Head and neck cancer: A 6-year retrospective analysis and review of three common triaging systems.

Objectives: In the United Kingdom, head and neck cancer (HNC) cases continue to rise and are the fourth commonest cancers in men. Additionally, in the last decade, the incidence rise in women is twice their male counterpart, signifying the need for robust and dynamic triaging systems to maintain high pick-up rates across both genders. This study investigates local risk factors associated with HNC and reviews the most commonly used guidelines and risk calculator tool for two-week-wait (2ww) HNC clinics.

Prevalence and predictors of vitamin D deficiency in a nationally representative sample of adults participating in the 2011-2013 Australian Health Survey.

Vitamin D deficiency is recognised as a public health problem globally, and a high prevalence of deficiency has previously been reported in Australia. This study details the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in a nationally representative sample of Australian adults aged ≥25 years, using an internationally standardised method to measure serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations and identifies demographic and lifestyle factors associated with vitamin D deficiency. We used data from the 2011-2013 Australian Health Survey (n 5034 with complete information on potential predictors and serum 25(OH)D concentrations).

Comparison of clinical performance of size 1.5 Supreme™ LMA and Proseal™ LMA among Asian children: a randomized controlled trial.

To date, most of the studies on safety and efficacy of supraglottic airway devices were done in Caucasian patients, and the results may not be extrapolated to Asian patients due to the different airway anatomy. We conducted this study to compare Supreme™ LMA (SLMA) and Proseal™ LMA (PLMA) size 1.5 in anaesthetized children among an Asian population.

The effects of endoscopic sinus surgery on the postoperative outcomes of open rhinoplasty.

Objective: Several studies have advocated concurrent endoscopic sinus surgery and rhinoplasty. However, concerns about increased surgical risk, complications, and unsuccessful cosmetic outcomes following the concurrent procedures have been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the overall safety of concurrent endoscopic sinus surgery and rhinoplasty and to specifically examine the effect of endoscopic sinus surgery on cosmetic outcomes.

Do rhinology care pathways in primary care influence the quality of referrals to secondary care?

Background: Chronic sinusitis is the most common routine presentation for a general ENT surgeon. The 2007 'Primary Care Guidelines: European Position Paper on the Primary Care Diagnosis and Management of Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps' aimed to deliver evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and management of rhinosinusitis in specialist and primary care.

Objective: The aim of this audit was to assess the information provided in the referral letters to the ENT department regarding patients with potential rhinosinusitis, and compare this to the information required for the rhinology care pathways.

Audit: patient reported outcomes of extracorporeal septorhinoplasty.

Background: Extracorporeal septorhinoplasty (ECS) presents an important option in the surgical correction of the markedly deformed and twisted nose. However, there is a paucity of literature on the qualitative outcomes of ECS.

Methodology: Retrospective telephone and postal questionnaire study of operations performed over 2 years (2008-2009) under the care of a senior rhinologist at two linked hospitals in the United Kingdom.

Learning about leadership - A personal account.

Purpose: A personal account of learning about leadership. This article introduces the theory of power and influence, and aimed to report especially the personal reflection, emotional intelligence and learning about oneself that occurred on the way.

Approach: Reading, group discussion and active reflection.

What is in a name--patients' view of the involvement of 'care practitioners' in their operations.

Background: There has been a plethora of new job titles emerging in the NHS. While the term 'nurse practitioner' was fairly well received, and offers a pretty clear indication of the background of the person working, other new titles can be misleading. Since 2003, when the NHS Modernisation Agency proposed its 'Changing Workforce Programme', nurses and other allied health professionals were recruited and trained to perform 'simple operations'.

Incidence of meningitis secondary to suppurative otitis media in adults.

Aim: Meningitis is the commonest intracranial complication of suppurative otitis media, and carries the risk of death and life-changing morbidity. This study aimed to estimate the risk of an adult in the UK developing otogenic meningitis.

Methods: Adults hospitalised with meningitis in Bristol from 1997 to 2002 were identified retrospectively.

Insight into the dicrotic notch in photoplethysmographic pulses from the finger tip of young adults.

This study aims to investigate arterial stiffness in selected young adults by non-invasively determining the characteristics of the photoplethysmographic dicrotic notch. A total of 15 volunteers participated in this study, divided into four groups by age and gender. Contour analysis was applied to analyse the photoplethysmographic dicrotic notch, including time-related and height-related parameters.

Matrix metalloproteinase 1 is necessary for the migration of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells toward human glioma.

Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have increasingly been used as cellular vectors for the delivery of therapeutic genes to tumors. However, the precise mechanism of mobilization remains poorly defined. In this study, MSCs that expressed similar cell surface markers and exhibited multilineage differentiation potentials were isolated from various donors.

HSV-1 amplicon viral vector-mediated gene transfer to human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-hMSCs) are nonhematopoietic stem cells that have the potential to differentiate into adipocytes, osteocytes and chondrocytes. Because of its propensity to migrate to the sites of injury and the ability to expand them rapidly, BM-hMSCs have been exploited as potential gene transfer vehicles to deliver therapeutic genes. Herein, we evaluated the feasibility of employing herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-1) amplicon viral vector as a gene delivery vector to BM-hMSCs.

Myringostapediopexy and myringolenticulopexy in mastoid surgery.

Objective: To compare hearing results in patients undergoing myringostapediopexy or myringolenticulopexy in canal wall down mastoidectomy.

Study Design: Case series of one surgeon. A retrospective review of 83 consecutive mastoid cavity operations for primary cholesteatoma.

Does the surgeon still have a role to play in the diagnosis and management of lymphomas?

Background: Over the course of the past 40 years, there have been a significant number of changes in the way in which lymphomatous disease is diagnosed and managed. With the advent of computed tomography, there is little role for staging laparotomy and the surgeon's role may now more diagnostic than therapeutic.

Aims: To review all cases of lymphoma diagnosed at a single institution in order determine the current role of the surgeon in the diagnosis and management of lymphoma.

Dental otalgia.

Background: Secondary or referred otalgia can represent a diagnostic challenge to the otolaryngologist. Collectively, dental disorders are the most common causes of secondary otalgia presenting to the ENT clinic, and may account for up to 50 per cent of referred otalgia. Temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome represents the most common dental cause of referred otalgia.

Chitosan-mediated crystallization and assembly of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles into hybrid nanostructured films.

The synthesis and subsequent assembly of nearly spherical nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) particles in the presence of trace amounts of the polysaccharide chitosan was carried out employing a wet chemical approach. Chitosan addition during synthesis not only modulated HA crystallization but also aided in the assembly of nHA particles onto itself. Solvent extraction from these suspensions formed iridescent films, of which the bottom few layers were rich in self-assembled nHA particle arrays.

Nanosized bioceramic particles could function as efficient gene delivery vehicles with target specificity for the spleen.

We have compared the ability of several nanosized bioceramic particles including negatively charged silica (SiO(2)), neutrally charged hydroxyapatite (HA) and positively charged zirconia (ZrO(2)) nanoparticles as non-viral vectors for efficient in vivo gene delivery. A mixture of highly monodispersed aqueous suspension of HA or SiO(2) nanoparticles, coated with protamine sulfate (PS), complexed efficiently with plasmid DNA and significantly enhanced transgene expression in vitro. In comparison, ZrO(2) nanoparticles gave poor transfection efficiency under similar conditions tested.

Nanostructural characteristics, mechanical properties, and osteoblast response of spark plasma sintered hydroxyapatite.

This study aimed to fabricate bulk nanostructured hydroxyapatite (HA) pellets with improved properties using spark plasma sintering (SPS) for orthopedic applications. Spray-dried nanostructured HA (nSD-HA) powders were consolidated using the rapid SPS processing. The SPS processed nSD-HA was characterized using Raman spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM).

Synergistic antileukemia effect of genistein and chemotherapy in mouse xenograft model and potential mechanism through MAPK signaling.

We investigated the antiproliferative effect of genistein, and its antileukemia effect in combination with cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Optimal dosage of genistein as single agent and in combination with ara-C was first determined in vitro. Genistein demonstrated a dose- and time-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, and cell-cycle arrest at G(2)/M phase.

Apparent solubility of hydroxyapatite in aqueous medium and its influence on the morphology of nanocrystallites with precipitation temperature.

Two differing wet-chemical synthesis routes, Ca(OH)2 + H3PO4 and CaCl2 + Na3PO4/NaOH, were used to prepare hydroxyapatite (HA) at various temperatures ranging from 30 to 95 degrees C. The electrical conductivity of the solution was measured at regular intervals of time during H3PO4 and Na3PO4 addition to the suspension/solution containing Ca2+ ions. The rate of change of conductivity is used to note the end point of the reaction.

Conductometric study of precursor compound formation during wet-chemical synthesis of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite.

Conductometry was employed to study the phase evolution of calcium phosphate compounds during the wet-chemical synthesis of hydroxyapatite (HA). Calcium hydroxide and orthophosphoric acid were used to prepare HA at various temperatures ranging from 30 to 95 degrees C. The electrical conductivity and pH of the reaction mixture were measured at regular intervals of time during acid addition, and the rate of change of conductivity was used to decipher the end point of the reaction.

On the kinetics of apatite growth on substrates under physiological conditions.

Derived from reaction kinetics, a simple but useful method, based on "apatite forming capacity" or AFC of solutions mimicking blood plasma, is proposed to decipher the rate of calcium phosphate mineralization. Apatite growth rate constants were calculated using this method for a model composite surface varying the volume fraction of synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) in a polymer matrix. Previously reported data for mineralized surfaces on Ta, Ti, and its alloys are also analyzed similarly and compared.