Technical modifications of suboccipital craniectomy for prevention of postoperative headache.

A retrospective review of 53 consecutive patients who underwent a retrosigmoid vestibular nerve section (VNS) or microvascular decompression (MVD) through a modified suboccipital craniectomy with a minimum follow-up of 2 years was performed. Technical modifications to the suboccipital craniectomy included a skin incision designed to avoid the lesser and greater occipital nerves; a small, 2-cm diameter craniectomy with no intradural drilling of bone; and a simplified closure to prevent muscle adhesion to dura without the need for cranioplasty. The presence, duration, and severity of postoperative headache were the primary outcome measures.

Current diagnostic and management trends for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this review is to discuss recent literature regarding diagnostic and management trends for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) published within the past year. This includes a discussion of new information regarding the epidemiology and pathogenesis of RRP and an update on adjuvant therapy and new surgical techniques.

Recent Findings: Epidemiological studies have confirmed that juvenile-onset RRP is the most common and most aggressive form of the disease.

Extracellular secretion of the Borrelia burgdorferi Oms28 porin and Bgp, a glycosaminoglycan binding protein.

Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease pathogen, cycles between its Ixodes tick vector and vertebrate hosts, adapting to vastly different biochemical environments. Spirochete gene expression as a function of temperature, pH, growth phase, and host milieu is well studied, and recent work suggests that regulatory networks are involved. Here, we examine the release of Borrelia burgdorferi strain B31 proteins into conditioned medium.

Role for postoperative radiation therapy in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck.

Objective: Clarify the role for postoperative radiation for adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the head and neck as it relates to tumor site, T-stage, and surgical margin status.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study at an academic tertiary care hospital.

Methods: A review of 129 patients with biopsy-proven ACC was performed.

CD40 monoclonal antibody activation of antigen-presenting cells improves therapeutic efficacy of tumor-specific T cells.

Objective: The goal of this study was to determine whether CD40 ligation of antigen presenting cells (APCs) enhances the anti-tumor effector function of tumor draining lymph node (TDLN) T lymphocytes in an adoptive immunotherapy model.

Study Design: MCA 205 TDLNs were culture activated both in the presence and absence of a stimulatory anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody (mAb) and effector cell phenotype, cytokine secretion in vitro and therapeutic efficacy in vivo were compared.

Results: Anti-CD40 mAb induced upregulation of APC cell surface activation markers that promoted generation of T cells that demonstrated an increase in tumor-specific IFN-gamma secretion and a statistically significant reduction in the number of pulmonary tumors (p< 0.

Prevalence of nodal metastases in the submuscular recess (level IIb) during selective neck dissection.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of nodal metastases in the submuscular recess (SMR) in patients undergoing selective neck dissection (SND) and to identify potential risk factors for the presence of metastatic disease in the SMR.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Academic tertiary care referral center.

Vestibular nerve sectioning for intractable vertigo: efficacy of simplified retrosigmoid approach.

Objective: To determine the surgical efficacy of a simplified retrosigmoid approach for vestibular nerve sectioning.

Study Design: A retrospective analysis.

Setting: Tertiary academic referral center.