A mutation at IVS1 + 5 of the von Hippel-Lindau gene resulting in intron retention in transcripts is not pathogenic in a patient with a tongue cancer?: case report.

Background: Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) is a dominantly inherited familial cancer syndrome predisposing the patient to a variety of malignant and benign neoplasms, most frequently hemangioblastoma, renal cell carcinoma, pheochromocytoma, and pancreatic tumors. VHL is caused by mutations of the VHL tumor suppressor gene on the short arm of chromosome 3, and clinical manifestations develop if both alleles are inactivated according to the two-hit hypothesis. VHL mutations are more frequent in the coding region and occur occasionally in the splicing region of the gene.

Tongue cancer patients have a high frequency of allelic loss at the von Hippel-Lindau gene and other loci on 3p.

Background: Although genetic abnormalities on 3p have been suggested to be linked to the development of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, to the authors' knowledge no study to date has examined such genetic abnormalities in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. In the current study, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was evaluated at several loci within 3p, including the von Hippel-Lindau gene (VHL), in samples of tongue squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, the coding region of the intact VHL allele was screened for sequence mutations.

[Long-term results of S-1 administration as adjuvant chemotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer].

The long-term results of a multi-institutional study were analyzed in 101 cases (27 with stage III and 74 with stage IV) with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) given S-1 administration for 6 months after definitive treatments. The 3-year disease-free survival rate was 66.3% in cases overall.

Schwannoma of the retropharyngeal space.

We report a rare case of schwannoma arising from the retropharyngeal space. A 24-year-old man presented a 2-month-history of a foreign body sensation in the throat and gradually progressing dysphagia when he swallowed solids and liquids. The patient had no odynophagia, fever, or blood in his saliva.

Facial nerve paralysis caused by middle ear cholesteatoma and effects of surgical intervention.

Conclusions: The clinical and surgical findings of this study indicated advanced cholesteatoma in many patients with facial paralysis. The outcome of facial paralysis was good. Poor outcomes were observed in cases with petrosal cholesteatoma and in those who underwent surgery > or = 2 months after the onset of paralysis.

[Concurrent chemoradiotherapy for advanced hypopharyngeal cancer].

Introduction: Chemotherapy has been shown to be most effective when delivered concurrently with radiation for the patients with advanced stage tumors. We conducted a concurrent chemoradiation using systemic infusion of cisplatin (CDDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).

Patients And Methods: Thirty-nine patients with advanced hypopharyngeal cancer received one or two cycles of intravenous administration of CDDP (80-100 mg/m2) followed by 120-hour continuous infusion of 5-FU (800-1000 mg/m2), and concomitant radiotherapy (200 cGy/day x 20-35 fractions) during the period from December, 1993 through December, 2001.

Laterality of human primary gustatory cortex studied by MEG.

We examined the laterality of the human gustatory neural pathway by measuring gustatory-evoked magnetic fields (GEMfs) and demonstrating the activation of the human primary gustatory cortex (PGC). In patients whose chorda tympani nerve had been severed unilaterally on the right side, we stimulated the normal side (i.e.

[Intraarterial concomitant chemoradiation for tongue cancer: analysis of 20 patients].

Subjects were 20 patients with tongue cancer treated between April 1996 and December 2002 with intraarterial infusion of cisplatin (60-120 mg/m2) (and docetaxel 10-30 mg/m2) and intravenous infusion of sodium thiosulfate followed by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (800-1000 mg/m2) for 3 to 5 days. All patients underwent radiation (50-80 Gy). Ten had stage II, 4 stage III, and 6 stage IV A disease.

Squamous papillomatosis of the bilateral nasal cavities.

The term "papillomatosis" indicates the tendency towards multicentricity and recurrence that these tumors exhibit (Snyder et al. 1972). A typical squamous papilloma arises from the nasal vestibule and is characterized by the epithelial proliferation growing an exophytic manner.

The role of adjustment of expiratory effort in the control of vocal intensity: clinical assessment of phonatory function.

Objective: To determine the role of the adjustment of expiratory effort in the control of vocal intensity.

Study Design: An intensity-loading test was performed by using the airway interruption method. Three groups of subjects were used: a control group thought to resemble normal vocal fold closure, a group of patients with Reinke's edema thought to represent increased mass at the level of the vocal folds, and a group with vocal fold paralysis that was thought to represent a group with lack of adequate vocal fold closure.

A case of pleomorphic adenoma of the nasal septum.

We report a rare case of pleomorphic adenoma arising from the nasal septum. A 32-year-old woman presented with a 3-week-history of left-sided nasal obstruction. Computed tomographic scans revealed an oval mass, measuring about 30 mm in its greatest dimension, in the left anterior nasal cavity.

Phase I/II trial of weekly docetaxel and concomitant radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Background: A phase I/II trial of concurrent docetaxel and radiation for head and neck cancer was conducted to estimate the recommended dose schedule of docetaxel, and then to evaluate the therapeutic benefit.

Methods: Patients received radiation in 2.0-Gy single daily fractions to a total dose of 60 Gy.

[Changes in postural control mechanism after a long-time tilt].

In order to investigate the time-dependent dynamics of otolith organ-spinomotor function, we analyzed postural control biomechanically, in eight healthy adult volunteers, using a dynamic posturography (EquiTest System), before and after a four-hours lateral head and body tilt (90 degrees). After the tilt, a half of the subjects exhibited some changes. Their equilibrium scores decreased; i.