Primary Management of Operable Locally Advanced Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Current Concepts and Strategies.

Introduction: Locally advanced oral cavity carcinoma (LAOCSCC) is primarily treated with surgery followed by radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy.

Methods: A review of literature using PubMED was performed for studies reporting the management of LAOCSCC. Based on the reviewed literature and opinions of experts in the field, recommendations were made.

Extranodal extension in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: need for accurate pretherapeutic staging to select optimum treatment and minimize toxicity.

Purpose Of Review: In 2017, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) introduced the inclusion of extracapsular nodal extension (ENE) into the N staging of nonviral head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), while retaining the traditional N classification based on the number and sizes of metastatic nodes. The extent of ENE was further defined as microscopic ENE (ENEmi) and major ENE (ENEma) based on extent of disease beyond the nodal capsule (≤ or > 2 mm). This article reviews the evidence and progress made since these changes were introduced.

Optimizing mood prior to influenza vaccination in older adults: A three-arm randomized controlled trial.

Objective: This trial explored the psychological and immunological effects of two brief interventions, targeting improving positive mood, administered to older adults immediately prior to influenza vaccination. The primary aim was to examine whether the interventions resulted in greater positive mood compared to usual care, and if so, which was superior. Secondary outcomes included antibody responses to vaccination and feasibility of collecting clinical outcome data (e.

Treatment of recurrent acute tonsillitis-a systematic review and clinical practice recommendations.

Background: There is an ongoing debate on the indications for tonsil surgery in both children and adults with recurrent acute tonsillitis. The aim is to provide practical recommendations for diagnostics and treatment for recurrent acute tonsillitis including evidence-based decision making for tonsillectomy.

Methods: A systematic literature search in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect from 2014 until April 2023 resulted in 68 articles.

Are we achieving the standards of good nutritional care for older people in hospital with fragility fractures?

Malnutrition is common in older people with fragility fractures and is associated with poor clinical outcomes and increased risk of complications. The UK National Health Service has published national standards for food and drink for patients, staff and visitors, in hospitals. These standards describe the methods to ensure quality and sustainability.

Lymph Node Metastases from Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer of the Head and Neck.

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) represents the most common malignancy in the world, comprising exceedingly common lesions such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) and rare lesions such as Merkel cell carcinoma. Risk factors are widely recognized and include ultraviolet (UV) light exposure, radiation exposure, immunosuppression, and many others. As a whole, survival and functional outcomes are favorable, but each histopathological subtype of NMSC behaves differently.

Novel Imaging-Based Biomarkers for Identifying Carotid Plaque Vulnerability.

Carotid artery disease has traditionally been assessed based on the degree of luminal narrowing. However, this approach, which solely relies on carotid stenosis, is currently being questioned with regard to modern risk stratification approaches. Recent guidelines have introduced the concept of the "vulnerable plaque," emphasizing specific features such as thin fibrous caps, large lipid cores, intraplaque hemorrhage, plaque rupture, macrophage infiltration, and neovascularization.

A systematic review of ambulance service-based randomised controlled trials in stroke.

Background: Treatment for stroke is time-dependent, and ambulance services play a vital role in the early recognition, assessment and transportation of stroke patients. Innovations which begin in ambulance services to expedite delivery of treatments for stroke are developing. However, research delivery in ambulance services is novel, developing and not fully understood.

RSTN COVID Hand: Hand trauma in the United Kingdom and Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly impacted the delivery of hand surgery services throughout the UK and Europe; from triage to treatment. Our aim was to assess the impact on management of common hand trauma injuries to inform future service delivery and research. The Reconstructive Surgery Trials Network led a service evaluation during the first wave of COVID-19 in 2020.

Paediatric family activation rapid response (FARR) in tertiary healthcare organisations: Protocol for an online, multi-lingual, application (app) intervention development study.

Introduction: At least 85% of unplanned admissions to critical care wards for children and young people (CYP) are associated with clinical deterioration. CYP and their families play an integral role in the recognition of deterioration. The Paediatric Critical Care Outreach Team (PCCOT) supports the reduction of avoidable harm through earlier recognition and treatment of the deteriorating child, acting as a welcome conduit between the multiprofessional teams, helping ensure that CYP gets the right care, at the right time and in the right place.

Oncoplastic breast surgery in older women with primary breast cancer: systematic review.

Background: Oncoplastic procedures allow excision of larger breast tumours, or unfavourable tumour/breast ratio lesions while achieving a good cosmetic outcome. This increases the pool of patients eligible for breast conservation over mastectomy, reducing the need for more extensive surgery in older women and potentially improving their quality of life. Nonetheless, studies to date suggest a poor uptake of oncoplastic breast surgery in the older group.

Characterization of a strain with high biofilm-forming ability.

is highly polymorphic, and some strains are much more likely to cause disease than others. Biofilm formation can help bacteria to survive antibiotic treatment, immune attack and other stresses, promoting persistent infection. We hypothesized that isolates from patients with more severe associated disease would be better at forming biofilms than isolates from patients with less severe disease.

British Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Dermatology assessment and support of mental health in children and young people with skin conditions: a multidisciplinary expert consensus statement and recommendations.

Background: Psychological and mental health difficulties are common in children and young people (CYP) living with skin conditions and can have a profound impact on wellbeing. There is limited guidance on how best to assess and support the mental health of this population, who are at risk of poor health outcomes.

Objectives: To provide consensus-based recommendations on the assessment and monitoring of and support for mental health difficulties in CYP with skin conditions (affecting the skin, hair and nails); to address practical clinical implementation questions relating to consensus guidance; and to provide audit and research recommendations.

Artificial Intelligence in Head and Neck Cancer: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews.

Introduction: Several studies have emphasized the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and its subfields, such as machine learning (ML), as emerging and feasible approaches to optimize patient care in oncology. As a result, clinicians and decision-makers are faced with a plethora of reviews regarding the state of the art of applications of AI for head and neck cancer (HNC) management. This article provides an analysis of systematic reviews on the current status, and of the limitations of the application of AI/ML as adjunctive decision-making tools in HNC management.

A mixed-method feasibility study of the use of the Complete Vocal Technique (CVT), a pedagogic method to improve the voice and vocal function in singers and actors, in the treatment of patients with muscle tension dysphonia: a study protocol.

Background: Muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) results from inefficient or ineffective voice production and is the cause of voice and throat complaints in up to 40% of patients presenting with hoarseness. Standard treatment is voice therapy (SLT-VT) delivered by specialist speech therapists in voice disorders (SLT-V). The Complete Vocal Technique (CVT) is a structured, pedagogic method which helps healthy singers and other performers optimise their vocal function enabling them to produce any sound required.

Sympathetic Ophthalmia after Vitreoretinal Surgery without Antecedent History of Trauma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: To evaluate the morbidity frequency measures in terms of the cumulative incidence of sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) triggered by single or multiple vitreoretinal (VR) surgery procedures in eyes without an antecedent history of trauma and previous ocular surgery, except for previous or concomitant uneventful lens extraction, and to further investigate the relationship between VR surgery and SO.

Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and Scopus from inception until 11 November 2022. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist for the case series and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale were used to assess the risk of bias.

Pediatric Critical Care Outcomes: State of the Science.

Children who survive the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) are at risk of developing post-intensive care syndrome in pediatrics (PICS-p). PICS-p, defined as new physical, cognitive, emotional, and/or social health dysfunction following critical illness, can affect the child and family. Historically, synthesizing PICU outcomes research has been challenging due to inconsistency in study design and in outcomes measurement.

Investigating the Relationship between Home Parenteral Support and Needs-Based Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Intestinal Failure: A National Multi-Centre Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Home parenteral support (HPS) is an essential but potentially burdensome treatment that can affect quality of life (QoL). The aims of this longitudinal study were to understand whether any changes in HPS over time were associated with QoL. The Parenteral Nutrition Impact Questionnaire (PNIQ) was used, and data were collected on HPS prescribed at three time points.

The tolerability of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir for 12 weeks in patients treated in the ASTRAL 1, 2 and 3 studies: A pooled safety analysis.

To evaluate the safety and tolerability of the fixed-dose, single-tablet regimen sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in three Phase 3 studies in patients with and without compensated cirrhosis. Data from three registrational trials (ASTRAL-1, NCT02201940; ASTRAL-2, NCT02220998; ASTRAL-3, NCT02201953) were pooled by treatment regimen. Researchers assessed treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and laboratory abnormalities in patients randomized to SOF/VEL or placebo for 12 weeks in ASTRAL-1 and SOF/VEL for 12 weeks in ASTRAL-2 and ASTRAL-3.