OTOLARYNGOLOGY BY ALEXANDROS SFAKIANAKIS @earnosethroatmedicine - Tumblr Blog

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Related Articles (1) H MR spectroscopy in cervical carcinoma using external phase array body coil at 3.0 Tesla: Prediction of poor prognostic human papillomavirus genotypes. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2016 Jul 19; Authors: Lin G, Lai CH, Tsai SY, Lin YC, Huang YT, Wu RC, Yang LY, Lu HY, Chao A, Wang CC, Ng KK, Ng SH, Chou HH, Yen TC, Hung JH Abstract PURPOSE: To assess the clinical value of proton ((1) H) MR spectroscopy in cervical carcinomas, in the prediction of poor prognostic human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes as well as persistent disease following concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: (1) H MR spectroscopy using external phase array coil was performed in 52 consecutive cervical cancer patients at 3 Tesla (T). Poor prognostic HPV genotypes (alpha-7 species or absence of HPV infection) and persistent cervical carcinoma after CCRT were recorded. Statistical significance was calculated with the Mann-Whitney two-sided nonparametric test and areas under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) analysis. RESULTS: A 4.3-fold (P = 0.032) increased level of methyl resonance at 0.9 ppm was found in the poor prognostic HPV genotypes, mainly attributed to the presence of HPV18, with a sensitivity of 75%, a specificity of 81%, and an AUC of 0.76. Poor prognostic HPV genotypes were more frequently observed in patients with adeno-/adenosquamous carcinoma (Chi-square, P < 0.0001). In prediction of the four patients with persistent disease after CCRT, elevated methyl resonance demonstrated a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 74%, and an AUC of 0.82. CONCLUSION: (1) H MR spectroscopy at 3T can be used to depict the elevated lipid resonance levels in cervical carcinomas, as well as help to predict the poor prognostic HPV genotypes and persistent disease following CCRT. Further large studies with longer follow up times are warranted to validate our initial findings. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016. PMID: 27434095 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] from via IFTTT

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Related Articles Vulvar and Vaginal Cancer, Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia 3 and Vaginal Intraepithelial Neoplasia 3: Experience of a Referral Institute. Isr Med Assoc J. 2016 May;18(5):286-9 Authors: Siegler E, Segev Y, Mackuli L, Auslender R, Shiner M, Lavie O Abstract BACKGROUND: Vulvar and vaginal malignant and premalignant lesions are uncommon and are clinically heterogeneous diseases with two pathways of carcinogenesis: human papillomavirus (HPV) induced or non-HPV induced. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with vulvar or vaginal cancer and vulvar and vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia 3 (VIN3, VAIN3). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 148 women with vulvar and vaginal malignancy and pre-malignancy for the period October 2004 to October 2012, and identified 59 and 19 patients with vulvar and vaginal cancer respectively, and 57 and 13 patients with VIN3 and VAIN3 respectively RESULTS: The median age of vulvar cancer patients was 30 years older than that of VIN3 patients. HPV was found in 60% and 66.6% of vulvar and vaginal cancer patients respectively, and in 82.3% and 84.6% of patients with VIN3 and VAIN3 respectively. A history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or warts was observed in 10% and 10.5% of vulvar and vaginal cancer patients respectively, and in 57.9% and 46% of patients with VIN3 and VAIN3 respectively. In 52.6% of patients the vaginal cancer was metastases from other organs. CONCLUSIONS: Most women with vulvar carcinoma are older than 70 years. VIN3 and VAIN3 are associated with HPV infection and the most prevalent type is HPV16. Almost half the vaginal cancers are associated with metastases from other organs and almost half of VAIN3 is associated with past cervical dysplasia or carcinoma. PMID: 27430086 [PubMed - in process] from via IFTTT

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Related Articles Adolescent Vaccination Performance in South Carolina Compared to the United States. J S C Med Assoc. 2015 Dec-2016 Jan;111(4):117-21 Authors: Roberts JR, Naifeh M, Jacobson RM, Hinton E, O'Brien E, Rogacki B, Thompson D, Margolis B, Darden PM Abstract National data on vaccine up-to-date (UTD) suggest that insufficient numbers of adolescents receive needed vaccines. This study analyzed public use data of the National Immunization Survey-Teen (NIS-Teen) from 2010 through 2013 for South Carolina (SC) adolescents and compared immunization rates to those of United States (US) adolescents. We also examined trends for each vaccine recommended for adolescents for both SC and US adolescents. UTD rates in SC adolescents for the quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) and the tetanus- diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine lag those of US adolescents, despite demonstrating a trend of improvement in SC adolescents from 45% to 69% for MCV and from 48% to 72% for Tdap. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine UTD rates for SC adolescents demonstrated improvement over a 4 year period. HPV vaccination for SC girls improved when compared to the US, however UTD rates for both the SC and US were still well below the Healthy People 2020 goal of 80%. For all three vaccines, parental recall for a provider recommendation to vaccinate their adolescent was around or below 50%, except for HPV in females where it reached 65% in SC and 69% in the US. Differences between state and national rates may help SC providers focus on specific interventions needed to improve UTD rates. PMID: 27141702 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] from via IFTTT

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Related Articles Cancer prevention in HIV-infected populations. Semin Oncol. 2016 Feb;43(1):173-88 Authors: Goncalves PH, Montezuma-Rusca JM, Yarchoan R, Uldrick TS Abstract People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are living longer since the advent of effective combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). While cART substantially decreases the risk of developing some cancers, HIV-infected individuals remain at high risk for Kaposi sarcoma, lymphoma, and several solid tumors. Currently HIV-infected patients represent an aging group, and malignancies have become a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Tailored cancer-prevention strategies are needed for this population. In this review we describe the etiologic agents and pathogenesis of common malignancies in the setting of HIV, as well as current evidence for cancer prevention strategies and screening programs. PMID: 26970136 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] from via IFTTT

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Related Articles Contribution of spoken language and socio-economic background to adolescents' educational achievement at age 16 years. Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2016 Jul 18; Authors: Spencer S, Clegg J, Stackhouse J, Rush R Abstract BACKGROUND: Well-documented associations exist between socio-economic background and language ability in early childhood, and between educational attainment and language ability in children with clinically referred language impairment. However, very little research has looked at the associations between language ability, educational attainment and socio-economic background during adolescence, particularly in populations without language impairment. AIMS: To investigate: (1) whether adolescents with higher educational outcomes overall had higher language abilities; and (2) associations between adolescent language ability, socio-economic background and educational outcomes, specifically in relation to Mathematics, English Language and English Literature GCSE grade. METHOD & PROCEDURES: A total of 151 participants completed five standardized language assessments measuring vocabulary, comprehension of sentences and spoken paragraphs, and narrative skills and one nonverbal assessment when between 13 and 14 years old. These data were compared with the participants' educational achievement obtained upon leaving secondary education (16 years old). Univariate logistic regressions were employed to identify those language assessments and demographic factors that were associated with achieving a targeted A*-C grade in English Language, English Literature and Mathematics General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) at 16 years. Further logistic regressions were then conducted to examine further the contribution of socio-economic background and spoken language skills in the multivariate models. RESULTS & OUTCOMES: Vocabulary, comprehension of sentences and spoken paragraphs, and mean length utterance in a narrative task along with socio-economic background contributed to whether participants achieved an A*-C grade in GCSE Mathematics and English Language and English Literature. Nonverbal ability contributed to English Language and Mathematics. The results of multivariate logistic regressions then found that vocabulary skills were particularly relevant to all three GCSE outcomes. Socio-economic background only remained important for English Language, once language assessment scores and demographic information were considered. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: Language ability, and in particular vocabulary, plays an important role for educational achievement. Results confirm a need for ongoing support for spoken language ability throughout secondary education and a potential role for speech and language therapy provision in the continuing drive to reduce the gap in educational attainment between groups from differing socio-economic backgrounds. PMID: 27432281 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] from Speech via xlomafota13 on Inoreader via IFTTT

Related Articles Ragona-Scinà's (1847) Method for, and Observations of, Simultaneous Color Contrast. Iperception. 2016 Mar;7(2):2041669516643239 Authors: O'Shea RP, Brini S, Wade NJ Abstract In 1847, Domenico Ragona-Scinà (1820-1892) published a method of optically superimposing images using an angled piece of colored glass. He showed that if one looks at a black, filled circle through the colored glass and superimposes on it the reflection from the glass of something white, the filled circle looks tinted with the complementary color of the background: simultaneous color contrast or contrast color. Although Ragona-Scinà's method and his observation have been cited into the 21st century, the former for its simplicity and the latter for its challenges to early theories of color vision, some errors have crept in and the phenomenon still lacks an agreed-on explanation. We provide some biographical information about Ragona-Scinà, set the method and the observation into their historical and theoretical contexts, and give a translation into English of Ragona-Scinà's Italian-language paper. PMID: 27433327 [PubMed] from Speech via xlomafota13 on Inoreader via IFTTT

Related Articles Does early paternal involvement predict offspring developmental diagnoses? Early Hum Dev. 2016 Jul 16;103:9-16 Authors: Jackson DB, Newsome J, Beaver KM Abstract BACKGROUND: A long line of research has illustrated that fathers play an important role in the development of their children. Few studies, however, have examined the impact of paternal involvement at the earliest stages of life on developmental diagnoses in childhood. AIMS: The present study extends this line of research by exploring the possibility that paternal involvement prenatally, postnatally, and at the time of birth may influence offspring risk for various diagnoses in childhood. STUDY DESIGN: A quasi-experimental, propensity score matching design was used to create treatment and control groups to assess the relationship between paternal involvement at each stage of development and developmental diagnoses. SUBJECTS: Approximately 6000 children, and a subsample of fathers, who participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B). OUTCOME MEASURES: Activity, attention and learning, speech or language, and other diagnoses in early childhood, and overall number of diagnoses at 4years of age. RESULTS: We find no consistent evidence that low paternal involvement prenatally or postnatally increases the risk of various developmental diagnoses by age 4. However, children whose fathers were absent at the time of their birth were at significantly greater risk of incurring various developmental diagnoses, as well as a significantly greater number of developmental diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: The findings expand our understanding of exactly how early paternal influence begins and the specific dimensions of early father behaviors that are related to the risk of various developmental diagnoses. Ultimately, these results have important implications concerning father involvement during the earliest stages of the life course. PMID: 27434724 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] from Speech via xlomafota13 on Inoreader via IFTTT

Related Articles Oral-diadochokinetic rates for Hebrew-speaking healthy ageing population: non-word versus real-word repetition. Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2016 Jul 18; Authors: Ben-David BM, Icht M Abstract BACKGROUND: Oral-diadochokinesis (oral-DDK) tasks are extensively used in the evaluation of motor speech abilities. Currently, validated normative data for older adults (aged 65 years and older) are missing in Hebrew. The effect of task stimuli (non-word versus real-word repetition) is also non-clear in the population of older adult Hebrew speakers. AIMS: (1) To establish a norm for oral-DDK rate for older adult (aged 65 years and older) Hebrew speakers, and to investigate the possible effect of age and gender on performance rate; and (2) to examine the effects of stimuli (non-word versus real word) on oral-DDK rates. METHODS & PROCEDURES: In experiment 1, 88 healthy older Hebrew speakers (60-95 years, 48 females and 40 males) were audio-recorded while performing an oral-DDK task (repetition of /pataka/), and repetition rates (syllables/s) were coded. In experiment 2, the effect of real-word repetition was evaluated. Sixty-eight older Hebrew speakers (aged 66-95 years, 43 females and 25 males) were asked to repeat 'pataka' (non-word) and 'bodeket' (Hebrew real word). OUTCOMES & RESULTS: Experiment 1: Oral-DDK performance for older adult Hebrew speakers was 5.07 syllables/s (SD = 1.16 syllables/s), across age groups and gender. Comparison of this data with Hebrew norms for younger adults (and equivalent data in English) shows the following gradient of oral-DDK rates: ages 15-45 > 65-74 > 75-86 years. Gender was not a significant factor in our data. Experiment 2: Repetition of real words was faster than that of non-words, by 13.5%. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: The paper provides normative values for oral-DDK rates for older Hebrew speakers. The data show the large impact of ageing on oro-motor functions. The analysis further indicates that speech and language pathologists should consider separate norms for clients of 65-74 years and those of 75-86 years. Hebrew rates were found to be different from English norms for the oldest group, shedding light on the impact of language on these norms. Finally, the data support using a dual-protocol (real- and non-word repetition) with older adults to improve differential diagnosis of normal and pathological ageing in this task. PMID: 27432555 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] from Speech via xlomafota13 on Inoreader via IFTTT

Related Articles Phonological encoding in speech-sound disorder: evidence from a cross-modal priming experiment. Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2016 Jul 18; Authors: Munson B, Krause MO Abstract BACKGROUND: Psycholinguistic models of language production provide a framework for determining the locus of language breakdown that leads to speech-sound disorder (SSD) in children. AIMS: To examine whether children with SSD differ from their age-matched peers with typical speech and language development (TD) in the ability phonologically to encode lexical items that have been accessed from memory. METHODS & PROCEDURES: Thirty-six children (18 with TD, 18 with SSD) viewed pictures while listening to interfering words (IW) or a non-linguistic auditory stimulus presented over headphones either 150 ms before, concurrent with or 150 ms after picture presentation. The phonological similarity of the IW and the pictures' names varied. Picture-naming latency, accuracy and duration were tallied. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: All children named pictures more quickly in the presence of an IW identical to the picture's name than in the other conditions. At the +150 ms stimulus onset asynchrony, pictures were named more quickly when the IW shared phonemes with the picture's name than when they were phonologically unrelated to the picture's name. The size of this effect was similar for children with SSD and children with TD. Variation in the magnitude of inhibition and facilitation on cross-modal priming tasks across children was more strongly affected by the size of the expressive and receptive lexicons than by speech-production accuracy. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: Results suggest that SSD is not associated with reduced phonological encoding ability, at least as it is reflected by cross-modal naming tasks. PMID: 27432488 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] from Speech via xlomafota13 on Inoreader via IFTTT

Publication date: August 2016Source:Molecular Immunology, Volume 76 Author(s): Reetta Vanhanen, Nelli Heikkilä, Kunal Aggarwal, David Hamm, Heikki Tarkkila, Tommi Pätilä, T. Sakari Jokiranta, Jari Saramäki, T. Petteri Arstila A diverse T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire is essential for adaptive immune responses and is generated by somatic recombination of TCRα and TCRβ gene segments in the thymus. Previous estimates of the total TCR diversity have studied the circulating mature repertoire, identifying 1 to 3×106 unique TCRβ and 0.5×106 TCRα sequences. Here we provide the first estimate of the total TCR diversity generated in the human thymus, an organ which in principle can be sampled in its entirety. High-throughput sequencing of samples from four pediatric donors detected up to 10.3×106 unique TCRβ sequences and 3.7×106 TCRα sequences, the highest directly observed diversity so far for either chain. To obtain an estimate of the total diversity we then used three different estimators, preseq and DivE, which measure the saturation of rarefaction curves, and Chao2, which measures the size of the overlap between samples. Our results provide an estimate of a thymic repertoire consisting of 40 to 70×106 unique TCRβ sequences and 60 to 100×106 TCRα sequences. The thymic repertoire is thus extremely diverse. Moreover, extrapolation of the data and comparison with earlier estimates of peripheral diversity also suggest that the thymic repertoire is transient, with different clones produced at different times. from Allergy and Immunology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader via IFTTT

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Abstract A 42-year-old man with a history of recurrent urethral stenosis, recurrent urinary tract infection and macroscopic hematuria has referred to our clinic. He underwent several internal urethrotomies and currently using clean intermittent self-catheterization. During the internal urethrotomy, we noted a large posterior urethral diverticulum (UD) between verumontanum and bladder neck. His obstructive symptoms were resolved after the catheter removal. But perineal discomfort, urgency and dysuria were prolonged about 3–4 weeks. Urinalysis and urine culture confirmed recurrent urinary tract infections. Due to this conditions and symptoms, we planned a surgical approach which was planned as transperitoneal robotic-assisted laparoscopic approach. This technique is still applied for the diverticulectomy of the bladder. In addition to this we utilized the cystoscopy equipments for assistance. During this process, cystoscope was placed in the UD to help the identification of UD from adjacent tissues like seminal vesicles by its movement and translumination. Operating time was 185 min. On the post-operative third day he was discharged. Foley catheter was removed after 2 weeks. Urination was quite satisfactory. His perineal discomfort was resolved. The pathology report confirmed epidermoid (tailgut) cyst of the prostate. Urethrogram showed no radiologic signs of UD after 4 weeks. Irritative and obstructive symptoms were completely resolved after 3 months. No urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction or retrograde ejaculation was noted. While posterior UD is an extremely rare situation, surgical treatment of posterior UD remains uncertain. To our knowledge, no above-mentioned cystoscopy assisted robotic technique for the treatment was described in the literature. from NeuroSurgery via xlomafota13 on Inoreader via IFTTT

Abstract A training model is usually needed to teach robotic surgical technique successfully. In this way, an ideal training model should mimic as much as possible the “in vivo” procedure and allow several consecutive surgical simulations. The goal of this study was to create a “wet lab” model suitable for RARP training programs, providing the simulation of the posterior fascial reconstruction. The second aim was to compare the original “Venezuelan” chicken model described by Sotelo to our training model. Our training model consists of performing an anastomosis, reproducing the surgical procedure in “vivo” as in RARP, between proventriculus and the proximal portion of the esophagus. A posterior fascial reconstruction simulating Rocco’s stitch is performed between the tissues located under the posterior surface of the esophagus and the tissue represented by the serosa of the proventriculus. From 2014 to 2015, during 6 different full-immersion training courses, thirty-four surgeons performed the urethrovesical anastomosis using our model and the Sotelo’s one. After the training period, each surgeon was asked to fill out a non-validated questionnaire to perform an evaluation of the differences between the two training models. Our model was judged the best model, in terms of similarity with urethral tissue and similarity with the anatomic unit urethra-pelvic wall. Our training model as reported by all trainees is easily reproducible and anatomically comparable with the urethrovesical anastomosis as performed during radical prostatectomy in humans. It is suitable for performing posterior fascial reconstruction reported by Rocco. In this context, our surgical training model could be routinely proposed in all robotic training courses to develop specific expertise in urethrovesical anastomosis with the reproducibility of the Rocco stitch. from NeuroSurgery via xlomafota13 on Inoreader via IFTTT

Related Articles Emancipation of the voice: Vocal complexity as a fitness indicator. Psychon Bull Rev. 2016 Jul 18; Authors: Locke JL Abstract Although language is generally spoken, most evolutionary proposals say little about any changes that may have induced vocal control. Here I suggest that the interaction of two changes in our species-one in sociality, the other in life history-liberated the voice from its affective moorings, enabling it to serve as a fitness cue or signal. The modification of life history increased the helplessness of infants, thus their competition for care, pressuring them to emit, and parents (and others) to evaluate, new vocal cues in bids for attention. This change elaborated and formalized the care communication system that was used in infancy and, because of parental adoption of social criteria, extended it into childhood, supporting the extrafamilial relationships that intensify in those stages. The remodeling of life history, in conjunction with intensified sociality, also enhanced vocal signaling in adolescence-a second stage that is unique to humans-and adulthood. Building on the new vocal skills and fitness criteria that emerged earlier, I claim that males with ornamented speech enjoyed advantages in their pursuit of dominance and reproductive opportunities in evolutionary history, as they do today. There are implications of this scenario for the mechanistic level of vocal diversification. Today, intentionality plays a role both in the instrumental crying of infants and the modulated vocalizations of adults. In evolutionary history, I claim that in both cases, spontaneously emitted behavioral cues elicited perceptible responses, giving rise to strategic signals that were sent, and processed, under a new and fundamentally different neural regime. PMID: 27432002 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] from Speech via xlomafota13 on Inoreader via IFTTT

Related Articles Evolution of language: Lessons from the genome. Psychon Bull Rev. 2016 Jul 18; Authors: Fisher SE Abstract The post-genomic era is an exciting time for researchers interested in the biology of speech and language. Substantive advances in molecular methodologies have opened up entire vistas of investigation that were not previously possible, or in some cases even imagined. Speculations concerning the origins of human cognitive traits are being transformed into empirically addressable questions, generating specific hypotheses that can be explicitly tested using data collected from both the natural world and experimental settings. In this article, I discuss a number of promising lines of research in this area. For example, the field has begun to identify genes implicated in speech and language skills, including not just disorders but also the normal range of abilities. Such genes provide powerful entry points for gaining insights into neural bases and evolutionary origins, using sophisticated experimental tools from molecular neuroscience and developmental neurobiology. At the same time, sequencing of ancient hominin genomes is giving us an unprecedented view of the molecular genetic changes that have occurred during the evolution of our species. Synthesis of data from these complementary sources offers an opportunity to robustly evaluate alternative accounts of language evolution. Of course, this endeavour remains challenging on many fronts, as I also highlight in the article. Nonetheless, such an integrated approach holds great potential for untangling the complexities of the capacities that make us human. PMID: 27432000 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] from Speech via xlomafota13 on Inoreader via IFTTT

Related Articles The Influence of High-Frequency Envelope Information on Low-Frequency Vowel Identification in Noise. PLoS One. 2016;11(1):e0145610 Authors: Schubotz W, Brand T, Kollmeier B, Ewert SD Abstract Vowel identification in noise using consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) logatomes was used to investigate a possible interplay of speech information from different frequency regions. It was hypothesized that the periodicity conveyed by the temporal envelope of a high frequency stimulus can enhance the use of the information carried by auditory channels in the low-frequency region that share the same periodicity. It was further hypothesized that this acts as a strobe-like mechanism and would increase the signal-to-noise ratio for the voiced parts of the CVCs. In a first experiment, different high-frequency cues were provided to test this hypothesis, whereas a second experiment examined more closely the role of amplitude modulations and intact phase information within the high-frequency region (4-8 kHz). CVCs were either natural or vocoded speech (both limited to a low-pass cutoff-frequency of 2.5 kHz) and were presented in stationary 3-kHz low-pass filtered masking noise. The experimental results did not support the hypothesized use of periodicity information for aiding low-frequency perception. PMID: 26730702 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] from Speech via xlomafota13 on Inoreader via IFTTT

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OTOLARYNGOLOGY BY ALEXANDROS SFAKIANAKIS