Prognostic factors for olfactory groove meningioma with nasal cavity extension.

OBJECTIVES: Meningioma recurrence remains a significant issue. No study has described the relationship between the clinical features and prognosis of communicating meningioma that primarily originates from the olfactory groove. The aim of the study was to identify prognostic factors of communicating olfactory groove meningiomas that could be stratified according to their risk of recurrence. RESULTS: A Simpson grade one or two resection was achieved. Complications with cerebrospinal rhinorrhoea occurred in two patients: one required reoperation, and the other was managed successfully with external drainage of lumbar cistern. There were 5 known clinical recurrences within the median follow-up of more than 5 years. The median 5-year recurrence-free survival for patients was 88.4%. Factors such as gender, tumour size, T2 signal and the hyperostotic bone had no significant effect on recurrence-free survival. However, recurrence was activated by oedema range, hyperostosis, dural tail sign and tumor texture (p < 0.05). Interestingly, female patients with the disease were younger than males at diagnosis, and the difference was statistically significant ( p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Based on these features of communicating olfactory groove meningiomas, different strategies may be adopted for the follow-up and subsequent treatment. Due to the relatively uncommon incidence, more investigations into the clinical behaviour of this entity are crucial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of 43 patients harbouring olfactory groove meningiomas invading the ethmoid or nasal cavity was conducted at three medical centers from 2000 to 2010. The records were reviewed for clinical presentations, imaging studies, surgical observation, histological features and follow-up.

A novel method in the removal of impacted mandibular third molar: buccal drainage.

Food impaction after impacted mandibular third molar extraction is a serious problem that should not be ignored. Incomplete suturing of the distal incision in the conventional method is the main cause of food impaction and delayed wound healing. The present study introduces a novel suture and drainage technology that requires hermetic suturing of the distal incision and rubber drainage for buccal drainage. 76 patients with horizontally/mesially impacted third molars (bilateral) were enrolled in this prospective study. An impacted tooth on one side of each patient was extracted by occlusal drainage using the conventional method, whereas the other side tooth was extracted by buccal drainage using the novel method. The differences in wound healing, facial swelling, bleeding and dry socket between the two sides of each patient were compared postoperatively, and the trends for patient selection of the surgical method were also compared. The results indicated that buccal drainage had obvious advantages in wound healing and reduced the risk of postoperative bleeding, and most patients preferred this technique; there were no significant differences in postoperative facial swelling or pain. Thus, buccal drainage can solve the problem of long-term food impaction induced by traditional incision postoperatively and is worthy of clinical promotion.

Postoperative functional status in patients with supratentorial superficial low-grade glioma.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the functional status of adult supratentorial superficial low-grade glioma (ASS-LGG) after surgery and analyzed its relevant factors to guide the therapeutic strategy and improve the life quality of these patients. METHODS: Clinical materials from January 2008 to December 2010 in 104 adults with ASS-LGG were analyzed retrospectively. The follow-up period ranged from 6 months to 1.5 years. The logistic regression was used to evaluate the preoperative and postoperative variation of functional status in patients to disclose the relevant factors affecting postoperative functional status, such as age, gender, the duration of symptom, size and location of the tumor, hemisphere, resection degree, and tumor pathologic grade and preoperative Karnofsky performance status (Pre-KPS). RESULTS: Four out of nine candidate factors are related to the postoperative functional status. They are age less than 40 years, the size of tumor less than 5 cm in diameter, tumor located in the right hemisphere, and limited resection of tumor in the eloquent area. CONCLUSIONS: It seems more meaningful to evaluate the functional status of the patients with ASS-LGG on the basis of these clinical features, involving age, tumor size, location, and extent of resection.

Drag reduction effects facilitated by microridges inside the mouthparts of honeybee workers and drones.

The mouthpart of a honeybee is a natural well-designed micropump that uses a reciprocating glossa through a temporary tube comprising a pair of galeae and labial palpi for loading nectar. The shapes and sizes of mouthparts differ among castes of honeybees, but the diversities of the functional microstructures inside the mouthparts of honeybee workers and drones remain poorly understood. Through scanning electron microscopy, we found the dimensional difference of uniformly distributed microridges on the inner galeae walls of Apis mellifera ligustica workers and drones. Subsequently, we recorded the feeding process of live honeybees by using a specially designed high-speed camera system. Considering the microridges and kinematics of the glossa, we constructed a hydrodynamic model to calculate the friction coefficient of the mouthpart. In addition, we test the drag reduction through the dimensional variations of the microridges on the inner walls of mouthparts. Theoretical estimations of the friction coefficient with respect to dipping frequency show that inner microridges can reduce friction during the feeding process of honeybees. The effects of drag reduction regulated by specific microridges were then compared. The friction coefficients of the workers and drones were found to be 0.011±0.007 (mean±s.d.) and 0.045±0.010, respectively. These results indicate that the mouthparts of workers are more capable of drag reduction compared with those of drones. The difference was analyzed by comparing the foraging behavior of the workers and drones. Workers are equipped with well-developed hypopharyngeal, and their dipping frequency is higher than that of drones. Our research establishes a critical link between microridge dimensions and drag reduction capability during the nectar feeding of honeybees. Our results reveal that microridges inside the mouthparts of honeybee workers and drones reflect the caste-related life cycles of honeybees.