Clinical nodal stage is a significant predictor of outcome in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma and pathologically negative neck metastases: results of the international consortium for outcome research.

Background: We aimed to study the importance of clinical N classification (cN) in a subgroup of patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and pathologically negative neck nodes (pN-).

Methods: A total of 2,258 patients from 11 cancer centers who underwent neck dissection for OSCC (1990-2011) had pN- disease. The median follow-up was 44 months.

Large offspring syndrome: a bovine model for the human loss-of-imprinting overgrowth syndrome Beckwith-Wiedemann.

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is a human loss-of-imprinting syndrome primarily characterized by macrosomia, macroglossia, and abdominal wall defects. BWS has been associated with misregulation of two clusters of imprinted genes. Children conceived with the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) appear to have an increased incidence of BWS.

DETECT: a MATLAB toolbox for event detection and identification in time series, with applications to artifact detection in EEG signals.

Recent advances in sensor and recording technology have allowed scientists to acquire very large time-series datasets. Researchers often analyze these datasets in the context of events, which are intervals of time where the properties of the signal change relative to a baseline signal. We have developed DETECT, a MATLAB toolbox for detecting event time intervals in long, multi-channel time series.

Burkitt's Lymphoma Presenting as Late-Onset Posttransplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder following Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) are a rare, but serious complication following transplantation. Late-onset PTLD are often associated with more monoclonal lesions and consequently have a worse prognosis. There are only isolated case reports of Burkitt's lymphoma presenting as PTLD.

Response of intestinal microbiota to antibiotic growth promoters in chickens.

Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) have been used as feed additives to improve average daily weight gain and feed efficiency in food animals for more than five decades. However, use of AGPs is associated with the emergence of antibiotic-resistant human pathogens of animal origin, posing a significant threat to food safety and public health. Thus, development of novel alternatives to AGPs is important to mitigate antimicrobial resistance in foodborne pathogens.

An outbreak and source investigation of enterococcal spondylitis in broilers caused by Enterococcus cecorum.

Enterococcus cecorum was isolated from spondylitis lesions in broilers from two flocks in North Carolina that were experiencing increased mortality. Affected birds showed paresis and paralysis, clinical signs characteristic of enterococcal spondylitis (ES). Affected birds rested on their hocks and caudal abdomens with legs extended forward and were unable to stand or walk.

Superselective neck dissection: rationale, indications, and results.

It has been established that an appropriately indicated selective neck dissection can achieve the same oncologic results as more extensive dissections. An even more modified selective neck dissection, termed superselective neck dissection, involves the compartmental removal of the fibrofatty tissue contents within the defined boundaries of two or fewer contiguous neck levels. Evidence from retrospective studies suggests that superselective neck dissection (SSND) is oncologically sound for two indications: elective treatment of the clinically N0 neck and salvage treatment of persistent lymph node disease after chemoradiotherapy.

A Framework for Content-based Retrieval of EEG with Applications to Neuroscience and Beyond.

This paper introduces a prototype framework for content-based EEG retrieval (CBER). Like content-based image retrieval, the proposed framework retrieves EEG segments similar to the query EEG segment in a large database. Such retrieval of EEG can be used to assist data mining of brain signals by allowing researchers to understand the association between brain patterns, responses, and the environment.

Expression of KCNQ1OT1, CDKN1C, H19, and PLAGL1 and the methylation patterns at the KvDMR1 and H19/IGF2 imprinting control regions is conserved between human and bovine.

Background: Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is a loss-of-imprinting pediatric overgrowth syndrome. The primary features of BWS include macrosomia, macroglossia, and abdominal wall defects. Secondary features that are frequently observed in BWS patients are hypoglycemia, nevus flammeus, polyhydramnios, visceromegaly, hemihyperplasia, cardiac malformations, and difficulty breathing.

Conformational analysis of thioflavin T bound to the surface of amyloid fibrils.

The interaction of small molecules with the surface of amyloid assemblies is important for the detection and inhibition of amyloid formation. Thioflavin T (ThT), a small molecular rotor, has been used for the detection of amyloid fibrils for over half a century. The basis for detection is simple in that in the presence of fibrils the fluorescence of ThT is dramatically enhanced.

Pathology of the ear.

The external ear is exposed to weathering and trauma; it also has sparse vascularity, making it prone to infection and disease. The external location of the cutaneous ear makes it easily visible for diagnosis and accessible for treatment. In this article, the authors focus on diseases of the ear that are most commonly encountered and may be subject to surgical and medical evaluation and/or treatment.

Kinetic profile of amyloid formation in the presence of an aromatic inhibitor by nuclear magnetic resonance.

The self-assembly of amyloid proteins into β-sheet rich assemblies is associated with human amyloidoses including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and type 2 diabetes. An attractive therapeutic strategy therefore is to develop small molecules that would inhibit protein self-assembly. Natural polyphenols are potential inhibitors of β-sheet formation.

Characterization and robust classification of EEG signal from image RSVP events with independent time-frequency features.

Unlabelled: This paper considers the problem of automatic characterization and detection of target images in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task based on EEG data. A novel method that aims to identify single-trial event-related potentials (ERPs) in time-frequency is proposed, and a robust classifier with feature clustering is developed to better utilize the correlated ERP features. The method is applied to EEG recordings of a RSVP experiment with multiple sessions and subjects.

Molecular epidemiology of Enterococcus cecorum isolates recovered from enterococcal spondylitis outbreaks in the southeastern United States.

Enterococcus cecorum, a normal intestinal inhabitant, is increasingly responsible for outbreaks of arthritis and osteomyelitis in chickens worldwide. Enterococcal spondylitis (ES) is a specific manifestation of E. cecorum-associated disease in which increased flock morbidity and mortality result from chronic infection involving the free thoracic vertebra.

The evolving role of selective neck dissection for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Neck dissection is an important part of the surgical treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The historical concept of neck dissection implied the removal of all lymph node-bearing tissue in the neck, which began in the late nineteenth century. However, more conservative variations of neck dissection have been performed and promoted as well.

Pilot, randomized trial of resistance exercise during radiation therapy for head and neck cancer.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of a randomized trial of resistance exercise in patients with head and neck cancer receiving radiation.

Methods: Fifteen patients with head and neck cancer receiving radiation were randomized to resistance exercise (using resistance bands) or control group. Resistance exercise occurred at the radiation therapy site (weeks 1-6) and home (weeks 7-12).

Efficacy of super-selective neck dissection following chemoradiation for advanced head and neck cancer.

Background: Hypothesizing that neck-level specific locations of residual lymph node metastases following chemoradiation for head and neck cancer are highly predictable, the efficacy of the more targeted lymphadenectomy procedure called super-selective neck dissection (SSND) was evaluated.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the databases from 2 institutions indicated that 35 SSND's were performed on 30 patients following chemoradiation as either a planned or early salvage intervention.

Results: Over a median follow-up of 33 (range: 8-72) months, 8 patients developed recurrent disease (3 primary, 5 distant) but there were no isolated recurrences in the neck.

Cetuximab in refractory skin cancer treatment.

Objectives: Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common malignancy in US, with an annual incidence of in excess of 1.5 million cases. In the majority of cases, locoregional treatment is curative and systemic therapy is not indicated.

EEGVIS: A MATLAB Toolbox for Browsing, Exploring, and Viewing Large Datasets.

Recent advances in data monitoring and sensor technology have accelerated the acquisition of very large data sets. Streaming data sets from instrumentation such as multi-channel EEG recording usually must undergo substantial pre-processing and artifact removal. Even when using automated procedures, most scientists engage in laborious manual examination and processing to assure high quality data and to indentify interesting or problematic data segments.

Detection and classification of subject-generated artifacts in EEG signals using autoregressive models.

We examine the problem of accurate detection and classification of artifacts in continuous EEG recordings. Manual identification of artifacts, by means of an expert or panel of experts, can be tedious, time-consuming and infeasible for large datasets. We use autoregressive (AR) models for feature extraction and characterization of EEG signals containing several kinds of subject-generated artifacts.

Curcumin modulates the self-assembly of the islet amyloid polypeptide by disassembling α-helix.

Understanding how small molecules affect amyloid formation is of major biomedical and pharmaceutical importance due to the association of amyloid with incurable diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and type II diabetes. Using solution state (1)H NMR, we demonstrate that curcumin, a planar biphenolic compound found in the Indian spice turmeric, delays the self-assembly of islet amyloid polypeptide to NMR-invisible assemblies. Accompanying circular dichroism studies show that curcumin disassembles α-helix in maturing assemblies of IAPP.

Helix-dipole effects in peptide self-assembly to amyloid.

The formation of amyloid fibrils is associated with incurable diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and type 2 diabetes. Important mechanistic details of the self-assembly are unknown partly because of the absence of a clear structural characterization of intermediates. There is experimental evidence, however, for α-helical intermediates that has come primarily from circular dichroism spectroscopy.

A phase II study of submandibular gland transfer prior to radiation for prevention of radiation-induced xerostomia in head-and-neck cancer (RTOG 0244).

Purpose: We report the results of a phase II study to determine the reproducibility of a submandibular salivary gland transfer (SGT) surgical technique for prevention of radiation (XRT)-induced xerostomia in a multi-institutional setting and to assess severity of xerostomia.

Methods And Materials: Eligible patients had surgery for primary, neck dissection, and SGT, followed by XRT, during which the transferred salivary gland was shielded. Intensity modulated radiation therapy, amifostine, and pilocarpine were not allowed, but postoperative chemotherapy was allowed.