Pharyngeal flap outcomes for velopharyngeal insufficiency: Evaluation of speech, obstructive sleep apnea, and velopharyngeal anatomy.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the speech outcomes, reveal postoperative rates of obstructive sleep apnea, and characterize changes in the pharyngeal flap and velopharyngeal anatomy following pharyngeal flap surgery for velopharyngeal insufficiency. A retrospective chart was reviewed for patients with clefts who underwent pharyngeal flap surgery between November 2020 and November 2021. The data collected included age, gender, cleft palate type, age at pharyngeal flap surgery, postoperative complications, age and type of primary palatoplasty, preoperative and postoperative speech assessments, magnetic resonance imaging findings, and obstructive sleep apnea outcomes.

Genome sequencing reveals underdiagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia in bronchiectasis.

Background: Bronchiectasis can result from infectious, genetic, immunological and allergic causes. 60-80% of cases are idiopathic, but a well-recognised genetic cause is the motile ciliopathy, primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). Diagnosis of PCD has management implications including addressing comorbidities, implementing genetic and fertility counselling and future access to PCD-specific treatments.

Comprehensive evaluation of velopharyngeal function in myasthenia gravis patients.

Purpose: Hypernasality, which is a symptom of dysarthria, may be seen in patients with Myasthenia Gravis with bulbar symptoms. However, there is not enough evidence to show that these patients may have velopharyngeal dysfunction. This study investigates the features of velopharyngeal function in myasthenia gravis patients using objective and subjective measurement tools.

Perceptions Regarding the Academic and Cognitive Performance of Individuals With Cleft Lip and/or Palate.

Introduction: Factors such as teachers' appropriate support and social interactions have an impact on the academic performance of children with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P). This study was designed to investigate the perceptions of the teachers and the general public about the academic and cognitive performance of individuals with CL/P.

Methods: This study was included 360 (male/female = 102/258) teachers and 640 (male/female = 259/381) participants that represent the general public.

Evaluation of the voice onset time in Turkish-Speaking schoolchildren.

Objectives: To determine the voice onset time (VOT) values of Turkish speaking schoolchildren and to evaluate the effect of gender, age and vowel height on VOT values in this age group.

Methods: One hundred and twenty native Turkish children between the ages of 7-11 years were included in the study. All children were divided into 4 age groups: Group I 7.

Visualization and analysis of non-covalent contacts using the Protein Contacts Atlas.

Visualizations of biomolecular structures empower us to gain insights into biological functions, generate testable hypotheses, and communicate biological concepts. Typical visualizations (such as ball and stick) primarily depict covalent bonds. In contrast, non-covalent contacts between atoms, which govern normal physiology, pathogenesis, and drug action, are seldom visualized.

Wounding induces dedifferentiation of epidermal Gata6 cells and acquisition of stem cell properties.

The epidermis is maintained by multiple stem cell populations whose progeny differentiate along diverse, and spatially distinct, lineages. Here we show that the transcription factor Gata6 controls the identity of the previously uncharacterized sebaceous duct (SD) lineage and identify the Gata6 downstream transcription factor network that specifies a lineage switch between sebocytes and SD cells. During wound healing differentiated Gata6 cells migrate from the SD into the interfollicular epidermis and dedifferentiate, acquiring the ability to undergo long-term self-renewal and differentiate into a much wider range of epidermal lineages than in undamaged tissue.

The alternative splicing program of differentiated smooth muscle cells involves concerted non-productive splicing of post-transcriptional regulators.

Alternative splicing (AS) is a key component of gene expression programs that drive cellular differentiation. Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are important in the function of a number of physiological systems; however, investigation of SMC AS has been restricted to a handful of events. We profiled transcriptome changes in mouse de-differentiating SMCs and observed changes in hundreds of AS events.

Single-cell analysis of CD4+ T-cell differentiation reveals three major cell states and progressive acceleration of proliferation.

Background: Differentiation of lymphocytes is frequently accompanied by cell cycle changes, interplay that is of central importance for immunity but is still incompletely understood. Here, we interrogate and quantitatively model how proliferation is linked to differentiation in CD4+ T cells.

Results: We perform ex vivo single-cell RNA-sequencing of CD4+ T cells during a mouse model of infection that elicits a type 2 immune response and infer that the differentiated, cytokine-producing cells cycle faster than early activated precursor cells.

Universal allosteric mechanism for Gα activation by GPCRs.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) allosterically activate heterotrimeric G proteins and trigger GDP release. Given that there are ∼800 human GPCRs and 16 different Gα genes, this raises the question of whether a universal allosteric mechanism governs Gα activation. Here we show that different GPCRs interact with and activate Gα proteins through a highly conserved mechanism.

HIF-driven SF3B1 induces KHK-C to enforce fructolysis and heart disease.

Fructose is a major component of dietary sugar and its overconsumption exacerbates key pathological features of metabolic syndrome. The central fructose-metabolising enzyme is ketohexokinase (KHK), which exists in two isoforms: KHK-A and KHK-C, generated through mutually exclusive alternative splicing of KHK pre-mRNAs. KHK-C displays superior affinity for fructose compared with KHK-A and is produced primarily in the liver, thus restricting fructose metabolism almost exclusively to this organ.

EPR investigation of thermal decay of radiation-induced species of benzoic acid and its sodium and potassium salts.

The structural and kinetic features of the radiation-induced radicals of benzoic acid and its sodium and potassium salts were investigated using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Two main different radicals were found to be responsible for the measured spectra of the irradiated samples. It is concluded that these two radicals have a structure similar to that of cyclohexadienyl-type (CHD) and benzyl-type (BNZ) radicals.

Splicing changes in SMA mouse motoneurons and SMN-depleted neuroblastoma cells: evidence for involvement of splicing regulatory proteins.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is caused by deletions or mutations in the Survival Motor Neuron 1 (SMN1) gene. The second gene copy, SMN2, produces some, but not enough, functional SMN protein. SMN is essential to assemble small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) that form the spliceosome.

Nuclear matrix protein Matrin3 regulates alternative splicing and forms overlapping regulatory networks with PTB.

Matrin3 is an RNA- and DNA-binding nuclear matrix protein found to be associated with neural and muscular degenerative diseases. A number of possible functions of Matrin3 have been suggested, but no widespread role in RNA metabolism has yet been clearly demonstrated. We identified Matrin3 by its interaction with the second RRM domain of the splicing regulator PTB.

Polymorphisms in MMP-2 and TIMP-2 in Turkish patients with prostate cancer.

Aim: Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the Western male population. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs) modulate the remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The imbalance between MMPs and TIMPs may lead to an emergence of pathological processes such as cancer.

Does contribution of extended vomer flap to palatoplasty affects speech results.

Development of normal speech is the primary goal of successful palatoplasty. The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of the contribution of vomer flap to palatoplasty procedure for speech function. Eighty-one children who underwent 2 flap palatoplasty procedures for cleft palate repair between 2002 and 2010 were retrospectively reviewed in 3 groups.

Can reproductive characteristics predict bladder cancer in women with haematuria?

Background: Among women with haematuria, defining individuals under high risk for bladder cancer based on reproductive factors prior to cystoscopy would be of great benefit in the management of this condition. The aim of this study was to compare age and reproductive factors such as menopausal status, parity, age at first delivery and age at the last delivery between women who have haematuria with or without bladder cancer.

Materials And Methods: A total of 463 patients underwent diagnostic cystoscopy in Duzce University Faculty of Medicine between 1 June 2008 and 1 June 2013.

Relationship among expression of basic-fibroblast growth factor, MTDH/astrocyte elevated gene-1, adenomatous polyposis coli, matrix metalloproteinase 9,and COX-2 markers with prognostic factors in prostate carcinomas.

Background: The etiopathogenesis of prostate cancer (PC) is still not clear, but hormonal, genetic, and environmental factors are thought to play a role in the tumor pathogenesis. Astrocyte elevated gene-1(AEG-1) as a novel transmembrane protein is predominantly located in the perinuclear region and endoplasmic reticulum. It has been found that AEG-1 upregulation increases the invasive ability of glioma and prostate cancer.

Mast cells numbers and peritumoral microvessel density of the prostatic adenocarcinomas and correlation with prognostic parameters.

Aim: To determine the utility of mast cell numbers and microvascular density (MVD) in evaluating acinar type of prostatic adenocarcinoma (PCa), and to ascertain a relationship between the number of mast cells with prognostic parameters (larger tumor volume, high Gleason score, lymphovascular, perineural, seminal vesicles invasion, metastatic lymph node).

Methods: The study comprised 97 radical prostatectomy specimens. The paraffin sections were stained with anti-CD31, anti- CD34 and Toluidine Blue.

Expression of AEG-1 and p53 and their clinicopathological significance in malignant lesions of renal cell carcinomas: a microarray study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of AEG-1 and p53 with the prognostic parameters of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). In this study, 50 paraffin blocks were histopathologically diagnosed at the Department of Pathology of the Medical Hospital of Duzce University, between 2005 and 2011. The cases consisted of 24 clear cell (CC) and 26 non-clear cell (NCC) RCC subtypes as follows: 24 (48%) clear cell RCC, 12 (24%) papillary RCC, 4 (8%) multilocular cystic RCC and 10 (20%) chromophobe RCC; none had sarcomatoid changes.

Features of unilateral hearing loss detected by newborn hearing screening programme in different regions of Turkey.

Objective: Newborn hearing screening (NHS) works well for babies with bilateral hearing loss. However, for those with unilateral loss, it has yet to be established some standard rules like age of diagnose, risk factors, hearing loss degree. The aim of this study is to identify the demographic characteristics of newborns with unilateral hearing loss to obtain evidence based data in order to see what to be done for children with unilateral hearing loss (UHL).