Orthologous marker groups reveal broad cell identity conservation across plant single-cell transcriptomes.

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is widely used in plant biology and is a powerful tool for studying cell identity and differentiation. However, the scarcity of known cell-type marker genes and the divergence of marker expression patterns limit the accuracy of cell-type identification and our capacity to investigate cell-type conservation in many species. To tackle this challenge, we devise a novel computational strategy called Orthologous Marker Gene Groups (OMGs), which can identify cell types in both model and non-model plant species and allows for rapid comparison of cell types across many published single-cell maps.

Non-recurrent laryngeal nerve with a coexisting contralateral nerve demonstrating extralaryngeal branching.

Non-recurrence and extralaryngeal branching are 2 of the more frequently encountered anomalies of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. If not anticipated intraoperatively, these abnormalities can put the nerve at risk, with subsequent vocal cord palsy. It is therefore important to report on and understand these abnormalities.

Laryngeal schwannoma: a systematic review.

A large proportion of schwannomas are found in the head and neck region. Schwannoma located within the larynx however is uncommon. The characteristic features, clinical presentations, treatment and the outcomes of patients with laryngeal schwannoma are therefore not clearly understood.

Duplication of the right internal jugular vein: A case report.

We present a case of duplication of the right internal jugular vein (IJV) in a patient who underwent neck dissection as part of the management of carcinoma of the larynx. The patient was a 63-year-old man who presented to the otolaryngology department with a 7-month history of hoarseness and a 3-week history of noisy breathing. Flexible endoscopy detected a transglottic tumor that had extended beyond the vocal folds.

Assessment of upper airway obstruction by measuring peak oral and nasal inspiratory flow.

Objective: We wanted to access upper airway obstruction in patients undergoing tonsillectomy by measuring peak oral and nasal inspiratory airflow.

Methods: We recruited study participants from a cohort of patients on the waiting list for tonsillectomy, with or without adenoidectomy, at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK. Fifty patients enrolled on phase I of the study and underwent pre-operative measurement of the rate of peak oral and nasal inspiratory flow; 25 of these patients returned after one month for phase II of the study and underwent post-operative measurement of the rate of both peak oral and nasal inspiratory flow.

A review on the mechanism of sore throat in tonsillitis.

Background: Sore throat is a common condition associated with acute upper respiratory tract infection, and recurrent episodes of infection may result in chronic tonsillitis. The current UK and USA guidelines for tonsillectomy use the incidence of sore throat episodes as an indication for surgery. However, the mechanism of sore throat is poorly described in the literature.

Case of perilymphatic fistula caused by medially displaced tympanostomy tube.

Objective: We present a rare case of perilymphatic fistula which occurred due to bony erosion by a tympanostomy tube that had migrated into and become interred in the middle-ear space.

Method: We present a case report and a literature review concerning migration of tympanostomy tubes into the middle ear as a complication of tubes insertion.

Conclusion: Medial migration of tympanostomy tubes into the middle-ear space is a rare complication of tympanostomy tubes insertion.

Chondrosarcoma of larynx: review of literature and clinical experience.

Laryngeal chondrosarcomas are rare, cartilaginous tumours, and around 300 cases have been reported in the literature. They are slow-growing tumours which present difficulties both in diagnosis and treatment. Most patients eventually require radical surgery.

Genetic microheterogeneity and phenotypic variation of Helicobacter pylori arginase in clinical isolates.

Background: Clinical isolates of the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori display a high level of genetic macro- and microheterogeneity, featuring a panmictic, rather than clonal structure. The ability of H. pylori to survive the stomach acid is due, in part, to the arginase-urease enzyme system.

Recognition and binding of mismatch repair proteins at an oncogenic hot spot.

Background: The current investigation was undertaken to determine key steps differentiating G:T and G:A repair at the H-ras oncogenic hot spot within the nuclear environment because of the large difference in repair efficiency of these two mismatches.

Results: Electrophoretic mobility shift (gel shift) experiments demonstrate that DNA containing mismatched bases are recognized and bound equally efficiently by hMutSalpha in both MMR proficient and MMR deficient (hMLH1-/-) nuclear extracts. Competition experiments demonstrate that while hMutSalpha predictably binds the G:T mismatch to a much greater extent than G:A, hMutSalpha demonstrates a surprisingly equal ratio of competitive inhibition for both G:T and G:A mismatch binding reactions at the H-ras hot spot of mutation.