Omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in red blood cell membrane are associated with xerostomia and taste loss in patients with breast cancer.

Chemosensory and physical complaints are common disorders in cancer patients under chemotherapy treatments that may affect the food intake, leading to a decreased quality of life. Lipid metabolism is a major pathway of cancer proliferation, where erythrocyte membrane phospholipids and their fatty acid composition are promising tools for monitoring metabolic pathways. Relationship between lipid profile in erythrocyte membrane phospholipids and chemosensory alterations in 44 newly diagnosed patients with breast cancer was here investigated. Smell changes and xerostomia were the most common complaints, with xerostomia as the main influencing factor on the development of other taste disorders. Lipid profiles revealed significant negative correlation between diminution of linoleic acid levels and xerostomia as well as positive correlation between increased arachidonic acid and salty taste. The involvement of these polyunsaturated lipids suggests the importance of oxidative and nutritional conditions of cancer patients, which can affect the molecular status for taste signals.

Wine lees modulate lipid metabolism and induce fatty acid remodelling in zebrafish.

This study investigates the ability of a polyphenolic extract obtained from a wine lees by-product to modulate zebrafish lipid metabolism. Lees from a Spanish winery were collected and the polyphenolic extract was chemically characterised in terms of antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content and the individual main phenolic compounds. The effects of the extract on lipid metabolism were evaluated using a zebrafish animal model. Lees are rich in polyphenols (42.33 mg gallic acid equivalent per g dry matter) with high antioxidant capacity (56.04 mg Trolox equivalent per g dry matter), rutin and quercetin being their main identified polyphenols. The biological effects of lees extract included (i) a reduction in zebrafish embryos' fat reserve (40%), (ii) changes in the expression of lipid metabolism key genes, (iii) remodelling of the fatty acid content in phospholipid and triglyceride fractions of zebrafish embryos and (iv) reduction in the trans fatty acid content. On the whole, wine lees polyphenolic extract was effective at modulating zebrafish lipid metabolism evidencing remodelling effects and antioxidant properties that can be further developed for food innovation.

Implications of a positive sentinel node in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The role of sentinel node biopsy in head and neck cancer is currently being explored. Patients with positive sentinel nodes were investigated to establish if additional metastases were present in the neck, their distribution, and their impact on outcome. METHODS: In all, 109 patients (n = 109) from 15 European centers, with cT1/2,N0 tumors, and a positive sentinel lymph node were identified. Kaplan-Meier and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to identify variables that predicted for additional positive nodes and their position within the neck. RESULTS: A total of 122 neck dissections were performed in 109 patients. Additional positive nodes were found in 34.4% of cases (42/122: 18 same, 21 adjacent, and 3 nonadjacent neck level). Additional nodes, especially if outside the sentinel node basin, had an impact on outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The results are preliminary but suggest that both the number and the position of positive sentinel nodes may identify different prognostic groups that may allow further tailoring of management plans.

An unusual intraparotid foreign body simulating a tumour: shrapnel from the Spanish Civil War.

A foreign body lodged for decades in the parotid gland, entering through the oral cavity or the skin, is extremely rare. Even less common is the clinical presentation of a foreign body lodged in the parotid gland simulating a tumour. The authors report the finding of a fragment of shrapnel lodged in the parotid gland for 63 years. The case is unusual owing to the rare clinical presentation, the length of time between the injury and the occurrence of symptoms and the associated mandibular osteolysis in the panoramic radiograph. Initial diagnoses considered were a tumour emerging in the parotid gland, a large odontogenic cyst or an odontogenic tumour with soft tissue extension. Sometimes neither fine needle aspiration nor radiology is capable of providing an accurate diagnosis before surgery.

Halitosis: diagnóstico y tratamiento en Atención Primaria / Halitosis: diagnosis and treatment in Primary Health Care

La halitosis es un motivo de consulta frecuente al que se enfrenta el médico de Atención Primaria.Es un síntoma frecuente de múltiples enfermedades odontológicas, pero se debe plantear un diagnósti co diferencial con otras enfermedades (extraora les, sistémicas, psicológicas), algunas de ellas se veras, que también lo producen. El tratamiento de la halitosis implica unas medidas generales sinto máticas (higiene oral) y el tratamiento específico según la etiología causante. Sus repercusiones so ciales, como el aislamiento, económicas (por el gran consumo de productos de higiene dental que realizan estos pacientes) y sanitarias, por el posible retraso en el diagnóstico de una enfermedad grave, nos ha llevado a plantear una revisión actualizada sobre el tema (AU)

Estadiaje cervical mediante biopsia de los ganglios centinelas cervicales en el carcinoma de células escamosas de cabeza y cuello / Cervical staging using the biopsy of the sentinel cervical nodes for the squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Introducción. La disección cervical (DC) es un procedimiento diagnóstico-terapéutico ampliamente aceptado para conseguir el estadiaje cervical correcto de los carcinomas de células escamosas de cabeza y cuello (CCECC). Sin embargo, la mayoría de ellas son innecesarias al no existir infiltración tumoral en el estudio histopatólogico posterior (pN0). La técnica de la biopsia del ganglio centinela (BGC) está emergiendo como uno de los principales métodos de estadiaje cervical en el CCE oral y orofaríngeo y podría llegar a convertirse en el procedimiento de elección, al igual que en el melanoma cutáneo y en el cáncer de mama. Objetivo: En el presente trabajo realizamos un estudio de carácter prospectivo donde analizamos la concordancia entre el estadiaje cervical realizado mediante el estudio histopatológico estándar de todo el espécimen de disección cervical y el obtenido a través de la técnica de detección y biopsia de los ganglios centinelas cervicales (BGC), en los pacientes con CCE originados en la mucosa oral y orofaríngea. Resultados: Hemos obtenido una total concordancia entre ambos métodos de estadiaje cervical, con una sensibilidad y una especificidad del 100 por ciento. Solo en 4 pacientes (18,18 por ciento) del total de 22 la DC hubiese sido necesaria. En los otros 18 pacientes (81,81 por ciento) esta ha supuesto un sobretratamiento. Conclusión: La BGC se muestra como un método diagnóstico mínimamente invasivo y altamente predecible para realizar el estadiaje ganglionar cervical en los pacientes con CCECC. Permite mejorar la identificación preoperatoria de los patrones de drenaje linfático aberrantes y aumenta la eficacia y sensibilidad del estudio histopatológico, al seleccionar los ganglios linfáticos cervicales con mayor probabilidad de encontrar focos metastásicos. (AU)