Microstructural white matter abnormalities in patients with COL6A3 mutations (DYT27 dystonia).

Introduction: Recently, mutations in the collagen gene COL6A3 have been reported in patients with autosomal-recessive, isolated dystonia (DYT27). Zebrafish models of COL6A3 mutations showed deficits in axonal targeting mechanisms. Therefore, COL6A3 mutations have been considered to contribute to irregular sensorimotor circuit formation.

AHNS Series: Do you know your guidelines? Perioperative antithrombotic management in head and neck surgery.

Head and neck surgeons are commonly faced with surgical patients who have underlying medical problems requiring antithrombotic therapy. It is difficult to achieve a balance between minimizing the risk of thromboembolism and hemorrhage in the perioperative period. Data from randomized, controlled trials are limited, and procedure-specific bleed rates are also difficult to pinpoint.

Management of the lateral neck compartment in patients with sporadic medullary thyroid cancer.

Background: The purpose of this retrospective analysis was to evaluate the benefits of an elective lateral neck dissection (ELND) in patients with medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) without radiographically apparent lateral neck metastases.

Methods: Patients with sporadic MTC without radiographic evidence of lateral neck metastasis who underwent definitive surgery were divided into 2 groups based on surgical approach: no ELND (the observation group) and ipsilateral or bilateral ELND (the ELND group). Primary outcomes were biochemical cure, locoregional recurrence, distant metastasis, and overall survival (OS).

MicroRNA Signaling in Embryo Development.

Expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is essential for embryonic development and serves important roles in gametogenesis. miRNAs are secreted into the extracellular environment by the embryo during the preimplantation stage of development. Several cell types secrete miRNAs into biological fluids in the extracellular environment.

[Indications and technique for transconjunctival optic nerve sheath fenestration : Video article].

Background: Placement of a ventricular shunt is the primary surgical procedure for lowering intracranial pressure in pseudotumor cerebri syndrome; however, if ophthalmological symptoms prevail over neurological symptoms or if there are no neurological symptoms at all, optic nerve sheath fenestration may be a valuable option for relief of pressure on the retrobulbar optic nerve when papilledema caused by pseudotumor cerebri syndrome threatens vision despite previous conservative measures.

Methods: This review covers the indications, technique and results of optic nerve sheath fenestration compared to competing procedures based on a systematic literature search, analysis of own cases and a documentation of the surgical technique.

Surgical Technique: After performing a medial transconjunctival orbitotomy the medial rectus muscle tendon is temporarily detached and the eye abducted by traction sutures.

Long-term patient reported outcomes following radiation therapy for oropharyngeal cancer: cross-sectional assessment of a prospective symptom survey in patients ≥65 years old.

Background: Given the potential for older patients to experience exaggerated toxicity and symptoms, this study was performed to characterize patient reported outcomes in older patients following definitive radiation therapy (RT) for oropharyngeal cancer (OPC).

Methods: Cancer-free head and neck cancer survivors (>6 months since treatment completion) were eligible for participation in a questionnaire-based study. Participants completed the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Head and Neck module (MDASI-HN).

A randomized controlled trial of corticosteroids for pain after transoral robotic surgery.

Objective: To determine if an extended perioperative course of corticosteroids will improve pain control following transoral robotic surgery (TORS).

Study Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Methods: Patients undergoing TORS for initial treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma received a single intraoperative dose of 10-mg dexamethasone and then were randomized to receive 8-mg dexamethasone every 8 hours, or placebo, for up to 4 days after surgery.

Transoral robotic retropharyngeal node dissection in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: Patterns of metastasis and functional outcomes.

Background: Assessment of the retropharyngeal lymph nodes is essential in the treatment for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Transoral robotic retropharyngeal lymph node dissection (RPLND) may provide valuable staging information and guide selection of adjuvant therapy in a transoral robotic surgery (TORS) treatment paradigm.

Methods: Outcomes were compared between 30 patients with oropharyngeal SCC with tonsillar primaries undergoing RPLND and 37 stage-matched cases without RPLND.

Testing the environmental filtering concept in global drylands.

1. The environmental filtering hypothesis predicts that the abiotic environment selects species with similar trait values within communities. Testing this hypothesis along multiple - and interacting - gradients of climate and soil variables constitutes a great opportunity to better understand and predict the responses of plant communities to ongoing environmental changes.

The impact of prophylactic external carotid artery ligation on postoperative bleeding after transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Transoral robotic-assisted surgery (TORS) is increasingly utilized in the treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Postoperative bleeding is a significant and potentially fatal complication of TORS. Prophylactic ligation of ipsilateral external carotid artery (ECA) branches is a recognized strategy to reduce postoperative bleeding risk.

Kupffer Cell-Derived Tnf Triggers Cholangiocellular Tumorigenesis through JNK due to Chronic Mitochondrial Dysfunction and ROS.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a highly malignant, heterogeneous cancer with poor treatment options. We found that mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress trigger a niche favoring cholangiocellular overgrowth and tumorigenesis. Liver damage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and paracrine tumor necrosis factor (Tnf) from Kupffer cells caused JNK-mediated cholangiocellular proliferation and oncogenic transformation.

Functional trait diversity maximizes ecosystem multifunctionality.

Understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has been a core ecological research topic over the last decades. Although a key hypothesis is that the diversity of functional traits determines ecosystem functioning, we do not know how much trait diversity is needed to maintain multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously (multifunctionality). Here, we uncovered a scaling relationship between the abundance distribution of two key plant functional traits (specific leaf area, maximum plant height) and multifunctionality in 124 dryland plant communities spread over all continents except Antarctica.

Sexual Dimorphism of miRNAs Secreted by Bovine -produced Embryos.

Sexual dimorphism of bovine blastocysts has previously been observed through differences in development, cell death, metabolism, telomere length, DNA methylation, and transcriptomics. However, dimorphism in the secretion of miRNAs to culture media has not yet been evaluated. The objectives of this study were to determine if sex-specific blastocyst miRNA secretion occurs and to further investigate the role these miRNAs may have in the interaction between a blastocyst and the maternal environment.

Improving outcomes in veterans with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma through implementation of a multidisciplinary clinic.

Background: Treatment of head and neck cancer is complex, and a multidisciplinary clinic may improve the coordination of care. The value of a head and neck multidisciplinary clinic has not yet been established in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of Veterans Affairs patients with oropharyngeal SCC undergoing concurrent chemoradiation before and after implementation of the head and neck multidisciplinary clinic.

Randomized, placebo-controlled window trial of EGFR, Src, or combined blockade in head and neck cancer.

EGFR and Src family kinases are upregulated in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). EGFR interacts with Src to activate STAT3 signaling, and dual EGFR-Src targeting is synergistic in HNSCC preclinical models. pSrc overexpression predicted resistance to the EGFR inhibitor, erlotinib, in a prior window trial.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 antibodies at diagnosis of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer and antibody trajectories after treatment.

Objectives: Despite the fact that HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancer (HPV-OPC) has relatively low recurrence rates, intensive post-therapy monitoring remains the standard of care. Post-treatment biomarkers are needed to risk stratify HPV-OPC patients for more individualized surveillance intensity and which remain at higher recurrence risk.

Materials And Methods: 115 HPV-OPC patients (ascertained by p16 immunohistochemistry and/or in-situ hybridization) from a multicenter prospective case study (HOTSPOT) had blood collected at diagnosis, and 64 of these also had blood collected at post-treatment follow-up visits for up to two years.

Risk of failure in pediatric ventriculoperitoneal shunts placed after abdominal surgery.

OBJECTIVE Experience has led us to suspect an association between shunt malfunction and recent abdominal surgery, yet information about this potential relationship has not been explored in the literature. The authors compared shunt survival in patients who underwent abdominal surgery to shunt survival in our general pediatric shunt population to determine whether such a relationship exists. METHODS The authors performed a retrospective review of all cases in which pediatric patients underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt operations at their institution during a 7-year period.

Heterozygous mice reveal novel roles for the planar cell polarity pathway in adult lung homeostasis and repair.

Lung diseases impose a huge economic and health burden worldwide. A key aspect of several adult lung diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema, is aberrant tissue repair, which leads to an accumulation of damage and impaired respiratory function. Currently, there are few effective treatments available for these diseases and their incidence is rising.