The comparison between intratympanic gentamicin prehabilitation and postoperative virtual reality exposure to standard vestibular training in patients with vestibular schwannoma.

Objective: Resection of the vestibular schwannoma causes acute peripheral vestibular loss. The process of central compensation starts immediately afterward. The rehabilitation goal is to support this process and restore the quality of life.

Aspartate-β-hydroxylase and hypoxia marker expression in head and neck carcinomas: implications for HPV-associated tumors.

Background: A proportion of head and neck carcinomas (HNSCCs) are induced by high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and are associated with better patient outcomes compared to patients with HNSCCs related to tobacco and alcohol abuse. In the microenvironment of solid tumors, including HNSCCs, oxygen levels are often reduced, and a hypoxic state is induced. This can lead to a poor treatment response and a worse patient prognosis.

ERS statement on transition of care in childhood interstitial lung diseases.

Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) are a heterogeneous group of rare diffuse diseases affecting the lung parenchyma in children and adults. Childhood interstitial lung diseases (chILD) are often diagnosed at very young age, affect the developing lung, and can have different presentations and prognosis compared to adult forms of these diseases. In addition, chILD in many cases may apparently remit, and have a better response to therapy and better prognosis than adult ILD.

Hyperoxic ventilatory response in infants is related to nocturnal hypoxaemia.

Background: The carotid bodies primarily serve as oxaemia sensors that affect tidal breathing. Their function has not yet been studied in infants with nocturnal hypoxaemia. This cross-sectional study aimed to characterise the hyperoxic ventilatory response (HVR) in infants and its relationship to nocturnal hypoxaemia.

Treatment of the congenital thoracic deformity pectus excavatum.

Pectus excavatum is the most common chest wall deformity in the Czech Republic. This chest deformity is typically characterized by a wall depression with sternal rotation. If the excavation of the chest wall does not cause any physical or psychological problems, the patient does not need any specific treatment.

Tissue contexture determines the pattern and density of tumor-infiltrating immune cells in HPV-associated squamous cell carcinomas of oropharynx and uterine cervix.

The profile of the antitumor immune response is an important factor determining patient clinical outcome. However, the influence of the tissue contexture on the composition of the tumor microenvironments of virally induced tumors is not clearly understood. Therefore, we analyzed the immune landscape of two HPV-associated malignancies: oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) and squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix (CESC).

Baseline reticular basement membrane morphology is related to subsequent spirometry deterioration in pediatric chronic airway inflammation: a follow-up study.

Reticular basement membrane (RBM) thickening may occur in children with allergic bronchial asthma (BA), cystic fibrosis (CF), and primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). Its functional consequences remain unknown. We investigated the relationship between baseline RBM thickness and subsequent spirometry.

Does vestibular function correlate with objective MRI findings after vestibular schwannoma surgery?

Objective: Vestibular schwannoma surgery leads to acute unilateral vestibular loss. In some patients, however, the process of post-operatively initiated central compensation proceeds more rapidly than in others. This study aimed to evaluate post-operative vestibular function and correlate it with morphological findings of MRI scans.

Which Epidemiological Characteristics Drive Decision Making in the Management of Patients with Vestibular Schwannoma?

The incidence of sporadic vestibular schwannoma has significantly increased over the past few decades. However, there is no method currently available to accurately predict the risk of subsequent tumor growth. The difference in the management of five patient groups has been evaluated: wait and scan, conversion to microsurgery, conversion to stereoradiotherapy, sterioradiotherapy, and microsurgery.

Symptomatic preterm infants suffer from lung function deficits, regardless of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Background: The long-term respiratory consequences for children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) are well known. However, there is little emphasis on monitoring preterm infants without BPD. Few studies have explored the lung function status of infants with the symptoms of chronic lung disease of prematurity (CLD).

Repeatability of lung clearance index in infants with cystic fibrosis and recurrent wheeze.

Objectives: To describe the short- and medium-term repeatability of lung clearance index at 2.5% (LCI ) in infants and calculate the number of patients needed to enroll in a study (N) using LCI as a primary outcome.

Methods: An 8-month follow-up observational study was employed for assessing short-term [coefficient of repeatability (CR) and intraclass correlation (ICC)] and medium-term repeatability (Bland-Altman method) of LCI in infants with cystic fibrosis (CF) or recurrent wheeze (RW) measured by the nitrogen multiple-breath washout test (N -MBW).

CT findings predicting lung resection in children with complicated community-acquired pneumonia.

Purpose: To investigate computed tomography (CT) features which predict lung resection in children with complicated community-acquired pneumonia.

Methods: A retrospective study of CT findings of patients with complicated pneumonia treated between January 2010 and December 2019. Fisher's exact test and ROC curves were used for statistical analysis.

Gene Mutations in Circulating Tumour DNA as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Marker in Head and Neck Cancer-A Systematic Review.

(1) Background: Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common malignancies globally. An early diagnosis of this disease is crucial, and the detection of gene mutations in circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) through a liquid biopsy is a promising non-invasive diagnostic method. This review aims to provide an overview of ctDNA mutations in HNSCC patients and discuss the potential use of this tool in diagnosis and prognosis.

Evaluation of a Clinical Index as a Predictive Tool for Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia.

Background: In primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) there is no single diagnostic test. Different predictive tools have been proposed to guide referral of high-risk patients for further diagnostic workup. We aimed to test clinical index (CI) on a large unselected cohort and compare its characteristics with other widely used tools-PICADAR and NA-CDCF.

Transition of patients with interstitial lung disease from paediatric to adult care.

The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) is a funding organisation for the creation of research networks, called COST Actions. COST Action 16125 was dedicated to European network for translational research in children's and adult interstitial lung disease. Working Group 5 of the COST Action CA16125 focussed on the problems of transition of children with interstitial lung diseases from paediatric to adult care.

Lung Resection in Children with Necrotizing Pneumonia: Outcome and Follow-up.

Introduction:  The number of patients with necrotizing pneumonia has increased in recent years. The aim of this study is to review the incidence, management, and outcome of pediatric necrotizing pneumonia requiring surgical therapy and to prove that lung resection results in favorable development of patients. We hypothesize that overall lung function in children after lung resection does not differ from that of the healthy population.

Reflex zone stimulation reduces ventilation inhomogeneity in cystic fibrosis: A randomised controlled cross-over study.

Background: The reflex zone stimulation technique (RST) activates complex motor responses and has a positive impact on the locomotor system. This technique may also indirectly affect breathing; however, the use of this technique as adjunct of the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) has not yet been characterised.

Methods: We performed a randomised controlled single-centre interventional trial to evaluate the short-term effects of RST on lung function in 21 paediatric CF patients with normal baseline spirometry.

The cytokine milieu compromises functional capacity of tumor-infiltrating plasmacytoid dendritic cells in HPV-negative but not in HPV-positive HNSCC.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are the most potent type I interferon-producing cells and play an important role in antiviral immunity. Tumor-infiltrating pDCs were shown to be predominantly pro-tumorigenic, with reduced ability to produce interferon alpha (IFNα) and confirmed capacity to prime regulatory T cells (Tregs) by the ICOS/ICOS-L pathway. Because a significant number of HNSCCs are induced by human papillomaviruses and show markedly different immune profiles than non-virally induced tumors, we compared the phenotype and functional capacity of HNSCC-infiltrating pDCs to the HPV status of the tumor.

Immunological Network in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma-A Prognostic Tool Beyond HPV Status.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a highly heterogeneous disease that affects more than 800,000 patients worldwide each year. The variability of HNSCC is associated with differences in the carcinogenesis processes that are caused by two major etiological agents, namely, alcohol/tobacco, and human papillomavirus (HPV). Compared to non-virally induced carcinomas, the oropharyngeal tumors associated with HPV infection show markedly better clinical outcomes and are characterized by an immunologically "hot" landscape with high levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma of the maxillary sinus.

Background: Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma (LGFMS) is a rare malignant tumor. Moreover, only 3 cases of LGFMS originating from the nasal cavity and/or paranasal sinuses have been published so far.

Methods: Two patients with histologically confirmed LGFMS of the maxillary sinus were primarily treated by open and endoscopic surgery.