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OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to investigate the characteristics of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and their association with microvascular density (MVD) in tumor progression in different grades of orofacial squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in the Pakistani population. STUDY DESIGN: This prospective study included 234 patients with oral cancer reported at different hospitals in Pakistan diagnosed with OSCC. Tumors were graded on the Anneroth grading system and the association between the frequency of TAMs and MVD was examined in vivo. The macrophages visible through immunohistochemistry for CD68 and the microvessels observed through immunohistochemistry for CD34 were manually counted in 3 high-power fields. RESULTS: The CD68 and CD34 counts were significantly lower in well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma compared to poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. Linear regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between the area percentage of CD68 immunoreactivity and the grade of the tumor (r = 0.776). Vice versa, a positive correlation also existed between the area percentage of CD34 immunoreactivity and the grade of the tumor (r = 0.690). Pearson correlation revealed a positive association between the TAMs and MVD (r = 0.680; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: There was an increased population of tumor-associated macrophages and tumor angiogenesis with the increasing grade of orofacial squamous cell carcinoma. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol YEAR;VOL:page range).

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PURPOSE: Intellectual honesty and integrity are the cornerstones of conducting any form of research. Over the last few years, scholars have shown great concerns over questionable research practices (QRPs) in academia. This study aims to investigate the questionable research practices amongst faculty members of medical and dental colleges in Pakistan. METHOD: A descriptive multi-institutional online survey was conducted from June-August 2022. Based on previous studies assessing research misconduct, 43 questionable research practices in four domains: Data collection & storage, Data analysis, Study reporting and Collaboration & authorship were identified and investigated. Descriptive (Frequencies, Percentages, Mean, SD) and Inferential (chi square) statistics were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 654 faculty members responded. Every respondent reported committing at least one QRP in their career. The most common QRPs included deliberately failing to mention funding, publishing program evaluation data not meant for research purposes or approved by an ethical body, inappropriately storing identifiable information and non-disclosure of any conflicts. There was significant association of age, gender and academic rank with QRPs in 'Data collection and storage' and 'Data Analysis' domains. CONCLUSION: Medical and dental faculty members participating in this study are involved in a range of questionable research practices (QRPs) in Pakistan. Their confession might have contributed to the faculty developing self-awareness and reinforcing academic integrity. There is a need for reviewing policies and practices to improve research culture. Future research should explore the factors resulting in such practices.

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Students have unique preferences when it comes to knowledge acquisition, information processing, retention in memory, and recall. This study is aimed at examining the preferred learning styles of medical and dental undergraduate students of Pakistan. It is also aimed at investigating the influence of gender, preclinical or clinical academic year, and academic record on the preferred learning style. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Pakistan. The learning styles of undergraduate students were identified using visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire. Students were also asked about their satisfaction towards teaching style of their teachers in institute. Descriptive statistics were done to characterize the learning styles of the students. The Fisher test and chi-square test were used to compare the learning preferences between genders and public/private sector students and among preclinical/clinical years. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. A total of 1473 students participated in the study. Among the students, 39.37% preferred unimodal learning style whereas 60.62% preferred multimodal style. Kinesthetic (K) and visual (V) were the most preferred unimodal styles. The preferred learning styles of female students are aural (A), visual (V), and kinesthetic (K), whereas male students preferred visual (V) and kinesthetic more (K). Students with lower academic record chose unimodal styles in comparison to high achievers that chose multimodal styles. Students of clinical year preferred multimodal and quadmodal styles in comparison to preclinical year students. An alarming 78% of students were dissatisfied with their teacher's instructional style. Majority of students prefer multimodal learning styles over unimodal style. Gender, public/private sector, and academic record have influence on the preference of learning styles. Majority of the students are dissatisfied with their teacher's instructional style and rely on social media platforms for understanding. Academics need to adapt their teaching methods according to student preferences in order to get better graduates.

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BACKGROUND: Carbonated drinks are the second most consumed non-alcoholic beverages in the world after tea. The effects of these drinks on hard tissues and vital organs of the body have been proved beyond doubt. This study, however, explains the effect of these drinks on wound healing of oral epithelium. METHODS: Thirty-six male Wistar rats were considered for the study. A circular wound of 3.0 mm was created on the buccal mucosa of all animals and they were divided into two groups. Animals in group 1 were fed with chow pellet and water, while those in group 2 were fed with a commercially available carbonated drink instead of water. Six animals from each group were euthanized at 0, 7, and 21 days. Wound site was histologically assessed for differences in thickness and characteristics of the regenerating epithelium between two groups. RESULTS: There was a marked difference in the healing pattern between the two groups. Animals in group 1 showed a normal healing pattern at the end of day 21. In the group 2, the regenerated epithelium showed hyperplasia and hyperkeratosis along with acanthosis at the end of the experiment with a subsequent delayed inflammatory reaction at day 21. CONCLUSION: Consumption of carbonated drinks can disrupt oral wound healing. The contents in carbonated drinks have a proinflammatory action on the soft tissue. Results suggest that epithelial changes seen in experimental group 2 could be a result of constant irritation by the acidic and fizzy nature of carbonated drinks.

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OBJECTIVE: To determine the cytoplasmic morphological changes in the mitral cells and quantitative changes (number of mitral cells and thickness of mitral cell layer in microns) in the rat olfactory bulb after administration of propranolol. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: The Department of Anatomy, University of Health Sciences, Lahore, from January 2006 to January 2007. METHODOLOGY: Twenty samples were obtained from two randomly divided groups of rats, each comprising 10 animals for control and experimental work respectively. Each group was treated with normal saline (5 ml/kg) and propranolol (1 mg/kg) respectively for one month. The skull was fixed in 20% formalin for 10 days and decalcified in 10% formalin/10% nitric acid. The olfactory bulb along with olfactory cortex was dissected. After processing, 10 microns thick sections were obtained. The slides were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin and Bielschowksy's silver stain (Glees-Marsland modification) and studied under light microscope. The morphology, quantitative analysis of mitral cell layer and the number of mitral cells were studied in the histological study and compared using t-test with significance at p < 0.05. RESULTS: In the propranolol treated group changes observed in the morphology of the mitral cells included presence of cytoplasmic vacuoles at the periphery of the cells. There was significant increase in the thickness of mitral cell layer and number of the mitral cell in the propranolol treated group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study showed morphological and quantitative changes in the olfactory bulb in response to treatment with propranolol, hence it has implications in odour induced learning.

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