutation, total bacterial count, Herpes Simplex Virus-1 (HSV-1), regressive changes of teeth, total antioxidant capacity and its association with NHOSCC. Materials and methods: A total of 564 (n = 564) patients with OSCC were included in the study. Out of 564 patients, 282 patients had NHOSCC and 282 patients had habit associated oral squamous cell carcinoma (HOSCC). The isolated DNA from the tissue was subjected to Sanger's sequencing analysis for mutation analysis of the HRAS gene. The isolated serum was subjected to HSV-1 ELISA analysis and TAC ELISA analysis. The dental cast used to analyze the presence of sharp teeth/ any other form of regressive changes of teeth. Results: Firstly, we found 3 novel pathogenic mutations c.16C > A/p.L6M (missense mutation), c.359 T > C/p.L120P (point mutation), c.382C > T/p.R128W (missense mutation) of HRAS gene in NHOSCC samples by genetic analysis. No significant difference was noted in the total bacterial count between the non-habit associated and habit associated oral squamous cell carcinoma (HOSCC). The binary logistic regression showed patients with HSV1 infection have 2.667 odds (2.667 OR, CI, 1.589- 4.484) of getting NHOSCC and it was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001).The dental analysis revealed that patients with regressive changes have 4.432 odds (4.432 OR, CI, 2.807- 6.998) of getting NHOSCC and it was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001). The biochemical analysis revealed patients with lower total antioxidant capacity have 0.671 odds (0.671 OR, CI, 0.621–0.725) of getting NHOSCC and was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001). Our results suggest that the frequency of HRAS mutation in NHOSCC is high. HSV1, oxidative stress and regressive changes of teeth are associated with NHOSCC. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the frequency of HRAS mutation in NHOSCC is high. HSV1, oxidative stress and regressive changes of teeth are associated with NHOSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer is a polygenic complex disorder involving a network of genes. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PIK3CA) has been reported as an oncogene that plays a role in many cancer types. The present study aims to demonstrate the association between the genetic alterations observed in the PIK3CA gene network and its role in establishing breast cancer. Method: In the present observational study, we used multiple tools (STRING, cBioportal, PANTHER, and UALCAN) to demonstrate the genetic alterations in the Breast Cancer Dataset (TCGA, Firehose Legacy). The PIK3CA gene interaction network was deduced, followed by the identification of genetic alterations, gene ontology, gene expression and survival analysis. Results: The PIK3CA gene was found to harbor 36% of genetic alterations in the form of gene amplification and mutations. The gene expression profile indicated the significant downregulation of PIK3CA gene transcripts. Interestingly, the Kaplan Meier survival analysis demonstrated that low/medium expression of PIK3CA presented with a good prognosis when compared with the high expression group. These results support the fact that PIK3CA is oncogenic. Conclusion: The PIK3CA gene has been considered as one of the potential druggable targets for breast cancer. The genetic alterations reported in the gene might influence its function. Therefore, further experimental validation is required to provide more insight into the functional association of mutations. Also, the effect of tumor suppressors and epigenetic factors targeting PIK3CA has to be assessed to gain more insight into the increased expression of PIK3CA in breast cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emerging research has identified the N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) modification and its regulatory enzymes, including methyltransferase 5 (METTL5), as critical players in cancer biology. However, the role of METTL5 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains poorly understood. Materials and Methods: We conducted a comprehensive study to investigate the expression and implications of METTL5 in OSCC. We recruited 76 OSCC patients to analyze METTL5 mRNA and protein expression using RT‐qPCR and western blot. Additionally, we analyzed METTL5 expression and its correlation with clinical features, patient prognosis, immune cell infiltration, and biological pathways using the TCGA‐HNSCC dataset, which primarily consists of OSCC samples. Results: Our findings revealed significant overexpression of METTL5 in OSCC tissues compared to normal tissues. The high expression of METTL5 is associated with advanced cancer stages, higher tumor grades, nodal metastasis, and poorer patient outcomes, indicating its involvement in cancer progression. In silico functional analysis revealed that METTL5 plays a role in multiple biological pathways, highlighting its importance in cancer biology. Moreover, METTL5 has complex relationships with immune regulatory genes, suggesting its potential role in shaping the tumor immune microenvironment. Conclusion: METTL5 is a promising candidate for the prognosis and therapeutic intervention of OSCC. Its overexpression in cancer tissues, association with clinical features, and intricate links to immune regulatory networks underscore its significance in this malignancy. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex factors influencing OSCC, and provides a foundation for future research and potential clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Triggering receptor expression on myeloid cells-1 (TREM1) belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily and is implicated in various conditions, including infectious and non-infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancer. Notably, TREM1 is significantly dysregulated in numerous cancer types. However, the underlying mechanism driving TREM1 mRNA expression in cancers remains unclear.  Objective This study aims to analyze the promoter methylation level of TREM1 and its overexpression with cancer. Methods  This study utilized The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort to analyze the methylation and expression levels of TREM1 in cancers. The University of ALabama at Birmingham CANcer (UALCAN) database facilitated data analysis from the TCGA dataset. Additionally, survival analysis was conducted using the TCGA dataset via Kaplan-Meier (KM) plots to identify significant associations with prognosis. Results Promoter methylation analysis revealed that TREM1 is hypomethylated in cancers, resulting in significantly overexpressed mRNA across various cancer types. This methylation and expression showed a negative correlation. Furthermore, high TREM1 mRNA expression was linked to poor prognosis in several cancers. Conclusion TREM1 gene expression negatively correlates with promotor DNA methylation and is associated with poor survival. It may serve as a prognostic marker and biomarker for various cancers. Future research should focus on further validation and antitumor immunity to elucidate its oncogenic role in cancers., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Ruskin et al.)

Epigenetic factors are known to markedly influence the functions of a gene by modification of transcripts, via methylation or acetylation and degradation of mRNA transcripts. The CDKN2A encodes cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A, a tumour suppressor protein. Genetic and epigenetic alterations in this gene have been demonstrated in several cancer types. The non-coding RNAs with a special emphasis on microRNAs have long been explored for their potential role in the epigenetic modification of gene expression. The present study aims to identify the microRNAs targeting CDKN2A gene transcripts and demonstrate their prognostic significance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Computational approaches were employed to identify the microRNAs targeting CDKN2A. The gene and protein expression profile of CDKN2A was analyzed using UALCAN. A significant upregulation of CDKN2A was observed in the primary tumour tissues (p=<10 -12 ). Interestingly, the protein expression, although found to be statistically significant (p=0.0129) did not correlate well with the gene expression profile. The microRNAs targeting CDKN2A were further analyzed to identify the possible reason for the decrease in protein expression. Among the 44 microRNAs targeting CDKN2A gene transcripts, hsa-miR-3681-3p, hsa-miR-542-5p, hsa-miR-4519 were found to be upregulated and hsa-miR-134-5p was found to be downregulated with a significant association with survival status of HNSCC patients. The hsa-miR-542-5p was found to correlate well with the survival and hence can be considered as the key microRNA associated with HNSCC. However, further validation of this microRNA is warranted to confirm its role in the process of carcinogenesis., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

The present study aims to determine the association between a genetic polymorphism of GSTP1 (rs1695) and the risk of periodontitis. This study used a cross-sectional design and included subjects from the South Indian population. A total of 100 individuals enrolled at Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Tamil Nadu were included in this study. The participants were divided into control (n=50) and periodontitis (n=50) based on clinical examination. Blood samples were collected. Genotyping was performed using specific primers spanning the polymorphic site. The genotypic frequencies for the rs1695 polymorphism were not significantly different between cases and controls., Competing Interests: None.