Human papillomavirus in non-oropharyngeal head and neck cancers: a systematic literature review.

Perhaps one of the most important developments in head and neck oncology of the past decade is the demonstration that patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-mediated oropharyngeal cancers have significantly improved outcomes, compared to HPV-negative counterpart patients. This has become the basis for clinical trials investigating the impact on "treatment deintensification" for patients with HPV-mediated oropharyngeal cancers. Unfortunately, the significance of HPV in non-oropharyngeal head and neck cancers is much less certain.

Lung diseases at necropsy in African children dying from respiratory illnesses: a descriptive necropsy study.

Background: Accurate information about specific causes of death in African children dying of respiratory illnesses is scarce, and can only be obtained by autopsy. We undertook a study of children who died from respiratory diseases at University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.

Methods: 137 boys (93 HIV-1-positive, 44 HIV-1-negative], and 127 girls (87 HIV-1-positive, 40 HIV-1-negative) aged between 1 month and younger than 16 years underwent autopsy restricted to the chest cavity.

Identification of Pneumocystis carinii DNA by polymerase chain reaction in necropsy lung samples from children dying of respiratory tract illnesses.

Polymerase chain reaction for Pneumocystis carinii DNA was performed on necropsy lung samples from children by means of P carinii -specific primers.P carinii DNA was identified in 22 of 22 (100%) samples with histologically proven P carinii pneumonia and 13 of 75 (17%) with non-P carinii pneumonia respiratory illness (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 83%). The low specificity precludes the use of polymerase chain reaction as an alternative to histopathologic diagnosis.

Identification of Pneumocystis carinii DNA in oropharyngeal mouth washes from AIDS children dying of respiratory illnesses.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using Pneumocystis carinii-specific primers pAZ 102-H(5'-GTGTACGTTGCAAAGTACTC-3') and pAZ 102-E(5'-GATGGCTGTTTCCAAGCCCA-3') was performed on oropharyngeal washes obtained at autopsy from 22 AIDS children with histologically confirmed P. carinii pneumonia (PCP), and 48 control AIDS children who died from other infections. Fifteen of 22 (68%) PCP samples and none of 48 (0%) control samples had detectable P.