Investigation of attachment location of adhesive skin electrodes for intraoperative neuromonitoring in thyroid surgery: Preclinical and clinical studies.

Background: Recently, adhesive skin electrodes have been reported to be useful for recording electromyographic signals from intrinsic laryngeal muscles for intraoperative neuromonitoring in thyroid surgery and have shown good results compared to existing recording methods. In this study, we investigated the optimal attachment location of adhesive skin electrodes for intraoperative neuromonitoring in both porcine models and human cases.

Methods: Attachment locations were divided vertically into upper, middle, and lower locations and horizontally into medial and lateral locations to determine the optimal location of placing adhesive skin electrodes preclinically in four porcine models.

Clinical outcomes of T4a papillary thyroid cancer with recurrent laryngeal nerve involvement: a retrospective analysis.

Preoperative vocal cord palsy (VCP) may indicate locally invasive papillary thyroid cancer (PTC); using this relationship, we evaluated the clinical outcomes and risk factors for recurrence in post-thyroidectomy T4a PTC patients with recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) involvement. We retrospectively investigated thyroidectomy patients, recorded their clinical factors, recurrence rate, and pathological findings, and analysed the relationship between recurrence rate and clinical factors. Of 72 patients, 37 (51%) had preoperative VCP and 35 (49%) had normal preoperative vocal cord movement with confirmed intraoperative RLN invasion.

Risk factors of suprasternal lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma with clinical lateral cervical lymph node metastasis.

Background: Metastatic lymph nodes are occasionally found in suprasternal lymph nodes in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). However, limited studies have examined these lymph nodes thus far. Therefore, we investigated the frequency and risk factors of suprasternal lymph node metastasis in patients with PTC and lateral cervical lymph node metastasis.

The incidence of myocardial infarction and stroke in head and neck cancer patients.

Various treatment modalities are used for head and neck cancer (HNC). This study analyzed the incidence and risks of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke by cancer site and treatment modality in 22,737 patients newly diagnosed with HNC registered in the Korean National Health Insurance Service database in 2007-2013. An additional 68,211 patients without HNC, stroke, or MI were identified as the control group.

The mechanism of submandibular gland dysfunction after menopause may be associated with the ferroptosis.

Salivary gland dysfunction is a common symptom that occurs after menopause. This study was performed to investigate the mechanism of salivary gland dysfunction to confirm the relationship between ferroptosis and salivary gland dysfunction by ovariectomy. Forty-eight female rats were randomly divided into four groups (12 rats in each group).

Application of Novel Intraoperative Neuromonitoring System Using an Endotracheal Tube With Pressure Sensor During Thyroid Surgery: A Porcine Model Study.

Objectives: The loss of signal during intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) using electromyography (EMG) in thyroidectomy is one of the biggest problems. We have developed a novel IONM system with an endotracheal tube (ETT) with an attached pressure sensor instead of EMG to detect laryngeal twitching. The aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibility and reliability of this novel IONM system using an ETT with pressure sensor during thyroidectomy in a porcine model.

Application of an Intraoperative Neuromonitoring System Using a Surface Pressure Sensor in Parotid Surgery: A Rabbit Model Study.

Objectives: Facial nerve monitoring (FNM) can be used to identify the facial nerve, to obtain information regarding its course, and to evaluate its status during parotidectomy. However, there has been disagreement regarding the efficacy of FNM in reducing the incidence of facial nerve palsy during parotid surgery. Therefore, instead of using electromyography (EMG) to identify the location and state of the facial nerve, we applied an intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) system using a surface pressure sensor to detect facial muscle twitching.

Simple technique to preserve the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve during thyroidectomy: Clinical practicability of an attachable nerve stimulator.

Objective: This study aimed to demonstrate the usefulness of an attachable magnetic nerve stimulator for preservation of the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (EBSLN) during thyroidectomy.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 120 female patients, of which 60 underwent thyroidectomy with an attachable magnetic nerve stimulator (magnetic group) and the remaining 60 underwent thyroidectomy with a conventional method without EBSLN identification (control group). For both groups, objective and subjective voice parameters were investigated on the day before surgery and at 2 weeks and 2 months after surgery.

Clinical Significance of the Preoperative Thyroidectomy-Related Voice Questionnaire Score in Thyroid Surgery.

Background: The thyroidectomy-related voice questionnaire (TVQ) is an efficient screening tool for detecting postoperative vocal dysfunction. The aim of this study was to confirm the significance of the preoperative TVQ score in thyroid surgery.

Methods: We examined 180 women who underwent total thyroidectomy with central lymph node dissection from March 2014 to May 2016.

Human Tonsil-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Maintain Proliferating and ROS-Regulatory Properties via Stanniocalcin-1.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from various sources exhibit different potential for stemness and therapeutic abilities. Recently, we reported a unique MSCs from human palatine tonsil (TMSCs) and their superior proliferation capacity compared to MSCs from other sources. However, unique characteristics of each MSC are not yet precisely elucidated.

Increased calcium channel in the lamina propria of aging rat.

The alterations of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in lamina propria of the vocal folds are important changes that are associated with decreased vibrations and increased stiffness in aging vocal fold. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in gene expression of lamina propria using next generation sequencing (NGS) in young and aging rats and to identify genes that affect aging-related ECM changes for developing novel therapeutic target molecule. Among the 40 genes suggested in the NGS analysis, voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC) subunit alpha1 S (CACNA1S), VGCC auxiliary subunit beta 1 (CACNB1), and VGCC auxiliary subunit gamma 1 (CACNG1) were increased in the lamina propria of the old rats compared to the young rats.

Right posterior paratracheal lymph nodes metastasis is one of the predictive factors in right-sided papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Background: Lymph nodes in the right paratracheal region are separated as anterior and posterior on the basis with right recurrent laryngeal nerve. Dissection of the right posterior paratracheal lymph nodes is sometimes overlooked during a central neck dissection. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the clinicopathologic risk factors and prognostic implication for recurrence related to the presence of right posterior paratracheal lymph nodes metastasis in patient with right-sided papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Development of a Novel Intraoperative Neuromonitoring System Using an Accelerometer Sensor in Thyroid Surgery: A Porcine Model Study.

Objectives: The sensitivity and positive predictive value of widely used intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) using electromyography (EMG) of the vocalis muscle in thyroid surgery are controversial. Thus, we developed a novel IONM system with an accelerometer sensor that uses the piezoelectric effect instead of EMG to detect laryngeal twitching. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of this novel IONM system during thyroid surgery in a porcine model.

Evaluation of decellularized xenogenic porcine auricular cartilage as a novel biocompatible filler.

Fillers are products that fill the space in soft tissues of the human body and actively used in the various medical fields. Unfortunately, most of the cost-effective commercially available fillers are synthetic and have limitations in terms of their biocompatibility. Here, we evaluated the possible application of decellularized xenogenic cartilage as a long-lasting material for soft tissue augmentation and compared it with two commercially available fillers Artesense (polymethylmethacrylate microspheres) and Radiesse (calcium hydroxyapatite [CaHa]).

Simultaneous enhancement of upconversion and downshifting luminescence via plasmonic structure.

We describe a metal nanodisk-insulator-metal (MIM) structure that enhances lanthanide-based upconversion (UC) and downshifting (DS) simultaneously. The structure was fabricated using a nanotransfer printing method that facilitates large-area applications of nanostructures for optoelectronic devices. The proposed MIM structure is a promising way to harness the entire solar spectrum by converting both ultraviolet and near-infrared to visible light concurrently through resonant-mode excitation.

Additive-free hollow-structured Co3O4 nanoparticle Li-ion battery: the origins of irreversible capacity loss.

Origins of the irreversible capacity loss were addressed through probing changes in the electronic and structural properties of hollow-structured Co3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) during lithiation and delithiation using electrochemical Co3O4 transistor devices that function as a Co3O4 Li-ion battery. Additive-free Co3O4 NPs were assembled into a Li-ion battery, allowing us to isolate and explore the effects of the Co and Li2O formation/decomposition conversion reactions on the electrical and structural degradation within Co3O4 NP films. NP films ranging between a single monolayer and multilayered film hundreds of nanometers thick prepared with blade-coating and electrophoretic deposition methods, respectively, were embedded in the transistor devices for in situ conduction measurements as a function of battery cycles.