Publications by authors named "Wenda Ye"

Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) related to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has better survival outcomes compared to non-HPV-related OPSCC, leading to efforts to de-escalate the intensity of treatment to reduce associated morbidity. This article reviews recent clinical efforts to explore different de-escalation frameworks with a particular emphasis on the emergence of transoral robotic surgery and surgically driven de-escalation approaches. It discusses the current evidence for incorporating surgery into an evolving treatment paradigm for HPV-related OPSCC.

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Background: Tracheal adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a slow growing yet aggressive malignancy with high rates of local recurrence as well as distant metastasis. Tracheal ACC exhibit a low mutation burden along with high mutational diversity, and generally do not respond well to chemotherapeutics.

Methods: We present a rare case of primary tracheal ACC initially presenting with nonspecific cervicalgia and globus sensation that was ultimately treated with tracheal resection followed by chemoradiation.

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Objectives: Recent immunologic study of the adaptive immune repertoire in the subglottic airway demonstrated high-frequency T cell clones that do not overlap between individuals. However, the anatomic distribution and antigenic target of the T cell repertoire in the proximal airway mucosa remain unresolved.

Methods: Single-cell RNA sequencing of matched scar and unaffected mucosa from idiopathic subglottic stenosis patients (iSGS, n = 32) was performed and compared with airway mucosa from healthy controls (n = 10).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how comorbidities affect the occurrence of immediate post-operative complications in patients who had oral cavity composite resection with free flap reconstruction.
  • Data was gathered from 320 patients treated from 1999 to 2020, revealing that 37.8% experienced post-operative complications, with common issues being cardiopulmonary events, pneumonia, and wound infections.
  • Patients without comorbidities were less likely to face complications, while conditions like atrial fibrillation and cerebrovascular disease significantly increased the risk of complications, particularly pneumonia.
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Objectives: Recent translational scientific efforts in subglottic stenosis (SGS) support a disease model where epithelial alterations facilitate microbiome displacement, dysregulated immune activation, and localized fibrosis. Given the observed immune cell infiltrate in SGS, we sought to test the hypothesis that SGS cases possessed a low diversity (highly clonal) adaptive immune response when compared with healthy controls.

Methods: Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of subglottic mucosal scar in iSGS (n = 24), iLTS (n = 8), and healthy controls (n = 7) was performed.

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Objective: Idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) is a rare, recurrent, fibroinflammatory disease affecting the larynx and proximal trachea. Given it occurs primarily in adult females, estrogen is speculated to play a central pathophysiological role. This study aimed to evaluate relationships between estrogen exposure, disease progression, and recurrence.

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Objective: This study utilized a population database to investigate how social environments are associated with outcomes including stage at diagnosis, multimodal treatment, and disease-specific survival for oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of adults with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma between 2007 and 2016 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, End Results (SEER) registry was performed. The CDC's social vulnerability index (SVI) was used to characterize social vulnerability at the county level.

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Objectives: Idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) is an unexplained progressive fibrosis of the upper airway. iSGS almost exclusively affects women; as a result, female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) have been proposed to participate in the pathogenesis of iSGS. Our aim was to localize cell-specific gene expression of estrogen receptors (ESR1 and ESR2) and progesterone receptor (PGR) using an established iSGS single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) cell atlas.

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Background: Given the complex three-dimensional (3D) anatomy of head and neck cancer specimens, head and neck surgeons often have difficulty relocating the site of an initial positive margin to perform re-resection. This cadaveric study aimed to determine the feasibility and accuracy of augmented reality surgery to guide head and neck cancer re-resections.

Methods: This study investigated three cadaveric specimens.

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Squamous cell carcinoma in cervical lymph nodes arising from an undetected primary tumour, termed carcinoma of unknown primary (SCCUP), is a well-recognized clinical presentation within head and neck oncology. SCCUP is a common presentation for patients with human papillomavirus-mediated oropharyngeal cancer (HPV + OPSCC), as patients with HPV + OPSCC often present with smaller primary tumours and early nodal metastasis. Meticulous work-up of the SCCUP patient is central to the management of these patients as identification of the primary site improves overall survival and allows for definitive oncologic resection or more focused radiation when indicated.

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Inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) antagonists have shown activity in preclinical models of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and work across several cancer types has demonstrated diverse immune stimulatory effects including enhancement of T cell, NK cell, and dendritic cell function. However, tumor-cell-intrinsic mechanisms for this immune upregulation have been largely unexplored. In this study, we show that ASTX660, an antagonist of cIAP1/2 and XIAP, induces expression of immunogenic cell death (ICD) markers in sensitive HNSCC cell lines .

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Objectives: Prior studies suggest that oxaliplatin is unique among platinum chemotherapy drugs in its ability to enhance anti-tumor immunity, but the immune mechanisms of different platinum chemotherapy drugs have not been previously compared in preclinical models of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Materials And Methods: Human HNSCC cell lines were treated with cisplatin or oxaliplatin, then assessed for markers associated with immunogenic cell death (ICD) and antigen processing. A syngeneic mouse model of oral cancer was then used to compare the effects of cisplatin vs.

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Purpose: Human papillomavirus-negative (HPV) head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) harbor frequent genomic amplification of Fas-associated death domain, with or without concurrent amplification of Baculovirus inhibitor of apoptosis repeat containing (BIRC2/3) genes encoding cellular inhibitor of apoptosis proteins 1/2 (cIAP1/2). Antagonists targeting cIAP1 have been reported to enhance sensitivity of HPV, but not HPV tumors, to TNF family death ligands (TNF and TRAIL) and radiation. We tested a novel dual cIAP/XIAP antagonist ASTX660 in HPV and HPV cell lines in combination with death ligands TNFα and TRAIL, and in preclinical xenograft models with radiation, an inducer of death ligands.

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Background Context: Prior studies have shown that patient-reported allergies can be prognostic of poorer postoperative outcomes.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between self-reported allergies and outcomes after cervical or lumbar spine surgery.

Study Design/setting: This is a retrospective cohort study at a single tertiary care institution.

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Purpose: Parenchymal mass preservation, and ischemia type and/or duration can influence functional recovery after partial nephrectomy. Some groups have hypothesized that relevant comorbidities may also impact nephron stability and functional recovery but this has not been adequately investigated.

Materials And Methods: At our center 405 patients treated with partial nephrectomy from 2007 to 2015 had the necessary data to determine the function and parenchymal mass preserved in the ipsilateral kidney.

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Article Synopsis
  • Acquired aplastic anemia (aAA) is a condition characterized by a deficiency in blood production and an increased risk of developing myelodysplastic syndrome and leukemia, likely driven by T cell immunity related to Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) class II pathways.
  • Recent research using whole exome sequencing discovered significant mutations in HLA class I genes in some aAA patients, suggesting these mutations may play a crucial role in autoimmunity associated with the disease.
  • The study found that 17% of screened aAA patients had somatic HLA class I losses and that specific HLA alleles (*14:02 and *40:02) were more common in aAA patients compared to controls; these mutations correlate with
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Olfactory sensory axons target well-defined intermediate targets in the zebrafish olfactory bulb called protoglomeruli well before they form odorant receptor-specific glomeruli. A subset of olfactory sensory neurons are labeled by expression of the or111-7:IRES:GAL4 transgene whose axons terminate in the central zone (CZ) protoglomerulus. Previous work has shown that some of these axons misproject to the more dorsal and anterior dorsal zone (DZ) protoglomerulus in the absence of Netrin 1/Dcc signaling.

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Acquired aplastic anemia (aAA) is a nonmalignant disease caused by autoimmune destruction of early hematopoietic cells. Clonal hematopoiesis is a late complication, seen in 20-25% of older patients. We hypothesized that clonal hematopoiesis in aAA is a more general phenomenon, which can arise early in disease, even in younger patients.

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Synopsis of recent research by authors named "Wenda Ye"

  • Wenda Ye's research primarily focuses on the intersection of head and neck oncology, particularly in understanding treatment modalities for oropharyngeal and airway cancers, including the role of HPV and the implications of surgical techniques.
  • His recent studies explore the risks and benefits of treatment de-escalation strategies in oropharyngeal carcinoma, highlighting robotic surgery as a promising approach to improve patient outcomes with reduced morbidity.
  • Additionally, Ye's work utilizes advanced techniques like single-cell RNA sequencing to investigate immune responses and hormonal influences in diseases like idiopathic subglottic stenosis and tracheal adenoid cystic carcinoma, offering insights into the tumor microenvironment and potential therapeutic targets.