A questionnaire using vocal symptoms in quality control of phonosurgery: vocal surgical questionnaire.

Background: Quality control after phonosurgery is important and may be time consuming. Often questionnaires focusing on quality of life are applied. We aimed at investigating the use of organ specific symptoms, such as hoarseness and voice failure with the use of self-reported visual analogue scales (VAS) and Likert-scales.

MicroRNA-203 Inversely Correlates with Differentiation Grade, Targets c-MYC, and Functions as a Tumor Suppressor in cSCC.

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common cancer and a leading cause of cancer mortality among solid organ transplant recipients. MicroRNAs (miR) are short RNAs that regulate gene expression and cellular functions. Here, we show a negative correlation between miR-203 expression and the differentiation grade of cSCC.

Regulation of Nuclear Hormone Receptors by MYCN-Driven miRNAs Impacts Neural Differentiation and Survival in Neuroblastoma Patients.

MYCN amplification and MYC signaling are associated with high-risk neuroblastoma with poor prognosis. Treating these tumors remains challenging, although therapeutic approaches stimulating differentiation have generated considerable interest. We have previously shown that the MYCN-regulated miR-17∼92 cluster inhibits neuroblastoma differentiation by repressing estrogen receptor alpha.

Genome-wide localization of small molecules.

A vast number of small-molecule ligands, including therapeutic drugs under development and in clinical use, elicit their effects by binding specific proteins associated with the genome. An ability to map the direct interactions of a chemical entity with chromatin genome-wide could provide important insights into chemical perturbation of cellular function. Here we describe a method that couples ligand-affinity capture and massively parallel DNA sequencing (Chem-seq) to identify the sites bound by small chemical molecules throughout the human genome.

Global transcriptional and translational repression in human-embryonic-stem-cell-derived Rett syndrome neurons.

Rett syndrome (RTT) is caused by mutations of MECP2, a methyl CpG binding protein thought to act as a global transcriptional repressor. Here we show, using an isogenic human embryonic stem cell model of RTT, that MECP2 mutant neurons display key molecular and cellular features of this disorder. Unbiased global gene expression analyses demonstrate that MECP2 functions as a global activator in neurons but not in neural precursors.

Face gender modulates women's brain activity during face encoding.

Women typically remember more female than male faces, whereas men do not show a reliable own-gender bias. However, little is known about the neural correlates of this own-gender bias in face recognition memory. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated whether face gender modulated brain activity in fusiform and inferior occipital gyri during incidental encoding of faces.

Selective inhibition of tumor oncogenes by disruption of super-enhancers.

Chromatin regulators have become attractive targets for cancer therapy, but it is unclear why inhibition of these ubiquitous regulators should have gene-specific effects in tumor cells. Here, we investigate how inhibition of the widely expressed transcriptional coactivator BRD4 leads to selective inhibition of the MYC oncogene in multiple myeloma (MM). BRD4 and Mediator were found to co-occupy thousands of enhancers associated with active genes.

Cognitive sex differences are not magnified as a function of age, sex hormones, or puberty development during early adolescence.

Are cognitive sex differences magnified by individual differences in age, sex hormones, or puberty development? Cross-sectional samples of 12- to 14-year-old boys (n = 85) and girls (n = 102) completed tasks assessing episodic memory, face recognition, verbal fluency, and mental rotations. Blood estradiol, free testosterone, and self-rated puberty scores were obtained. Sex differences were found on all cognitive measures.

Revisiting global gene expression analysis.

Gene expression analysis is a widely used and powerful method for investigating the transcriptional behavior of biological systems, for classifying cell states in disease, and for many other purposes. Recent studies indicate that common assumptions currently embedded in experimental and analytical practices can lead to misinterpretation of global gene expression data. We discuss these assumptions and describe solutions that should minimize erroneous interpretation of gene expression data from multiple analysis platforms.

Transcriptional amplification in tumor cells with elevated c-Myc.

Elevated expression of the c-Myc transcription factor occurs frequently in human cancers and is associated with tumor aggression and poor clinical outcome. The effect of high levels of c-Myc on global gene regulation is poorly understood but is widely thought to involve newly activated or repressed "Myc target genes." We report here that in tumor cells expressing high levels of c-Myc the transcription factor accumulates in the promoter regions of active genes and causes transcriptional amplification, producing increased levels of transcripts within the cell's gene expression program.

Who are you looking at? The influence of face gender on visual attention and memory for own- and other-race faces.

Previous research suggests that the own-race bias (ORB) in memory for faces is a result of other-race faces receiving less visual attention at encoding. As women typically display an own-gender bias in memory for faces and men do not, we investigated whether face gender and sex of viewer influenced visual attention and memory for own- and other-race faces, and if preferential viewing of own-race faces contributed to the ORB in memory. Participants viewed pairs of female or male own- and other-race faces while their viewing time was recorded.

MicroRNA-203 functions as a tumor suppressor in basal cell carcinoma.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the skin represents the most common malignancy in humans. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small regulatory RNAs with pleiotropic function, are commonly misregulated in cancer. Here we identify miR-203, a miRNA abundantly and preferentially expressed in skin, to be downregulated in BCCs.

Master transcription factors determine cell-type-specific responses to TGF-β signaling.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling, mediated through the transcription factors Smad2 and Smad3 (Smad2/3), directs different responses in different cell types. Here we report that Smad3 co-occupies the genome with cell-type-specific master transcription factors. Thus, Smad3 occupies the genome with Oct4 in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), Myod1 in myotubes, and PU.

Output power distributions of terminals in a 3G mobile communication network.

The objective of this study was to examine the distribution of the output power of mobile phones and other terminals connected to a 3G network in Sweden. It is well known that 3G terminals can operate with very low output power, particularly for voice calls. Measurements of terminal output power were conducted in the Swedish TeliaSonera 3G network in November 2008 by recording network statistics.

Drooling: are botulinum toxin injections into the major salivary glands a good treatment option?

There are several treatment options available for drooling; botulinum toxin injections into the major salivary glands are one. There is no consensus as to how many and which glands should be injected. A research project on this topic was terminated because of adverse effects.

Targeting MYC-Regulated miRNAs to Combat Cancer.

The MYC protein controls many cellular processes, including proliferation, cell cycle progression, cell growth, metabolism, angiogenesis, differentiation, cell adhesion, and motility. This is primarily achieved through transcriptional regulation of large gene networks that ultimately results in activation or repression of target genes. Given its broad regulatory scope, the expression of the MYC gene itself needs to be tightly controlled.

Women's own-gender bias in face recognition memory.

Women remember more female than male faces, whereas men do not seem to display an own-gender bias in face recognition memory. Why women remember female faces to a greater extent than male faces is unclear; one proposition is that women attend more to and thereby process female faces more effortfully than male faces during encoding. A manipulation that distracts attention and reduces effortful processing may therefore decrease women's own-gender bias by reducing memory for female faces relative to male faces.

MYCN-regulated microRNAs repress estrogen receptor-alpha (ESR1) expression and neuronal differentiation in human neuroblastoma.

MYCN, a proto-oncogene normally expressed in the migrating neural crest, is in its amplified state a key factor in the genesis of human neuroblastoma (NB). However, the mechanisms underlying MYCN-mediated NB progression are poorly understood. Here, we present a MYCN-induced miRNA signature in human NB involving the activation and transrepression of several miRNA genes from paralogous clusters.

DLEU2, frequently deleted in malignancy, functions as a critical host gene of the cell cycle inhibitory microRNAs miR-15a and miR-16-1.

The microRNAs miR-15a and miR-16-1 are downregulated in multiple tumor types and are frequently deleted in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. Despite their abundance in most cells the transcriptional regulation of miR-15a/16-1 remains unclear. Here we demonstrate that the putative tumor suppressor DLEU2 acts as a host gene of these microRNAs.

Anti-inflammatory activity of beta2-agonists in primary lung epithelial cells is independent of glucocorticoid receptor.

In patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the addition of long-acting beta(2)-agonists (LABA) to glucocorticosteroids (GCS) results in better control than increasing the dose of GCS alone. In smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts, one apparent underlying mechanism involves the ability of LABAs to activate the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). The present study investigates the effects of formoterol (FORM), salmeterol (SALM) and budesonide (BUD) on GR activation in bronchial epithelial cells via tumour necrosis factor-alpha-stimulated granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) release, GR nuclear translocation and GR-regulated reporter gene activity.

c-Myc-dependent etoposide-induced apoptosis involves activation of Bax and caspases, and PKCdelta signaling.

The c-Myc transcription factor is a key regulator of cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. While deregulation of myc induces programmed cell death, defects in the apoptotic program facilitate Myc-driven tumor development. We have treated c-Myc inducible mouse cells and rat fibroblasts with different c-myc status with cytotoxic drugs to explore the effect of c-Myc on drug-induced apoptosis.

[Botulinum toxin. A new therapeutic alternative in spastic dysphonia (laryngeal abductor dystonia)].

Laryngeal dystonia is a condition characterized by involuntary spasms of the laryngeal muscles. In most patients this involves the adductor laryngeal muscles (adductor laryngeal dystonia). Treatment with a variety of therapies, including speech therapy and pharmacotherapy, have led to minimal improvement.

Second malignant neoplasms in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

The incidence of second malignant neoplasms (SMN) was analyzed in 714 patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx. With a minimum follow-up of 3.5 years and 2,540 person-years at risk 84 SMN (10 synchronous and 74 metachronous) developed in 81 patients.