The impact of comorbid allergic airway disease on the severity and mortality of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader The impact of comorbid allergic airway disease on the severity and mortality of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis Via http://link.springer.com/journal/405,European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology,The European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021 Sep 14. doi: 10.1007/s00405-021-07072-1. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT PURPOSE: To analyze the impact of AAD on the severity and mortality of COVID-19 patients and compare clinical outcomes between patients with and without AAD. METHODS: In the systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science for studies reporting allergic rhinitis, asthma prevalence in COVID-19 patients and compared clinical outcomes, and excluded duplicate publications, reviews, comments, single or few cases reports (< 100 cases). We determined the pooled effect estimates using random effect model. RESULTS: Thirty-four studies (345,091) were finally included for the meta-analysis. On the basis of 32 studies (337,821) involving with the severity of COVID-19, we did not find significant association between AAD and the severity of COVID-19 (p = 0.35, OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.90-1.35). Subgroup anal ysis indicated there was no the variability in the prevalence of AAD among COVID-19 patients in different study designs, disease categories, countries, the definition of severity, and population size of AAD. Based on 21 studies (306,331) involving with the mortality of COVID-19, AAD was significantly associated with the decreased mortality of COVID-19 (p < 0.05, OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.70-0.99). The subgroup analysis showed AAD was not associated with the mortality of COVID-19 in different countries or regions. Based on the population size of AAD, we found AAD within 100 cases was not associated with the mortality of COVID-19 (p = 0.63, OR 1.15, 95% CI 0.65-2.03). Moreover, study design was possible heterogeneity source as the heterogeneity I2 was reduced to 0 in prospective studies. CONCLUSION: The preexisting AAD was not inclined to deteriorate the course of COVID-19. The prevalence of AAD was not associated with the severity of COVD-19 patients and inclined to be si gnificantly associated with the decreased mortality risk of COVID-19. PMID:34519838 | DOI:10.1007/s00405-021-07072-1 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

The prognostic value of before treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader The prognostic value of before treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in nasopharyngeal carcinoma Via http://link.springer.com/journal/405,European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology,The European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021 Sep 12. doi: 10.1007/s00405-021-07070-3. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the prognostic significance of inflammatory biomarkers (NLR, dNLR, PLR and LMR) in NPC patients. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of 111 NPC patients from January 2013 and December 2016. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to determine the cut-off values of these inflammatory biomarkers. Univariate analysis and multivariate Cox regression model were used to evaluate the association between these parameters and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: The optimal critical value of NLR was 2.02, by which cases were divided into high NLR group (NLR ≥ 2.02) and low NLR group (NLR < 2.02). The elevated NLR was significantly associated with decreased OS (P = 0.009) and remained significant in multivariate analysi s (HR 8.48, 95% CI 1.69-42.46, P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: The before treatment NLR may be an independent prognostic biomarker for OS in patients with NPC. NLR, dNLR and PLR might be a useful complement to TNM staging in the prognosis evaluation of NPC patients. PMID:34510259 | DOI:10.1007/s00405-021-07070-3 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Influences of GABAergic Inhibition in the Dorsal Medulla on Contralateral Swallowing Neurons in Rats

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Influences of GABAergic Inhibition in the Dorsal Medulla on Contralateral Swallowing Neurons in Rats Via The Laryngoscope Objectives We aimed to examine the effect of unilateral inhibition of the medullary dorsal swallowing networks on the activities of swallowing-related cranial motor nerves and swallowing interneurons. Methods In 25 juvenile rats, we recorded bilateral vagal nerve activity (VNA) as well as unilateral phrenic and hypoglossal activity (HNA) during fictive swallowing elicited by electrical stimulation of the superior laryngeal nerve during control and following microinjection of the GABA agonist muscimol into the caudal dorsal medulla oblongata in a perfused brainstem preparation. In 20 animals, swallowing interneurons contralateral to the muscimol injection side were simultaneously recorded extracellularly and their firing rates were analyzed during swallowing. Results Integrated VNA and HNA to the injection side decreased to 49.0 ± 16.6% and 32.3 ± 17.9%, respectively. However, the VNA on the uninjected side showed little change after muscimol injection. Following local inhibition, 11 out of 20 contralateral swallowing interneurons showed either increased or decreased of their respective firing discharge during evoked-swallowing, while no significant changes in activity were observed in the remaining nine neurons. Conclusion The neuronal networks underlying the swallowing pattern generation in the dorsal medulla mediate the ipsilateral motor outputs and modulate the contralateral activity of swallowing interneurons, suggesting that the bilateral coordination of the swallowing central pattern generator regulates the spatiotemporal organization of pharyngeal swallowing movements. Level of Evidence NA Laryngoscope, 131:2187–2198, 2021 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

A Case of Parotid Gland Fistula After Microtia Reconstruction Successfully Treated With Botulinum Toxin Type A

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader A Case of Parotid Gland Fistula After Microtia Reconstruction Successfully Treated With Botulinum Toxin Type A Via ear nose throat Ear Nose Throat J. 2021 Sep 13:1455613211038325. doi: 10.1177/01455613211038325. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Parotid gland fistula after microtia reconstruction is relatively rare, with only 3 cases having been reported in the literature. It may be caused by the presence of an accessory parotid gland or surgical damage to parotid gland tissues. The principal treatment is dressing the wound. Here, we report the first case of parotid fistula after microtia reconstruction u sing a delayed retroauricular flap, which healed following wound dressing and an injection of botulinum toxin type A (CBTXA) into the parotid gland. PMID:34510956 | DOI:10.1177/01455613211038325 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Thyroid Cancer Risk in Relation to Thyroid Nodule Location

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Thyroid Cancer Risk in Relation to Thyroid Nodule Location Via Clinical Thyroidology Clinical Thyroidology, Volume 33, Issue 9, Page 394-396, September 2021. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Hypothyroidism May Increase the Risk of Developing Dementia, at Least in Younger People

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Hypothyroidism May Increase the Risk of Developing Dementia, at Least in Younger People Via Clinical Thyroidology Clinical Thyroidology, Volume 33, Issue 9, Page 383-387, September 2021. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

A Multiplex Thyroid-Specific Assay for Quantification of Circulating Thyroid Cell-Free RNA in Plasma of Thyroid Cancer Patients

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader A Multiplex Thyroid-Specific Assay for Quantification of Circulating Thyroid Cell-Free RNA in Plasma of Thyroid Cancer Patients Via radioactive iodine Front Genet. 2021 Aug 25;12:721832. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2021.721832. eCollection 2021. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The standard of care for thyroid cancer management is thyroidectomy and adjuvant radioactive iodine (RAI). There is a paucity of clinical tool that quantifies residual thyroid volume reliably for precise adjuvant RAI dosing. Serum thyroglobulin (TG), tumour marker for thyroid cancer, takes 4 weeks for complete clearance due to its long half-life, and might be undetectable in 1 2% of structural disease patients. It detects recurrence with a sensitivity of 19-40%, mainly attributed to issue of TG antibody interference with TG immunometric assay. We hypothesise that the quantity of thyroid-specific cell-free RNA (cfRNA) is indicative of amount of thyroid tissues, and that during thyroid surgery, cfRNA levels decrease accordingly. METHODS: We identified 11 biologically significant and highly expressed thyroid-specific targets from Human Protein Atlas and literature. To assess for a fall in thyroid-specific cfRNA level, we recruited 16 patients undergoing thyroid surgery or RAI for malignant or benign thyroid disease, and tracked longitudinal trend of cfRNA. To assess the utility of cfRNA in detecting metastatic thyroid cancer, cfRNA of 11 patients at intermediate to high risk of recurrence was measured during surveillance and at time of clinical recurrence. RESULTS: The multiplex assay was capable of amplifying and quantifying multiple thyroid-spe cific genes in a single reaction. The selected targets were amplified successfully from RNA extracted directly from the thyroid (positive control), indicating that they were highly expressed within thyroid tissue. These cfRNAs were present in plasma, in amounts quantifiable using qRT-PCR. Four cfRNA transcripts (TPO, GFRA2, IVD, TG) fell post-treatment in more than 50% of cohort. The thyroid peroxidase (TPO) cfRNA fell post-therapy in 63% of cohort by 80%, as early as 1 day post-treatment, supporting the potential role as early indicator of remnant thyroid tissue volume. We demonstrated the clinical relevance of circulating TPO cfRNA by tracking temporal changes in setting of peri-treatment, recurrence, and TG Ab positive state. CONCLUSION: Using a multiplex pre-amplification approach, the TPO cfRNA was a potential biomarker that can track residual thyroid mass. It can be further optimised for quantification of thyroid volume to guide RAI doses and for detection of thyroid can cer recurrence. PMID:34512731 | PMC:PMC8425593 | DOI:10.3389/fgene.2021.721832 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

COVID-19 vaccination mimicking lymph-node progression in a patient with melanoma: a case report

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader COVID-19 vaccination mimicking lymph-node progression in a patient with melanoma: a case report Via Melanoma Research - Current Issue COVID-19 vaccination has been rapidly implemented among patients with cancer. We present the case of a patient with high-risk resected cutaneous melanoma, who was a candidate for adjuvant treatment, with postsurgery 18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/computed tomography (CT) scan showing positive axillary lymph nodes after COVID-19 vaccination. This report presents a 50-year-old man with a history of stage IIA cutaneous melanoma. During follow-up, the patient experienced subcutaneous and lymph-node disease progression, documented with 18FDG PET/CT scan. The patient underwent laparoscopic left para-aortic lymphadenectomy and ex cision of subcutaneous lesion. Histologic examination showed presence of melanoma metastases in 2 lymph nodes out of total 17 excised and neoplastic emboli to the subcutaneous tissue. In view of starting adjuvant nivolumab, the patient underwent CT scan restaging, with evidence of suspect centimetric periaortic and paracaval lymph nodes, which were deemed worthy of 18FDG PET investigation. The 18FDG PET/CT was negative for abdominal hypercaptation, but showed left axillary pathologic lymph nodes. The medical history of the patient revealed that he had received intramuscular Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in the left deltoid, one week before 18FDG PET examination. Since the patient's clinical examination was negative and suspecting postvaccination false-positive adenopathy, bilateral axillary ultrasound was performed, excluding the presence of pathologic lymph nodes. The patient has started adjuvant treatment with nivolumab, which is currently ongoing. This case demonstrates unexpec ted findings in response to COVID-19 vaccination in a patient with melanoma. In this specific case, the detection of 18FDG PET hypercaptation could significantly change the patient's management. With growing evidence about the pattern and occurrence of adenopathies after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, recommendations for scheduling and interpretation of 18FDG PET/CT scans among cancer patients will be implemented, in order to reduce equivocal findings and improve outcomes. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Expression of the cancer stem cell marker OCT4 is associated with worse prognosis and survival in cutaneous melanoma

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Expression of the cancer stem cell marker OCT4 is associated with worse prognosis and survival in cutaneous melanoma Via Melanoma Research - Current Issue Cutaneous melanoma has an aggressive clinical presentation, showing rapid rate of growth and metastatic dissemination due to the permanence of cancer stem cells. The present study was to evaluate the expression of the self-renewal regulatory factor and the clinical significance of the transcription factor OCT4 in melanoma. Melanoma tissues were stained by immunohistochemistry and the correlation between the expression of this marker was determined through clinical–pathological variables and survival outcomes. Positive expression of nuclear and cytoplasmic OCT4 was observed in 49% and 41.2% of cases, respectively. T he positive expression of nuclear OCT4 in melanoma was significantly associated with prognostic factors, such as Breslow depth, Clark's level, ulceration and metastasis. Survival of patients was 56% compared to positive nuclear OCT4 expression and 94.2% when compared to the low expression of the gene. Nuclear OCT4 positive genotype indicated aggressive tumor behavior with a worse clinical outcome, which indicates OCT4 as a useful biomarker in the prognosis of melanoma. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Expression of cathepsins B and D by cancer stem cells in head and neck metastatic malignant melanoma

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Expression of cathepsins B and D by cancer stem cells in head and neck metastatic malignant melanoma Via Melanoma Research - Current Issue We have previously demonstrated cancer stem cell (CSC) subpopulations in head and neck metastatic malignant melanoma (HNmMM), and the expression of components of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) by these CSCs. Cathepsins B, D and G are involved in carcinogenesis and constitute bypass loops of the RAS. This study investigated the expression and localization of cathepsins B, D and G, in relation to these CSCs. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated expression of cathepsins B, D and G in HNmMM sections from all 20 patients. Western blotting confirmed the presence of cathepsins B and D proteins in all six HNmMM tiss ue samples and four HNmMM-derived primary cell lines. RT-qPCR showed transcript expression of cathepsins B, D and G in all six HNmMM tissue samples, and cathepsins B and D but not cathepsin G in all four HNmMM-derived primary cell lines. Enzymatic activity assays demonstrated cathepsins B and D were active in all six HNmMM tissue samples. Immunofluorescence staining performed on two of the HNmMM tissue samples demonstrated expression of cathepsins B and D by the CSCs, and cathepsin G by cells within the peritumoral stroma. Our novel findings suggest the possibility of targeting these CSCs by modulation of paracrine RAS signaling. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Low-dose ipilimumab combined with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in patients with metastatic melanoma following anti-PD-1 treatment failure

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Low-dose ipilimumab combined with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in patients with metastatic melanoma following anti-PD-1 treatment failure Via Melanoma Research - Current Issue Combined immunotherapy is associated with a significant risk of severe and potentially fatal immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Therefore, we retrospectively analyzed the side profile and efficacy of low-dose ipilimumab (1 mg/kg, IPI1) combined with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in patients who progressed after anti-PD-1 monotherapy. Nine patients with unresectable stage III or IV melanoma treated with combined low-dose ipilimumab (1 mg/kg, IPI1) and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, following progression after anti-PD-1 treatment, were identified. Treatment response and irAEs were recorded. Grade 3 irAEs occurred in one-third of pat ients. Interestingly, there were no grade 4 or 5 irAEs. In fact, four out of the nine patients experienced no irAEs at all. One patient discontinued combined immunotherapy due to immune-related colitis. The mean time to the onset of grade 3 irAEs was 14.3 weeks. The objective response rate was 33.3% and a disease control rate of 66.7% was achieved. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.7 months and median overall survival (OS) was 21.6 months. The median PFS when IPI1 and anti-PD-1 treatment was administered in the second-line setting was not reached, but only 2.8 months when used in subsequent treatment settings. Combined IPI1 and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy was well tolerated. Its use in the third-line or above setting was associated with a significantly poorer prognosis than in the second-line setting. Larger, prospective studies are required to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this dosing regimen following anti-PD-1 treatment failure. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.