The contemporary management of cancers of the sinonasal tract in adults.

Sinonasal malignancies make up <5% of all head and neck neoplasms, with an incidence of 0.5-1.0 per 100,000. The outcome of these rare malignancies has been poor, whereas significant progress has been made in the management of other cancers. The objective of the current review was to describe the incidence, causes, presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and recent developments of malignancies of the sinonasal tract. The diagnoses covered in this review included sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma, sinonasal adenocarcinoma, sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma, and esthesioneuroblastoma, which are exclusive to the sinonasal tract. In addition, the authors covered malignances that are likely to be encountered in the sinonasal tract-primary mucosal melanoma, NUT (nuclear protein of the testis) carcinoma, and extranodal natural killer cell/T-cell lymphoma. For the purpose of keeping this review as concise and focused as possible, sarcomas and malignancies that can be classified as salivary gland neoplasms were excluded.

Association of polygenic risk score with response to deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well-established treatment option for select patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD). However, response to DBS varies, therefore, the ability to predict who will have better outcomes can aid patient selection. Some PD-related monogenic mutations have been reported among factors that influence response to DBS. However, monogenic disease accounts for only a minority of patients with PD. The polygenic risk score (PRS) is an indication of cumulative genetic risk for disease. The PRS in PD has also been correlated with age of onset and symptom progression, but it is unknown whether correlations exist between PRS and DBS response. Here, we performed a pilot study to look for any such correlation. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 33 PD patients from the NIH PD Clinic and 13 patients from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative database who had genetic testing and underwent bilateral subthalamic nucleus DBS surgery and clinical follow-up. A PD-specific PRS was calculated for all 46 patients based on the 90 susceptibility variants identified in the latest PD genome-wide association study. We tested associations between PRS and pre- and post-surgery motor and cognitive measures using multiple regression analysis for up to two years after surgery. RESULTS: Changes in scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were not correlated with PRS when derived from all susceptibility variants, however, when removing pathogenic and high-risk carriers from the calculation, higher PRS was significantly associated with greater reduction in BDI score at 3 months and with similar trend 24 months after DBS. PRS was not a significant predictor of Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Dementia Rating Scale, or phenomic and semantic fluency outcomes at 3- and 24-months after DBS surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study suggests that PRS may predict degree of improvement in depressive symptoms after DBS, though was not predictive of motor and other cognitive outcomes after DBS. Additionally, PRS may be most relevant in predicting DBS outcomes in patients lacking pathogenic or high-risk PD variants. However, this was a small preliminary study and response to DBS treatment is multifactorial, therefore, more standardized high-powered studies are needed.

The Impact of Transparency and Decision Risk on Human-Automation Teaming Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Examine the effects of decision risk and automation transparency on the accuracy and timeliness of operator decisions, automation verification rates, and subjective workload. BACKGROUND: Decision aids typically benefit performance, but can provide incorrect advice due to contextual factors, creating the potential for automation disuse or misuse. Decision aids can reduce an operator's manual problem evaluation, and it can also be strategic for operators to minimize verifying automated advice in order to manage workload. METHOD: Participants assigned the optimal unmanned vehicle to complete missions. A decision aid provided advice but was not always reliable. Two levels of decision aid transparency were manipulated between participants. The risk associated with each decision was manipulated using a financial incentive scheme. Participants could use a calculator to verify automated advice; however, this resulted in a financial penalty. RESULTS: For high- compared with low-risk decisions, participants were more likely to reject incorrect automated advice and were more likely to verify automation and reported higher workload. Increased transparency did not lead to more accurate decisions and did not impact workload but decreased automation verification and eliminated the increased decision time associated with high decision risk. CONCLUSION: Increased automation transparency was beneficial in that it decreased automation verification and decreased decision time. The increased workload and automation verification for high-risk missions is not necessarily problematic given the improved automation correct rejection rate. APPLICATION: The findings have potential application to the design of interfaces to improve human-automation teaming, and for anticipating the impact of decision risk on operator behavior.

Developing and piloting a context-specified ethics framework for health technology assessment: the South African Values and Ethics for Universal Health Coverage approach.

OBJECTIVES: While ethics has been identified as a core component of health technology assessment (HTA), there are few examples of practical, systematic inclusion of ethics analysis in HTA. Some attribute the scarcity of ethics analysis in HTA to debates about appropriate methodology and the need for ethics frameworks that are relevant to local social values. The "South African Values and Ethics for Universal Health Coverage" (SAVE-UHC) project models an approach that countries can use to develop HTA ethics frameworks that are specific to their national contexts. METHODS: The SAVE-UHC approach consisted of two phases. In Phase I, the research team convened and facilitated a national multistakeholder working group to develop a provisional ethics framework through a collaborative, engagement-driven process. In Phase II, the research team refined the model framework by piloting it through three simulated HTA appraisal committee meetings. Each simulated committee reviewed two case studies of sample health interventions: opioid substitution therapy and either a novel contraceptive implant or seasonal influenza immunization for children under five. RESULTS: The methodology was fit-for-purpose, resulting in a context-specified ethics framework and producing relevant findings to inform application of the framework for the given HTA context. CONCLUSIONS: The SAVE-UHC approach provides a model for developing, piloting, and refining an ethics framework for health priority-setting that is responsive to national social values. This approach also helps identify key facilitators and challenges for integrating ethics analysis into HTA processes.

Practice patterns of virtual surgical planning: Survey of the reconstructive section of the American Head and Neck Society.

PURPOSE: Virtual surgical planning (VSP), with custom made implants and guides represents a recent major advance. Nonetheless, knowledge related to practice patterns is limited. The purpose of this study was to provide data from the AHNS Reconstruction Section related to practice patterns, perceived value of VSP, as well as elucidate specific situations which represent high value for the application of VSP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multi-center web-based survey consisting of 30 questions regarding practice patterns related to VSP practices delivered via email to 203 members of the AHNS Reconstructive Surgery Section at institutions across North America. RESULTS: There was a 34% response rate (70/203). A majority of the respondents (96%) used VSP in approximately 50% of their mandibular reconstruction cases, and in 42% of maxillary cases. 46% reported using patient specific implants >75% of cases. Respondents estimated that ~17% of patients received dental implant reconstruction. The majority of respondents (71.0%) did not know the cost of VSP at their institution. The remaining respondents indicated the average cost was $6680 per case. VSP was felt to be necessary as a teaching tool by 55.9%. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that a majority of respondents frequently utilize VSP in their practice for head and neck reconstruction. Complex, multi-unit reconstructions were felt to offer the greatest value when utilizing VSP. Future work should focus on increasing the rates of dental implant reconstruction in this population, optimizing value of VSP with careful case selection, and understanding the educational value and costs of these platforms.

Clinical outcomes of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty for elective indications versus acute 3- and 4-part proximal humeral fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) has continued to increase in clinical utility and popularity as an effective treatment for cuff tear arthropathy (CTA), irreparable rotator cuff tears (RCTs), osteoarthritis, and acute 3- and 4-part proximal humeral fractures. Performing RTSA for acute proximal humeral fractures presents the unique challenges of tuberosity management, bone loss, and instability compared with elective indications such as CTA or irreparable RCTs. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes, active range of motion (ROM), radiographic outcomes, and complications between patients undergoing elective RTSA (RTSA-E) and those undergoing RTSA for fracture (RTSA-F). METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We queried 3 electronic databases (Embase, Cochrane, and PubMed) using the search term "reverse" AND "shoulder" AND "arthroplasty." Studies investigating the clinical outcomes of RTSA for traumatic and/or elective indications were included. Studies were excluded if they included RTSA performed for fracture sequelae, inflammatory arthritis, post-traumatic osteoarthritis, or avascular necrosis. Data collected included patient demographic characteristics, subjective outcome measurements, ROM, and complications. The pooled means and proportions along with their 95% confidence intervals were generated by a random-effects model that incorporated the between-study variations in weighting. RESULTS: A total of 134 studies (11,651 shoulders) investigating the clinical outcomes of RTSA-E patients and 66 studies (3117 shoulders) investigating RTSA-F patients were included in this systematic review. Analysis of patient-reported outcomes demonstrated that RTSA-F patients experienced significantly lower Constant scores than RTSA-E patients; however, relative Constant scores, Simple Shoulder Test scores, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand scores, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores, and visual analog scale pain scores were similar. RTSA-F patients also had significantly lower forward elevation, abduction, and external rotation. RTSA-F patients experienced tuberosity complications at a significantly higher rate than RTSA-E patients (25.9% vs. 4.1%). There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of other complications such as heterotopic ossification, radiographic loosening, revision, nerve injury, postoperative stiffness, infection, dislocation, and component loosening. DISCUSSION: RTSA performed for acute 3- and 4-part proximal humeral fractures yields overall worse clinical outcomes and active ROM compared with RTSA performed for elective indications including CTA, massive irreparable RCTs, and osteoarthritis with deformity. Tuberosity healing may be a major contributing factor to the difference in clinical outcomes. In the setting of RTSA-F, patient and surgeon expectations may need to be tempered and appropriate measures undertaken to optimize tuberosity healing.

The mutational landscape of early- and typical-onset oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is increasing among younger birth cohorts. The etiology of early-onset OTSCC (diagnosed before the age of 50 years) and cancer driver genes remain largely unknown. METHODS: The Sequencing Consortium of Oral Tongue Cancer was established through the pooling of somatic mutation data of oral tongue cancer specimens (n = 227 [107 early-onset cases]) from 7 studies and The Cancer Genome Atlas. Somatic mutations at microsatellite loci and Catalog of Somatic Mutations in Cancer mutation signatures were identified. Cancer driver genes were identified with the MutSigCV and WITER algorithms. Mutation comparisons between early- and typical-onset OTSCC were evaluated via linear regression with adjustments for patient-related factors. RESULTS: Two novel driver genes (ATXN1 and CDC42EP1) and 5 previously reported driver genes (TP53, CDKN2A, CASP8, NOTCH1, and FAT1) were identified. Six recurrent mutations were identified, with 4 occurring in TP53. Early-onset OTSCC had significantly fewer nonsilent mutations even after adjustments for tobacco use. No associations of microsatellite locus mutations and mutation signatures with the age of OTSCC onset were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This international, multicenter consortium is the largest study to characterize the somatic mutational landscape of OTSCC and the first to suggest differences by age of onset. This study validates multiple previously identified OTSCC driver genes and proposes 2 novel cancer driver genes. In analyses by age, early-onset OTSCC had a significantly smaller somatic mutational burden that was not explained by differences in tobacco use. LAY SUMMARY: This study identifies 7 specific areas in the human genetic code that could be responsible for promoting the development of tongue cancer. Tongue cancer in young patients (under the age of 50 years) has fewer overall changes to the genetic code in comparison with tongue cancer in older patients, but the authors do not think that this is due to differences in smoking rates between the 2 groups. The cause of increasing cases of tongue cancer in young patients remains unclear.

Decreased Glenoid Retroversion Is a Risk Factor for Failure of Primary Arthroscopic Bankart Repair in Individuals With Subcritical Bone Loss Versus No Bone Loss.

PURPOSE: To determine whether glenoid retroversion is an independent risk factor for failure after arthroscopic Bankart repair. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of patients with a minimum 2-year follow-up. In part 1 of the study, individuals with no glenoid bone loss on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and who failed arthroscopic Bankart repair (cases) were compared with individuals who did not fail Bankart repair (controls). In part 2 of the study, cases with subcritical (<20%) glenoid bone loss as measured on sagittal T1 MRI sequences who failed arthroscopic Bankart repair were compared with controls who did not. For each part of the study, glenoid version was measured using axial T2 MRI sequences. Positive angular measurements were designated to represent glenoid anteversion, whereas negative measurements were designated to represent glenoid retroversion. Independent t tests were conducted to determine the association between glenoid version and failure after arthroscopic Bankart repair. RESULTS: There were 20 cases and 40 controls in part 1 of the study. In part 2, there were 19 cases and 21 controls. There was no difference in baseline characteristics between cases and controls. Among individuals with no glenoid bone loss, there was no difference in glenoid version between cases and controls (cases: 6.0° ± 8.1° vs controls: 5.1° ± 7.8°, P = .22). Among individuals with subcritical bone loss, cases (3.8° ± 4.4°) were associated with significantly less mean retroversion compared with controls (7.1° ± 2.8°, P = .0085). Decreased retroversion (odds ratio 1.34; 95% confidence interval 1.05-1.72, P = 20) was a significant independent predictor of failure using univariable logistic regression. CONCLUSIONS: While glenoid retroversion is not associated with failure after arthroscopic Bankart repair in individuals with no glenoid bone loss, decreased retroversion is associated with failure in individuals with subcritical bone loss. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3: Retrospective review.

The E-cigarette ban in India-A step in the right direction?

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are a popular method to help quit tobacco smoking. However, there is a paucity of data in the literature on their safety and efficacy. Recently, the Indian Government has called for a ban on all e-cigarettes and taken steps to restrict access to vaping products from the market. This major decision was an attempt to safeguard the younger population from using e-cigarette and their possible longer-term addiction together with its promotions by domestic industries. In this article, we evaluate the role of e-cigarettes to help stop smoking tobacco cessation and consider the factors that have facilitated the ban on e-cigarettes in India.

Approach to the Patient with Unknown Primary Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck.

OPINION STATEMENT: Head and neck cancer of unknown primary (HNCUP) is increasingly encountered in both community otolaryngology practice and the academic head and neck cancer program. A stepwise diagnostic evaluation will identify many primary sites. However, true HNCUP remains common in high-volume practices after appropriate examination, imaging, and biopsies. The prognosis for the majority of the patients is good, owing to the common association with high-risk HPV, and putative oropharyngeal primary origin. With high oncologic control rates, judicious treatment selection is essential to optimize functional outcomes.

Over-the-top ACL reconstruction restores anterior and rotatory knee laxity in skeletally immature individuals and revision settings.

PURPOSE: To investigate the objective outcomes following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) with the over-the-top (OTT) technique. METHODS: Thirty-five ACL-deficient patients with mean follow-up of 2.2 years were retrospectively reviewed. This included 14 skeletally immature individuals (age: 14 ± 1 years) who underwent primary OTT ACLR (adolescent group) and 21 skeletally mature individuals (age: 25 ± 8 years) who underwent OTT revision ACLR (revision group). The tibial tunnel was created at the anatomic position for all cases. No lateral extra-articular tenodesis was performed. Before and after surgery, the side-to-side difference (SSD) in anterior laxity was measured using KT-1000 arthrometer. Lachman and pivot-shift tests were assessed according to IKDC grade. The graft failure rate was assessed. RESULTS: The post-operative SSD in anterior laxity was significantly reduced in the adolescent (pre-op, 3.9 ± 1.8 mm; post-op, 1.2 ± 0.8 mm; p = 0.040) and revision groups (pre-op, 4.2 ± 1.7 mm; post-op, 1.2 ± 1.4 mm; p < 0.001). Postoperative knee laxity measured by Lachman and pivot-shift tests were also significantly improved in both groups. Graft rupture occurred in two patients in the adolescent group (14.3%), and one patient in the revision group (4.8%). CONCLUSION: ACLR with the OTT technique restored anterior and rotatory knee laxity in skeletally immature individuals and in revision settings. This one-step procedure may be a good option for skeletally immature individuals and revision settings. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Return to sport testing at 6 months after arthroscopic shoulder stabilization reveals residual strength and functional deficits.

OBJECTIVES: A good outcome after arthroscopic stabilization for recurrent shoulder instability is often characterized by a successful return to sport while minimizing complications. There is currently no consensus regarding timing or objective criteria for return to sport. The objective of this study is to evaluate the ability of postoperative patients to meet expected goals by using standardized objective evaluations of strength and physical function. METHODS: Forty-three (10 females, 76.7% male) subjects (mean age, 18.1 ± 3.7 years) who underwent arthroscopic shoulder stabilization surgery (anterior or posterior) from 2016 until 2018 were referred during their postoperative rehabilitation for functional testing at 6 months postoperatively to evaluate their readiness for return to sport. The Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability test and Unilateral Seated Shot Put test were used to assess shoulder function. Posterior rotator cuff activation was evaluated using a repetition to failure technique with 5% body weight at 0° and 90° of abduction with the goal of 90% of nonoperative extremity. Isokinetic strength testing of external rotation (ER) and internal rotation (IR) was evaluated using a Biodex isokinetic dynamometer at angular velocities of 60° and 180° per second, and a passing score was considered achieving 90% of nonoperative shoulder strength at both 60° and 180° per second. RESULTS: All subjects were competitive athletes (20 collegiate, 23 high school). The dominant extremity was the surgical extremity in 22 subjects. Only 5 subjects were able to successfully pass the battery of tests for strength and function. Strength testing revealed that 7 patients achieved 90% of the strength of the nonoperative extremity in both repetitions to failure (23 of 43) and comparative isokinetic testing (7 of 43). More subjects were able to meet IR strength (20 of 43) than ER strength (12 of 43) goals. Functional test goals were more frequently achieved, with 26 of 43 subjects meeting both functional test goals (33 Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability, 34 Unilateral Seated Shot Put). Only 2 subjects were able to achieve strength goals but did not pass functional tests, whereas 21 subjects passed functional tests without meeting strength goals. CONCLUSION: A substantial number of athletes in our cohort do not meet the expected goals for their operative shoulder in achieving appropriate function and strength, compared with the contralateral shoulder. Functional goals were more often met than strength. IR strength goals were more frequently achieved than ER strength. Strength and functional testing could provide more reliable criteria than arbitrary passage of time for return to play after shoulder stabilization surgery.

Contemporary Treatment of Locally Advanced Oral Cancer.

OPINION STATEMENT: At our institution, locally advanced oral cancer is most commonly treated with surgical resection, immediate reconstruction, and adjuvant radiotherapy with or without concurrent systemic therapy depending on final surgical pathologic analysis. There are patients with markedly advanced local or regional disease who unfortunately will have a low probability of cure. We counsel these patients on induction chemotherapy, emphasizing that this is unlikely to result in a smaller volume of surgical resection. In these patients, a good response to induction chemotherapy is more frequently followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy. We have not been in the practice of commonly recommending definitive chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced oral cancer when upfront surgery is an option. However, as reviewed below, there is a significant rationale for definitive chemoradiotherapy in patients who are surgical candidates, with the hope of good oncologic outcomes, and potential functional organ preservation. The experts who report their experiences in the studies reviewed below provide a strong argument for considering this approach.

Does Pelvic Rotation Alter Radiologic Measurement of Anterior and Lateral Acetabular Coverage?

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the radiologic tolerance of the lateral center edge angle (LCEA) and anterior center edge angle (ACEA) to pelvic rotation. METHODS: Eleven dry cadaveric pelvises from an osteological collection were reconstructed and placed in anatomic position with corresponding bilateral proximal femurs. Conventional anteroposterior (AP) and false-profile (FP) pelvic radiographs were taken at 5° increments with fluoroscopy from 0° to 25° of rotation. LCEA and ACEA were measured for conventional and rotated AP and FP fluoroscopic views, respectively. Statistical analysis was conducted to determine the error in ACEA and LCEA with pelvic rotation. RESULTS: The mean LCEA was 29.1° (95% confidence interval [CI], 25.5°-32.7°). Mean ACEA was 38.9° (95% CI, 34.1°-43.8°). There was significant change in the LCEA past 10° of rotation (P = .041). There was significant change in the ACEA with 5o or more of rotation (P < .001). The FP view rotated 40° from an AP view produced 6.8° (95% CI, 4.7-8.9) of error, whereas one rotated 90° from an AP view produced 13.2° (95% CI, 11.2°-15.3°) of error in the ACEA. An AP view rotated 25° toward the x-ray beam produced 2.3° (95% CI, 1.1°-3.4°) error, whereas one rotated 25° away from the beam produced 2.6° (95% CI, 1.5°-3.8°) of error. CONCLUSIONS: Rotation of AP and FP radiographs significantly affects the measured values of the LCEA and ACEA, respectively. The ACEA experiences more dramatic changes with rotation of the FP view compared with the LCEA with the same amount of rotation of an AP view. This study illustrates the importance of verifying the quality of the FP radiograph when using ACEA to guide therapy for hip pathology. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study emphasizes the importance of evaluating pelvic rotation when using the center edge angle to assess femoral head coverage.

Bibliometric trends of health economic evaluation in Sub-Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND: Collaboration between Sub-Saharan African researchers is important for the generation and transfer of health technology assessment (HTA) evidence, in order to support priority-setting in health. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate collaboration patterns between countries. METHODS: We conducted a rapid evidence assessment that included a random sample of health economic evaluations carried out in 20 countries (Angola, Botswana, Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda). We conducted bibliometric network analysis based on all first authors with a Sub-Saharan African academic affiliation and their co-authored publications ("network-articles"). Then we produced a connection map of collaboration patterns among Sub-Saharan African researchers, reflecting the number of network-articles and the country of affiliation of the main co-authors. RESULTS: The sample of 119 economic evaluations mostly related to treatments of communicable diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS (42/119, 35.29 %) and malaria (26/119, 21.85 %). The 39 first authors from Sub-Saharan African institutions together co-authored 729 network-articles. The network analysis showed weak collaboration between health economic researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa, with researchers being more likely to collaborate with Europe and North America than with other African countries. South Africa stood out as producing the highest number of health economic evaluations and collaborations. CONCLUSIONS: The development and evaluation of HTA research networks in Sub-Saharan Africa should be supported, with South Africa central to any such efforts. Organizations and institutions from high income countries interested in supporting priority setting in Sub-Saharan Africa should include promoting collaboration as part of their agendas, in order to take advantage of the potential transferability of results and methods of the available health economic analyses in Africa and internationally.

Masseteric Nerve Transfer for Facial Paralysis Secondary to Parotid Malignancy: A Retrospective Case Series.

Background: The objective outcomes of masseteric nerve transfer in the setting of parotid malignancy are unclear. Objective: To measure objective facial reanimation outcomes of masseteric nerve transfer in patients with parotid malignancy who underwent parotidectomy with facial nerve resection. Materials and Methods: Retrospective review of patients who underwent masseteric nerve transfer for facial paralysis secondary to parotid malignancy was carried out at a tertiary referral hospital from August 2017 to November 2021. Objective facial reanimation outcomes were analyzed using Emotrics. Minimal follow-up of 6 months was required for inclusion. Results: Eight patients (five males) with a median age of 75.5 years (range 53-91) met inclusion criteria. Fifty percent had metastatic squamous cell carcinoma, and 50% had primary parotid malignancy. Five patients underwent concomitant cancer resection with facial nerve reconstruction. Seven patients received postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy. After reinnervation, patients had improved oral commissure excursion (from 1.51 mm ±1.27 to 3.77 mm ±1.81; p < 0.01) and facial symmetry during smile. Conclusion: In this study, masseteric nerve transfer enhanced oral commissure excursion and facial symmetry during smile in patients with parotid malignancy and facial nerve resection.

Acute and definitive management of oropharyngeal hemorrhage in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx.

BACKGROUND: Massive oropharyngeal bleeding post-chemoradiotherapy is a life-threatening condition that requires emergent management. METHODS: This retrospective case series included 11 patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who suffered from massive bleeding during or following treatment with definitive chemoradiotherapy. Details of acute and definitive management of oropharyngeal bleeding are reported. RESULTS: Nine of 11 hemorrhagic events occurred a mean (SD) of 88.6 days (53.6) after radiotherapy. Airway intubation and embolization were performed in 10 of 11 patients, followed by surgery in 7 of 11 patients. The most commonly embolized vessels were the external carotid and lingual arteries. At the time of discharge, 3 of 11 patients had a tracheostomy, and 7 of 11 continued to use a gastrostomy tube. Four patients died. CONCLUSIONS: Hemorrhagic complications in oropharyngeal cancer treatment require emergent responses. Developing a workflow for coordination between multidisciplinary teams can maximize probability of survival and decrease morbidity.

Use of Perioperative Virtual Reality Experiences on Anxiety and Pain: A Randomized Comparative Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of different virtual reality (VR) experiences on perioperative anxiety and pain among patients undergoing head and neck surgery. METHODS: Prospective, randomized, comparative trial among patients undergoing outpatient head and neck surgery from December 2021 to April 2022 at a single academic institution. Group 1 utilized a preoperative VR gaming experience and a postoperative VR mindfulness experience, while Group 2 utilized the same interventions in the reverse order. Anxiety and pain were measured using visual analog scales (VAS). Primary outcomes were changes in post-intervention anxiety and pain. Secondary outcomes included vital sign changes and subjective patient experiences using a 5-point Likert scale. RESULTS: There were 32 patients randomized for inclusion, with 16 patients per group. The majority of patients were female (65.6%) and mean (standard deviation) age was 47.3 (16.7) years. After outlier exclusion, there were no differences in post-intervention preoperative anxiety reduction (Group 1 vs. Group 2, median [IQR]: -12.0 [15] vs. -10.5 [13], p = 0.62). There were minor differences in vital sign changes (p < 0.05). Among the 10 patients in Group 1 and 12 patients in Group 2 who completed postoperative VR use, there were no differences in post-intervention pain reduction (-8.5 [22.3] vs. -7.5 [19.3], p = 0.95) or vital sign changes (p > 0.05). There were no differences in questionnaire responses, with high satisfaction in both groups (p > 0.05). No adverse events encountered. CONCLUSIONS: Use of different VR experiences among patients undergoing outpatient head and neck surgery appears associated with similar reductions in perioperative anxiety and pain. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 Laryngoscope, 134:1197-1202, 2024.

Comparison of da Vinci Single Port vs Si Systems for Transoral Robotic-Assisted Surgery: A Review With Technical Insights.

Importance: Transoral robot-assisted surgery (TORS) continues to have a major role in the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer. As new iterations of robotic technology are increasingly utilized, it is important to share learning experiences and clinical outcomes data, to optimize technical efficiency and clinical care. Observations: This was a retrospective review of a large academic institution's initial clinical use of the da Vinci Single Port (SP) compared with the da Vinci Si (Si) system. A total of 205 TORS cases were reviewed: 109 in the SP group (November 22, 2018, through September 30, 2020), and 96 in the Si group (January 1, 2016, through November 12, 2018). Both groups had comparable operative times, rates of postoperative pharyngeal hemorrhage, length of hospital stay, and duration of nasogastric feeding tube use. There was no difference in pathological characteristics, rates of positive margins, or indications for or time to initiation of adjuvant therapy between the groups. The collective experience of 6 faculty members-who have trained 139 TORS surgeons for the SP system rollout-was compiled to provide a summary of learning experiences and technical notes on safe and efficient operation of the SP system. Conclusions and Relevance: This Review found that the functional and oncologic outcomes were comparable between TORS cases performed with the Si and SP systems, and they had similar complication rates. Recognized advantages of the SP over the Si system include the availability of bipolar-energized instruments, a usable third surgical arm, and improved camera image quality.

BRAIDing receptors for cell-specific targeting.

Systemic toxicity is a major challenge in the development of therapeutics. Consequently, cell-type-specific targeting is needed to improve on-target efficacy while reducing off-target toxicity. Here, we describe a cell-targeting system we have termed BRAID (BRidged Activation by Intra/intermolecular Division) whereby an active molecule is divided into two inactive or less active parts that are subsequently brought together via a so-called 'bridging receptor' on the target cell. This concept was validated using the WNT/ß-catenin signaling system, demonstrating that a multivalent WNT agonist molecule divided into two inactive components assembled from different epitopes via the hepatocyte receptor ßKlotho induces signaling specifically on hepatocytes. These data provide proof of concept for this cell-specific targeting strategy, and in principle, this may also allow activation of multiple signaling pathways where desirable. This approach has broad application potential for other receptor systems.