Stress and telomere length in leukocytes: Investigating the role of GABRA6 gene polymorphism and cortisol.

Telomere length (TL) is considered a biomarker of aging, and short TL in leukocytes is related to age and stress-related health problems. Cumulative lifetime stress exposure has also been associated with shorter TL and age-related health problems, but the mechanisms are not well understood. We tested in 108 individuals whether shorter TL in leukocytes is observed in individuals with the GABRA6 TT genotype, which has been associated with dysregulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity (the main biological stress system) compared to the CC genotype.

A nationwide survey of dysphagia as a complication of deep neck infection with abscess in Japan.

Objective: Deep neck infection with abscess (DNI) may cause dysphagia as a late complication. This study aimed to determine the rate of DNI related dysphagia (DNIRD) and the effectiveness of rehabilitation and surgery for DNIRD.

Methods: As a multicenter retrospective study, we conducted a nationwide survey by sending questionnaires to specialist training institutions certified by the Japan Broncho-esophagological Society (JBES).

Impact of risk factors in craniofacial mucormycosis.

Background:  Craniofacial mucormycosis is a highly lethal infectious disease. This study aims to assess and analyze multiple variables, including clinical, socioeconomic, and biochemical markers, to identify and examine risk factors for mortality associated with this mycotic infection.

Material And Methods:  A retrospective analysis was conducted on 38 patients who sought medical attention at the Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery Division of a tertiary-level hospital in Monterrey, Mexico.

Significance of adding chemotherapy to radiotherapy in the treatment of T2N0 glottic cancer.

The prognosis for T2N0 glottic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is generally favorable, with a 5-year overall survival rate of 79%-96% achieved with radiotherapy (RT), the standard nonsurgical treatment for this condition. However, the local control rate for T2N0 glottic SCC treated with RT remains suboptimal, with a 5-year local control rate of only 65%-80%. Local residual disease or recurrence following RT for T2N0 glottic SCC often leads to difficulties in laryngeal preservation.

Pros and cons of surgical versus conservative management for head and neck paraganglioma: a real-world data analysis.

Purpose: To compare functional deficits associated to surgery with those caused by the growth of the head and neck paragangliomas (HNPGLs).

Methods: 72 patients with HNPGLs were included. Patients were divided in group A (49 patients undergoing surgery) and group B (23 patients following a wait and see approach).

A panel of cancer testis antigens in squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, head and neck, and esophagus: implication for biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

This study aims to investigate the expression of seven cancer testis antigens (MAGE-A1, MAGE-A4, MAGE-A10, MAGE-A11, PRAME, NY-ESO-1 and KK-LC-1) in pan squamous cell carcinoma and their prognostic value, thus assessing the potential of these CTAs as immunotherapeutic targets. The protein expression of these CTAs was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 60 lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), 62 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCA) and 62 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC). The relationship between CTAs expression and progression-free survival (PFS) was assessed.

Beyond hearing: the impact of Cochlear implantation on the quality of life of users and their communication partners after 1 year.

Objective: To assess the impact of cochlear implantation (CI) and speech perception outcomes on the quality of life (QoL) of adult CI users and their communication partners (CP) one-year post-implantation.

Design: This research is part of a prospective multicenter study in The Netherlands, called SMILE (Societal Merit of Intervention for hearing Loss Evaluation).

Study Sample: Eighty adult CI users completed speech perception testing and the Nijmegen Cochear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ).

Otherwise, inoperable. The role of ECMO in thoracic surgery - focus on the mediastinum.

The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in surgery is expanding as the medical community started adopting it, with good results, for procedures with high risk of respiratory and hemodynamic instability. This technique provided the possibility to reduce the number of patients previously considered inoperable because of these limitations. Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) are rare neoplastic mediastinal lesions, with a reported incidence of 0.

Expansion of medical school admission quotas in Korea, is it really necessary?

Background: In 2024, the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare enforced a policy to increase the number of medical school students by 2,000 over the next 5 years, despite opposition from doctors. This study aims to predict the trend of excess or shortage of medical personnel in Korea due to the policy of increasing the number of medical school students by 2035.

Methods: Data from multiple sources, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare, National Health Insurance Corporation, and the Korean Medical Association, were used to estimate supply and demand.

Synergistic anticancer effects of cisplatin and phenolic aglycones of the aerial part of Rumex dentatus L. in tongue squamous cell carcinoma: insights from network pharmacology and biological verification.

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) ranks as the sixth most common malignancy globally. Cisplatin is the standard chemotherapy for OSCC, but resistance often reduces its efficacy, necessitating new treatments with fewer side effects. Rumex dentatus L.

Novel continuous and quantitative intraoperative facial nerve-monitoring system for temporal bone lesions.

Objective: Intraoperative systems for monitoring facial nerve function, in which temporal electrical stimulation is applied to the facial nerve through electrodes, are used in many surgeries requiring facial nerve preservation; however, continuous stimulation or quantitative evaluation of facial nerve function is difficult with this approach. We examined the usefulness of a continuous and quantitative facial nerve-monitoring system for temporal bone lesions by using our experience to modify the existing methods used for cases involving vestibular schwannomas.

Study Design: Retrospective observational study.

Optimizing skull base defect repair: leveraging the reused nasoseptal flap as a reliable material.

Purpose: The escalating number of endoscopic skull base procedures necessitates exploring additional materials to reduce postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks in revision or staged surgeries. This study evaluates the effectiveness of reused nasoseptal flaps (NSFs) in such clinical scenarios.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on patients who previously underwent surgery involving NSFs and later had revision or secondary skull base surgeries via endoscopic endonasal approaches (EEAs) at a tertiary medical center.

Unveiling the relation between swallowing muscle mass and skeletal muscle mass in head and neck cancer patients.

Purpose: Sarcopenia, characterized by loss of skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and strength, often leads to dysphagia in the elderly. This condition can also worsen treatment outcomes in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients, who are susceptible to swallowing difficulties. This study aimed to establish the correlation between swallowing muscle mass (SwMM) and SMM in HNC patients.

Circulating HPVDNA in patients undergoing transoral robotic surgery for oropharyngeal cancer: liquid biopsy could identify molecular residual disease.

Objectives: we evaluated the hypothesis that level of ctHPVDNA on the first postoperative day (POD-1); and at 15 days (POD-15) could be associated with the need for adjuvant therapy and the presence of recurrence.

Materials And Methods: this is a prospective observational study on biomarkers, focusing on the longitudinal monitoring of ctHPVDNA in a cohort of HPV-OPSCC patients undergoing TORS. Blood samples were collected according to the following schema: (1) pretreatment; (2) on first postoperative day (POD 1); and (3) at 15 days (POD 15).

Balloon-assisted placement of rib graft in endoscopic posterior cricoid split; a new technique.

Objective: This study aims to compare the outcomes of balloon-assisted rib graft placement with traditional graft placement in Endoscopic Posterior Cricoid Split with Rib Graft Placement (EPCS/RG).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 23 patients who underwent EPCS/RG by a single senior surgeon at King Saud University Medical City from 2017 to 2024. Data were collected on demographics, surgical approach, and operative time.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and corticosteroids as combined treatment for acute acoustic trauma.

Purpose: Acute acoustic trauma (AAT) is a sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) due to exposure to high intensity impulse noise. There are no acceptable treatment guidelines, although several studies showed steroids could be effective in restoring hearing levels. A recent report suggested that steroids combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) are a superior regiment for AAT.

Measurement and Assessment of Head-to-Helmet Contact Forces.

Purpose: To evaluate the population variation in head-to-helmet contact forces in helmet users.

Methods: Four different size Kevlar composite helmets were instrumented with contact pressure sensors and chinstrap tension meters. A total number of 89 volunteers (25 female and 64 male volunteers) participated in the study.

A multicenter study of neurofibromatosis type 1 utilizing deep learning for whole body tumor identification.

Deep-learning models have shown promise in differentiating between benign and malignant lesions. Previous studies have primarily focused on specific anatomical regions, overlooking tumors occurring throughout the body with highly heterogeneous whole-body backgrounds. Using neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) as an example, this study developed highly accurate MRI-based deep-learning models for the early automated screening of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) against complex whole-body background.

Explainable vision transformer for automatic visual sleep staging on multimodal PSG signals.

Polysomnography (PSG) is crucial for diagnosing sleep disorders, but manual scoring of PSG is time-consuming and subjective, leading to high variability. While machine-learning models have improved PSG scoring, their clinical use is hindered by the 'black-box' nature. In this study, we present SleepXViT, an automatic sleep staging system using Vision Transformer (ViT) that provides intuitive, consistent explanations by mimicking human 'visual scoring'.

CAFs-released exosomal CREB1 promotes cell progression and immune evasion in thyroid cancer via the positive regulation of CCL20.

Background: Exosomes derived from cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) can affect tumor microenvironment (TME) of thyroid cancer (TC). The cAMP response element binding protein 1 (CREB1) acts as a transcription factor to participate in cancer development. Currently, we aimed to explore the molecular mechanism of exosome-associated CREB1 and C-C motif chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20) in TC.

Aberrant promoter methylation of CTHRC1 gene and its clinicopathological characteristics in head and neck cancer.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is genetically complex and difficult to treat. Detection in the early stage is challenging, leading to diagnosis at advanced stages with limited treatment options. This study examined the collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 gene (CTHRC1) as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in HNSCC.

Validation of Muscle Ultrasound Speckle Tracking and the Effect of Nordic Hamstring Exercise on Biceps Femoris Displacement.

Objective: This study aimed to validate the ultrasound speckle tracking (UST) algorithm, determine the optimal probe location by comparing normalized cross-correlation (NCC) values of muscle displacement at two locations (proximal vs. middle) of the biceps femoris long head (BFlh) using the UST, and investigate the effects of Nordic hamstring curl exercise (NHE) training on BFlh displacement.

Methods: UST efficacy was verified with ex vivo uniaxial testing of porcine leg muscles.

Comparison of Complications of Injection Laryngoplasty via Direct Versus Flexible Laryngoscopy.

Objectives: Injection laryngoplasty (IL) is commonly performed for glottic insufficiency and has historically been performed under general anesthesia via direct laryngoscopy (DL), with an increasing number of procedures being performed in the office setting via flexible laryngoscopy (FL). Existing literature regarding complications of IL primarily addresses immediate peri-procedural complications and adverse reactions to the injection material. This is the first study utilizing a large multi-institutional database comparing complications of IL performed via DL versus FL.