“Atypical” salivary gland fine needle aspiration: Risk of malignancy and interinstitutional variability

Background

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is widely used in the diagnosis of salivary gland lesions. Salivary gland FNAs are often difficult to diagnose because of morphologic heterogeneity, a small but significant number of the FNAs yield "atypical" diagnosis. However, systematic evaluation of the risk of malignancy (ROM) of the atypical diagnoses across institutions and the variability of ROM among institutions are still lacking.

Methods

Salivary gland FNAs from five tertiary medical centers of United States, Europe and China were reviewed. Cases with "atypical" diagnosis and histological follow-up were included in this study. The diagnostic category of "atypical" was adopted from Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology (MSRSGC, personal communication).

Results

Among the 12,606 salivary gland FNAs, 504 (4.0%) cases were reported as "atypical", with 154 cases (30.6%) having histological follow-ups. Histological follow-ups revealed 94 malignant tumors (61.0%, 57 lymphomas, 33 carcinomas, 2 sarcomas, 1 metastatic melanoma, 1 metastatic neuroblastoma), 33 benign tumors (21.4%), and 25 benign lesions (16.2%). ROM in the subset of "atypical" cases with histological follow-up from different institutions vary from 73.08% to 0.00%, the Pearson chi² = 24.38 and P < .001.

Conclusions

More than half of the subset of "atypical" salivary gland FNAs with histological resection turned out to be malignant tumors; another one-fourth were benign neoplasms. Further, the highly variable ROMs of the "atypical" category amongst different institutions likely reflect the variable practices at each individual institution.

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Apoptosis induced by caffeic acid phenethyl ester in human oral cancer cell lines: Involvement of Puma and Bax activation

Publication date: December 2017
Source:Archives of Oral Biology, Volume 84
Author(s): Hyun-Ju Yu, Ji-Ae Shin, In-Hyoung Yang, Dong-Hoon Won, Chi Hyun Ahn, Hye-Jeong Kwon, Jeong-Sang Lee, Nam-Pyo Cho, Eun-Cheol Kim, Hye-Jung Yoon, Jae Il Lee, Seong-Doo Hong, Sung-Dae Cho
ObjectiveCaffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), a natural honeybee product exhibits a spectrum of biological activities including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antitumor actions. The purpose of this research was to investigate the anticancer potential of CAPE and its molecular mechanism in human oral cancer cell lines (YD15, HSC-4 and HN22 cells).DesignTo determine the apoptotic activity of CAPE and identify its molecular targets, trypan blue exclusion assay, soft agar assay, Western blot analysis, DAPI staining, and live/dead assay were performed.ResultsCAPE significantly suppressed transformation of neoplastic cells induced by epidermal growth factor (EGF) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) without inhibiting growth. CAPE treatment inhibited cell growth, increased the cleavages of caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and augmented the number of fragmented nuclei in human oral cancer cell lines. CAPE activated Bax protein causing it to undergo a conformational change, translocate to the mitochondrial outer membrane, and oligomere. CAPE also significantly increased Puma expression and interestingly Puma and Bax were co-localized.ConclusionOverall, these results suggest that CAPE is a potent apoptosis-inducing agent in human oral cancer cell lines. Its action is accompanied by up-regulation of Bax and Puma proteins.



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Monumental heritage exposure to urban black carbon pollution

Publication date: December 2017
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 170
Author(s): D. Patrón, H. Lyamani, G. Titos, J.A. Casquero-Vera, C. Cardell, G. Močnik, L. Alados-Arboledas, F.J. Olmo
In this study, aerosol light-absorption measurements obtained at three sites during a winter campaign were used to analyse and identify the major sources of Black Carbon (BC) particles in and around the Alhambra monument, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that receives over 2 million visitors per year. The Conditional Bivariate Probability Function and the Aethalometer model were employed to identify the main sources of BC particles and to estimate the contributions of biomass burning and fossil fuel emissions to the total Equivalent Black Carbon (EBC) concentrations over the monumental complex. Unexpected high levels of EBC were found at the Alhambra, comparable to those measured in relatively polluted European urban areas during winter. EBC concentrations above 3.0 μg/m³, which are associated with unacceptable levels of soiling and negative public reactions, were observed at Alhambra monument on 13 days from 12 October 2015 to 29 February 2016, which can pose a risk to its long-term conservation and may cause negative social and economic impacts. It was found that road traffic emissions from the nearby urban area and access road to the Alhambra were the main sources of BC particles over the monument. However, biomass burning emissions were found to have very small impact on EBC concentrations at the Alhambra. The highest EBC concentrations were observed during an extended stagnant episode associated with persistent high-pressure systems, reflecting the large impact that can have these synoptic conditions on BC over the Alhambra.

Graphical abstract

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Atmospheric oxidation of selected chlorinated alkenes by O3, OH, NO3 and Cl

Publication date: December 2017
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 170
Author(s): Qun Zhang, Yi Chen, Shengrui Tong, Maofa Ge, Justin Shenolikar, Matthew S. Johnson, Yifeng Wang, Narcisse T. Tsona, Abdelwahid Mellouki, Lin Du
An experimental study on the 3-chloro-2-methyl-1-propene (CMP), 2,3-dichloropropene (DCP) and 3,4-dichlorobutene (DCB) reactions with atmospheric oxidants at (298 ± 1) K and atmospheric pressure is reported. Rate constants for the gas phase reactions of the three chlorinated alkenes with O3, OH and NO3 radicals and Cl atom were determined in a 100 L Teflon reactor by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The obtained rate constants are (3.03 ± 0.15) × 10⁻¹⁸, (3.83 ± 1.30) × 10⁻¹¹, (1.99 ± 0.19) × 10⁻¹⁴, and (2.40 ± 0.41) × 10⁻¹⁰ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ for CMP reactions with O3, OH, NO3, and Cl, respectively, (4.62 ± 1.41) × 10⁻²⁰, (1.37 ± 1.02) × 10⁻¹¹, (1.45 ± 0.15) × 10⁻¹⁵ and (1.30 ± 0.99) × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ for DCP reactions and (2.09 ± 0.24) × 10⁻¹⁹, (1.45 ± 0.59) × 10⁻¹¹, (3.00 ± 0.82) × 10⁻¹⁶ and (1.91 ± 0.19) × 10⁻¹⁰ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ for DCB reactions. The CMP reaction products were detected and possible reaction mechanisms of their formation were proposed. Chloroacetone was found to be the major product in all four oxidation reactions. The loss process of CMP in the atmosphere is mostly controlled by its reaction with the OH radical during daytime and with NO3 during nighttime, with lifetimes of 3.6 h and 27.9 h respectively. Atmospheric implications of both these reactions and their potential products are discussed.



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IMAA (Integrated Measurements of Aerosol in Agri valley) campaign: Multi-instrumental observations at the largest European oil/gas pre-treatment plant area

Publication date: November 2017
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 169
Author(s): Mariarosaria Calvello, Rosa Caggiano, Francesco Esposito, Antonio Lettino, Serena Sabia, Vito Summa, Giulia Pavese
A short-term intensive multi-instrumental measurement campaign (Integrated Measurements of Aerosol in Agri valley - IMAA) was carried out near the largest European oil and gas pre-treatment plant (Centro Olio Val d'Agri - COVA) in a populated area, where, so far, ample characterization of aerosol loading is missing. As such, between the 2 and 17 July in 2013, using a number of instruments analyses were carried out on physical, chemical, morphological and optical properties of aerosol at this distinctive site, at both ground and over the atmospheric column, including the investigation of the mixing and transformation of particles. The observation of slag silicates with a rough surface texture is consistent with the presence of oil-related activities which represent the only industrial activity in the area. Desulfurization/sulfur liquefaction processes occurring at COVA can explain the peculiar morphology of calcium-sodium-aluminum particles. The common COVA source was associated with high concentrations of sulfur, nickel and zinc, and with significant correlations between zinc-sulfur and zinc-nickel. The Optical Particle Sizer (OPS) data, hygroscopicity and optical properties of atmospheric aerosol are consistent with the typical oil-derived gaseous emissions (e.g. sulfur dioxide and methane) that strongly influence the mixing state of particles and their size distributions. Continuous combustion processes at COVA were found to be responsible for Equivalent Black Carbon (EBC) concentrations from their relevant contribution to the total number of fine particles. The expected significant contribution of WS (water soluble) and BC (Black Carbon) components to the total Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) are consistent with the results from the radiometric model especially for July 3 and 16.

Graphical abstract

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Electroneurography in the acute stage of facial palsy as a predictive factor for the development of facial synkinesis sequela

Publication date: Available online 29 September 2017
Source:Auris Nasus Larynx
Author(s): Takahiro Azuma, Katsuhiko Nakamura, Mika Takahashi, Hitomi Miyoshi, Naoki Toda, Hidetaka Iwasaki, Noriaki Takeda
ObjectiveWe investigated whether the value of ENoG is a predictive factor for the development of facial synkinesis in patients with facial palsy.MethodsThe degree of oral-ocular synkinesis was evaluated quantitatively by an asymmetry of the interpalpebral space width during the mouth movement (% eye opening). Twenty healthy volunteers without a history of facial palsy (12 men and 8 women; 25–65 years old; mean age: 42.3±9.7years) were included in the study to examine the normal range of % eye opening. Fifty-one patients with facial palsy including 38 with Bell palsy and 15 with herpes zoster oticus (28 men and 25 women; 11–86 years old; mean age: 54±19years) were enrolled to examine the relationship between the ENoG value 10–14days after the onset of facial palsy, and the % eye opening 12 months later. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the ENoG value was then used to decide the optimum cut-off value as a predictor of the development of oral-ocular synkinesis.ResultsWe defined a % eye opening inferior to 85% as an index of the development of oral-ocular synkinesis. There was a significant correlation between the values of ENoG 10–14days after the onset of facial palsy and those of % eye opening 12 months later (ρ=0.81, p<0.001). The area under the ROC curve for the ENoG value was the predictor for the development of oral-ocular synkinesis at 0.913 (95%CI: 0.831–0.996, p<0.001). The optimum cut-off value of ENoG 10–14days after the onset of facial palsy was 46.5% to predict the development of oral-ocular synkinesis 12 months after the onset of facial palsy (sensitivity 97.1% and specificity 77.5%).ConclusionThe value of ENoG 10–14days after the onset of facial palsy is a predictive factor for the development of facial synkinesis 12 months later. Since facial palsy patients with a ENoG value inferior to 46.5% have a high risk of developing synkinesis, they should receive the facial biofeedback rehabilitation with a mirror as a preventive therapy.



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Comparison of snoring sounds between natural and drug-induced sleep recorded using a smartphone

Publication date: Available online 28 September 2017
Source:Auris Nasus Larynx
Author(s): Soo Kweon Koo, Soon Bok Kwon, Ji Seung Moon, Sang Hoon Lee, Ho Byung Lee, Sang Jun Lee
ObjectivesSnoring is an important clinical feature of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and recent studies suggest that the acoustic quality of snoring sounds is markedly different in drug-induced sleep compared with natural sleep. However, considering differences in sound recording methods and analysis parameters, further studies are required. This study explored whether acoustic analysis of drug-induced sleep is useful as a screening test that reflects the characteristics of natural sleep in snoring patients.Subjects and materialsThe snoring sounds of 30 male subjects (mean age=41.8years) were recorded using a smartphone during natural and induced sleep, with the site of vibration noted during drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE); then, we compared the sound intensity (dB), formant frequencies, and spectrograms of snoring sounds.ResultsRegarding the intensity of snoring sounds, there were minor differences within the retrolingual level obstruction group, but there was no significant difference between natural and induced sleep at either obstruction site. There was no significant difference in the F1 and F2 formant frequencies of snoring sounds between natural sleep and induced sleep at either obstruction site. Compared with natural sleep, induced sleep was slightly more irregular, with a stronger intensity on the spectrogram, but the spectrograms showed the same pattern at both obstruction sites.ConclusionAlthough further studies are required, the spectrograms and formant frequencies of the snoring sounds of induced sleep did not differ significantly from those of natural sleep, and may be used as a screening test that reflects the characteristics of natural sleep according to the obstruction site.



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Trends in prescribing systemic treatment and overall survival for non-small cell lung cancer stage IIIB/IV in the Netherlands: 2008–2012

Publication date: December 2017
Source:Cancer Epidemiology, Volume 51
Author(s): Bas J.M. Peters, Christine M. Cramer-vd Welle, Arthur A.J. Smit, Franz M.N.H. Schramel, Ewoudt M.W. van de Garde
BackgroundThe present study aims to give a detailed overview of day-to-day practice in the systemic treatment of NSCLC stage IIIB/IV and its clinical outcomes in six large teaching hospitals in the Netherlands in the period 2008–2012.MethodsA retrospective observational cohort study was conducted in the Care for Outcome registry. Patients diagnosed with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC were included and drug data were collected. Outcomes included percentage of patients treated with systemic treatment, percentage of different first line treatment options, survival, and number and percentage of switches, dose reductions (<80% of the initial dose), and early discontinuation (<4 cycles). Descriptive analyses were conducted per hospital, year of diagnosis and several patient characteristics. Predictors for early discontinuation were explored in a logistic regression model.ResultsOverall, 47,9% of 2158 patients that were included received systemic treatment and 33,7% of those received second line treatment. Treatment frequencies were different between age categories, disease stage, PS and hospital (p<0.001). Half of the patients received <4 cycles and dose reductions were found for 20% of all patients. Interhospital differences were observed for early discontinuation and the number of switches. PS2-3 was associated with early discontinuation (OR 1.97 (p=0,007). Median survival was not different between hospitals and years of diagnosis.DiscussionWe provided detailed overview of day-to-day systemic treatment of NSCLC for six hospitals that (a) can fuel interhospital discussion to streamline treatment towards best practice and (b) can serve as reference data for follow-up of the adoption of novel systemic treatment options for advanced lung cancer.



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Concurrent validity of an automated algorithm for computing the center of pressure excursion index (CPEI)

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 59
Author(s): Michelle A. Diaz, Mandi W. Gibbons, Jinsup Song, Howard J. Hillstrom, Kersti H. Choe, Maria R. Pasquale
Center of Pressure Excursion Index (CPEI), a parameter computed from the distribution of plantar pressures during stance phase of barefoot walking, has been used to assess dynamic foot function. The original custom program developed to calculate CPEI required the oversight of a user who could manually correct for certain exceptions to the computational rules. A new fully automatic program has been developed to calculate CPEI with an algorithm that accounts for these exceptions. The purpose of this paper is to compare resulting CPEI values computed by these two programs on plantar pressure data from both asymptomatic and pathologic subjects. If comparable, the new program offers significant benefits—reduced potential for variability due to rater discretion and faster CPEI calculation. CPEI values were calculated from barefoot plantar pressure distributions during comfortable paced walking on 61 healthy asymptomatic adults, 19 diabetic adults with moderate hallux valgus, and 13 adults with mild hallux valgus. Right foot data for each subject was analyzed with linear regression and a Bland-Altman plot. The automated algorithm yielded CPEI values that were linearly related to the original program (R²=0.99; P<0.001). Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated a difference of 0.55% between CPEI computation methods. Results of this analysis suggest that the new automated algorithm may be used to calculate CPEI on both healthy and pathologic feet.



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A “HOLTER” for Parkinson’s disease: Validation of the ability to detect on-off states using the REMPARK system

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 59
Author(s): Àngels Bayés, Albert Samá, Anna Prats, Carlos Pérez-López, Maricruz Crespo-Maraver, Juan Manuel Moreno, Sheila Alcaine, Alejandro Rodriguez-Molinero, Berta Mestre, Paola Quispe, Ana Correia de Barros, Rui Castro, Alberto Costa, Roberta Annicchiarico, Patrick Browne, Tim Counihan, Hadas Lewy, Gabriel Vainstein, Leo R. Quinlan, Dean Sweeney, Gearóid ÓLaighin, Jordi Rovira, Daniel Rodrigue z-Martin, Joan Cabestany
The treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) with levodopa is very effective. However, over time, motor complications (MCs) appear, restricting the patient from leading a normal life. One of the most disabling MCs is ON-OFF fluctuations. Gathering accurate information about the clinical status of the patient is essential for planning treatment and assessing its effect. Systems such as the REMPARK system, capable of accurately and reliably monitoring ON-OFF fluctuations, are of great interest.ObjectiveTo analyze the ability of the REMPARK System to detect ON-OFF fluctuations.MethodsForty-one patients with moderate to severe idiopathic PD were recruited according to the UK Parkinson's Disease Society Brain Bank criteria. Patients with motor fluctuations, freezing of gait and/or dyskinesia and who were able to walk unassisted in the OFF phase, were included in the study. Patients wore the REMPARK System for 3days and completed a diary of their motor state once every hour.ResultsThe record obtained by the REMPARK System, compared with patient-completed diaries, demonstrated 97% sensitivity in detecting OFF states and 88% specificity (i.e., accuracy in detecting ON states).ConclusionThe REMPARK System detects an accurate evaluation of ON-OFF fluctuations in PD; this technology paves the way for an optimisation of the symptomatic control of PD motor symptoms as well as an accurate assessment of medication efficacy.



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On the effects of using word2vec representations in neural networks for dialogue act recognition

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Computer Speech & Language, Volume 47
Author(s): Christophe Cerisara, Pavel Král, Ladislav Lenc
Dialogue act recognition is an important component of a large number of natural language processing pipelines. Many research works have been carried out in this area, but relatively few investigate deep neural networks and word embeddings. This is surprising, given that both of these techniques have proven exceptionally good in most other language-related domains. We propose in this work a new deep neural network that explores recurrent models to capture word sequences within sentences, and further study the impact of pretrained word embeddings. We validate this model on three languages: English, French and Czech. The performance of the proposed approach is consistent across these languages and it is comparable to the state-of-the-art results in English. More importantly, we confirm that deep neural networks indeed outperform a Maximum Entropy classifier, which was expected. However, and this is more surprising, we also found that standard word2vec embeddings do not seem to bring valuable information for this task and the proposed model, whatever the size of the training corpus is. We thus further analyse the resulting embeddings and conclude that a possible explanation may be related to the mismatch between the type of lexical-semantic information captured by the word2vec embeddings, and the kind of relations between words that is the most useful for the dialogue act recognition task.



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Word-initial tap-trill clusters: Hungarian.

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Word-initial tap-trill clusters: Hungarian.

Clin Linguist Phon. 2017 Sep 28;:1-19

Authors: Tar É

Abstract
This study investigates the developmental patterns of acquisition of word-initial (WI) /r/-clusters in children speaking Hungarian, typically developing (TD) or with protracted phonological development (PPD). Comparison data were also analysed for WI singleton /r/ and /l/. Participants were 191 children (aged 3;0-5;11) divided into three age groups (3, 4, 5 years), and further subdivided into TD and PPD subgroups on the basis of Whole Word Match scores (WWM). Acoustic analyses of perceptually accurate clusters were conducted to investigate epenthesis. Findings revealed that (1) both stop-/r/ clusters and singleton /r/ were mastered at age 5 by TD children, but not by children with PPD; (2) /l/ was mastered earlier than /r/; (3) mismatch types for clusters varied by age, with more C2 Deletion than C2 substitution at younger ages, and (4) schwa epenthesis durations were longer than, or equal to, those documented for adults.

PMID: 28956666 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Word-initial trill clusters in children with typical versus protracted phonological development: Bulgarian.

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Word-initial trill clusters in children with typical versus protracted phonological development: Bulgarian.

Clin Linguist Phon. 2017 Sep 28;:1-17

Authors: Ignatova D, Bernhardt BM, Marinova-Todd S, Stemberger JP

Abstract
The current paper describes acquisition of word-initial (WI) trilled /r/ in clusters and as a singleton in 60 Bulgarian 3-5-year-olds with typically developing (TD) versus protracted phonological development (PPD). A native speaker audio-recorded and transcribed single-word responses to a picture-naming task (110 words) that included eight words with WI rhotic clusters and two with WI singleton /r/. Accuracy was significantly higher in the TD groups and for the PPD groups, by age. Mismatch patterns varied: the PPD cohort had the most varied patterns although the younger children with PPD showed more /r/ deletion in clusters, and the TD groups and 5-year-olds with PPD more substitutions for /r/. Substitutions for rhotics included taps (most frequent; possibly an acceptable variant), voiced uvular and palatal fricatives, laterals, glides, other rhotics, stops and nasals. These results add to the growing database on Bulgarian phonological acquisition concerning accuracy and mismatches by group and age.

PMID: 28956661 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Word-initial /r/-clusters in Icelandic-speaking children with protracted versus typical phonological development.

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Word-initial /r/-clusters in Icelandic-speaking children with protracted versus typical phonological development.

Clin Linguist Phon. 2017 Sep 28;:1-22

Authors: Másdóttir T

Abstract
Rhotics are generally acquired late across languages (Jiménez, 1987; Tar, 2006; Blumenthal and Lundeborg, 2014). Prior research suggests some possible differences in acquisition across languages, however (Másdóttir and Stokes, 2016). The current study set out to examine acquisition of /r/ in Icelandic, focusing primarily on match (accuracy) and mismatch data for word-initial (WI) /r/-clusters, but also comparing /r/-clusters with WI singleton /r/ and /l/ plus /l/-clusters. Single-word data were collected for 27 Icelandic-speaking preschoolers with protracted phonological development (PPD) and compared with data from age- and gender-matched typically developing peers. Results showed lower match levels for clusters versus singletons, /r/ versus /l/ and the children with PPD. Most frequent substitutions were approximant [ð̞] and [l]. Younger children with PPD showed more deletion in clusters and a greater variety of substitutions for both consonants. The data support general cross-linguistic trends in rhotic acquisition with the [ð̞] substitution being one difference.

PMID: 28956659 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Word-initial /r/-clusters in Swedish speaking children with typical versus protracted phonological development.

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Word-initial /r/-clusters in Swedish speaking children with typical versus protracted phonological development.

Clin Linguist Phon. 2017 Sep 28;:1-13

Authors: Lundeborg Hammarström I

Abstract
The present study investigated word-initial (WI) /r/-clusters in Central Swedish-speaking children with and without protracted phonological development (PPD). Data for WI singleton /r/ and singleton and cluster /l/ served as comparisons. Participants were twelve 4-year-olds with PPD and twelve age- and gender-matched typically developing (TD) controls. Native speakers audio-recorded and transcribed 109 target single words using a Swedish phonology test with 12 WI C+/r/-clusters and three WI CC+/r/-clusters. The results showed significantly higher match scores for the TD children, a lower match proportion for the /r/ targets and for singletons compared with clusters, and differences in mismatch patterns between the groups. There were no matches for /r/-cluster targets in the PPD group, with all children except two in that group showing deletions for both /r/-cluster types. The differences in mismatch proportions and types between the PPD group and controls suggests new directions for future clinical practice.

PMID: 28956657 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Tap and trill clusters in typical and protracted phonological development: Conclusion.

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Tap and trill clusters in typical and protracted phonological development: Conclusion.

Clin Linguist Phon. 2017 Sep 28;:1-13

Authors: Bernhardt BM, Stemberger JP

Abstract
The current issue examined acquisition of challenging segments in complex contexts: Taps/trills in word-initial clusters, plus related targets (/l/-clusters and singleton rhotics and /l/). Data were from preschool children with typical versus protracted phonological development (PPD) in Iceland, Sweden (Germanic), Portugal, Spain/Chile (Romance), Bulgaria, Slovenia (Slavic), and Hungary (Finno-Ugric). Results showed developmental group and age effects. Clusters generally had lower accuracy than singletons, although not uniformly, and were more accurate in stressed syllables. The rhotics were less advanced than alveolar /l/ except in European Portuguese, where the lateral is velarized. In early development, the rhotic is often deleted, but in later, development substitutions for rhotics were more common, primarily non-nasal coronal sonorants, which match some of the place and manner features of the rhotic. Vowel epenthesis sometimes appeared in rhotic clusters. Children with PPD showed more varied mismatch patterns, including more than one mismatch pattern within a cluster. Implications for research and clinical practice are suggested.

PMID: 28956654 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Word-initial rhotic clusters in Spanish-speaking preschoolers in Chile and Granada, Spain.

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Word-initial rhotic clusters in Spanish-speaking preschoolers in Chile and Granada, Spain.

Clin Linguist Phon. 2017 Sep 28;:1-25

Authors: Perez D, Vivar P, Bernhardt BM, Mendoza E, Ávila C, Carballo G, Fresneda D, Muñoz J, Vergara P

Abstract
The current paper describes Spanish acquisition of rhotic onset clusters. Data are also provided on related singleton taps/trills and /l/ as a singleton and in clusters. Participants included 9 typically developing (TD) toddlers and 30 TD preschoolers in Chile, and 30 TD preschoolers and 29 with protracted phonological development (PPD) in Granada, Spain. Results showed age and developmental group effects. Preservation of cluster timing units preceded segmental accuracy, especially in stressed syllables. Tap clusters versus singleton trills were variable in order of mastery, some children mastering clusters first, and others, the trill. Rhotics were acquired later than /l/. In early development, mismatches (errors) involved primarily deletion of taps; where substitutions occurred, [j] frequently replaced tap. In later development, [l] more frequently replaced tap; where taps did occur, vowel epenthesis sometimes occurred. The data serve as a criterion reference database for onset cluster acquisition in Chilean and Granada Spanish.

PMID: 28956653 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Tap and trill clusters in typical and protracted phonological development: Challenging segments in complex phonological environments. Introduction to the special issue.

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Tap and trill clusters in typical and protracted phonological development: Challenging segments in complex phonological environments. Introduction to the special issue.

Clin Linguist Phon. 2017 Sep 28;:1-13

Authors: Stemberger JP, Bernhardt BM

Abstract
The papers in this crosslinguistic issue address children's acquisition of word-initial rhotic clusters in languages with taps/trills, that is, the acquisition of challenging segments in complex environments. Several papers also include comparisons with singleton rhotics and/or /l/ as a singleton or in clusters. The studies are part of a larger investigation that uses similar methodologies across languages in order to enhance crosslinguistic comparability (Bernhardt and Stemberger, 2012, 2015). Participants for the current studies were monolingual preschoolers with typical or protracted phonological development who speak one of the following languages: Germanic (Icelandic/Swedish); Romance (Portuguese/Spanish); Slavic (Bulgarian/Slovenian) and Finno-Ugric (Hungarian). This introductory paper describes characteristics of taps/trills and general methodology across the studies, concluding with predicted patterns of acquisition. The seven papers that follow are in a sense the 'results' for this introduction. A concluding paper discusses major findings and their implications for theory, research and clinical practice.

PMID: 28956649 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Iodine-125 brachytherapy alone for advanced primary parotid gland carcinoma

Publication date: Available online 28 September 2017
Source:International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Author(s): C. Zhou, J. Zhang, J.-G. Zhang, S.-M. Liu, L. Zheng, M.-W. Huang, Y. Shi, X.-M. Lv
This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of iodine-125 (¹²⁵I) brachytherapy alone for the treatment of advanced parotid gland carcinoma and to identify predictors of tumour control and patient survival. Primary parotid gland carcinoma patients (n=23) treated with ¹²⁵I brachytherapy alone between 1 October 2005 and 31 July 2013 at Peking University Stomatology Hospital were enrolled in this retrospective study. All had clinical stage IV disease. The prescribed dose was 60–160Gy. The local control rate, survival rate, and predictors of the prognosis were evaluated. Adverse events related to treatment were also noted. The average follow-up time was 29 months (range 9–74 months). Among the 23 patients, six had local failure and 11 died during the follow-up period. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates were 87.0%, 55.4%, and 47.5%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year progression-free survival rates were 73.9%, 47.0%, and 39.2%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year local control rates were 82.1%, 73.9%, and 73.9%, respectively. Age and distant metastasis were independent predictors of survival, while the preoperative duration of the disease was an independent predictor of local control. The use of ¹²⁵I seed brachytherapy alone for the treatment of primary parotid gland carcinoma can provide good short-term results without causing any severe side effects.



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Orthodontic camouflage versus orthodontic-orthognathic surgical treatment in class II malocclusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Publication date: Available online 29 September 2017
Source:International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Author(s): R. Raposo, B. Peleteiro, M. Paço, T. Pinho
This systematic review was performed to compare dental, skeletal, and aesthetic outcomes between orthodontic camouflage and surgical-orthodontic treatment, in patients with a skeletal class II malocclusion and a retrognathic mandible who have already finished their growth period. A literature search was conducted, and a modified Downs and Black checklist was used to assess methodological quality. The meta-analysis was conducted using the DerSimonian–Laird random-effects method to obtain summary estimates of the standardized mean differences and corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Nine articles were included in the qualitative synthesis and seven in the meta-analysis. The difference between treatments was not statistically significant regarding SNA angle, linear measurement of the lower lip to Ricketts' aesthetic line, convexity of the skeletal profile, or the soft tissue profile excluding the nose. In contrast, surgical-orthodontic treatment was more effective with regard to ANB, SNB, and ML/NSL angles and the soft tissue profile including the nose. Different treatment effects on overjet and overbite were found according to the severity of the initial values. These results should be interpreted with caution, due to the limited number of studies included and because they were non-randomized clinical trials. Further studies with larger sample sizes and similar pre-treatment conditions are needed.



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