A Multi-Center Study of Ossiculoplasty Hearing Outcomes and a Grading Scale of Ear Environment Risk.

Objective: To determine which ear environment risk factors impact ossiculoplasty hearing outcomes and to generate a statistically-valid grading system for ossiculoplasty outcome reporting.

Study Type: Retrospective case series.

Methods: A multi-institutional database was generated from cases performed between 2011 and 2019.

National Trends in 30-Day Readmission Following Transoral Robotic Surgery for Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Importance: As the incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) continues to rise in the US, an increasing number of patients are being treated with transoral robotic surgery (TORS). Readmission following surgery can potentially delay initiation of adjuvant treatment and affect survival outcomes.

Objective: To identify risk factors for 30-day postoperative readmission in patients undergoing TORS for OPSCC.

Pedicled osteomyocutaneous pectoralis major flap with osseous rib harvest for salvage mandibular reconstruction: Case and technique.

In the era of free flap reconstruction, mandibular defects are routinely reconstructed with osseous free flaps, and non-free flap bony reconstruction options are limited. A patient with T4N0 mandibular squamous cell carcinoma underwent resection with fibula free flap reconstruction of a parasymphyseal to angle defect. After free flap failure due to venous congestion, the flap was explanted.

Immediate resection of positive margins improves local control in oral tongue cancer.

Objectives: This study investigates the impact of immediate resection of positive margins on local control of oral tongue cancer.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed 273 consecutive oral tongue cancers resected from 2013 to 2018. Additional resection was performed in cases during the initial operation based on surgeon inspection of the specimen and/or frozen margins.

Response to induction chemotherapy in sinonasal malignancies: A single-institutional experience.

Background: Sinonasal malignancy (SNM) is a heterogeneous group of diseases for which induction chemotherapy (IC) may reduce tumor burden. The purpose of this study was to characterize the response to IC in SNM as a prognostic factor through its effect on survival.

Methods: Retrospective cohort of patients undergoing IC for SNM between 2010 and 2019 at our quaternary referral center.

Hypothyroidism as an Independent Predictor of 30-day Readmission in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.

Objectives: To define the role of hypothyroidism and other risk factors for unplanned readmissions after surgery for head and neck cancer.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Methods: The Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) was used to identify patients who underwent surgery for mucosal head and neck cancer (oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx) between 2010 and 2017.

Use of 3-dimensional printing at the point-of-care to manage a complex wound in hemifacial necrotizing fasciitis: a case report.

Background: Complex facial wounds can be difficult to stabilize due to proximity of vital structures. We present a case in which a patient-specific wound splint was manufactured using computer assisted design and three-dimensional printing at the point-of-care to allow for wound stabilization in the setting of hemifacial necrotizing fasciitis. We also describe the process and implementation of the United States Food and Drug Administration Expanded Access for Medical Devices Emergency Use mechanism.

Improvement in Central Sleep Apnea Following Adenotonsillectomy in Children.

Objective: Previous studies examining changes in central sleep apnea (CSA) following adenotonsillectomy (T&A) performed for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children have been limited by sample size and analysis of only certain populations. The aim of this study was to determine whether CSA improves following T&A and what factors mediate this change.

Methods: This was a retrospective case series from 1994 to 2020 of children undergoing primary T&A for OSA (obstructive apnea-hypopnea index ≥1) with CSA (central apnea index [CAI] ≥1) and preoperative and postoperative polysomnograms within 12 months of T&A.

Assessment of complication rates based on time of feeding initiation in radiologically guided gastrostomy tubes: a retrospective study.

Purpose: We aimed to assess the association between complication rate and time to feeding in a cohort of patients undergoing radiologically guided placement of gastrostomy tubes.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted of all patients receiving pull-type and push-type gastrostomy tubes placed by interventional radiologists between January 1st, 2017 and December 31st, 2018 at a single institution. Primary outcomes included procedural and tube-related complications per medical chart review with a follow-up interval of 30 days.

Environmental activation of a hypothalamic BDNF-adipocyte IL-15 axis regulates adipose-natural killer cells.

Physical and social environments influence immune homeostasis within adipose tissue, yet the mechanisms remain poorly defined. We report that an enriched environment (EE) housing modulates the immune cell population in white adipose tissue of mice including an increase in the abundance of natural killer (NK) cells. EE upregulates the expression of IL-15 and its receptor IL-15Rα specifically within mature adipocytes.

Association between patient-reported barriers and HIV clinic appointment attendance: A prospective cohort study.

The association between patients' confidence in their ability to attend appointments and future retention in care has not previously been studied in a general HIV clinic. A survey of potential and known risk factors for poor retention was developed using validated screening tools and administered to 105 patients at an HIV clinic. Retention in care was assessed prospectively using two definitions: (1) two appointments at least three months apart within one year ("HRSA/HAB retention") and (2) no missed appointments within one year ("missed visits retention").

Frequency-Specific Analysis of Hearing Outcomes Associated with Ossiculoplasty Versus Stapedotomy.

Objective: Surgery on the ossicular chain may impact its underlying mechanical properties. This study aims to investigate comparative differences in frequency-specific hearing outcomes for ossiculoplasty versus stapedotomy.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on subjects who underwent ossiculoplasty with partial ossicular replacement prosthesis (PORP) or laser stapedotomy with self-crimping nitinol/fluoroplastic piston, and achieved closure of postoperative pure tone average air-bone gap (PTA-ABG) ≤ 15 dB.

The Utility of Numeric Grading Scales of Middle Ear Risk in Predicting Ossiculoplasty Hearing Outcomes.

Objective: To assess the usefulness of numeric grading scales of middle ear risk in predicting ossiculoplasty hearing outcomes.

Study Design: Retrospective review.

Setting: Tertiary care, academic medical center.

Art as a Learning Tool: Medical Student Perspectives on Implementing Visual Art into Histology Education.

Creating visual art to teach and learn histologic concepts is uncommon. A pilot visual art program was developed for use in first-year medical student courses that include histology with the hypothesis that creating visual art would subjectively improve the learning process and lead to learner-based personal incorporation of art into in future learning. Prior to the term, volunteers (n=25) were recruited from 89 first-year medical students.

Enriched environment regulates thymocyte development and alleviates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice.

Environmental and social factors have profound impacts on immune homeostasis. Our work on environmental enrichment (EE) has revealed a novel anti-obesity and anticancer phenotype associated with enhanced activity of CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes in secondary lymphoid tissues. Here we investigated how an EE modulated thymus and thymocyte development.

Environmental and Genetic Activation of Hypothalamic BDNF Modulates T-cell Immunity to Exert an Anticancer Phenotype.

Macroenvironmental factors, including a patient's physical and social environment, play a role in cancer risk and progression. Our previous studies show that living in an enriched environment (EE) providing complex stimuli confers an anticancer phenotype in mice mediated, in part by a specific neuroendocrine axis, with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as the key brain mediator. Here, we investigated how an EE modulated T-cell immunity and its role in the EE-induced anticancer effects.