Clinical assessment of a low-cost, hand-held, smartphone-attached intraoral imaging probe for 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy monitoring and guidance.

Significance: India has one of the highest rates of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in the world, with an incidence of 15 per 100,000 and more than 70,000 deaths per year. The problem is exacerbated by a lack of medical infrastructure and routine screening, especially in rural areas. New technologies for oral cancer detection and timely treatment at the point of care are urgently needed. Aim: Our study aimed to use a hand-held smartphone-coupled intraoral imaging device, previously investigated for autofluorescence (auto-FL) diagnostics adapted here for treatment guidance and monitoring photodynamic therapy (PDT) using 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence (FL). Approach: A total of 12 patients with 14 buccal mucosal lesions having moderately/well-differentiated micro-invasive OSCC lesions (<2 cm diameter and <5 mm depth) were systemically (in oral solution) administered three doses of 20 mg/kg ALA (total 60 mg/kg). Lesion site PpIX and auto-FL were imaged using the multichannel FL and polarized white-light oral cancer imaging probe before/after ALA administration and after light delivery (fractionated, total 100 J/cm2 of 635 nm red LED light). Results: The handheld device was conducive for access to lesion site images in the oral cavity. Segmentation of ratiometric images in which PpIX FL is mapped relative to auto-FL enabled improved demarcation of lesion boundaries relative to PpIX alone. A relative FL (R-value) threshold of 1.4 was found to segment lesion site PpIX production among the patients with mild to severe dysplasia malignancy. The segmented lesion size is well correlated with ultrasound findings. Lesions for which R-value was >1.65 at the time of treatment were associated with successful outcomes. Conclusion: These results indicate the utility of a low-cost, handheld intraoral imaging probe for image-guided PDT and treatment monitoring while also laying the groundwork for an integrated approach, combining cancer screening and treatment with the same hardware.

Clinical evaluation of a mobile, low-cost system for fluorescence guided photodynamic therapy of early oral cancer in India.

BACKGROUND: Morbidity and mortality due to oral cancer in India are exacerbated by a lack of access to effective treatments amongst medically underserved populations. We developed a user-friendly low-cost, portable fibre-coupled LED system for photodynamic therapy (PDT) of early oral lesions, using a smartphone fluorescence imaging device for treatment guidance, and 3D printed fibreoptic attachments for ergonomic intraoral light delivery. METHODS: 30 patients with T1N0M0 buccal mucosal cancer were recruited from the JN Medical College clinics, Aligarh, and rural screening camps. Tumour limits were defined by external ultrasound (US), white light photos and increased tumour fluorescence after oral administration of the photosensitising agent ALA (60 mg/kg, divided doses), monitored by a smartphone fluorescence imaging device. 100 J/cm2 LED light (635 nm peak) was delivered followed by repeat fluorescence to assess photobleaching. US and biopsy were repeated after 7-17 days. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03638622, and the study has been completed. FINDINGS: There were no significant complications or discomfort. No sedation was required. No residual disease was detected in 22 out of 30 patients who completed the study (26 of 34 lesions, 76% complete tumour response, 50 weeks median follow-up) with up to 7.2 mm depth of necrosis. Treatment failures were attributed to large tumour size and/or inadequate light delivery (documented by limited photobleaching). Moderately differentiated lesions were more responsive than well-differentiated cancers. INTERPRETATION: This simple and low-cost adaptation of fluorescenceguided PDT is effective for treatment of early-stage malignant oral lesions and may have implications in global health.

Zygomatico-Coronoid Pseudoarthrosis Due to Osteochandroma of Coronoid Process: A Rare Entity.

INTRODUCTION: Osteochondroma of the coronoid process also known as Jacob's disease, has rarely been reported in the literature and it posses a challenge as diagnosis may be overlooked in favour of other causes of limited mouth opening. CASE REPORT: This is a case report of an adult male patient who presented with restricted mouth opening in whom radiological imaging, especially 3D computed tomography, played a role in establishing the diagnosis of Jacob's disease. CONCLUSION: An osteochondroma of the coronoid process of the mandible (Jacob's disease) is a rare cause of restricted mouth opening and its diagnosis can be overlooked in favour of TMJ ankylosis. The CT scan plays an important role in diagnosis and in planning for surgery.

Role of Chronic Alcoholism Causing Cancer in Omnivores and Vegetarians through Epigenetic Modifications.

One of the significant consequences of alcohol consumption is cancer formation via several contributing factors such as action of alcohol metabolites, vitamin deficiencies, and oxidative stress. All these factors have been shown to cause epigenetic modifications via DNA hypomethylation, thus forming a basis for cancer development. Several published reviews and studies were systematically reviewed. Omnivores and vegetarians differ in terms of nutritional intake and deficiencies. As folate deficiency was found to be common among the omnivores, chronic alcoholism could possibly cause damage and eventually cancer in an omnivorous individual via DNA hypomethylation due to folate deficiency. Furthermore, as niacin was found to be deficient among vegetarians, damage in vegetarian chronic alcoholics could be due to increased NADH/NAD + ratio, thus slowing alcohol metabolism in liver leading to increased alcohol and acetaldehyde which inhibit methyltransferase enzymes, eventually leading to DNA hypomethylation. Hence correcting the concerned deficiency and supplementation with S-adenosyl methionine could prove to be protective in chronic alcohol use.

Clinical evaluation of smartphone-based fluorescence imaging for guidance and monitoring of ALA-PDT treatment of early oral cancer.

SIGNIFICANCE: India has one of the highest rates of oral cancer incidence in the world, accounting for 30% of reported cancers. In rural areas, a lack of adequate medical infrastructure contributes to unchecked disease progression and dismal mortality rates. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as an effective modality with potential for treating early stage disease in resource-limited settings, while photosensitizer fluorescence can be leveraged for treatment guidance. AIM: Our aim was to assess the capability of a simple smartphone-based device for imaging 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence for treatment guidance and monitoring as part of an ongoing clinical study evaluating low-cost technology for ALA-based PDT treatment of early oral cancer. APPROACH: A total of 29 subjects with <2 cm diameter moderately/well-differentiated microinvasive ( < 5 mm depth) oral squamous cell carcinoma lesions (33 lesions total, mean area ∼1.23 cm2) were administered 60 mg / kg ALA in oral solution and imaged before and after delivery of 100 J / cm2 total light dose to the lesion surface. Smartphone-based fluorescence and white light (WL) images were analyzed and compared with ultrasound (US) imaging of the same lesions. RESULTS: We present a comparative analysis of pre- and post-treatment fluorescence, WL, and US images of oral lesions. There was no significant difference in the distribution of lesion widths measured by fluorescence and US (mean widths of 14.5 and 15.3 mm, respectively) and linear regression shows good agreement (R2 = 0.91). In general, PpIX fluorescence images obtained prior to therapeutic light delivery are able to resolve lesion margins while dramatic photobleaching (∼42 % ) is visible post-treatment. Segmentation of the photobleached area confirms the boundaries of the irradiated zone. CONCLUSIONS: A simple smartphone-based approach for imaging oral lesions is shown to agree in most cases with US, suggesting that this approach may be a useful tool to aid in PDT treatment guidance and monitoring photobleaching as part of a low-cost platform for intraoral PDT.

Mitomycin-C in Post-endoscopic Septoplasty Synechiae: Does it Really Helps?

Endoscopic septoplasty has advantage of magnified image and access to posterior part of the septum. Synechiae formation is a common complication of this procedure. The incidence of adhesions rises particularly in cases of submucosal flap tears which is sometimes unavoidable during spurectomy. Various procedures like septal splints, nasal packings have been tried to reduce the incidence of adhesions. Recently mitomycin-C is being tried to decrease post operative adhesions after Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery, endoscopic Dacrocystorhinostomy, with varying degree of success. Mitomycin-C has got anti fibroblastic activity, which inhibits the fibroblasts without hampering epithelization. Eighty (80) Patients undergoing septoplasty and spurectomy were observed for any submucosal flap tear, and those developing flap tear were included in the study. The patients were divided into 2 groups of 40 each. In group-1 topical mitomycin (0.4 mg/ml) was applied at the raw area for 5 min, similarly normal saline was applied in group-2 (control).The aim of study was to evaluate the role of mitomycin-C in preventing post operative adhesions in Endoscopic septoplasty. Adhesion rate was calculated at 1 month, and compared using Chi square test. P value < 0.05 was considered significant. The adhesion rate at 1 month was 17.5% in group-1 and 45% in group-2 (P = 0.008). Incidence of adhesion decreased significantly in mitomycin-C treated group. Mitomycin-C can routinely be used in septoplasty to prevent post op adhesions, particularly in cases of submucosal flap tears/concurrent turbinate reduction procedures.

Giant Primary Sinonasal Mucosal Melanoma: A Rare Malignancy.

It is extremely rare to find a case of primary sinonasal mucosal melanoma, which is more aggressive and have poorer outcome than its cutaneous counterpart. This tumour is refractory to the treatment which includes wide surgical excision with or without adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy. We are reporting a case of 60 year old female who presented with right sided nasal mass and facial deformity, in whom the diagnosis of mucosal melanoma was made on histopathological examination and confirmed by immunohistochemistry.

Unusual Presentation of Hydatidosis - Neck Lump Causing Costo-Vertebral Erosion.

INTRODUCTION: Hydatid disease caused by larval stage of Echinococcus has been recognized endemically in many countries. Liver and lungs are the most commonly affected organs. Involvement of the head and neck region is rare and bony erosion due to hydatidosis is even rarer. CASE REPORT: We report a case of a 17-year-old girl from a poor socio-economic background who presented with a right sided supraclavicular lump, which after surgical excision and histopathological examination was diagnosed as hydatid cyst of neck. CONCLUSION: Because of its rarity in the neck region, primary diagnosis of hydatid cyst is overlooked and usually not included in the differential diagnosis of cystic neck swellings. A high index of suspicion is necessary to diagnose hydatid disease in an unusual location even in endemic areas.

Fibrosarcoma of the Gingiva: An Unusual Presentation.

Fibrosarcoma is a malignant tumor of the fibroblasts, which is liable to recur and metastasize, most frequently in the lungs. Although fibrosarcomas are rare, they can occur anywhere in the body. The most common sites are in the retroperitoneum, thigh, knee, and distal extremities. It is very uncommon in the head and neck region and comprises only about 1% of all the malignancies in humans. Almost 23% are seen in the oral cavity. The prognosis for fibrosarcomas is poor with a five-year survival rate of 20-35%. The common modality of treatment is radical surgery. We report a rare presentation of gingival fibrosarcoma in a young female, who presented with a painless lump.

Facial Palsy due to Parotid Abscess: An Unusual Complication.

Facial nerve palsy is usually associated with a malignant parotid neoplasm; it is highly unusual for it to result from a benign situation, such as inflammation or infection of the parotid gland. Surgery along with prompt medical treatment is the mainstay, and in the majority of the patients, nerve paralysis recovers in the follow-up period. We report a case of a 50-year-old non-diabetic non-hypertensive female who presented with odynophagia, left-sided parotid swelling, and left facial nerve palsy. The diagnosis of facial nerve palsy due to a parotid abscess extending to the parapharyngeal space was made. Facial palsy fully recovered within 2 months.

Emerging Trends of Intentional Firearm Injuries in Northern India: A Study.

INTRODUCTION: Many developing countries are facing rise in firearm injury cases owing to communal and ethnic clashes, political violence, armed robberies and suicide causing huge economic loss to society. On the basis of intention, injuries can be categorized as intentional and unintentional or accidental injuries. Intentional injuries will include suicidal, homicidal and assault related injuries. AIM: This study was undertaken to document the trends and patterns associated with intentional firearm injuries in order to suggest ways to curb the emerging trends. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JNMCH), AMU, Aligarh, UP, India from May 2007 to April 2008. The parameters studied were month wise distribution of cases, age and sex distribution of victims of intentional gunshot injuries, body part injured, alleged assailant and medical management provided to the victim. The observed data was entered onto a worksheet and descriptive statistics were used. RESULTS: A total of 140 cases of intentional firearm injuries were studied, 133 were assault cases and 7 were suicide by means of firearm. Maximum number of intentional gunshot injury cases were reported during the month of September (17.14%) and October (14.29%) and least during month of December (2.14%). For intentional injuries, 21-40 years was the high risk age group (91 or 65% cases) with male preponderance (95.71%) and male to female ratio of 22:1. Preferred site for assault was the trunk, with 50.38% cases with chest abdomen and back injuries. Family feud (20.71%) was the leading cause of assault and assailant was not known (47.86%) to the victim in majority of cases of assault injuries. CONCLUSION: Increasing cases of firearms as a means of assault and suicide, calls for limiting the number of handgun purchase, regulations to check illegal trade of firearms, accountability of ammunition used and to develop standardised hospital based data collection system so that trend and patterns associated with intentional firearm injuries can be determined.

Role of fine needle aspiration, imprint and scrape cytology in the evaluation of intraoral lesions.

AIM: The primary goal of our study was to evaluate the value and accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the diagnosis of various intraoral lesions and to correlate the cytological diagnosis with final histopathological findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fine needle aspiration was performed in 229 patients presented with different lesions of the oral cavity at our institution. Cytological findings were then compared with final histopathological diagnosis. RESULTS: With a male to female ratio of 1.79:1, 229 patients presented with different lesions of the oral cavity were aspirated. Histopathological correlation was available in 86.9% of cases while inadequate material was obtained in 13.1% cases. The diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration in diagnosing benign, pre-malignant and malignant lesions were 95.8%, 84.6% and 97% respectively. Overall the diagnostic accuracy of FNAC in diagnosing intraoral lesions was 94.9% with sensitivity and specificity of 93.2% and 96.8% respectively. CONCLUSION: FNAC of intraoral lesion is recommended as a valuable procedure for the initial evaluation of all intraoral lesions as it is simple, inexpensive, convenient and comfortable to the patient. Moreover, it can offer a rapid and accurate diagnosis for further management of the patient.

Type-2 diabetes mellitus and auditory brainstem response.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes mellitus (DM) causes pathophysiological changes at multiple organ system. With evoked potential techniques, the brain stem auditory response represents a simple procedure to detect both acoustic nerve and central nervous system pathway damage. The objective was to find the evidence of central neuropathy in diabetes patients by analyzing brainstem audiometry electric response obtained by auditory evoked potentials, quantify the characteristic of auditory brain response in long standing diabetes and to study the utility of auditory evoked potential in detecting the type, site, and nature of lesions. DESIGN: A total of 25 Type-2 DM [13 (52%) males and 12 (48%) females] with duration of diabetes over 5 years and aged over 30 years. The brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA) was performed by universal smart box manual version 2.0 at 70, 80, and 90 dB. The wave latency pattern and interpeak latencies were estimated. This was compared with 25 healthy controls (17 [68%] males and 8 [32%] females). RESULT: In Type-2 DM, BERA study revealed that wave-III representing superior olivary complex at 80 dB had wave latency of (3.99 ± 0.24) ms P < 0.001, at 90 dB (3.92 ± 0.28) ms P < 0.001 compared with control. The latency of wave III was delayed by 0.39, 0.42, and 0.42 ms at 70, 80, and 90 dB, respectively. The absolute latency of wave V representing inferior colliculus at 70 dB (6.05 ± 0.27) ms P < 0.001, at 80 dB (5.98 ± 0.27) P < 0.001, and at 90 dB (6.02 ± 0.30) ms P < 0.002 compared with control. The latency of wave-V was delayed by 0.48, 0.47, and 0.50 ms at 70, 80, and 90 dB, respectively. Interlatencies I-III at 70 dB (2.33 ± 0.22) ms P < 0.001, at 80 dB (2.39 ± 0.26) ms P < 0.001, while at 90 dB (2.47 ± 0.25) ms P < 0.001 when compared with control. Interlatencies I-V at 70 dB (4.45 ± 0.29) ms P < 0.001 at 80 dB (4.39 ± 0.34) ms P < 0.001, and at 90 dB (4.57 ± 0.31) ms P < 0.001 compared with control. Out of 25 Type-2 DM, 13 (52%) had diabetic neuropathy, of which 12 (92%) showed abnormal BERA. In nonneuropathic [12 (48%)] only 6 (50%) showed abnormal BERA. CONCLUSION: Delay in absolute latencies and interpeak latencies by BERA demonstrates defect at level of brainstem and midbrain in long standing Type-2 diabetes subjects, which is more pronounced in those with neuropathy.

Unusual pseudomyiasis with Musca domestica (housefly) larvae in a tracheostomy wound: a case report and literature review.

We report a case of pseudomyiasis (accidental myiasis) in a 52-year-old man who had previously undergone surgery and placement of a tracheostomy tube for laryngeal cancer. The patient presented to our outpatient department with a foul-smelling, blood-stained discharge and frequent and severe episodic pain at the site of the tracheostomy. He also reported the discharge of many whitish larvae from the site. On clinical examination, 3 of these larvae were removed from the tracheostomy wound and later identified as Musca domestica (housefly) larvae. The patient underwent further mechanical removal twice daily for 3 days, during which time 23 more larvae, or maggots, were removed. His condition improved, and he returned for regular follow-up with no recurrence or complications. Myiasis is an infestation of humans and vertebrate animals by insect larvae that feed on both dead and living tissue. Myiasis is most common in hot and humid climates in tropical and subtropical regions, such as the underdeveloped areas of India, Africa, and Southeast Asia, which provide favorable breeding grounds for flies. Myiasis is classified as specific, semispecific, or accidental, depending on whether the fly larvae require a host in order to develop. We review the literature on myiasis and its entomologic aspects in general. We also discuss the need for the proper care of tracheostomy wound myiasis because the site of such an infestation is close to vital organs in the neck. To the best of our knowledge, only 3 cases of tracheostomy wound myiasis have been previously reported in the English-language literature; 2 of them involved infestation with Chrysomyia bezziana larvae and 1 with Lucilia caesar larvae. We believe our case is the first case of tracheostomy wound pseudomyiasis attributable to M domestica larvae.

Clinical manifestations and role of proton pump inhibitors in the management of laryngopharyngeal reflux.

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) refers to the backflow of stomach contents into the throat that is into the hypopharynx. LPR is different from classical Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in many ways. Proton pump inhibitors have become the treatment of choice even though conflicting results exists in their response. Treatment requires acid suppression to be as complete as possible and treatment failure is not uncommon. In this article we present here our prospective study of 50 patients diagnosed as a case of LPR on the basis of reflux finding score and reflux symptom index. We tried to evaluate the role of PPI in LPR management by observing the effect of PPI on reflux finding score (RFS) and reflux symptom index (RFI) during the follow up period of 16 weeks.

Dexmedetomidine used to provide hypotensive anesthesia during middle ear surgery.

This study was carried out to assess the hypotensive effect of low dose dexmedetomidine (DEX) infusion during middle ear surgery. 42 ASA grades I and II patients of either sex aged 18-45 years undergoing elective middle ear surgery were randomly divided into two groups of 21 each. Group I received placebo bolus and infusion of saline at a rate similar to DEX in Group II. Group II received 10-15 min prior to induction of anesthesia 1 µg/kg IV bolus DEX diluted in 10 ml of normal saline over 10 min. Immediately thereafter an infusion of 0.4 µg/kg/hr of DEX commenced. Standard anesthetic technique was used. Halothane was titrated to achieve a mean arterial pressure 30% below the control value (value taken just after premedication). We observed that a statistically significant reduction in the percentage of halothane required to reduce MAP 30% below control value occurred in patients receiving DEX infusion (1.3 ± 0.4%) in comparison to those receiving placebo (3.1 ± 0.3%). Patients receiving DEX infusion had a better surgical field. The mean awakening time was significantly reduced in patients of Group II (9.1 ± 2.7 min) when compared to patients of Group I (12.8 ± 2.2 min).We conclude that DEX can be safely used to provide hypotensive anesthesia during middle ear surgery.