Do collagen‐related diseases represent a risk factor for hidradenitis suppurativa?

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Do collagen‐related diseases represent a risk factor for hidradenitis suppurativa? Via Experimental Dermatology Abstract We read with great interest the work of Boer et al [1] that explores the role of mechanical stress as a potential triggering factor for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). The authors reported two cases of patients who developed HS along the striae distensae (SD). The hypothesis proposed by the authors to explain this ectopic lesions is the fact that SD are characterized by a decrease of dermal thickness due to destruction of collagen fibres which may reduce the mechanical support to the pilosebaceous structures and if combined to frictional forces, may trigger the onset of HS by promoting skin inflammation. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteases able to degrade the major components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

A narrative review of pharmacologic treatments for COVID‐19: safety considerations and ototoxicity

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader A narrative review of pharmacologic treatments for COVID‐19: safety considerations and ototoxicity Via The Laryngoscope Abstract Objectives The purpose of this review is to summarize evidence‐based data regarding the ototoxic effects of potential COVID‐19 therapeutics to treat patients suffering from SARS‐CoV‐2. Methods Medications under investigation as novel therapeutics to treat COVID‐19 were identified using the search term coronavirus therapeutics, COVID therapeutics and SARS‐CoV‐2 therapeutics on ClinicalTrials.gov and the PubMed Database. A literature review was performed using the PubMed Database for each proposed COVID‐19 therapeutic to identify relevant articles. Search criteria included Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and key word search terms for ototoxicity, vestibulotoxicity, hearing disorders and vertigo. Results Six proposed COVID‐19 therapeutics were identified as possessing ototoxic side effects including chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, lopinavir‐ritonavir, interferon, ribavirin and ivermectin. Conclusions Available evidence suggests that ototoxic effects may be improved or mitigated by stopping the offending agent. Recognition of hearing loss, tinnitus or imbalance/vertigo is therefore crucial to facilitate early intervention and prevent long‐term damage. Hospitals should consider the inclusion of audiologic monitoring protocols for patients receiving COVID‐19 therapeutics with known ototoxicity, especially in high risk patient groups such as the elderly and hearing impaired. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

End‐of‐Life Practice Patterns in Head and Neck Cancer

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader End‐of‐Life Practice Patterns in Head and Neck Cancer Via The Laryngoscope Objective/Hypothesis Despite the importance of symptom management and end‐of‐life (EOL) care in head and neck cancers (HNC), there is little literature on care practices in this population. This study examines EOL care practice patterns using nationally established metrics. Study Design Retrospective chart review. Methods Review of HNC patients who were actively followed and treated (defined as one clinic note within 90 days, two within preceding 9 months, and having received treatment at our institution) and died between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018. The cohort was reviewed for performance on Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) and other metrics. Results Of 133 patients identified, 52 met inclusion criteria. The average age at death was 69.8 years. About 59% had distant metastases, 30% had locoregional disease, 11% were undergoing primary treatment. Twenty‐three percentage received chemotherapy within the last 14 days of life. Fifty percentage of patients were admitted in the last 30 days of life, and 33% died in the hospital. Fifty‐four percentage of patients had either Physician Orders for Life‐Sustaining Treatment or Advanced Directive on file. Eighty‐one percentage of patients had any type of goals of care discussion documented. Sixty‐five percentage of all patients received referrals to palliative care and 46% of all patients enrolled in hospice. The median days in hospice was 12. Having a goals of care discussion was significantly associated with utilization of palliative and hospice care. Conclusions Provider‐documented goals of care discussions were strongly correlated to referrals and enrollment in palliative and hospice care. Areas for improvement include better documentation of treatment directives and reducing low‐utility treatments. Level of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 2021 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

An Unusual Delayed Complication of Rib Graft Microtia Reconstruction After Two Decades: A Case Report

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader An Unusual Delayed Complication of Rib Graft Microtia Reconstruction After Two Decades: A Case Report Via Otolaryngology Indian Abstract Microtia comprises a spectrum of congenital malformation characterized by partial deformities of the auricular components to complete absence of pinna. Surgical reconstructions of this anomaly are often complex and technically challenging. Infection, hematoma, and skin necrosis with resultant exposed cartilage graft tend to occur in the early phase of post-operative care. Herein, we report a case of a spontaneous auricular abscess with exposed cartilage framework 20 years following rib cartilage reconstruction. To our knowledge, this is the first case of such an occurrence. The treatment options are discussed, along with the review of the literature. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Using Interleaved Stimulation to Measure the Size and Selectivity of the Sustained Phase-Locked Neural Response to Cochlear Implant Stimulation

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Using Interleaved Stimulation to Measure the Size and Selectivity of the Sustained Phase-Locked Neural Response to Cochlear Implant Stimulation Via Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology Abstract We measured the sustained neural response to electrical stimulation by a cochlear implant (CI). To do so, we interleaved two stimuli with frequencies F1 and F2 Hz and recorded a neural distortion response (NDR) at F2-F1 Hz. We show that, because any one time point contains only the F1 or F2 stimulus, the instantaneous nonlinearities typical of electrical artefact should not produce distortion at this frequency. However, if the stimulus is smoothed, such as by charge integration at the nerve membrane, subsequent (neural) nonlinearities can produce a component at F2-F1 Hz. We stimulated a single CI electrode with interleaved sinusoids or interleaved amplitude-modulated pulse trains such that F2 = 1.5F1, and found no evidence for an NDR when F2-F1 was between 90 and 120 Hz. However, interleaved amplitude-modulated pulse trains with F2-F1~40 Hz revealed a substantial NDR with a group delay of about 45 ms, consistent with a thalamic a nd/or cortical response. The NDR could be measured even from recording electrodes adjacent to the implant and at the highest pulse rates (> 4000 pps) used clinically. We then measured the selectivity of this sustained response by presenting F1 and F2 to different electrodes and at different between-electrode distances. This revealed a broad tuning that, we argue, reflects the overlap between the excitation elicited by the two electrodes. Our results also provide a glimpse of the neural nonlinearity in the auditory system, unaffected by the biomechanical cochlear nonlinearities that accompany acoustic stimulation. Several potential clinical applications of our findings are discussed. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Prolonged Use of n95 Mask a Boon or Bane to Healthcare Workers During Covid–19 Pandemic

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Prolonged Use of n95 Mask a Boon or Bane to Healthcare Workers During Covid–19 Pandemic Via Otolaryngology Indian Abstract The novel coronavirus, referred to as SARS-COV 2, originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Since many Health Care Workers (HCW) and general public lost their lives. The only thing which can prevent from being infected is social distancing and wearing of mask (N95) and wearing of mask has its own adverse effects. This is a retrospective study conducted in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Sitapur from April 2020 to August 2020. The most common symptoms of wearing mask were headache, nasal dryness, eye dryness and acne for which extra precautions to be taken to deal with these conditions during COVID–19 pandemic. HCW should wear mask to prevent from exposing but while using the mask there are certain prerequisites which has to be followed to prevent from not only thr COVD – 19 but also the complications of prolonged use of N95 mask. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Immune-related Bell’s palsy in melanoma patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Immune-related Bell's palsy in melanoma patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors Via Melanoma Research - Published Ahead-of-Print Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) exposed the oncology community to novel immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Here, we report on a retrospective analysis of patients with melanoma who developed an ICI-related, unilateral, acute and peripheral facial nerve paralysis (Bell's palsy).We retrospectively reviewed a ll the cases of ICI-related Bell's palsy in patients with melanoma treated at our institution from January 2015 to January 2020. A total of five cases of ICI-related Bell's palsy were identified. Median age was 63 years. Median time-to-onset of Bell's palsy from ICIs initiation was 15 weeks. Four patients were treated with prednisone alone, whereas one patient was treated with prednisone plus valaciclovir. All the patients completely recovered from Bell's palsy without neurological sequelae. In melanoma patients treated with ICIs, Bell's palsy is a rare, neurologic irAE with a favorable outcome following administration of oral corticosteroids. Received 12 November 2020 Accepted 29 December 2020 Correspondence to Carolina Cimminiello, MD, Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Melanoma Medical Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Via Venezian, 1 – 20133, Milan, Italy, Tel: +39 02 2390 3823; e-mail: carolina.cimminiello@istitutotumori.mi.it Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Diagnostic and prognostic value of heat shock protein 90α in malignant melanoma

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Diagnostic and prognostic value of heat shock protein 90α in malignant melanoma Via Melanoma Research - Published Ahead-of-Print Malignant melanoma is one of the most common tumours of the skin. Heat shock protein 90α (HSP90α) has been applied in the auxiliary diagnosis of various malignancies, as a tumour marker. This study aims to evaluate diagnostic, therapeutic efficacy and prognostic value of plasma HSP90α levels in malignant melanoma. In this study, higher plasma HSP90α levels and abnormal rates were found in malignant melanoma patients than in healthy controls (92.63 vs. 51.84 ng/mL; P  4 mm, a high Clark level (IV + V), abnormal serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), distant metastases occurrence and Ki-67≥30% (P  View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Evaluation eines integrierten OP-Saals auf Basis offener Standards in der Cochlea-Implantat-Chirurgie

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Evaluation eines integrierten OP-Saals auf Basis offener Standards in der Cochlea-Implantat-Chirurgie Via Laryngo-Rhino-Otologie Laryngorhinootologie DOI: 10.1055/a-1346-9227 Hintergrund Die zunehmende Digitalisierung in der Chirurgie macht die Entwicklung moderner Operationskonzepte notwendig. Dabei werden neue Ansätze der Systemvernetzung und Integration auf Basis offener Standards der medizinischen Geräte verfolgt. Methodik Gemeinsam mit dem Innovationszentrum für Computerassistierte Chirurgie (ICCAS) konnte die Demonstration eines integrierten OP-Saals am Beispiel der Cochlea-Implantation durchgeführt werden. Evaluiert wurden das präoperative Management, die intraoperativen Prozeduren sowie die postoperative Dokumentation von insgesamt n = 30 Studienteilnehmern (2 Gruppen). Neben der Erhebung objektiver Parameter kamen qualitative Fragebögen und quantitative, intervallskalierte Fragen zur Anwendung. Ergebnisse Präoperativ wurde die digitale Präsentation klinischer Daten der Patienten von beiden Gruppen als hilfreich angesehen (Gruppe 1: Median = 5, Gruppe 2: Median = 4). Dies gilt auch für die personalisierten OP-Einstellungen, die intraoperativen Darstellungsmöglichkeiten sowie die dynamische, Operateur-zentrierte Visualisierung (Median = 4). Ähnlich positive Schlussfolgerungen wurden für die postoperative Dokumentation und die postoperative Nachsorge gezogen (Median = 4). Ein signifikanter Unterschied in der Gesamtbewertung des integrierten Operationskonzepts zwischen beiden Expertengruppen konnte nicht festgestellt werden (p > 0,05). Schlussfolgerungen Die positiven Studienergebnisse zeigen, dass die theoretische Idee der Systemvernetzung auf der Basis offener Standards am Beispiel einer Cochlea-Implantation erfolgreich in die Praxis umgesetzt werden kann. Damit scheint der intelligente „Operationssaal der Zukunft" keine fiktive Idee mehr zu sein, sondern ein realistisches Abbild der modernen chirurgischen Medizin. [...] Georg Thieme Verlag KG Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany Article in Thieme eJournals: Table of contents  |  Abstract  |  Full text View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Circ_0008305‐mediated miR‐660/BAG5 axis contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma tumorigenesis

xloma.fota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Circ_0008305‐mediated miR‐660/BAG5 axis contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma tumorigenesis Via Cancer Medicine circ_0008305 was greatly increased in HCC tissues and cells. circ_0008305 can act as a sponge of miR‐660. miR‐660 targeted Bcl‐2‐associated athanogene 5 (BAG5). Abstract Increasing circRNAs have attracted a lot of attention because of their significant biological effects in many diseases. It has been reported that circ_0008305 can modulate lung cancer progression. However, the association between circ_0008305 and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) needs to be well explored. In this current research, we studied the molecular function and potential mechanism of circ_0008305 in HCC progression. First, it was demonstrated that circ_0008305 was greatly increased in HCC tissues and cells. Moreover, we observed silencing circ_0008305 markedly repressed HCC cells in vitro growth and reduced tumor growth in vivo. Additionally, it was identified that circ_0008305 can act as a sponge of miR‐660 while miR‐660 targeted Bcl‐2‐associated athanogene 5 (BAG5). BAG5 belongs to a member of BAG family and it is involved in multiple diseases. We reported that circ_0008305 contributed to the inhibition of miR‐660, which resulted in an upregulated expression of BA G5 in HCC. Subsequently, rescue assays were conducted and it was indicated that loss of BAG5 reversed the effects of miR‐660 inhibitors on HCC partially. To sum up, it was illustrated by our study that circ_0008305‐mediated miR‐660‐5p/BAG5 axis triggered HCC progression, which could provide a novel insight on the underlying mechanism of HCC progression. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Real world outcomes of combination and timing of immunotherapy with radiotherapy for melanoma with brain metastases

xloma.fota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Real world outcomes of combination and timing of immunotherapy with radiotherapy for melanoma with brain metastases Via Cancer Medicine In our study of the National Cancer Data Base (NCBD), addition of immunotherapy to radiation therapy improves survival in patients with melanoma with brain metastases when added to SBRT or WBRT, with the best survival observed for IT with SBRT. Concurrrent versus Noncurrent immunotherapy combined with radiation had no significantly different survival. Abstract Introduction Immunotherapy (IT) and radiotherapy (RT) have improved overall survival in patients with melanoma with brain metastasis (MBM). We examined the real‐world survival impact of IT and RT combination and timing strategies. Materials and Methods From the facility‐based National Cancer Database (NCDB) data set, 3008 cases of MBM were identified between 2011 and 2015. Six treatment cohorts were identified: stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) + IT, SRS alone, whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) + IT, WBRT alone, IT alone, and none. Concurrent therapy was defined as IT given within 28 days before or after RT; nonconcurrent defined as IT administered within 28–90 days of RT. The co‐primary outcomes were propensity score‐adjusted overall survival by treatment regimen and overall survival by RT and IT timing. Results Median overall survival (mOS) was performed for each treatment category; SRS +IT 15.77 m; (95%CI 12.13–21.29), SRS alone (9.33 m; 95%CI: 8.0–11.3), IT alone (7.29 m; 95%CI: 5.35–12.91), WBRT +IT (4.89 m; 95%CI: 3.65–5.92), No RT or IT (3.29 m; 95%CI: 2.96–3.75), and WBRT alone (3.12 m; 95%CI 2.79–3.52). By propensity score matching, mOS for SRS +IT (15.5 m; 95%CI: 11.5–20.2) was greater than SRS alone (10.1 m; 95%CI: 8.4–11.8) (p = 0.010), and median survival for WBRT +IT (4.6 m; 95%CI: 3.4–5.6) was greater than WBRT alone (2.9 m; 95%CI: 2.5–3.5) (p < 0.001). In the SRS +IT group, 24‐month landmark survival was 47% (95%CI; 42–52) for concurrent versus 37% (95%CI; 30–44) for nonconcurrent (p = 0.40). Conclusion Those who received IT in addition to WBRT and SRS experienced longer survival compared to RT modalities alone, while those receiving concurrent SRS and IT trended toward improved survival versus nonconcurrent therapy. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.