OBJECTIVETo explore the expression of CASP8 and its clinical significance in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

METHODSThe differentially expressed genes between pooled NPC tissues and non-cancerous nasopharyngeal (NP) tissues were screened using 8 microarrays. Real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to validate the detection results of CASP8 expression in NPC, and the correlation of CASP8 expression to the clinical characteristics was analyzed in the NPC cases.

RESULTSReal-time PCR confirmed a reduced expression of CASP8 mRNA level in NPC tissues (P<0.0001), which was consistent with the microarray data. Immunohistochemistry indicated that CASP8 protein expression was also significantly down-regulated in NPC tissue compared to that in the non-cancerous nasopharyngeal tissues (P=0.02). The reduction of CASP8 expression was inversely correlated to lymph node metastasis (P=0.002) and the clinical stages (P=0.026) of NPC.

CONCLUSIONDecreased CASP8 expression is an unfavorable factor that promotes the development and progression of NPC.

Caspase 8 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Down-Regulation ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis

Pregnancy predisposes to various oral diseases,which can compromise the health of both the pregnant woman and the fe-tus.Management of these diseases often entails both local and systemic anti-infective treatments,which may involve complex medication practices.There is a prevalent concern among pregnant women regarding the potential effects of local anesthetics,antibiotics and other pharmacological agents on fetal health.Dentists should comprehend the drug indications and their safe usage boundaries to formulate ef-fective systematic strategies and clinical management protocols.The rational use of medications should not be precluded.Effective treat-ment should be administered to prevent adverse outcomes.This article reviews the safety of commonly used local and systemic oral med-ications during pregnancy and aims to offer appropriate therapeutic approaches for managing oral diseases in this population.