Tumor Cell-Secreted ISG15 Promotes Tumor Cell Migration and Immune Suppression by Inducing the Macrophage M2-Like Phenotype.

Interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) is known to be involved in tumor progression. We previously reported that ISG15 expressed on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells and related to poor prognosis of patients with NPC. We further observed that ISG15 can be secreted by NPC cell and expressed on the macrophages in situ.

Challenges in the delivery of surgical care for head and neck cancer patients in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and China.

Purpose Of Review: This article aims to explore the ethical dilemmas faced by head and neck surgeons in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and China in the provision of safe, oncological sound and timely care for head and neck cancer patients.

Recent Findings: There is no literature, in particular, in relation to the treatment of head and neck cancer patients and priority setting in head and neck surgery. However, through examining the healthcare provision and sociocultural backgrounds of the HKSAR and China, certain aspects, such as traditional Chinese medicine and medical guan xi (Seeking medical care for personal connections) have been shown to significantly influence the provision of care in China.

Novel chimeric transcript RRM2-c2orf48 promotes metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Recently, chimeric transcripts have been found to be associated with the pathogenesis and poor prognosis of malignant tumors. Through our preliminary experiment, a novel chimeric transcript called chimeric transcript RRM2-c2orf48 was detected in C666-1, a classical cell line of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Therefore, the objective of this study was to demonstrate the existence and expression of novel chimeric transcript RRM2-c2orf48 and to explore the main functions and mechanisms of RRM2-c2orf48 in NPC.

Postoperative immune response and surgical stress in selective neck dissection: Comparison between endoscopically assisted dissection and open techniques in cT1-2N0 oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Endoscopically assisted selective neck dissection (SND) has recently been applied in clinical N0 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, nothing is known of the immune response after surgery.

Methods: A total of 60 patients with cT1-2N0 OSCC randomly underwent endoscopically assisted SND and open operations.

Endoscope-assisted extracapsular dissection of benign parotid tumors through a single cephaloauricular furrow incision versus a conventional approach.

Background: A few modified approaches have been reported for performing endoscope-assisted dissections of benign parotid tumors, but none that use incisions totally hidden in a natural furrow. This study evaluated the feasibility of performing endoscope-assisted extracapsular dissections of benign parotid tumors using a single cephaloauricular furrow incision.

Methods: Forty-six patients with benign parotid superficial lobe tumors were randomly divided into two groups: an endoscope-assisted (21 patients) group or a conventional (25 patients) surgery group.

Voice Therapy Effect on Mutational Falsetto Patients: A Vocal Aerodynamic Study.

Objective: The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of voice therapy (VT) and analyze the vocal aerodynamic characteristics in mutational falsetto (MF) patients.

Methods: From October 2010 through May 2014, 26 patients with MF at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital were studied retrospectively. Vocal assessment, including the 10-item Voice Handicap Index (VHI-10), fundamental frequency (F0), and vocal aerodynamic parameters (subglottic pressure [SGP]), aerodynamic power [AP], mean expiratory airflow, and maximum phonation time [MPT]), was proceeded before and after VT.

The experience of gasless endoscopic-assisted thyroidectomy via the anterior chest approach for Graves' disease.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety, feasibility, effectiveness, and cosmesis of a gasless endoscopic-assisted thyroidectomy via the anterior chest in patients with Graves' disease. We retrospectively reviewed 38 patients with Graves' disease treated with thyroidectomy from November 2007 to June 2015. We analyzed clinical characteristics of patients, type of operation, operative indications, operative duration, length of postoperative hospital stay, and postoperative complications.

ISG15 predicts poor prognosis and promotes cancer stem cell phenotype in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15), the first identified ubiquitin-like protein, is known for its anti-viral capacity. However, its role in tumorigenesis remains controversial. Here, using RNA-seq profiling analysis, we identified ISG15 as a differentially expressed gene in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and validated its overexpression in NPC samples and cells.

Evaluation of the utricular and saccular function using oVEMPs and cVEMPs in BPPV patients.

Background: It is well-known that ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs) predominantly reflect utricular function whilst cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs) reflect saccular function. To date, there are no published reports on the systemic evaluation of utricular and saccular function in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), nor are there any reports on the differences in VEMPs between patients with recurrent and non-recurrent BPPV. The aim of this study was to evaluate the difference in cervical and ocular (c/o)VEMPs between patients with BPPV and normal controls, as well as between patients with recurrent and non-recurrent BPPV.

Ribonucleotide reductase M2 subunit expression and prognostic value in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The ribonucleotide reductase M2 subunit (RRM2) modulates the enzymatic activity of ribonucleotide reductase, and is involved in tumor progression. Recently, high levels of RRM2 expression were reported to correlate with poor survival outcomes in patients with colorectal and bladder cancer. However, changes in RRM2 expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and its effect on the prognosis of this disease remain unknown.

Minimally invasive selective neck dissection: a prospective study of endoscopically assisted dissection via a small submandibular approach in cT(1-2_N(0) oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Selective neck dissection (SND) in clinical N0 (cN0) cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has been performed by surgeons using a retroauricular or modified facelift approach with robotic or endoscopic assistance. However, these procedures provide cosmetic satisfaction at the cost of possible maximal invasiveness. In this prospective study, we introduced and evaluated the feasibility as well as surgical invasiveness and cosmetic outcome of endoscopically-assisted SND via a small submandibular approach.

The vocal aerodynamic change in female patients with muscular tension dysphonia after voice training.

Objective: To investigate the changes of vocal aerodynamics indicators after voice training in female patients with muscular tension dysphonia (MTD).

Methods: Twenty-one female MTD patients (before voice training and 12 weeks after voice training) and 20 female volunteers with normal voices (the control group) received vocal aerodynamic analysis. Parameters included subglottal pressure (SGP), aerodynamic power (AP), mean expiratory airflow (MEA), and maximum phonation time (MPT) were recorded and analyzed by phonatory aerodynamic system.

[Endoscope-assisted styloidectomy via postauricular incision].

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of the endoscope-assisted styloidectomy.

Methods: Sixty patients with Eagle's syndrome undergoing the endoscope-assisted styloidectomy via postauricular incision, including 7 unilateral and 53 bilateral, between June 2010 and March 2013 were reviewed.

Results: The styloid processes in all patients were resected successfully via this approach, with the incision length range of 2.

Correlation among the dysphonia severity index (DSI), the RBH voice perceptual evaluation, and minimum glottal area in female patients with vocal fold nodules.

Objectives: To investigate the clinical significance and correlation of the dysphonia severity index (DSI), the RBH (roughness [R]; breathiness [B]; hoarseness [H]) perceptual voice quality evaluation, and minimum glottal area (MGA) in patients with vocal fold nodules and validate the practicality of the DSI further.

Methods: The DSI evaluation, the voice RBH perceptual evaluation, and the MGA were performed on 30 female patients with vocal fold nodules (the patient group) and 30 female volunteers with normal voices (the control group). The DSI determination was calculated using the following formula: DSI = 0.

Management of radiation-induced early nasal adhesion after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: This study investigates the conservative management of radiation-induced early nasal adhesion after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods: From June 2008 to June 2010, patients with bilateral or unilateral early nasal adhesion after radiotherapy for NPC were selected. All patients received endoscopic management and then nasal irrigation daily and nasal steroids spray for at least 3 months.

[Minimally invasive endoscopic thyroidectomy via an anterior chest approach for early papillary thyroid cancer].

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of endoscopic thyroidectomy via anterior chest approach for early papillary thyroid cancer (T1N0M0).

Methods: From July 2004 to December 2010, 91 patients with early papillary thyroid cancer underwent minimally invasive endoscopic thyroidectomy via anterior chest approach. The clinical and pathologic characteristics of patients, operation types, operative time, postoperative hospital stay time, and postoperative complications were analyzed retrospectively.

Gasless video-assisted bilateral thyroidectomy by the anterior chest wall approach: 4 years of experience.

Thyroidectomy can be performed in a variety of ways, and gasless video-assisted approaches have recently become more popular. We performed a study of thyroidectomy on 77 patients with bilateral thyroid lesions carried out using a gasless video-assisted unilateral anterior chest wall approach. Seventy-seven patients underwent bilateral thyroidectomy by the gasless video-assisted unilateral anterior chest wall approach, whereas 64 patients underwent conventional surgery during the same time frame and were considered to be the control group.

Id-1 and the p65 subunit of NF-κB promote migration of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and are correlated with poor prognosis.

Inhibitor of differentiation (Id)-1 and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) have been detected in many malignant tumors, and their presence has been correlated with the metastatic potential of these tumors. This study was undertaken to investigate the prognostic significance of the expression of Id-1 and the p65 subunit of NF-κB (NF-κB/p65) and the proteins' roles in the invasion process of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells. The messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of Id-1 and NF-κB/p65 in normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cells and NPC cell lines were examined using reverse transcription-PCR and western blot analysis, whereas the mRNA and protein levels of Id-1 and NF-κB/p65 in clinical NPC specimens were determined by reverse transcription-PCR and immunohistochemistry.

Detecting plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA to diagnose postradiation nasopharyngeal skull base lesions in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients: a prospective study.

The diagnosis of postradiation nasopharyngeal skull base lesions in petients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is still a tough problem in clinical practice. An early and accurate diagnosis is important for subsequent management. We prospectively evaluated the diagnostic value of plasma Epstein-Barr virus(EBV) DNA in detecting postradiation nasopharyngeal skull base lesions in NPC patients.

[Endoscopic surgery by infraclavicular approach for larger benign thyroid tumors].

Objective: To investigate the endoscopic surgical efficacy of larger benign thyroid tumors and to evaluate its feasibility and safety.

Methods: Forty-two patients with benign thyroid tumors underwent endoscopic surgery by infraclavicular approach (a 4 - 6 cm incision on larger side of the tumor ≥ 3 cm off midline) at our hospital between April 2005 and January 2010. Fifty-four patients were enrolled as controls by conventional approach.

[Comparison of endoscopic monolateral anterior chest approach and conventional approach on thyroid bilateral gland lobe disease.].

Objective: To study on thyroid bilateral gland lobe disease with endoscopic monolateral anterior chest approach.

Methods: Twenty patients experienced thyroid bilateral gland lobe surgery with endoscopic monolateral anterior chest approach; 24 experienced conventional surgery simultaneously and were enrolled in control group. Two groups were compared at surgical style, complications, surgical time, length of stay in hospital, incision cosmetic result and incision pain etc.