Quality of Life of Patients After Treatment for Cancer in the Head and Neck Region: A Case-Control Study.

INTRODUCTION: It is known that side effects caused by antineoplastic therapy can affect patients' quality of life (QOL). However, the long-term effects on patients' quality of life are not well known. This study aimed to evaluate patients' quality of life who underwent radiotherapy for head and neck cancer lasting more than six months compared to individuals who did not experience treatment. METHODS: Thirty-three patients who underwent treatment for cancer in the head and neck region for at least six months and sixty-six individuals without cancer matched for age and sex were given the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30/QLQ-H & N35 questionnaires. Other pertinent information from patients was taken from the hospital chart. The Mann-Whitney nonparametric test was applied to verify the statistical significance of the difference in means between the groups, and a significance of 5% was considered. RESULTS: Group 1 consisted of 33 patients with a mean age of 63.42 ± 11.25 years; 81.8% were smokers; 84.8% were drinkers; the sites most affected by cancer were the palate/oropharynx and the floor of the mouth (7 cases), and the most common type was epidermoid carcinoma (78.79%). The overall quality of life was 61.62. Among group 2 patients, the average age was 64.27; 84.85% were smokers, and 65.15% were drinkers. The overall quality of life was 71.46 in group 2. There was a group of variables in which the scores of patients without cancer were statistically lower (better quality of life) than those presented by cancer patients, namely, loss of appetite, pain, swallowing, cognitive problems, speech problems, problems eating in public, sexuality, teeth, mouth opening, dry mouth, sticky saliva, nutritional supplements, feeding tube, and weight gain. CONCLUSION: Patients who underwent antineoplastic treatment for more than six months had a worse overall quality of life than individuals who did not experience such treatment. These patients had worse results in the components of appetite loss, pain, swallowing, cognitive problems, speech problems, problems with public eating, sexuality, teeth, mouth opening, dry mouth, sticky saliva, nutritional supplement, feeding tube, and weight gain.

All-inside arthroscopic repair of the anterior talofibular ligament: a case series.

INTRODUCTION: The all-inside arthroscopic repair of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) is a technically challenging and still-recent procedure to treat chronic ankle instability (CAI). Favourable clinical outcomes have been shown from originator centers, but this is one of the first series from a non-originator centre. The purpose of the present study is to present the clinical and functional results of patients with CAI underwent arthroscopic all-inside ATFL repair. METHODS: This is a series of cases of 18 consecutive patients who underwent the all-inside arthroscopic ATFL repair, for CAI, after the failure of conservative treatment performed for six months. The evaluation was made using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Score (AOFAS), visual analog pain scale (VAS), anterior drawer, and talar tilt tests. RESULTS: All 18 patients were evaluated for a mean follow-up period of 12 months. There was an improvement in the AOFAS (p < 0.001), with the mean improving from 69.6 points to 98.1, standard deviation (SD) = 11.09, and in the mean VAS score (p < 0.001), from 5.0 to 0.5 points (SD = 0.78). All ankles were stable, as assessed by the anterior drawer test and talar tilt test. The only complication found was neurapraxia of the superficial fibular nerve in one patient (5%). All of the patients classified the treatment as good or excellent and returned to sports activities without limitations. CONCLUSION: Treatment of CAI by the all-inside arthroscopic ATFL repair was able to restore ankle stability and showed good clinical results and high satisfaction rates.

Hepatitis delta virus interacts with splicing factor SF3B155 and alters pre-mRNA splicing of cell cycle control genes.

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is the agent responsible for the most severe form of human viral hepatitis. The HDV genome consists of a single-stranded circular RNA molecule that encodes for one single protein, the delta antigen. Given its simplicity, HDV must make use of several host cellular proteins to accomplish its life cycle processes, including transcription, replication, post-transcriptional, and post-translational modifications. Consequently, identification of the interactions established between HDV components and host proteins assumes a pivotal interest in the search of novel therapeutic targets. Here, we used the yeast three-hybrid system to screen a human liver cDNA library to identify host proteins that interact with the HDV genomic RNA. One of the identified proteins corresponded to the splicing factor SF3B155, a component of the U2snRNP complex that is essential for the early recognition of 3' splice sites in the pre-mRNAs of human genes. We show that the interaction between the HDV genomic RNA and SF3B155 occurs in vivo and that the expression of HDV promotes changes in splicing of human genes whose alternative splicing is SF3B155-dependent. We further show that expression of HDV triggers alterations in several constitutive and alternative splicing events in the tumor suppressor RBM5 transcript, with consequent reduction of its protein levels. This is the first description that HDV expression promotes changes in the splicing of human genes, and we suggest that the HDV-induced alternative splicing changes, through SF3B155 sequester, may contribute for the early progression to hepatocellular carcinoma characteristic of HDV-infected patients.

Immediate Insertion of Dental Implants Immediate Insertion in Bilateral Traumatic Bone Cysts With or Without a Bone Grafting Material: A 5-Year Follow-Up Case Report.

This case report describes the rehabilitation of a patient who received dental implants in traumatic bone cyst areas (TBC). A 24-year-old male patient sought dental treatment for the bilateral absence of the mandibular second premolars. Radiographic examination revealed bilateral large radiolucent images in the mandible body. Surgical exploration confirmed the diagnosis of TBC. Rehabilitation with dental implants was performed using different approaches on each side. One cystic cavity was filled with blood clot and allogenic bone graft; the other was filled only with blood clot. After 5 years, the implants are osseointegrated and functioning. The filling of the traumatic bone cyst cavity with local blood clot in contact with the implant presented clinical and radiographic success similar to that obtained with filling with bone graft in the same patient. Thus, in this patient, the blood clot-only approach can be considered as a viable, safe-low cost alternative to blood clot and grafting material.

Atypical angiofibroma in a patient with compromised general health: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: The nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (NA) is a benign tumor that originates from the pterygopalatine fossa and extends to the adjacent anatomical structures and affects frequently young individuals. The basic treatment for NA is surgical resection, but in some cases the tumor is surgically inaccessible. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the case of a 45-year-old male with respiratory difficulty after the appearance of a soft palate lesion. The clinical appearance of NA was not specific. DISCUSSION: There are still discussions about the best therapeutic strategy and controversies about performing incisional biopsy. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a NA in an adult patient in which the general health conditions prevented the therapeutic approach, besides the extension of the lesion and its complications. CONCLUSION: Our case shows that NA may reach high proportions and its involvement in older patients should be considered. In this report, we showed the limitation of the therapeutic strategy for advanced cases of NA.

Reconstruction of the Parotid Duct.

The most common causes of parotid duct lesions are injuries with sharp instruments. Late alterations after such lesions lead to esthetic defects and complicates the treatment. This case report presents an alternative surgical technique for late reparation of the parotid duct. A 31-year-old male patient was admitted with a history of physical aggression by a glass bottle, resulting in cutting injuries in face and drainage of extraoral transparent fluid from the buccinatory region lesion Antibiotic therapy was initiated immediately, and the surgery was performed nine days after the incident. The repair of the parotid duct lesion was achieved adapting a venous catheter that was passed through the distal portion of the duct from the oral orifice. The proximal segment of the duct was cannulated, the lacerated ends of the duct were approximated on the device and sutured with prolipopylene thread. At the 14-day post-operative return, the saliva was draining through the catheter, and then it was removed. Patients with cutaneous lesions in the buccinatory region require a thorough examination to identify injuries to the parotid duct. The surgical treatment using the presented alternative surgical technique was an effective and cheaper option when compared to other alternatives and showed no complications.

Limitation of mouth opening after radiotherapy for head and neck / Limitação de abertura bucal pós-radioterapia de cabeça e pescoço

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the ability to open the mouth in patients undergoing radiotherapy for head and neck and the variables related to this limitation. Methods: 32 patients were evaluated six months after completion of radiotherapy sessions to treat cancer in the head and neck. The maximum mouth opening was measured using digital calipers and its association with gender, age, smoking, alcohol consumption, tumor location, chemotherapy and surgery were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests at a level of significance of 95%. Results: The mean age of patients was 60.44 years; 87.5% were male; 81.2% were smokers; 65.6% regularly consumed alcohol. The average mouth opening was 43.17 mm and seven (21.9%) patients had trismus. The most common locations of the tumors were the tongue (31.3%) followed by the larynx and vocal folds with five (15.6%) each. No association was found between limited mouth opening and the other variables. Conclusion: In this sample, 21.9% of patients had trismus six months after completing radiotherapy. The variables gender, age, smoking habits and alcohol consumption, tumor location, previous surgery and adjunctive chemotherapy were not associated with limited mouth opening.

RESUMO Objetivo: Avaliar a capacidade de abertura bucal de pacientes submetidos a tratamento radioterápico de cabeça e as variáveis relacionadas à sua limitação. Métodos: Foram analisados 32 pacientes seis meses após o término das sessões de radioterapia para tratamento de câncer em região de cabeça e pescoço. A medida da abertura bucal máxima foi aferida por meio de um paquímetro digital e sua associação com as variáveis sexo, idade, tabagismo, etilismo, localização do tumor, realização de quimioterapia e cirurgia foram analisadas com os testes U de Mann-Whitney e Kruskal-Wallis no nível de significância de 95%. Resultados: A idade média dos pacientes foi de 60,44 anos; 87,5% eram do sexo masculino; 81,2% eram tabagistas; 65,6% eram etilistas. A média de abertura bucal foi de 43,17mm e sete pacientes (21,9%) apresentavam trismo. As localizações mais frequentes dos tumores foi a língua (31,3%), seguida da laringe e da prega vocal com cinco (15,6%) cada uma. Não foi encontrada associação entre a limitação de abertura bucal e as variáveis estudadas. Conclusão: Na amostra estudada, 21,9% dos pacientes apresentaram trismo seis meses após o término do tratamento radioterápico. As variáveis sexo, hábitos de etilismo e tabagismo, localização do tumor, cirurgia prévia e quimioterapia adjuvante não estiveram associados à limitação de abertura bucal.