Autophony of eyelid movement is not independent of eyeball movement

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Improvement in minimal cross-sectional area and nasal-cavity volume occurs in different areas after septoplasty and radiofrequency therapy of inferior turbinates

Abstract

Purpose

Septoplasty and radiofrequency therapy for inferior turbinate hypertrophy (RFIT) are common techniques used to improve nasal patency. Our aim was to compare nasal geometry and function using acoustic rhinometry and peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) in three patients groups undergoing surgery for nasal obstruction, and to investigate if the improvement in minimal cross-sectional area (MCA) and nasal-cavity volume (NCV) occurred in different cavity areas in the groups. Finally, we evaluated the correlation between the objective measurements and the patients' assessment of nasal obstruction (SNO).

Methods

This prospective, observational study investigated 148 patients pre-operatively and 6 months post-operatively. Fifty patients underwent septoplasty (group 1), 51 underwent septoplasty combined with RFIT (group 2), and 47 underwent RFIT alone (group 3). The MCA and NCV were measured at two distances (MCA/NCV_0–3.0 and MCA/NCV_3–5.2), in addition to measuring PNIF and SNO.

Results

Pre-operatively, groups 1 and 2 had narrower MCA_0–3.0 on one side than group 3 (0.31 ± 0.14 and 0.31 ± 0.14) versus (0.40 ± 0.16) cm². Post-operatively, total MCA_0–3.0 and MCA/NCV_3–5.2 increased in group 1. In group 2, MCA/NCV_0–3.0 at the narrow side and total MCA/NCV_3–5.2 increased, while total MCA/NCV_3–5.2 increased in group 3. PNIF improved from 106 ± 49 to 150 ± 57 l/min post-operatively. We found a correlation between increased MCA and NCV and less SNO in the septoplasty group (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

Surgery produced an improvement in MCA and NCV in all groups. The improvement occurred in different areas of the nasal cavity in the patient groups. Both anterior and posterior areas increased in the septoplasty groups, while only the posterior area increased in the RFIT group. PNIF improved in all three patient groups, indicating that surgery produced an improvement in nasal patency.

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Oncological and functional outcomes of transoral laser surgery for laryngeal carcinoma

Abstract

Introduction

Transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) has become the standard approach for treatment of early-stage laryngeal carcinoma in most institutions due to their good oncological and functional results with few local complications. The purpose of this study was to analyze the oncological and functional results of TLM in the treatment of laryngeal tumors at our Hospital.

Materials and methods

Patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) treated from 1998 to 2013 with TLM with curative intention, and with a minimum follow-up of 24 months, were reviewed.

Results

203 patients with LSCC were included. 195 patients were men (96%) and 8 women (4%), with a mean age of 63 years. The series includes 134 (66%) T1, 40 (20%) T2, and 29 (14%) T3-classified tumors. 116 tumors (57%) were in the glottis, 79 (39%) in the supraglottis and 8 (4%) in the anterior commissure. 16 patients (8%) received adjuvant radiotherapy. Initial local control was obtained in 75.5% of patients. The 5-year overall survival rate was 84% and the 5-year disease-specific survival was 90%. The presence of nodal metastasis (p < 0.001) and the involvement of the surgical margins (p = 0.004) were associated with a lower disease-specific survival in the multivariate analysis. All but three patients with local control of the disease reassumed oral diet, and none were tracheostomy-dependent. The 5-year laryngeal preservation rate was 85%.

Conclusions

TLM is a minimally invasive treatment for early and moderately-advanced laryngeal carcinomas, with good oncologic and functional outcomes, and few complications as well.

https://ift.tt/2LntPXg

The influence of TAP1 and TAP2 gene polymorphisms on TAP function and its inhibition by viral immune evasion proteins

Publication date: September 2018
Source:Molecular Immunology, Volume 101
Author(s): P. Praest, R.D. Luteijn, I.G.J. Brak-Boer, J. Lanfermeijer, H. Hoelen, L. Ijgosse, A.I. Costa, R.D. Gorham, R.J. Lebbink, E.J.H.J. Wiertz
Herpesviruses encode numerous immune evasion molecules that interfere with the immune system, particularly with certain stages in the MHC class I antigen presentation pathway. In this pathway, the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) is a frequent target of viral immune evasion strategies. This ER-resident transporter is composed of the proteins TAP1 and TAP2, and plays a crucial role in the loading of viral peptides onto MHC class I molecules. Several variants of TAP1 and TAP2 occur in the human population, some of which are linked to autoimmune disorders and susceptibility to infections. Here, we assessed the influence of naturally occurring TAP variants on peptide transport and MHC class I expression. In addition, we tested the inhibitory capacity of three viral immune evasion proteins, the TAP inhibitors US6 from human cytomegalovirus, ICP47 from herpes simplex virus type 1 and BNLF2a from Epstein-Barr virus, for a series of TAP1 and TAP2 variants. Our results suggest that these TAP polymorphisms have no or limited effect on peptide transport or MHC class I expression. Furthermore, our study indicates that the herpesvirus-encoded TAP inhibitors target a broad spectrum of TAP variants; inhibition of TAP is not affected by the naturally occurring polymorphisms of TAP tested in this study. Our findings suggest that the long-term coevolution of herpesviruses and their host did not result in selection of inhibitor-resistant TAP variants in the human population.



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Deleterious single nucleotide polymorphisms of protein kinase R identified by the computational approach

Publication date: September 2018
Source:Molecular Immunology, Volume 101
Author(s): Anna Maria Melzer, Navaneethan Palanisamy
The human protein kinase R (PKR) recognizes invading RNA viruses and mediates the antiviral immune response by phosphorylating the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF-2α), thus blocking protein translation in infected cells and thus preventing viral replication. The observation that individuals show different degrees of susceptibility to viral infections gives rise to the hypothesis that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the protein kinase R may alter the response to an infection. Using different available servers (e.g. SIFT, PROVEAN, Polyphen2, SNAP2, SNP&GOs, SNP-PhD, I-Mutant Suite), 14 SNPs were identified that were predicted to have deleterious effects on the protein kinase R. Five SNPs, namely D266Y, Y323D, I398 K, Y465C and Y472C, were selected for homology modeling and the generated models were investigated with regard to their secondary structure, residue fluctuations and eIF-2α binding. Analysis with computational tools POLYVIEW-MM, SAAPdap, SRIDE, CMView, elNémo, NMsim and PatchDock revealed structural changes in all mutants yielding a more stable structure at the cost of reduced flexibility (except Y465C) and less conformational freedom compared to the native protein. The conformational changes in the mutant protein structures and the displacement of functional residues from their strategic positions are predicted to affect the functionality of PKR, and consequently will affect the efficiency of the individual's antiviral immune response negatively. This study will aid the physicians in precision medicine field to tailor optimal treatment for the patients.



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Microbiota and Type 2 immune responses

Kathy D McCoy | Aline Ignacio | Markus B Geuking

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All along the watchtower: group 2 innate lymphoid cells in allergic responses

Madelene W Dahlgren | Ari B Molofsky

https://ift.tt/2Jgccbf