Improved W boson mass measurement with the D0 detector

We have measured the W boson mass using the D0 detector and a data sample of 82 pb^-1 from the Tevatron collider. This measurement used W -> e nu decays, where the electron is close to a boundary of a central electromagnetic calorimeter module. Such 'edge' electrons have not been used in any previous D0 analysis, and represent a 14% increase in the W boson sample size. For these electrons, new response and resolution parameters are determined, and revised backgrounds and underlying event energy flow measurements are made. When the current measurement is combined with previous D0 W boson mass measurements, we obtain M_W = 80.483 +/- 0.084 GeV. The 8% improvement from the previous D0 measurement is primarily due to the improved determination of the response parameters for non-edge electrons using the sample of Z bosons with non-edge and edge electrons.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. D; 20 pages, 18 figures, 9 table

Heavy quarkonium: progress, puzzles, and opportunities

A golden age for heavy quarkonium physics dawned a decade ago, initiated by the confluence of exciting advances in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and an explosion of related experimental activity. The early years of this period were chronicled in the Quarkonium Working Group (QWG) CERN Yellow Report (YR) in 2004, which presented a comprehensive review of the status of the field at that time and provided specific recommendations for further progress. However, the broad spectrum of subsequent breakthroughs, surprises, and continuing puzzles could only be partially anticipated. Since the release of the YR, the BESII program concluded only to give birth to BESIII; the $B$-factories and CLEO-c flourished; quarkonium production and polarization measurements at HERA and the Tevatron matured; and heavy-ion collisions at RHIC have opened a window on the deconfinement regime. All these experiments leave legacies of quality, precision, and unsolved mysteries for quarkonium physics, and therefore beg for continuing investigations. The plethora of newly-found quarkonium-like states unleashed a flood of theoretical investigations into new forms of matter such as quark-gluon hybrids, mesonic molecules, and tetraquarks. Measurements of the spectroscopy, decays, production, and in-medium behavior of c\bar{c}, b\bar{b}, and b\bar{c} bound states have been shown to validate some theoretical approaches to QCD and highlight lack of quantitative success for others. The intriguing details of quarkonium suppression in heavy-ion collisions that have emerged from RHIC have elevated the importance of separating hot- and cold-nuclear-matter effects in quark-gluon plasma studies. This review systematically addresses all these matters and concludes by prioritizing directions for ongoing and future efforts.Comment: 182 pages, 112 figures. Editors: N. Brambilla, S. Eidelman, B. K. Heltsley, R. Vogt. Section Coordinators: G. T. Bodwin, E. Eichten, A. D. Frawley, A. B. Meyer, R. E. Mitchell, V. Papadimitriou, P. Petreczky, A. A. Petrov, P. Robbe, A. Vair

Frey's syndrome. Report of a case

A case of postparotidectomy Frey's syndrome is presented and the literature on the pathogenesis and treatment of the syndrome is reviewed. It is concluded that the syndrome is quite common in patients who have had parotid surgery but, of those affected, very few require treatment for this condition. There is no universally accepted method of treatment for gustatory sweating and flushing and, of the methods so far proposed, very few are used today. The syndrome should be explained to the patient and left untreated. © 1981

Functional and aesthetic results of various lip-splitting incisions: A clinical analysis of 60 cases

Purpose: This study retrospectively evaluated the functional and aesthetic results of various types of lip-splitting incisions in a group of patients in whom this approach was used to treat intraoral tumors. Patients and Methods: Between 1992 and 1998, 87 consecutive patients were subjected to either mandibulotomy or mandibulectomy using a lip-splitting incision. During this period, 4 types of incisions were sequentially used: straight midline incision, lateral lip-splitting incision, midline splitting with extension around the contour of the chin, and the chevron chin-contour incision. Sixty patients with a follow-up of at least 6 months were included in the study. The patients were asked to answer a questionnaire regarding the degree of satisfaction with the cosmetic result of the procedure and were clinically assessed for sensory and functional impairment resulting from the incision. The remaining 27 patients were lost to follow-up or had died of their disease. Results: The lateral lip-splitting incision caused the fewest postoperative problems in patients subjected to either mandibulotomy or mandibulectomy. The best overall results were achieved by the chevron-chin contour incision. The incision that followed the contour of the chin and the straight midline incision showed less satisfactory results. Conclusion: The chevron chin-contour incision, along with meticulous soft tissue closure, produces the best aesthetic and functional results. © 2001 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Mural (intracystic) ameloblastoma

The ameloblastoma is probably the most significant of all the odontogenic tumors. The occurrence within various types of odontogenic cyst of the so-called mural ameloblastoma is well known. The etiology, pathogenesis, histopathology and treatment of mural ameloblastoma are discussed. 4 cases of mural (intracystic) ameloblastomas are reported. It is concluded that in cases of mural ameloblastoma, the initial treatment can be limited to local excision. © 1982, Munksgaard International Publishers Ltd.. All rights reserved

Computerized axial tomography in the diagnosis of head and neck tumours

The development of computerised axial tomography is briefly described and the application of this investigative procedure to the diagnosis of tumours in the maxillo-facial region is illustrated by two cases. © 1980, Munksgaard International Publishers Ltd.. All rights reserved

Development of the Greek version of the University of Washington Quality of Life questionnaire for patients with head and neck cancer

The University of Washington Quality of Life (UW-QOL) questionnaire, created in 1993 to evaluate health related quality of life, has been widely used in English-speaking populations and translated and validated in other languages. The aim of the present study was to carefully translate and psychometrically validate the UW-QOL questionnaire in Greek. The revised version of the questionnaire was obtained by forward and backward translation of the original English version, according to internationally accepted guidelines. Validation was performed in 120 patients with head and neck cancer treated in a Greek Anticancer Institute in Athens, during their follow-up visits. Eligible patients completed the Greek version of the questionnaire and two other previously validated quality of life questionnaires (EORTC QLQ H&N35 and C-30). Related data and the patients' demographics were extracted from the patient's notes. Strong internal consistency (mean Cronbach α value of 0.83) was shown, with good construct validity. Statistically significant differences were noted between tumour staging and treatment modality and global quality of life. Strong correlation was shown between previously validated EORTC questionnaires and the translated UW-QOL questionnaire. In conclusion, the Greek version of the UW-QOL questionnaire appears to be culturally appropriate and psychometrically valid. © 2013 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Are females predisposed to complications in head and neck cancer free flap reconstruction?

Purpose: To investigate gender and other possible factors affecting the frequency and severity of postoperative complications in head and neck cancer free flap reconstruction. Materials and Methods: A prospective longitudinal cohort study was conducted at the Greek Anticancer Institute, St. Savvas Hospital in head and neck cancer free flap reconstruction concerning postoperative complications. We documented the patients' demographic characteristics, social habits, and perioperative factors (ie, duration of general anesthesia), reconstructive techniques, neoadjuvant radiotherapy, and physical status. Initially, univariate statistical analysis was performed to confirm which predictor variables might influence the presence and severity of complications. Next, multivariate statistical analysis was performed using logistical regression and including the factors that were statistically significant on univariate analysis. Results: From 1999 to 2009, we assessed 95 patients who had undergone surgery for head and neck cancer. Of the 95 patients, 24 were women and 71 were men. The patient age range was 20 to 87 years (mean 52, median 55). A total of 55 complications occurred in 49 patients (51.57%). Of the 55 complications, 12 (12.63%) were of major severity, 21 (22.10%) of median severity, and 22 (23.15%) of low severity. The statistical analysis revealed that the factors associated with complications were preoperative radiotherapy, female gender, and operation time. The factors associated with severe complications were female gender and alcohol use. Conclusions: Multivariate analysis of the data revealed that the factor associated with an increased incidence of postoperative complications was preoperative radiotherapy. Moreover, the variable that remained statistically significant and correlated with an increased incidence and severity of free flap reconstruction complications was female gender. Identifying the etiology of these findings is an intriguing field for additional research. © 2014 Published by Elsevier Inc on behalf of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. All rights reserved

Different topoisomerase IIa protein expression patterns affect prognosis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma: A quantitative digital image analysis study

Aim: Topoisomerases represent a class of nucleic enzymes involved in the DNA replication, transcription and also chromosome topological formation. Topoisomerase IIa (Topo Iia - gene location 17q21) inhibition promotes cell death and for this reason, it is a target for specific chemotherapy (anthracyclines, podophyllotoxines). Our aim was to investigate the potential prognostic significance of its protein expression in squamous cell carcinomas of the tongue (TSCCs) based on a quantitative, digital image analysis method. Materials and methods: We analysed immunohistochemically eighty-seven (n = 87) archival, primary TSCCs using a monoclonal anti-Topo IIa antibody. A computerised image analysis assay was applied for the evaluation of the results [nuclear labellingindex(NLI)]. Survival analysiswasalso performed. Results: Topo IIa protein was overexpressed in 48/87 (55.1%) cases. High NLI values were detected in 17/48 (35.4%), whereas moderate levels of expression were detected in 31/48 (64.6%) cases. Statistical significance was not assessed correlating overall protein expression to grade or stage of the examined tumours (P = 0.88, P = 0.73, respectively), but only to the anatomical region (P = 0.04). Cox regression analysis showed that Topo IIa and also the size of the tumours were strongly associated to the survival of the patients (P = 0.01, P = 0.02, respectively). Conclusions: Topo IIa protein overexpression is a frequent event in TSCCs. Topo IIa may be used as a prognostic factor and also as a basis for targeted chemotherapy strategies in TSCCs. Furthermore, digital image analysis improves the quantification of immunohistochemical stains in an accurate and fast way. © 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2008 Blackwell Munksgaard

Molecular events in relapsed oral squamous cell carcinoma: Recurrence vs secondary primary tumor

Relapses have a great impact on both the morbidity and mortality rates of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients. Current classification criteria are imprecise and need improvements. Recent advances in understanding of OSCC relapses on a molecular level provide new possibilities to better classify true recurrences and second primary tumors. This review discusses the limitations of the current OSCC relapse classification method and presents possible alternatives to improve this classification based on molecular techniques. Moreover, these molecular techniques add to the further understanding of these lesions and may provide tools for clinical management