Associations of plasma aprepitant and its N-dealkylated metabolite with cachexia status and clinical responses in head and neck cancer patients.

Purpose: Oral aprepitant has a large interindividual variation in clinical responses in advanced cancer. This study aimed to characterize plasma aprepitant and its N-dealkylated metabolite (ND-AP) based on the cachexia status and clinical responses in head and neck cancer patients.

Methods: Fifty-three head and neck cancer patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy with oral aprepitant were enrolled.

Postoperative Course of Pars Flaccida Cholesteatoma Patients With Habitual Sniffing.

Objective: To investigate the effects of habitual sniffing on the postoperative course of pars flaccida cholesteatoma.

Study Design: Retrospective case series study.

Setting: University hospital.

Correlations between serum cetuximab and EGFR-related markers, and skin disorders in head and neck cancer patients.

Purpose: Cetuximab inhibits epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling in cancer and skin cells, thereby inducing anti-cancer effects and skin disorders. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationships between serum cetuximab and EGFR-related markers, and adverse effects in head and neck cancer patients.

Methods: Thirty-four head and neck cancer patients receiving weekly intravenous cetuximab were enrolled.

Immunohistochemical location of Na, K-ATPase α1 subunit in the human inner ear.

Na, K-ATPase (Na,K-ATPase) is an ubiquitous enzyme in the inner ear and a key factor in the maintenance of the osmotic gradient of the endolymph. This study uses Na,K-ATPase α1 subunit immunoreactivity (IR) to identify cellular structures in the normal and disease human cochlea. Formalin-fixed celloidin-embedded (FFCE) human temporal bone sections were immunoreacted with mouse monoclonal antibodies against Na,K-ATPase α1 subunit.

Genetic Hearing Loss Associated With Autoinflammation.

Sensorineural hearing loss can result from dysfunction of the inner ear, auditory nerve, or auditory pathways in the central nervous system. Sensorineural hearing loss can be associated with age, exposure to ototoxic drugs or noise, or mutations in nuclear or mitochondrial genes. However, it is idiopathic in some patients.

Repair of trapped topoisomerase II covalent cleavage complexes: Novel proteasome-independent mechanisms.

Topoisomerase II (TOP2) resolves topologically entwined duplex DNA. It generates a transient DNA double-strand break intermediate, known as TOP2 cleavage complex (TOP2cc) that contains a covalent link between TOP2 and the 5'-terminus of the incised DNA duplex. Etoposide, a frontline anticancer drug, freezes the intermediate and forms irreversible TOP2ccs.

Relevance of Level IIb Neck Dissection in Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas.

Background: Cervical nodal metastasis is the most important prognostic factor in patients with head and neck cancers. Unfortunately, nodal dissection at level IIb carries a risk of damage to the spinal accessory nerve. We aimed to determine the prevalence of level IIb metastasis and the relevance of nodal dissection at level IIb in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

Management of elderly patients with head and neck carcinoma: analysis of outcomes for radical versus palliative treatment.

Background: There are no universally accepted treatment recommendations for elderly patients with head and neck carcinomas. This study investigated whether radical treatment in elderly patients resulted in better survival compared with palliative treatment.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 724 patients aged > 60 years who underwent treatment for primary head and neck carcinomas at Hamamatsu University Hospital.

Third Epidemiological Analysis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in the Central Region of Japan from 2006 to 2015.

The present study aimed to clarify the incidence and clinical outcomes of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in the Chubu region of Japan from 2006 to 2015, compared with previous reports. A retrospective analysis was conducted based on medical records from 40 hospitals located in the Chubu region in the central Japanese main island, with a population of around 22.66 million individuals.

Risk Factors and Prognostic Factors of Hearing Impairment in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit-Treated Infants.

Background: Infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) have a higher incidence of congenital hearing loss compared with the healthy newborn population.

Objectives: To clarify the relationship between risk factors for hearing impairment in NICU-treated infants and deterioration of the auditory brainstem response (ABR) threshold during childhood.

Method: We screened 1,071 high-risk infants admitted to the NICU for hearing impairment.

An Ameloblastoma in the Middle Ear.

An ameloblastoma is a locally aggressive odontogenic tumour that commonly develops from the odontogenic epithelium within the jawbone. Here we present for the first time a case of a rare primary ameloblastoma in the middle ear cavity, along with some consideration of its treatment and a new classification. A 65-year-old woman presented with a left middle ear cavity tumour.

Clinical analysis of false-negative fine needle aspiration cytology of head and neck cancers.

Background: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is frequently used for initial and/or preoperative diagnosis of tumors in the head and neck region. However, false-negative results can lead to misdiagnosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic results of FNA in the head and neck region and the reasons for false-negative cases.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy as Concurrent Treatment with Systemic Steroids for Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Comparison of Three Different Steroid Treatments.

We analyzed 356 patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy and systemic steroids (n = 161), systemic steroids alone (n = 160), or intratympanic and systemic steroids (n = 35). The main outcome measure was the hearing recovery rate. The effect of other variables, including the initial averaged 5-frequency hearing level, patient age, interval between the onset of symptoms and treatment, presence of vertigo as a complication, presence of diabetes mellitus, smoking history, and presence of hypertension, on the hearing recovery rate was also evaluated.

Immunohistochemical localization of megalin and cubilin in the human inner ear.

Megalin and cubilin are endocytic receptors expressed in many absorptive polarized epithelia. These receptors have been implicated in the transport of gentamicin in the inner ear as possible contributors to ototoxic damage. Megalin and cubilin have been characterized in detail in the mouse and rat inner ear, but not in the human inner ear.

Trough-Shaped Audiograms Are Common in Patients with Acoustic Neuroma and Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

Acoustic neuroma sometimes presents with sudden-onset sensorineural hearing loss as a primary symptom. We investigated 848 untreated cases that included 20 cases with acoustic neuroma with sudden-onset sensorineural hearing loss and 828 cases without acoustic neuroma. Fourteen of the 20 acoustic neuroma and 90 of the 828 cases of sudden-onset sensorineural hearing loss showed a trough-shaped audiogram with the greatest amount of hearing loss in the mid-frequency range.

Immunohistochemical localization of Nrf2 in the human cochlea.

Oxidative stress plays an important role in several inner ear diseases and normal aging. Nuclear (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2, also known as Nrf2, is a transcription factor encoded by the NFE2L2 gene that controls the expression of genes necessary to reduce oxidative stress. There are no studies to the date on the localization of Nrf2 in the human inner ear in normal or pathological conditions.