Retention systems used in maxillofacial prostheses: A review.

Defects in the face area caused by trauma, accident, tumor or congenital defects are treated with special facial prostheses. Besides esthetics, the most common problem with these prostheses is the retention of prostheses. In the present article review, the methods used for the retention of prostheses from past to present were researched, and the advantages of adhesives and implants, which are the most commonly used current methods, were evaluated. Current techniques, new materials, treatment options, and implementation procedures are described. The success of maxillofacial prostheses in meeting the expectations of patients and dentist doctors is increasing day by day with the development of adhesive material science, the emergence of technical knowledge, and the development of implant technology. Increasing the retention provides both ease of use and acceptance by the patient. Therefore, the chosen method for retention has great importance in the long-term prognosis of the prosthesis.

Mammaglobin and maspin transcripts in blood may reflect disease progression and the effect of therapy in breast cancer.

Detection of residual tumor cells in the circulation can provide prognostic as well as therapeutic information and help in identifying patients at high risk for developing metastases. Maspin and mammaglobin are two molecules that are specifically associated with breast cancer. We looked for mammaglobin and maspin transcripts in the peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer and evaluated their utility as a marker of the response to therapy. Maspin and mammaglobin transcripts were analyzed in 85 breast-cancer patients by nested RT-PCR, prior to and after treatment. Before therapy, 10 patients were found positive for mammaglobin and 20 patients were positive for maspin. In four patients, both transcripts were detected. Immediately following treatment, only one patient was still positive for mammaglobin while maspin transcripts persisted in three patients. Disease progression was observed mainly in patients in whom maspin transcripts were not detectable. Molecular detection of circulating tumor cells during therapy based on analysis for mammaglobin and maspin transcripts is an easy and practical method that can be applied to follow-up patients. We suggest that detection of mammaglobin mRNA is useful to determine the effect of therapy while maspin transcripts may indicate more aggressive disease.

XELOX followed by XELIRI or the reverse sequence in advanced colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Capecitabine has demonstrated high efficacy as first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). In this non-randomized pilot study, we investigated the efficacy and safety of sequentially administered XELOX and XELIRI regimens or the reverse sequence in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Entry criteria were histologically confirmed mCRC, ECOG performance status (PS) < or =2 and adequate bone marrow, renal and hepatic function. All patients consecutively received XELOX followed by XELIRI at disease progression or vice versa. RESULTS: In multivariate analysis, independent prognostic factors with worse overall survival were: lower PS (p = 0.0001), multiple metastatic sites (p = 0.016) and high tumor grade. Higher serum levels of alkaline phosphatase and worse ECOG PS were associated with a shorter progression-free survival. Grade 3/4 mucositis, nausea/vomiting, grade 3/4 alopecia and grade 3 diarrhea were more frequent with XELIRI, whereas major toxicity events with XELOX were grade 3 neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and grade 2/3 neurotoxicity. CONCLUSION: Capecitabine appears to be an acceptable alternative to continuous-infusion fluorouracil (FU)/leucovorin (LV) in combination therapy and offers an effective, but more convenient alternative to continuous infusion FU/LV in the first-line treatment of patients with mCRC.

An investigations on the molecular structure, FT-IR, FT-Raman and NMR spectra of 1-(p-tolylsulfonyl) pyrrole by theoretical and experimental approach.

Fourier-Transform-Infrared, Fourier-Transform-Raman and Nuclear Magnetic Rezonans spectra of 1-(p-tolylsulfonyl) pyrrole molecule have been recorded. In the powder form, vibrational spectra of 1-(p-tolylsulfonyl) pyrrol molecule were investigated in the region 4000-400 cm(-1) and 3500-50 cm(-1), respectively. The conformational analysis, geometrical structure, molecular electrostatic potential map, HOMO-LUMO and vibrational spectroscopic properties of the isolated 1-(p-tolylsulfonyl) pyrrole molecule have also been carried out at the Molecular Mechanic and Density Functional Theory approaches. Density Functional Theory results have been associated with Scaled Quantum Mechanics Force Field for fitting between the theoretical and the experimental frequencies.

Synthesis, characterization and theoretical studies of 5-(benzylthio)-1-cylopentyl-1H-tetrazole.

In this study, 5-(benzylthio)-1-cylopentyl-1H-tetrazole (5B1C1HT) have been synthesized. Boiling points of the obtained compound have been determined and it has been characterized by FT-IR, (1)H NMR, (13)C-APT and LC-MS spectroscopy techniques. The FT-IR, (1)H NMR and (13)C-APT spectral measurements of the 5B1C1HT compound and complete assignment of the vibrational bands observed in spectra has been discussed. The spectra were interpreted with the aid of normal coordinate analysis following full structure optimization and force field calculations based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) at 6-311++G(**), cc-pVDZ and cc-pVTZ basis sets. The optimized geometry with 6-311++G(**) basis sets were used to determine the total energy distribution, harmonic vibrational frequencies, IR intensities.

Chondrosarcoma of the temporal bone in an infant: case report and review of the literature.

Cranial chondrosarcomas are rare. The majority of cases arise from the base of the skull and are most common in adult life. In this report, an infant with a chondrosarcoma of the temporal bone is discussed. We are not aware of a previously reported case of chondrosarcoma of the temporal bone in this age group.

Vertebral hemangioma symptomatic during pregnancy--report of a case and review of the literature.

A spinal tumor complicating pregnancy is a rare condition. A 25-year-old woman who became paraplegic during the 35th week of her second pregnancy presented during the postpartum period. She underwent two surgical interventions, and the cord compression caused by a T5 vertebral body hemangioma with laminar involvement and extradural extension was relieved. The occurrence of vertebral hemangiomas during pregnancy is discussed; the radiological features with special reference to magnetic resonance imaging are outlined; and cases from the literature are reviewed.

The use of computerized tomography in the diagnosis of cerebral hydatid cysts.

Eleven cases of cerebral hydatid cyst, diagnosed by computerized tomography (CT), are presented. The importance of CT in minimizing the possibility of accidentally tapping or tearing the cyst membrane is stressed. Repeat CT scanning after removal of the cyst revealed atrophy in the affected hemisphere.

A fatal acute subdural hematoma occurring after evacuation of "contralateral" chronic subdural hematoma.

Although chronic subdural hematomas (SDHs) are bilateral in about 20% of the cases, an acute SDH in one side associated with chronic SDH in "contralateral" side is an extremely rare and devastating condition. In this report, a case of "contralateral" acute SDH occurring after evacuation of chronic SDH in one side is presented. The clinical history, complaints, neurological and neuroradiological findings, and pathophysiological mechanisms of this uncommon entity are discussed and related literature is reviewed.

Adult medulloblastoma presenting as a large neck tumor. Case report.

Extension of neuroepithelial tumors outside the neuroaxis is uncommon and usually follows surgical intervention. We report a patient with medulloblastoma of the right cerebellar hemisphere with extracranial extension presenting as a large neck tumor and discuss the clinical and pathological features of this case.

Optic nerve glioma presenting as a huge intrasellar mass. Case report.

We report the case of a twelve-year-old boy who presented with visual impairment and headache and was found to harbour a purely intrasellar cystic pilocytic astrocytoma originating from proximal left optic nerve. The mass was explored transcranially and decompression of the optic apparatus and subtotal resection of the cyst wall was accomplished. The patient received post-operative radiotherapy and stays symptom-free after two years. A review of the literature revealed six cases of optic pathway astrocytomas associated with cyst formation. Our case appears as the first case of an optic glioma to present as an intrasellar mass.

Aneurysmal bone cyst of the frontal bone.

Aneurysmal bone cyst rarely affects the skull. We report two cases of aneurysmal bone cyst of the frontal bone. One of the cases is associated with pregnancy. The association of pregnancy with aneurysmal bone cyst and enlargement of the aneurysmal bone cyst during the pregnancy have been discussed.

Twenty-five years experience in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. Comparison of three different operative procedures in forty-nine patients.

A series of 49 patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) were treated by three different surgical procedures: (1) peripheral ablative procedures in 10 patients; (2) percutaneous rhizotomy in 17 patients and (3) intracranial rhizotomy (IR) in 22 patients. On the basis of surgical treatment, the concept that neurovascular compression is a mechanical factor in the aetiology of TN was supported in 14 to 18 patients who underwent posterior fossa exploration. The results support the conclusion that retromastoid craniectomy with IR is the procedure of choice for the majority of patients with TN.

Congenital nasal encephalocele: a review of 35 cases.

Congenital encephaloceles are rare lesions which are usually seen in the occipital region, in the West. They may rarely be seen in the frontal region and they have distinct diagnostic features, together with several other pathological conditions occurring in this region. In order to emphasize these points, a retrospective analysis of 35 cases which have been operated on in our clinic, is made in this study. The findings are compared with the data obtained from the literature.

Soluble interleukin-2 receptor and interleukin-10 levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In the current investigation, we evaluated patients with hepatitis B infection to determine whether serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor and interleukin-10 levels were changed and whether the degree of these changes in serum levels correlated with histologic severity of hepatitis related liver injury. METHODOLOGY: 25 patients diagnosed of chronic active B hepatitis, 25 asymptomatic hepatitis B carriers, 25 healthy people with antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen and 20 healthy people without any hepatitis marker positivity were included in the study. Serum interleukin-10 and soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels were measured. The association between liver pathology, HBV DNA, serum transaminase values and these parameters were researched. RESULTS: Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor and interleukin-10 levels were significantly higher in chronic hepatitis cases and asymptomatic carriers than that of others (P < 0.01). Serum interleukin-10 levels correlated with histological activity index and HBV DNA values (r = 0.7, P < 0.01) but not with soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels and transaminase values. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the observation that interleukin-10 and soluble interleukin-2 receptor may play an important role in the inappropriate regulation of immune response in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection and interleukin-10 may be responsible for chronicity.

Craniosynostosis: a review of 143 surgically-treated cases.

In this study, 143 cases of craniosynostosis are presented. There were 109 males and 34 females. The major complaints were skull deformity (92 patients), proptosis (38 patients) and microcephalus (32 patients). Neurological examination revealed the presence of optic atrophy in 24 patients and papilledema in 20 patients. Seventy-four patients (53%) had three or more suture closures, with the sagittal suture being the most commonly involved (20% of patients). All patients underwent surgery. Suture removal was performed in 131 patients (91.7%), suture removal plus orbital decompression in 34 (23.8%), and linear craniectomy plus wrapping in 12 (8.3%). The reoperation rate was 6.2 percent. During the follow-up period, preoperative papilledema and proptosis improved in 88.2 and 78.9 percent of patients, respectively. Skull deformity disappeared in 46.9 percent of patients, but remained unchanged in 16.6 percent.

Giant schwannoma of the trigeminal nerve misdiagnosed as maxillary sinusitis. A case report.

A 24-year-old woman presented with left-sided ptosis, diplopia, sensory impairment on the left side of her face and diminished hearing in her left ear. The neurological findings were hypo-anesthesia in all three divisions of the trigeminal nerve, left-sided facial paralysis of the oculomotor and abducens nerves. Initially the condition was misdiagnosed as maxillary sinusitis and was treated with antibiotics. It seems that this presentation has not been previously described in commonly read English-language journals. In our case, the tumour was removed totally and the neuropathological diagnosis was schwannoma. The case report describes the presentation, investigations, management and outcome in this patient.

Modified DCF (mDCF) regimen seems to be as effective as original DCF in advanced gastric cancer (AGC).

PURPOSE: The aim of this retrospective study (from January 2007 to December 2011) was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of mDCF schedule for chemotherapy-naïve AGC patients. PATIENTS: Patients (n = 54) with locally inoperable or distant metastasis and performance status of 0-2 were eligible. The triplet combination chemotherapy consisting of docetaxel 60 mg/m(2) on day 1, cisplatin 60 mg/m(2) on day 1, and 5-fluorouracil 600 mg/m(2) for 5 days of continuous infusion were administered every 21 days, up to nine cycles. Prophylactic G-CSF was not allowed. RESULTS: In all, 36 (67 %) patients were male and 18 (33 %) were female; median age was 59 years. The majority of patients (n = 46, 85 %) had metastatic disease and 8 (15 %) of them had locally advanced disease. Liver metastasis and peritonitis carcinomatosa were found in 20 (43 %) and 18 (39 %) of the 46 cases, respectively. The median cycle of chemotherapy was 6. In assessing 50 patients for response evaluation, one had complete response. Partial response was achieved in 27 (54 %) patients. Seventeen patients (34 %) had stable disease and 5 (10 %) had progressive disease, while 4 % (n = 2) and 11 % (n = 6) of the patients developed severe (grade 3-4) neutropenia and anemia, respectively. During the median follow-up time (6.9 months, range 0.4-24), 28 (52 %) patients died. The overall and progression-free survival were 10.7 [95 % CI 8.9-12.4] and 6.8 [95 % CI 5.8-7.8] months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although this was not a prospective comparative study, the mDCF regimen seems to be as effective as the original DCF in AGC with acceptable and manageable side effects.

Successful capecitabine desensitization for a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction

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