Fracture Outer Metallic Tracheostomy Tube as an Airway Foreign Body.

To study the clinical presentation, management and mechanism of fractured outer metallic tracheostomy tube presenting as tracheobronchial foreign body. A retrospective chart review patients with fracture outer metallic tracheostomy tube. Data regarding the patients' demographic data, diagnosis, clinical presentation, type of tracheostomy tube and site of fracture were analyzed. Total 4 cases of fracture outer metallic tracheostomy tube were found. There were 3 males and 1 female, average age 52.75 years, range 31-76 years. The common presentation were dyspnea, intolerable cough and decreased breath sound in 4(100%), 2(50%) and 2(50%) cases. The most serious presentation was cardiac arrested 1 case. The dislodged tube were retrieved by flexible and rigid bronchoscopy. The most common site of fracture were outer tube at mid shaft 3 cases (75%). All of this site had corrosion. Only 1 case (25%) was fracture at junction between neck plate and tube without corrosion. The average time of usage metallic tracheostomy tube was 24 days, range 3-34 days. Fracture tracheostomy tube is rare and serious medical emergency. The patients, caregivers and physicians should recognition and prompt action. Flexible or rigid bronchoscopy via tracheostoma can successfully removal the dislodge part. The mechanism of fracture may come from several factors. The defective manufacturer, stagnation of alkaline bronchial secretion, recurrence process of removal, cleaning and boiling of the tube can cause mechanical stress and degradation of passive film of the tubes. The patient education regarding the maintenance and regular checked up can possibly extinguish this complication.

Induction of ZCCHC6 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by HNSCC secretions.

Cancer secretion can change the properties of adjacent cells, including peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We investigated whether such secretion influences messenger RNA expression in PBMCs of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In the present study, co-culture model of normal PBMCs and HNSCC cell lines were established. The PBMCs were subsequently subjected to RNA sequencing for transcriptome analysis. Furthermore, expression data from the Gene Expression Omnibus repository, platform GPL4133, series GSE39400, were gathered to analyze, afterward identify zinc finger CysCysHisCys (CCHC)-type domain-containing protein 6 (ZCCHC6) as the main gene involved in HNSCC. This gene was then validated by a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that ZCCHC6 was expressed at significantly higher levels in the patients with HNSCC than in the healthy controls, and the sensitivity and specificity of these findings for diagnostic purposes were 100.00% and 70.83%, respectively. In summary, our findings demonstrated that the secretion of HNSCC cells could cause the alterations in messenger RNA expression by PBMCs. The ZCCHC6 expression level may apply in HNSCC screening.

EGFR cut-off point for prognostic impact in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Various molecular biomarkers, including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), have gained importance as predictors of head and neck cancer disease progression.Aims: This study aimed to investigate the ability of EGFR expression as a prognostic marker for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC).Materials and methods: A total of 31 patients with LSCC with immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining for EGFR were examined. Digital image processing was applied to analyze EGFR staining intensity and percent distribution, which were calculated as the H-score. We used a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to identify the best cut-off point of EGFR expression, with H-score separated into high- and low-grade for cancer recurrence prediction.Results: The cut-off point of EGFR expression for high- and low-grades was an H-score of 170 with a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 66.7%. Using this cut-off, 14 (45.16%) and 17 (54.84%) patients were categorized as having high- and low-grades EGFR, respectively. The analysis showed a significant reverse correlation between the EGFR grade and LSCC recurrence (RR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.17-0.98; p = .02).Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that EGFR grading using H-score with the generated cut-off point by the ROC curve might be further applied as a potential marker for LSCC prognostic prediction.

Evaluation of NID2 promoter methylation for screening of Oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is an aggressive human malignancy. Because of late diagnosis and recurrence of OSCC, the treatment of patients with OSCC is often ineffective. Thus, finding novel biomarkers of OSCC are essential. Here we derived a methylation marker by utilizing methylation microarray data and testing its capacity in cross-sectional study designed for OSCC detection and screening. METHODS: According to bioinformatics analysis of total of 27,578 cg sites, cg22881914 of Nidogen 2 (NID2) methylation was selected for evaluation. Next, we confirmed the methylation status by bisulfite sequencing from the microdissected OSCC cells in comparison with the microdissected oral epithelia. Subsequently, we developed a simple technique using real-time PCR with the specific probe to examine the ability for the detection of OSCC in the oral epithelial samples, which included 103 oral rinse and 82 oral swab samples. RESULTS: Based on the comparison of microdissected tissue, cg22881914 of NID2 was proved to be methylated in most OSCC cells but unmethylated in the normal oral epithelia. Furthermore, the methylated NID2-relied quantitative PCR approach has demonstrated that this marker assists in distinguishing among patients with OSCC from normal oral epithelia, smokers, and patients with oral lichen planus using the non-invasive oral rinse and swab samples. CONCLUSIONS: Specific methylation at cg22881914 of NID2 of OSCC could be used as an important potential marker for detecting OSCC. Thus, to certify the utility of this marker, further studies with a larger sample size are needed.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma drives long interspersed element-1 hypomethylation in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

OBJECTIVE: Alteration of long interspersed element-1 (LINE-1) methylation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) has been simultaneously activated to breast carcinogenesis due to its secretion. To evaluate the effect in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), LINE-1 methylation levels and patterns have been measured both in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Analysis of LINE-1 methylation in cocultured models between HNSCC cell lines and normal PBMCs was performed. The observation of PBMCs of HNSCC patients compared to PBMCs of normal controls was performed using the semiquantitative combined bisulfite restriction analysis technique. RESULTS: Downregulation of LINE-1 methylation was significantly found in the PBMCs cocultured with all HNSCC cell lines compared to normal PBMCs. Likewise, a reduction in LINE-1 methylation levels was observed in PBMCs of HNSCC compared to normal PBMCs (p < 0.0001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated the potential of the unmethylated alleles (u Cu C) of LINE-1 for distinguishing the PBMCs of HNSCC patients from normal controls with 100% sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSION: Our data supported that the alteration of LINE-1 methylation levels in PBMCs was influenced by HNSCC secretions. Moreover, the unmethylated LINE-1 allele of PBMCs was proved to be an effective tumor marker and possesses a potential as HNSCC diagnostic tool.

Comparison of pain after radiofrequency tonsillectomy compared with conventional tonsillectomy: a pilot study.

Tonsillectomy results in a severe sore throat, especially in the first few days, until the exposed and inflamed muscle becomes covered with regenerated mucosa. There are a variety of techniques of tonsillectomy including monopolar and bipolar diathermy, blunt dissection, and most recently radiofrequency tonsil ablation and coblation. The objective of the present study was to assess the postoperative pharyngeal or ear pain of radiofrequency tonsillectomy and compared with traditional blunt dissection tonsillectomy with loop ligation hemostasis.

The effect of mobile phone to audiologic system.

Mobile phones have come into widespread use. There are a lot of possible adverse effect to health. Use of mobile phone generate potentially harmful radiofrequency electromagnetic field (EMF) particularly for the hearing aspect. 98 subjects underwent hearing evaluations at Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Chulalongkorn University. 31 males and 67females, mean age was 30.48 +/- 9.51 years old, all subjects were investigated the hearing level by audiometry, tympanometry, otoacoustic emission (OAE) and auditory brain stem evoked response (ABR). The average of using time were 32.54 +/- 27.64 months, 57 subjects usually used the right side and 41 the left side. Average time of use per day was 26.31 +/- 30.91 minutes (range from 3 to 180 mins). When the authors compared the audiogram, both pure tone and speech audiometry, between the dominant and nondominant side, it indicated that there is no significant different. When the authors focused on the 8 subjects that used the mobile phone more than 60 mins per day. It indicated that the hearing threshold of the dominant ears was worse than the nondominant ears.

Intermittent apnea and total intravenous anesthesia for microscopic laryngeal surgery.

Intermittent apnea with inhalational anesthesia has been reported to improve the visualization of the larynx but it has some disadvantages from inhalational anesthetics. The authors evaluated the use of total intravenous anesthesia instead of inhalation anesthesia in 30 patients undergoing microscopic laryngeal surgery. Anesthesia was started with propofol, fentanyl and cisatracurium. The patients were ventilated with 100% oxygen and the period of intermittent apnea, guided by pulse oximetry and end tidal carbon dioxide monitoring, was started by removal of the endotracheal tube. This technique provided a good visualization and immobile field for the operation. The average duration of apnea was 258 +/- 107 sec. The number of periods of apnea ranged from 1 to 4. A few patients showed some sympathetic responses to surgical stimuli. In conclusion, intermittent apnea with total intravenous anesthesia, with appropriate precaution, could be used without any serious adverse outcome for microscopic laryngeal surgery.

Aural aspergilloma: an unusual delayed complication of tympanoplasty.

Aural aspergilloma was first reported in 2001 by the authors. Recently the authors discovered a second case presenting with chronic otorrhea via a fistulous tract in the tympanic membrane. The patient was treated by removal of the fistulous tract and part of the tympanic membrane, cleansing the middle cavity, leaving the tympanic membrane perforated until obtaining a dry ear and followed by a tympanomastoidectomy, without the use of an antifungal agent. Because both cases of aural aspergilloma had a history of successful tympanoplasty with a long quiescent period before the symptoms appeared, the authors postulate that aural aspergilloma may be considered as an unusual delayed complication of tympanoplasty.

KTP laser inferior turbinoplasty: an alternative procedure to treat the nasal obstruction.

OBJECTIVE: Nasal obstruction resulting from inferior turbinate hypertrophy (ITH) was treated with KTP laser inferior turbinoplasty (KIT). The effectiveness of the procedure was assessed. METHODS: A prospective clinical trial was carried out in King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital from October 1, 1998 to September 30, 2000. Forty-eight patients with chronic nasal obstruction underwent KIT. Nasal obstruction was pre- and postoperatively assessed, based on 4-point scale, by the patient and investigator. The scores were compared by paired t-test. The correlation of assessment by the patient and investigator was also demonstrated by weighted kappa test. Pre- and postoperative rhinomanometric evaluations were performed in 29 patients and were compared with paired t-test. RESULTS: Significant reduction of nasal obstruction was obtained from assessment by the patient (P<0.000) and by the investigator (P<0.000). The symptoms of sneezing, itching and rhinorrhea were significantly reduced postoperatively (P<0.000). The cure and improvement rate of nasal obstruction were at 70.8 and 100% (assessed by the patient) and at 77.1 and 100% (assessed by the investigator) respectively, and they showed a moderate correlation (Kw=0.65). Rhinomanometrically, the total airway resistance decreased but of not statistic significance (P=0.219), however, the inspired nasal airflow at 150 Pa and the volume of nasal cavities were significantly increased (P<0.00 and P<0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: KIP was shown to effectively reduce the symptom and sign of nasal obstruction as well as other nasal symptoms without any significant complications. It should be an alternative method in treating the patients with nasal obstruction resulting from hyperplastic inferior turbinate.

A comparative study of the side effects between pseudoephedrine in Loratadine plus Pseudoephedrine Sulfate Repetabs Tables and loratadine + pseudoephedrine tablet in treatment of allergic rhinitis in Thai patients.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the adverse reactions of Loratadine plus Pseudoephedrine Sulfate Repetabs Tables (LTD+PSE Repetabs) (Loratadine 5 mg + Pseudoephedrine 120 mg) twice daily with that of loratadine (5 mg) twice daily and pseudoephedrine (60 mg) quarter daily in the treatment of patients with allergic rhinitis. The study was designed as an investigator-blind, parallel group study. In this study, 56 patients were equally separated into 2 groups and treated for 14 days with either LTD+PSE Repetabs or loratadine + pseudoephedrine tablet. Both groups were comparable in age, gender, weight; baseline systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and pulse rate. The change of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and pulse rate did not reach clinical significance throughout the study period. There was no significant difference in occurrences of insomnia, palpitation, mouth dryness and anxiety. However, the incidence of patients with tremor at day 14 in the loratadine + pseudoephedrine tablet group was significantly higher than the LTD+PSE Repetabs group (39% vs 10.7%, p-value = 0.03). Furthermore, one patient in the loratadine + pseudoephedrine tablet group had to discontinue medication at day 7 due to insomnia. In conclusion, LTD+PSE Repetabs is well tolerated and has fewer adverse effects when compared to the loratadine + pseudoephedrine tablet.