Melan-A/Mart-1- or HMB-45-positive melanocytes are not present in calcifying cystic odontogenic tumors (calcifying odontogenic cysts): a study in 13 Caucasian patients

Melanin pigment and melanocytes may be found in odontogenic cysts and tumors, particularly calcifying cystic odontogenic tumor (CCOT). In the present study we investigated the immunohistochemical expression of the Melan-A/Mart-1 and HMB-45 antigens in 13 Caucasians patients with CCOT. Melan-A/Mart-1- and HMB-45-positive melanocytes were not seen in any of the cases. Our findings are in agreement with the assumption that pigmentation in odontogenic lesions may be a racial phenomenon.     

Phenotype and genotype frequency of β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease carriers in Halkidiki, Northern Greece

A decade of screening (years 2000 to 2010) for hemoglobinopathies in 3,931 patients was performed at the General Hospital of Poligiros, Halkidiki, Northern Greece. Among the patients examined, 10.8% heterozygotes for β-thalassemia (β-thal) were found, as well as 4.1% with sickle cell disease and 1.2% with double β-thal/Hb S [β6(A3)Glu→Val] heterozygosity. Iron deficiency was observed in 23.4%. The geographical distribution in the region revealed a substantial incidence of hemoglobinopathies even in mountainous areas. This pattern did not follow the typical distribution according to the malaria hypothesis, as incidence did not dovetail with swamp locations recorded in the past. The HBB gene mutations for 85 patients were also analyzed. Most prevalent in Halkidiki, Northern Greece, was the codon 39 (C>T) mutation (27.1%) followed by the IVS-I-110 (G>A) mutation (22.4%); this was in direct contrast to the current distribution of the same mutations seen in the rest of Greece (Greek National Genetic Database, GNGD). This frequency inversion was statistically significant, with the difference from the GNGD being 20.6% for the IVS-I-110 mutation (p <0.0005) and 7.6% for the codon 39 mutation (p = 0.0238). The history of Halkidiki, denoting a clear example of geographical isolation from the rest of the country, may possibly account for a potentially diverse genetical identity of the disease in this region.     

Melatonin promotes adventitious root regeneration in in vitro shoot tip explants of the commercial sweet cherry rootstocks CAB-6P (Prunus cerasus L.), Gisela 6 (P. cerasus × P. canescens), and MxM 60 (P. avium × P. mahaleb)

Abstract: The objectives of this study were to test the effects of melatonin (N‐acetyl‐5‐methoxytryptamine), a natural compound of edible plants on the rooting of certain commercial sweet cherry rootstocks. Shoot tip explants from previous in vitro cultures of the cherry rootstocks CAB‐6P (Prunus cerasus L.), Gisela 6 (P. cerasus × P. canescens), and M × M 60 (P. avium × P. mahaleb) were included in the experiment. The effect of indole‐3‐acetic acid (IAA) and indole‐3‐butyric acid (IBA) alone or in combination with melatonin was tested concerning their rooting potential. Seven concentrations of melatonin (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, and 10 μm ) alone or in combination with 5.71 μm of IAA or 4.92 μm of IBA were tested. For each rootstock, 21 treatments were included. The explants were grown in glass tubes containing 10 mL of substrate. The parameters measured include rooting percentage, number of roots per rooted explant, root length, and callus formation. The data presented in this study show that melatonin has a rooting promoting effect at a low concentration but a growth inhibitory effect at high concentrations. In the absence of auxin, 1 μm melatonin had auxinic response concerning the number and length of roots, but 10 μm melatonin was inhibitory to rooting in all the tested rootstocks. The final conclusion of this experiment is that exogenously applied melatonin acted as a rooting promoter and its action was similar to that of IAA.     

A national registry of haemoglobinopathies in Greece: deducted demographics, trends in mortality and affected births

Haemoglobinopathies are the most common hereditary disorders in Greece. Although there is a successful national prevention program, established 35 years ago, there is lack of an official registry and collection of epidemiological data for haemoglobinopathies. This paper reports the results of the first National Registry for Haemoglobinopathies in Greece (NRHG), recently organized by the Greek Society of Haematology. NRHG records all patients affected by thalassaemia major (TM), thalassaemia intermedia (TI), "H" Haemoglobinopathy (HH) and sickle cell disease (SCD). Moreover, data about the annual rate of new affected births along with deaths, between 2000 and 2010, are reported. A total of 4,506 patients are registered all over the country while the number of affected newborns was significantly decreased during the last 3 years. Main causes for still having affected births are: (1) lack of medical care due to financial reasons or low educational level; (2) unawareness of time limitations for prenatal diagnosis (PD); due either to obstetricians' malpractice or to delayed demand of medical care of couples at risk; and (3) religious, social or bioethical reasons. Cardiac and liver disorders consist main causes for deaths while life expectancy of patients lengthened after 2005 (p < 0.01). The NRHG of patients affected by haemoglobinopathies in Greece provides useful data about the haemoglobinopathies in the Greek population and confirms the efficacy of the National Thalassaemia Prevention Program on impressively decreasing the incidence of TM and sickle cell syndromes.