Distribution of Neck Metastases and Survival in Patients with Breast Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Neck metastases in breast carcinoma are relatively rare and patients show poor survival rates. A controversy exists over whether neck metastases can be treated as distant or loco-regional metastases. The literature concerning the distribution of metastases in the neck is lacking, as well as data about whether metastases in the higher neck regions cause poorer survival than those in the supraclavicular fossa. METHODS: Ultrasound investigation with fine-needle biopsy was performed on 41 breast cancer and confirmed neck metastases patients in a 6-year period. We analysed the distribution of neck metastases and patient survival rates using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression. RESULTS: The median survival time from the diagnosis of primary disease to that of neck metastases was 21 months. The presence of metastases in sites other than the neck significantly worsened survival, but multiple metastatic sites did not make it significantly worse. The number of nodes and presence of conglomerates did not considerably affect survival. CONCLUSION: Neck metastases in breast carcinoma can be found not only in the supraclavicular fossa, but elsewhere in the neck as well. Survival of patients with metastases in higher neck regions was shorter, but not very much so. Survival of patients with metastases limited just to the neck was substantially better, therefore early detection and aggressive treatment that could include neck dissection should be considered.

Comparison of Satisfaction Between Patients Using Percutaneous and Transcutaneous Bone Conduction Devices.

BACKGROUND: Bone conduction devices are widely used to treat conductive and mixed hearing loss as well as single-sided deafness (SSD). A transcutaneous system was introduced recently with the clear advantage of fewer local reactions. Our goal was to evaluate and compare the satisfaction of patients with percutaneous and transcutaneous bone conduction devices. METHODS: We divided a cohort of 72 patients into groups by type of hearing loss and their relation to the use of the percutaneous or transcutaneous system. The Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI) questionnaire, adapted for hearing aids, was employed to assess patient satisfaction, along with an additional questionnaire covering the general usefulness of the devices. RESULTS: Overall median daily wearing time was 12 hours for the percutaneous and seven for the transcutaneous groups (p < 0.001). We found no correlation between the bone conduction level at any frequency and the GBI satisfaction score. The median total GBI score of the entire patient cohort was 30.1; median values for general, social support, and physical health subscales were 0, 37.5, and 16.7, respectively. People suffering from SSD had the lowest satisfaction rates, and these were significantly lower for the patients who used transcutaneous aids than for those with percutaneous devices (p = 0.033). Similarly, the percutaneous system brought more satisfaction to combined hearing loss patients than did the transcutaneous (p = 0.010). CONCLUSION: Both types of bone conduction devices provide a safe and efficient way to improve hearing for candidates within correct indications. Our study revealed that patients wore the transcutaneous device less than they did the percutaneous. Satisfaction was the lowest among SSD patients who used the transcutaneous device; hence it is especially important to carry out preoperative counseling for such patients.

Functionalisation of Silicone by Drug-Embedded Chitosan Nanoparticles for Potential Applications in Otorhinolaryngology.

Silicones are widely used medical materials that are also applied for tympanostomy tubes with a trending goal to functionalise the surface of the latter to enhance the healing of ear inflammations and other ear diseases, where such medical care is required. This study focuses on silicone surface treatment with various antimicrobial coatings. Polysaccharide coatings in the form of chitosan nanoparticles alone, or with an embedded drug mixture composed of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (co-amoxiclav) were prepared and applied onto silicone material. Plasma activation was also used as a pre-treatment for activation of the material's surface for better adhesion of the coatings. The size of the nanoparticles was measured using the DLS method (Dynamic Light Scattering), stability of the dispersion was determined with zeta potential measurements, whilst the physicochemical properties of functionalised silicone materials were examined using the UV-Vis method (Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy), SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), XPS (X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy). Moreover, in vitro drug release testing was used to follow the desorption kinetics and antimicrobial properties were tested by a bacterial cell count reduction assay using the standard gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. The results show silicone materials as suitable materials for tympanostomy tubes, with the coating developed in this study showing excellent antimicrobial and biofilm inhibition properties. This implies a potential for better healing of ear inflammation, making the newly developed approach for the preparation of functionalised tympanostomy tubes promising for further testing towards clinical applications.

Highly Protein Repellent and Antiadhesive Polysaccharide Biomaterial Coating for Urinary Catheter Applications.

Engineering functional biomaterials surfaces that resist biofilm formation triggered by unspecific protein adsorption is a key challenge, and these biosurfaces hold a huge potential in implant-associated infection. Herein, we report a water-based facile approach to install carboxylated-hyaluronic acid and sulfated-fucoidan on cationically tethered polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) implant. We showed that these hydrophilic, charged, polysaccharide-based biosurfaces/biocoatings provide long-term stability, no adsorption of proteins (albumin and fibrinogen), similar to zwitterionic polymers, and enhanced resistance to plasma deposition and growth of Staphylococcus aureus pathogen. These findings shall pave the way in developing novel biocoatings, thereby broadening the applicability of PDMS-based implants in complex biological applications.

Oral manifestations of autoinflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Autoimmune diseases may also be reflected in changes in the oral cavity that represent the first sign of the disease, or they may occur simultaneously with or later in the course of the disease. Oral findings are mostly non-specific, and therefore further investigations are needed to exclude or confirm possible diagnoses. This article presents the most important diseases in this research area, divides them into meaningful groups, and highlights the importance of examining the oral cavity for possible manifestations.

Therapeutic hypothermia and inhalation anesthesia in a patient with severe pneumococcal meningitis and secondary cardiac arrest.

Therapeutic hypothermia was associated with increased mortality in patients with severe bacterial meningitis in a large randomized trial. It still remains a treatment strategy for comatose survivors of cardiac arrest. There are several potential advantages of inhalational anesthetics as long-term sedation agents compared to intravenous sedation, however, uncontrollable increases of intracranial pressure were observed in neurocritical patients. Here we present a patient with severe bacterial meningitis and secondary cardiac arrest where therapeutic hypothermia and inhalational anesthesia were successfully used. A 59-year old female with a history of a vestibular Schwannoma surgery on the left side was admitted with signs of meningitis. Within minutes after admission, she further deteriorated with respiratory arrest, followed by cardiac arrest. She remained comatose after return of spontaneous circulation. The standard treatment of severe meningitis (steroids, antibiotics, insertion of intracranial pressure probe and external ventricular drainage) along with therapeutic hypothermia and inhalational anesthesia were implemented. Intracranial pressure remained stable and daily neurological examination was possible without being confounded by concurrent sedation. She was discharged home without neurological sequelae after 27days. In selected patients with meningitis, therapeutic hypothermia may still present a treatment option, and the long-term use of inhalational anesthetics could be appropriate with concomitant intracranial pressure monitoring.

Volume determination of oral cavity tumors by 3-dimensional ultrasonography.

PURPOSE: With the help of 3-dimensional (3D) ultrasound, the ultrasonographic determination of tumor volumes offers a new view of tumors in the oral cavity. These are classified according to their maximal diameter in TNM classification whereby the possibility exists in the high T category of overestimating small tumors that have spread into surrounding structures, and in the low T of underestimating large volume tumors that do not extend into surrounding structures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed a group of 49 patients with tumors of the oral cavity, all of whom underwent surgery. Tumor volumes were determined before surgery with 3D ultrasound aided by 3D View program software. After excision, the tumors were classified in pT categories based on pathologic findings. N stage was determined after neck dissection and correlation to tumor volume were performed. RESULTS: The average volume of T1 tumors was 1.74 cm(3); T2 was 5.21 cm(3); T3 was 23.36 cm(3), and T4 was 13.53 cm(3). There were significant differences in tumor volumes between all T categories except T3 and T4. Tumor volumes in our patients did not correlate with N stage. CONCLUSION: Volume determination of tumors with the help of 3D View software may categorize small tumors better and perhaps become a new refinement in TNM tumor classification. Results show that although T category in oral cavity tumors is determined by diameter in T1 to T3, the volumes match with T category. By using this method, a successful follow-up can be performed and the effects of radiotherapy or chemotherapy can be evaluated.

The vascularisation of oral cavity tumours and tumour shell tissue determined by three-dimensional power Doppler sonography.

The aim of the study was to determine and quantify the vascularity of oral cavity tumours and peritumoural tissue by using 3-D power Doppler sonography (3-D PDS) and to compare the vascularity of metastatic and nonmetastatic tumours. The investigation was carried out preoperatively on 49 patients with squamous carcinoma of the tongue and floor of the mouth. Collected data were analysed with the help of virtual program of computer-aided analysis (VOCAL)-imaging program by which the borders of a structure could be defined and vascularity quantified by analysing 3D colour histograms. Vascularity was defined by three indices, VI- vascularisation index, FI- flow index and VFI- vascularisation-flow index. The vascularity of oral cavity tumours was determined in 4 mm and 7 mm shells surrounding the tumour. Modified neck dissection was performed in all of the patients and lymph nodes were examined histologically. Peritumorous tissue vascularity was significantly higher in metastatic (N+ neck) than it was in nonmetastatic (N0 neck) tumours. Indices VI and VFI in 4 mm and 7 mm shells differed significantly between N+ and N0 tumours (p < 0.01). Flow index (FI) did not show any difference between N0 and N+ necks. The difference between vascularity indices VI and VFI of peritumorous tissue and tumour was also varied significantly between N0 and N+ neck (p < 0.05) and was higher in N+ tumours. With VOCAL software and 3-D power Doppler sonography, the vascularity of peritumorous tissue could be quantified successfully. Tumours which had metastasised showed richer vascularity in their shells and a greater difference in vascularity between the shell and tumour tissue.

The unilateral stapes gusher.

A stapes gusher is an alarming situation occurring during stapes surgery for mixed hearing loss. It is characterized by the sudden profuse flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the middle ear and external ear canal after opening the vestibule of the inner ear. An adult patient with unilateral stapes gusher is described; he was operated on both ears with a good hearing result on both sides. The stapes on the side with the cerebrospinal fluid leak was malformed, especially in the posterior crus--a finding which may suggest the possibility of a stapes gusher. The small-hole stapedotomy is a safe technique when dealing with a profuse cerebrospinal fluid leak, and it enables the closure of the leak with additional tamponade of the oval niche and the achievement of a good hearing result.

Hyperpneumatization of the temporal, occipital and parietal bones.

Hyperpneumatization of the temporal bone with extension into the occipital bone and even the parietal bones is a rare condition. According to a review of the literature, it mostly appears unilaterally in men and on the right side. Often it is discovered when complications like pneumatocele or pneumocephalus appear. The authors review and analyze all reported cases of hyperpneumatization, its symptoms, complications and treatment. We present a patient with extensive pneumatization found in the mastoid process, temporal bone, occipital bone and both parietal bones, who was discovered accidentally. The cause of the extension of pneumatization into the occipital and parietal bone is probably incomplete closure of the occipitomastoid synchondrosis and lambdoid and sagital sutures, which usually close in early adulthood and later, even in the 30s. Asymptomatic patients should be aware of possible complications, and in case of complications, operative therapy is often indicated.