Low-intensity laser therapy efficacy evaluation in FVB mice subjected to acute and chronic arthritis

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune inflammation, has a high prevalence in the population, and while therapy is available, it required often injection of drugs causing discomfort to patients. This study evaluates the clinical and histological effect of low-intensity laser therapy (LILT) as an alternative treatment, in a murine model of acute and chronic inflammation. FVB mice received either a Zymosan A injection into one knee joint inducing acute inflammation, followed after 15 min or 24 h by LILT or a collagen bovine type II injection emulsified in "Freund's Complete Adjuvant" to induce chronic arthritis, followed at 4 weeks with multiple LILT sessions. LILT mediated by either 660, 808, or 905 nm and tissue response was evaluated based on clinical symptoms and histological analysis of inflammatory infiltrate and damage to the articular surfaces. LILT can be effective in elevating clinical symptoms, so Kruskal-Wallis testing indicated no significant differences between knees affected by acute arthritis and treated once with LILT and an injured knee without treatment (p > 0.05) for 660 and 808 nm with some improvements for the 905-nm LILT. Mice receiving two treatments for acute arthritis showed exacerbation of inflammation and articular resorption following therapy with a 660-nm continuous laser (p < 0.05). For chronic inflammation, differences were not noted between LILT treated and untreated injured knee joints (p > 0.05). Among the lasers, the 905 nm tends to show better results for anti-inflammatory effect in acute arthritis, and the 660 nm showed better results in chronic arthritis. In conclusion, LILT wavelength selection depends on the arthritis condition and can demonstrate anti-inflammatory effects for chronic arthritis and reduced resorption area in this murine model.

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Double-blind randomized phase III study comparing a mixture of natural agents versus placebo in the prevention of acute mucositis during chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer

Abstract

Background

There is no widely accepted intervention in the prevention of acute mucositis during chemoradiotherapy for head and neck carcinoma. In the present double-blind study, we tested 4 natural agents, propolis, aloe vera, calendula, and chamomile versus placebo.

Methods

Patients undergoing concomitant chemo-intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) were given natural agent or matched placebo; grade 3 mucositis on physical examination according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 3.0 was the primary endpoint. Various covariates were tested at logistic regression, including the individual amount of mucosa receiving at least 9.5 Gy per week (V9.5w).

Results

One hundred seven patients were randomized from January 2011 to July 2014, and 104 were assessable (51%-49% were assigned to the placebo group and 53%-51% were assigned to the natural agent). Overall, 61 patients developed peak grade 3 mucositis with no difference between arms (P = .65). Conversely, V9.5w (P = .007) and primary site (P = .037) were independent predictors.

Conclusion

The selected natural agents do not prevent mucositis, whereas the role of V9.5w is confirmed.

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p16 protein expression and correlation with clinical and pathological features in osteosarcoma of the jaws: Experience of 37 cases

Abstract

Background

In literature, no markers have been reported as predictive and prognostic factors in osteosarcoma of the jaw.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of p16 expression was performed in 37 patients with high-grade osteosarcoma of the jaw to investigate its potential prognostic and predictive value.

Results

p16 positivity was found in 56.7% of cases. The absence of p16 expression was associated with an adverse disease-free survival (P = .003). At the multivariate Cox regression, positive margins were the only independent factor. In the subgroup of 17 patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy, a significant association was noted between p16 expression and pathological response to chemotherapy (P = .015) and the negativity of p16 increased the risk of negative outcome (P = .01).

Conclusion

Our data indicate that the wide surgical margin is the most important prognostic factor. The expression of p16 confers greater sensitivity to chemotherapy and its loss of expression is associated with a worse prognosis.

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Impact of positive margins on outcomes of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma according to p16 status

Abstract

Background

Currently, positive surgical margins in head and neck cancer are considered to be an indicator for postoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) over radiotherapy (RT) alone. However, there are less data regarding the impact of margin status on human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Methods

We performed a retrospective review of 55 patients with oropharyngeal SCC undergoing primary surgical treatment. The impact of margin status on disease-specific survival (DSS) was studied according to p16 status.

Results

Twenty-one patients had positive margins. Adjuvant treatment in these cases was CRT (n = 6), RT alone (n = 14), and none (n = 1). Among p16-negative patients, positive margins and dysplasia at margins predicted significantly worse DSS. Among patients with p16-positive disease, margin status had no impact on DSS.

Conclusion

Patients with p16-positive oropharyngeal SCC and positive margins after excision maintain a low risk of recurrence despite most receiving RT alone as adjuvant treatment. These findings raise questions regarding the additional benefit of postoperative CRT in this group.

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Evaluation of ultrasound reporting for thyroid cancer diagnosis and surveillance

Abstract

Background

Despite the importance of ultrasound imaging in thyroid disease care, ultrasound reports vary greatly in the features described. It is essential that ultrasound reports contain and present all components necessary for a clinical decision in a reader-friendly format.

Methods

One hundred ninety thyroid and neck ultrasound reports were scored using the universal ultrasound report template developed by Su et al, along with the American Thyroid Association (ATA) and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists/Associazione Medici Endocrinologi/European Thyroid Association (AACE/AME/ETA) guidelines. All ultrasounds were performed on patients seen between August and November 2015 by a single surgeon (M.L.U), and originated from a variety of physicians and institutions.

Results

An average of 30.9% of Su et al's criteria was satisfactorily included in the reports. Similar results were reached when the ATA and the AACE/AME/ETA guidelines were applied as scoring templates.

Conclusion

Our results reveal the wide variation in ultrasound reporting. The standardization of ultrasound reporting would help to improve physicians' ability to properly diagnose and manage patients with thyroid disease. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2017

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Comparative evaluation of insertion torque and mechanical stability for self-tapping and self-drilling orthodontic miniscrews – an in vitro study

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between insertion torque and stability of miniscrews in terms of resistance against dislocation, then comparing a self-tapping screw with a self-dr...

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Comparison of the immunogenicity of BM32, a recombinant hypoallergenic B cell epitope-based grass pollen allergy vaccine with allergen extract-based vaccines

Publication date: Available online 31 May 2017
Source:Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Author(s): Milena Weber, Katarzyna Niespodziana, Birgit Linhart, Angela Neubauer, Hans Huber, Rainer Henning, Rudolf Valenta, Margarete Focke-Tejkl




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