Clinical significance of intra-thoracic and intra-abdominal sentinel lymph nodes detected on lymphoscintigraphy in truncal melanoma patients.

Background: Although most melanomas drain to the more common major lymph node basins (axilla, groin, neck), rarely they drain to deep SLN locations such as intra-abdominal and intra-thoracic (including intercostal and internal mammary) sites, which pose a higher surgical risk and complexity for procurement. Our study is aimed at determining the rate of positivity and likelihood of recurrence in these nodal sites to guide management decisions for patients with truncal melanomas which drain to these 'deep' SLN locations.

Methods: Retrospective data collected between May 2008 and May 2022 including all patients with truncal melanomas who underwent lymphoscintigraphy resulting in the identification of deep SLNs in intra-abdominal and intra-thoracic sites were included.

Risk of Death Due to Melanoma and Other Causes in Patients With Thin Cutaneous Melanomas.

Importance: Most patients who present with primary cutaneous melanomas have thin tumors (≤1.0 mm in Breslow thickness, ie, pT1a and pT1b). Although their prognosis is generally considered to be excellent, there is limited precise information on the association of risk of death with specific Breslow measurements in thin lesions.

The Impact of Preoperative Facial Nerve Weakness and Facial Nerve Outcomes in the Management of Patients With Parotid Metastases of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCC) metastasizing to the parotid gland can cause facial nerve (FN) dysfunction secondary to direct invasion, perineural spread, or surgical ablation. This study aims to characterize the prevalence of preoperative FN involvement in metastatic cSCC to the parotid and identify risk factors resulting in FN sacrifice.

Methods: Patients with parotid metastases from cSCC, treated surgically with parotidectomy with curative intent were identified through a retrospective cohort analysis of a prospectively maintained Sydney Head and Neck database from 1992 to 2021.

An Island of Reil excitation: Mapping glutamatergic (vGlut1+ and vGlut2+) connections in the medial insular cortex.

The insular cortex is a multifunctional and richly connected region of the cerebral cortex, critical in the neural integration of external stimuli and internal signals. Well-served for this role by a large network of afferent and efferent connections, the mouse insula can be simplified into an anterior, medial and posterior portion. Here we focus on the medial subregion, a once over-looked area that has gained recent attention for its involvement in an array of behaviours.

Quality of life outcomes in patients receiving dental implants in vascularised bone flaps for mandibular reconstruction.

Resection, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of the mandible impact function and health related quality of life (HRQOL). In this study, we aimed to understand the impact of delayed versus immediate dental implant placement. A cross-sectional and prospective study was conducted including patients who underwent reconstruction of the mandible via osseous vascularised bone flaps and dental implants.

2-D transition metal trichalcophosphogenide FePS against multi-drug resistant microbial infections.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant concern to society as it threatens the effectiveness of antibiotics and leads to increased morbidity and mortality rates. Innovative approaches are urgently required to address this challenge. Among promising solutions, two dimensional (2-D) nanomaterials with layered crystal structures have emerged as potent antimicrobial agents owing to their unique physicochemical properties.

Comparison of clinicopathological features and treatment outcomes for cutaneous melanomas of the head and neck and melanomas arising at other sites: Implications for systemic therapy.

Background: Melanoma is increasingly recognized as a heterogeneous disease, with conflicting evidence regarding whether cutaneous head and neck melanoma (CHNM) represents a distinct entity.

Objective: Comparison of clinicopathological features and treatment outcomes of CHNM and cutaneous melanomas of other sites (CMOS).

Methods: Patients with CHNM and CMOS diagnosed between 2000 and 2018 were included.

Relaxin family peptide receptor 3 (RXFP3) expressing cells in the zona incerta/lateral hypothalamus augment behavioural arousal.

Fear-related psychopathologies, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, are linked to dysfunction in neural circuits that govern fear memory and arousal. The lateral hypothalamus (LH) and zona incerta (ZI) regulate fear, but our understanding of the precise neural circuits and cell types involved remains limited. Here, we examined the role of relaxin family peptide receptor 3 (RXFP3) expressing cells in the LH/ZI in conditioned fear expression and general arousal in male RXFP3-Cre mice.

A hierarchical cluster analysis for clinical profiling of tofacitinib treatment response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Tofacitinib is the first oral JAK inhibitor approved for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To enhance our understanding of tofacitinib drug response, we used hierarchical clustering to analyse the profiles of patient who responded to the treatment in a real-world setting. Patients who commenced on tofacitinib treatment were selected from 12 major rheumatology centres in Malaysia.

Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab, dabrafenib and trametinib in BRAF-mutant resectable melanoma: the randomized phase 2 NeoTrio trial.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors and BRAF-targeted therapy each improve survival in melanoma. Immune changes early during targeted therapy suggest the mechanisms of each drug class could work synergistically. In the non-comparative, randomized, phase 2 NeoTrio trial, we investigated whether targeted therapy could boost the proportion of patients achieving long-term recurrence-free survival with neoadjuvant immunotherapy in resectable stage III BRAF-mutant melanoma.

Mohs micrographic surgery for the treatment of invasive melanoma: A systematic review with meta-analyses.

Background: The use of Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) in melanoma treatment has divided opinion and evidence-based guidelines are lacking.

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to analyse clinical outcomes for patients with invasive melanomas treated with Mohs rather than wide local excision (WLE).

Methods: Embase, MEDLINE and Cochrane databases (to 30 August 2023) were searched for studies using Mohs to treat invasive melanoma.

The Effect of Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy on Surgical Outcomes After Lymph Node Dissections for Stage III Melanoma; An Australian Cohort.

Background: Neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) for patients with stage III melanoma achieves high major pathologic response rates and high recurrence-free survival rates. This study aimed to determine how NAST with targeted therapies (TTs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) influences surgical outcomes after lymph node dissection in terms of complications, morbidity, and textbook outcomes.

Methods: Patients who underwent a lymph node dissection after either NAST in a clinical trial or upfront surgery for stage III melanoma between 2014 and 2022 were identified from an institutional research database.

Five-year analysis of neoadjuvant dabrafenib and trametinib for stage III melanoma.

Background: Neoadjuvant dabrafenib plus trametinib has a high pathological response rate and impressive short-term survival in patients with resectable stage III melanoma. We report 5-year outcomes from the phase II NeoCombi trial.

Patients And Methods: NeoCombi (NCT01972347) was a single-arm, open-label, single-centre, phase II trial.

Neuroanatomical distribution of fluorophores within adult RXFP3 Cre-tdTomato/YFP mouse brain.

Relaxin-family peptide 3 receptor (RXFP3) is activated by relaxin-3 in the brain to influence arousal and related functions, such as feeding and stress responses. Two transgenic mouse lines have recently been developed that co-express different fluorophores within RXFP3-expressing neurons: either yellow fluorescent protein (YFP; RXFP3-Cre/YFP mice) or tdTomato (RXFP3-Cre/tdTomato mice). To date, the characteristics of neurons that express RXFP3-associated fluorophores in these mice have only been investigated in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus.

First Phase Development of a Patient-reported Outcome Measure for Midface Oncology.

Background: Facial cancer surgery involving the midface (comprising the lower eyelids, nose, cheeks, and upper lip) can have debilitating life-changing functional, social, and psychological impacts on the patient. Midface symptoms are inadequately captured by existing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). PROMs are increasingly used for individual patient care, quality improvement, and standardized reporting of treatment outcomes.

Prognostic and predictive biomarkers in head and neck cancer: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a sixpence in your shoe.

A biomarker is a measurable indicator of biological or pathological processes or the response to an exposure or intervention and is used to guide management decisions. In head and neck pathology, biomarkers are assessed by histological criteria and immunohistochemical and molecular studies. Surgical resection remains the mainstay of management of many head and neck malignancies.

Associations between patient-level health literacy and diagnostic time intervals for head and neck cancer: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Health literacy (HL) comprises skills and knowledge required to understand, access, and make decisions about healthcare. Our aim was to examine associations between patient HL and time intervals (defined in the Aarhus statement) along the pathway to treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC).

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted from October 2018 to March 2020.