Association of Myianoetus muscarum (Acari: Histiostomatidae) With Synthesiomyia nudiseta (Wulp) (Diptera: Muscidae) on Human Remains.

Synthesiomyia nudiseta (Wulp) (Diptera: Muscidae) was identified during the course of three indoor medicolegal forensic entomology investigations in the state of Texas, one in 2011 from Hayes County, TX, and two in 2015 from Harris County, TX. In all cases, mites were found in association with the sample and subsequently identified as Myianoetus muscarum (L., 1758) (Acariformes: Histiostomatidae). This report represents the first records of a mite associated with S. nudiseta in the continental United States. In particular, this association is believed to be of potential future value in forensic investigations, as it lends new insight into the community structure of colonizers on human remains in indoor environments.

Safety considerations and safety protocol for laser surgery.

The critical importance of laser safety depends on a precise knowledge of the physics of each type of laser and on the tissue effects each type produces in the constantly changing environment during surgery. The considerations involved in using the most common lasers--safety guidelines, general protocol, and specific measures--are outlined.

Frontal sinus ablation for frontal osteomyelitis.

Frontal sinusitis with frontal osteomyelitis is a potentially life threatening disease. Diagnostic and therapeutic errors occur frequently because of antibiotic masking of already silent frontal lobe complications or lack of suspicion on the part of the otolaryngologist or the neurosurgeon. Frontal sinus infection and/or trauma frequently require otoneuro cooperation for care. Four cases of complications of frontal sinus infection with osteomyelitis are discussed. Three had epidural empyemas and one had a subdural empyema with an anterior 1/3 superior sagittal sinus thrombosis and multiple brain abscesses. Each patient was approached through a frontal craniotomy and the frontal sinus posterior plate examined from behind. Each had posterior dehiscences. Follow-up of osteomyelitis requires multiple tests including computerized tomography, polytomography and possibly bone or gallium scans. Twenty year or more follow-up is essential.

Dose-related tissue effects of the CO2 and noncontact Nd:YAG lasers in the canine glottis.

OBJECTIVES: The CO2 laser is the standard for control of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis because of its predictable action on laryngeal tissue. The noncontact neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) 1064-nm laser is generally not used in the larynx owing to the lack of data on its tissue effects, and its potential lack of safety in the larynx. Combined Nd:YAG and CO2 laser treatments have been used safely in the tracheobronchial tree to eradicate recurrent respiratory papillomas. The objectives of this study were to describe and evaluate a method for applying the noncontact Nd:YAG laser to the larynx, to compare the tissue effects of the Nd:YAG, CO2, and combined Nd:YAG and CO2 lasers in the canine larynx, and to extrapolate canine tissue data to the human. METHODS: The CO2, Nd:YAG, and combined Nd:YAG/CO2 lasers were applied to the glottis in four mongrel dogs. Laryngectomy was performed and the tissue was examined histologically. The nature and degree of tissue injury were analyzed relative to laser type and energy data. RESULTS: In the canine larynx, the CO2 laser vaporized the surface epithelium and caused varying degrees of edema and necrosis of the lamina propria. The Nd:YAG laser did not cause ulceration but did show a greater degree of thermal damage to the lamina propria. Combined Nd:YAG/CO2 applications resulted in separation of the perimysial fibers from the muscle fibers of the vocalis muscle. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the noncontact Nd:YAG laser can be applied in a controlled fashion to the canine larynx at appropriate power densities. Anatomical differences between human and canine larynges are considered. Extrapolation to humans is proposed.

Overexpression of the p53 gene in primary and metastatic head and neck carcinomas.

The p53 gene has been correlated with disease progression in a number of human malignancies, and p53 abnormalities are found in a high percentage of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. The objectives of this study were 1. to correlate p53 expression with disease progression in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), and 2. to determine whether there are site-specific differences in p53 expression. Primary lesions and/or lymph node metastases from 147 patients with invasive SCCHN were immunostained for p53 overexpression. Expression of p53 was similar (42% versus 43%) in primary lesions and lymph node metastases. Expression also did not vary significantly by site in the head and neck. In conclusion, increased p53 expression did not correlate with disease progression in our series of patients with invasive SCCHN. The finding of a lack of increased expression with disease spread to lymph nodes supports the belief that p53 alterations occur early in head and neck carcinogenesis.

The outcome and techniques of primary and secondary tracheoesophageal puncture.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the outcome of primary vs secondary tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP), in particular the effects of preoperative and postoperative radiotherapy on success and complication rates in primary TEPs, and to highlight modified surgical and management techniques. DESIGN: Retrospective study of case series. SETTING: Chevalier Jackson-Norris Center-Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Bronchoesophagology at Temple University Health Sciences Center Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa. PATIENTS: One hundred six consecutive patients underwent primary TEPs and 30 underwent secondary TEPs for voice restoration after laryngectomy for cancer over a period of 8 years with follow-ups ranging from 6 months to 8.5 years. The group given primary TEP also includes 19 patients who received radiation for cure and salvage laryngectomy and 75 who received full-course postoperative radiotherapy. INTERVENTION: Tracheoesophageal puncture and Blom-Singer prosthesis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Speech measures including (1) voice intensity, (2) pitch of speech, (3) duration of sustained phonation, and (4) rate of speech. RESULTS: A success rate of 93% was achieved in the group of patients given primary TEP regardless of radiotherapy. An 83% success rate was achieved with patients given secondary TEP. There were no major complications related to TEPs. CONCLUSIONS: Primary TEP for patients requiring total laryngectomy is highly recommended since a second operative procedure can be avoided and speech obtained rapidly. Postoperative radiotherapy does not increase the complication rate from TEP.

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma and familial adenomatous polyposis: an association?

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is a benign neoplasm affecting the nasopharynx of male adolescents. Two patients treated at Temple University Hospital for this condition were also diagnosed with familial adenomatous polyposis. Familial adenomatous polyposis results from the inheritance of a mutated adenomatous polyposis coli gene in an autosomal dominant pattern. The development of colorectal carcinoma in middle age is seen almost invariably in familial adenomatous polyposis, if a prophylactic colectomy is not performed. To identify a possible association between juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma and familial adenomatous polyposis, chart reviews and patient interviews were carried out for all patients treated for juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma at Temple University Hospital between 1985 and 1993. Single-strand conformational polymorphism was performed to detect the presence of certain adenomatous polyposis coli gene mutations within the germline DNA of those juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma patients not previously found to have familial adenomatous polyposis. Although no more patients with both juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma and familial adenomatous polyposis were found by these methods, the two patients with both disorders previously identified constitute 22% of our juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma series. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Interstitial iodine 125 in advanced recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck with follow-up evaluation of carotid artery by ultrasound.

We retrospectively reviewed our experience with 24 patients in the treatment of advanced recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, using salvage surgery and intraoperative iodine 125 (125I) implantation. Surgical complications and survival results were compiled and compared with those of other studies. The long-term effect of 125I on the carotid artery was evaluated by ultrasound. We had a major complication rate of 21% and an overall complication rate of 50%. Our 2-year overall and determinate survivals were 29% and 50%, respectively. Within the survival group, carotid ultrasounds were obtained to evaluate the long-term effect of 125I. All ultrasounds obtained at least 1 year from the time of treatment showed minimal or no change from the contralateral side. We conclude that intraoperative 125I and salvage surgery are an acceptable treatment for recurrent squamous cell carcinoma with minimal complication and effect on the carotid artery.

Malignant myoepithelioma of the parotid gland: case report and review of the literature.

A 62-year-old male with a myoepithelioma of the right parotid gland was treated with surgical excision followed by adjuvant radiation therapy. Prior to the completion of radiation therapy, the patient developed progressive disease at local, regional, and distant metastatic sites. Combined modality treatment with radiation and chemotherapy resulted in a significant but transient shrinkage of the tumours at all sites. The patient succumbed to metastatic disease 212 days following the diagnostic biopsy. This case illustrates several of the distinctive clinical and pathological characteristics of this rare tumour.

Costs and financial results.

Initial financial information appears to indicate that rates were adequate in the phase-in regions and that state payments were about in the range that was expected.

Vertico-frontolateral laryngectomy (hemilaryngectomy). Indications, technique, and results.

The hemilaryngectomy procedure includes the entire hemithyroid cartilage with the extent of the cartilage cut beyond the midline determined by endoscopy and cord cut determined after anterolateral pharyngotomy to minimize or maximize the procedure according to tumor size. Hypopharyngeal or piriform sinus mucosa was used to reconstruct the resected hemilarynx. There were 56 male subjects and one female subject. The mean age was 59 years. All had squamous cell carcinoma. There were 25 T1 lesions. Their 3-, 5-, and 10-year adjusted survival rate was 100%. The average survival in years was 6.6. Five T1 tumors were radiation failures. There were 27 T2 lesions. Their three-year adjusted survival rate was 100%; five-year rate, 94.1%; and ten-year rate, 84.7%. The average survival in years was 5.48. There were five T3 lesions. Their 3-, 5-, and 10-year adjusted survival rate was 100%. The average survival in years was 8.4.

Use of butyl-2-cyanoacrylate in rabbit auricular cartilage.

Since the nonsuture repair of blood vessels with methyl-2-cyanoacrylate was described in 1960, the advantages of a tissue adhesive over conventional sutures became evident. A survey of 115 otolaryngology programs showed that cyanoacrylates, mainly butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (B2C), are used more extensively than indicated in the literature. Cartilage grafts are commonly used in facial plastic procedures. In a study comparing B2C with conventional suture techniques in securing rabbit auricular cartilage autografts, sutures were used in the left control ear and B2C was used in the right experimental ear. Rabbits sacrificed at two weeks to 12 months showed graft viability in all samples and no statistically significant histologic difference between the grafts secured by either method.

Early recurrence following induction chemotherapy for stage IV head and neck cancers: rationale for additional therapy.

Twenty patients with Stage IV neoplasms of the head and neck were treated with two induction cycles of cis-platinum, bleomycin and methotrexate. Eight of eleven operable patients and five of nine inoperable patients responded prior to surgery and/or radiation, including three CRs. Toxicity was mild. There were two early local recurrences but no systemic metastases among the resectable patients. Perhaps initial therapy should be used to select patients with chemoresponsive tumors who might benefit from additional chemotherapy after surgery.

Yeast artificial chromosome cloning of a two-megabase-size contig within chromosomal band 18q21 establishes physical linkage between BCL2 and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-2.

The construction of large-scale physical maps requires efficient approaches to generate new probes and link informative markers. The mapping of a human chromosomal segment was initiated by using the 18q21.3 probes, plasminogen activator inhibitor type-2 (PLANH2) and BCL2, to screen a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) library. An inverse polymerase chain reaction technique rescued genomic ends of the YAC inserts. These new probes were used in a chromosomal walking strategy which established that the PLANH2 gene was 600 kb telomeric and in the opposite transcriptional orientation to that of BCL2. Overall, 16 YACs with a mean size of approximately 300 kb were analyzed using rare-cutting restriction endonucleases and 10 end-rescued probes. A contiguous map within 18q21.3 that spans approximately 2 Mb was assembled. This establishes the feasibility of using YACs in the efficient cloning and physical surveying of expanses of the human genome lacking closely spaced, genetic landmarks.

A putative gene family in 15q11-13 and 16p11.2: possible implications for Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes.

The genetic defects in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and Angelman syndrome (AS) map to 15q11-13. Using microdissection, we have recently isolated several DNA probes for the critical region. Here we report that microclone MN7 detects multiple loci in 15q11-13 and 16p11.2. Eight yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) clones, two genomic phage clones, and two placenta cDNA clones were isolated to analyze these loci in detail. Two of the YAC clones map to 16p. Six YAC clones and two genomic phage clones contain a total of four or five different MN7 copies, which are spread over a large distance within 15q11-13. One cDNA clone is from chromosome 15 and one is from chromosome 16. The chromosome 15 cDNA detects transcripts of 14 and 8 kilobases in various human tissues. The presence of multiple copies of the MN7 gene family in proximal 15q may conceivably be related to the instability of this region and thus to the etiology of associated disorders.

CT surveillance of the thorax in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a preliminary experience.

PURPOSE: Our goal was to determine the number of malignancies detected by thoracic CT in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) in three clinical settings. METHOD: We retrospectively examined 168 thorax CT scans in 93 patients with head and neck SCCA and determined the number of malignancies (second primary cancers or metastasis) (a) at the time of diagnosis of the primary neck tumor (57 patients), (b) at approximately yearly intervals following treatment of the primary cancer (93 examinations in 43 patients), and (c) at the time of local/regional recurrence of the neck neoplasm (18 patients). RESULTS: CT detected malignancy in 9 of 57 patients examined during diagnosis of the neck tumor, in 9 of 43 patients during follow-up, and in 6 of 18 patients evaluated at the time of local/regional neck recurrence. CONCLUSION: Chest CT demonstrates a high number of additional malignancies in patients presenting with advanced SCCA of the head and neck.

Systematic generation of sequence-tagged sites for physical mapping of human chromosomes: application to the mapping of human chromosome 7 using yeast artificial chromosomes.

Basic to the development of long-range physical maps of DNA are the detection and localization of landmarks within recombinant clones. Sequence-tagged sites (STSs), which are short stretches of DNA that can be specifically detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), can be used as such landmarks. Our interest is to construct physical maps of whole human chromosomes by localizing STSs within yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) clones. Here we describe a generalized strategy for the systematic generation of large numbers of STSs specific for human chromosome 7. These STSs can be detected by PCR assays developed following the sequencing of anonymous pieces of chromosome 7 DNA, which was derived from flow-sorted chromosomes or from lambda clones made from DNA of a human-hamster hybrid cell line. Our approach for STS generation is tailored for the development of PCR assays capable of screening a large YAC library. In this study, we report the generation of 100 new STSs specific to human chromosome 7.