Imaging of diffuse fibroepithelial polyps on surgical free flap in oral cancer patients: two case reports.

Fibroepithelial polyp (FEP) is a common benign tumor occurring in the skin and genitourinary tract, and there are no reports of multiple FEPs occurring on the myocutaneous flap. We report two cases of FEPs occurring diffusely on the skin tissue of the free anterolateral thigh flap after surgical reconstruction for oral squamous cell carcinoma. Clinically, multiple papillary nodules on the myocutaneous flap gradually increased.

Efficacy of the pretreatment geriatric nutritional risk index for predicting severe adverse events in patients with head and neck cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy.

Objective: The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) is a simple and well-established nutritional assessment tool. Although concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), particularly cisplatin-based CCRT, is a standard treatment for locoregional advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the predictive factors of adverse events related to CCRT remain to be elucidated. The present study aimed to determine the association between GNRI and CCRT-related adverse events in patients of all ages with head and neck cancer (HNC) who underwent CCRT.

Case Report: Complete Response of Recurrent and Metastatic Cystadenocarcinoma of the Parotid Gland With a Single Course of Combined Nivolumab and Ipilimumab Therapy.

Although cystadenocarcinoma is classified as a low-grade histological subtype of salivary gland carcinoma (SGC), recurrence and metastases sometimes develop. However, standard treatments for advanced cases have not yet been established. Here, we present a case of unresectable local recurrence and cervical lymph node metastases of cystadenocarcinoma of the parotid gland with multiple lung nodules, all of which showed complete response with only a single course of combined nivolumab and ipilimumab therapy.

The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index as a Prognostic Factor in Patients with Advanced Head and Neck Cancer.

Objective: The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) is a simple and well-established nutritional assessment tool and is a significant prognostic factor in various cancers. However, the role of the GNRI in predicting clinical outcomes in patients with advanced head and neck cancer (AHNC) has not been investigated. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between the GNRI and prognosis in patients with AHNC.

Modified combination of platelet count and neutrophil "to" lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic factor in patients with advanced head and neck cancer.

Background: We evaluated the prognostic potential of the combination of platelet count and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (COP-NLR) in patients with advanced head and neck cancer.

Methods: We proposed a modified COP-NLR scoring system defined as follows: score 0 (platelet count level <300 × 10 /L and NLR <3); score 1 (platelet count level ≥300 × 10 /L and NLR <3); and score 2 (NLR ≥3). We assessed whether the modified scoring system had better performance as an indicator of prognosis than the existing COP-NLR scoring system (original and 4-group scores).

Ceramide/sphingomyelin cycle involvement in gentamicin-induced cochlear hair cell death.

Ceramide, a sphingolipid metabolite, regulates diverse cellular processes including apoptosis, cell senescence, the cell cycle, and cellular differentiation. Exogenously administered ceramide reportedly increased cochlear hair cell death due to gentamicin-induced ototoxicity. Ceramide is mainly generated via a ceramide/sphingomyelin cycle by sphingomyelinase and sphingomyelin synthase or via de novo synthesis by serine palmitoyltransferase and ceramide synthase.

The influence of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor antagonists on gentamicin-induced hair cell loss of the rat cochlea.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a sphingolipid metabolite that regulates various critical biological processes, such as cell proliferation, survival, migration, and angiogenesis. The action of S1P is exerted by its binding to 5 specific G protein-coupled S1P receptors (S1PR), S1PR1-S1PR5. Aminoglycoside antibiotics including gentamicin induce cochlear hair cell loss and sensorineural hearing loss.

The effects of A1 and A2A adenosine receptor agonists on kainic acid excitotoxicity in the guinea pig cochlea.

The present study aimed to clarify the protective effect of adenosine receptors against the excitotoxicity of cochlear afferent dendrites. The effects of 2-chloro-N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CCPA), an A1 adenosine receptor agonist, and 5'-N-cyclopropyl-carboxamidoadenosine (CPCA), an A2A adenosine receptor agonist, on cochlear excitotoxicity induced by kainic acid (KA) were examined using guinea pigs. KA was applied to the round window membrane at a concentration of 10mM for 30 min.

Protective role of Nrf2 in age-related hearing loss and gentamicin ototoxicity.

Expression of antioxidant enzymes is regulated by transcription factor NF-E2-related factor (Nrf2) and induced by oxidative stress. Reactive oxygen species contribute to the formation of several types of cochlear injuries, including age-related hearing loss and gentamicin ototoxicity. In this study, we examined the roles of Nrf2 in age-related hearing loss and gentamicin ototoxicity by measuring auditory brainstem response thresholds in Nrf2-knockout mice.

Effects of neuroactive steroids on cochlear hair cell death induced by gentamicin.

As neuroactive steroids, sex steroid hormones have non-reproductive effects. We previously reported that 17β-estradiol (βE2) had protective effects against gentamicin (GM) ototoxicity in the cochlea. In the present study, we examined whether the protective action of βE2 on GM ototoxicity is mediated by the estrogen receptor (ER) and whether other estrogens (17α-estradiol (αE2), estrone (E1), and estriol (E3)) and other neuroactive steroids, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and progesterone (P), have similar protective effects.

Early detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a unique disease with a clinical presentation, epidemiology, and histopathology differing from other squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. NPC is an Epstein-Barr virus-associated malignancy with a marked racial and geographic distribution. Specifically, it is highly prevalent in southern China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.

Age-related hearing loss and expression of antioxidant enzymes in BDF1 mice.

Conclusion: Our data suggest that the changes in expression of antioxidant enzymes may cause age-related hearing loss (AHL).

Objectives: AHL is an aging process of the inner ear, and oxidant stressors are considered to be one of the leading causes. We investigated the hearing level and expression profile of antioxidant enzymes in aged mice.

Protective effects of corticosteroids and neurosteroids on cochlear injury.

Dysfunction of the cochlea causes sensorineural hearing loss. Glucocorticoids have been clinically applied for sensorineural hearing loss of sudden onset, including idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss, acoustic injury, Meniere's disease, and immune-mediated hearing loss. However, clinical studies on sudden sensorineural hearing loss have revealed conflicting results regarding the efficacy of glucocorticoids.

Ischemia-reperfusion injury of the cochlea: pharmacological strategies for cochlear protection and implications of glutamate and reactive oxygen species.

A large amount of energy produced by active aerobic metabolism is necessary for the cochlea to maintain its function. This makes the cochlea vulnerable to blockade of cochlear blood flow and interruption of the oxygen supply. Although certain forms of human idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss reportedly arise from ischemic injury, the pathological mechanism of cochlear ischemia-reperfusion injury has not been fully elucidated.

The influences of sphingolipid metabolites on gentamicin-induced hair cell loss of the rat cochlea.

Sphingolipid metabolites inducing ceramide, sphingosine, and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) play important roles in the regulation of cell proliferation, survival, and death. Aminoglycoside antibiotics including gentamicin induce inner ear hair cell loss and sensorineural hearing loss. Apoptotic cell death is considered to play a key role in this injury.

Estradiol protects the cochlea against gentamicin ototoxicity through inhibition of the JNK pathway.

Gentamicin induces outer hair cell death through the apoptotic pathway. It has been reported that this death pathway of outer hair cells is mediated by specific apoptotic enzymes including c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and caspases. 17beta-Estradiol (E2), the most potent estrogen, is known to function as an antiapoptotic agent to prevent the death of various cell types.

Epiglottic cyst in an infant.

Epiglottic cyst is a rare cause of stridor and respiratory distress in newborns and infants. A 2-year-old girl was referred to our department for the treatment of an epiglottic cyst causing inspiratory stridor. Flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy and a computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a cystic lesion on the lingual surface of the epiglottis.

Involvement of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase in acoustic trauma of the cochlea.

We investigated effects of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase (PARS) inhibitors on acoustic trauma. Albino guinea pigs were intravenously given 3-aminobenzamide, nicotinamide or 3-aminobenzoic acid (an inactive analog of 3-aminobenzamide) just prior to exposure to a 2 kHz pure tone of 120 dB sound pressure level (SPL) for 10 minutes. The threshold of the compound action potential (CAP) and the amplitude of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were measured before and 4 hours after the acoustic overexposure.