Metavariables resuming host immune features and nodal involvement are associated with oncological outcomes in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma

Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common head and neck cancer characterized by a poor prognosis associated with locoregional or distant failure. Among the predictors of prognosis, a dense infiltration of adaptive immune cells is protective and associated with improved clinical outcomes. However, few tools are available to integrate immune contexture variables into clinical settings. By using digital microscopy analysis of a large retrospective OSCC cohort (n = 182), we explored the clinical significance of tumor-infiltrating CD

Prognostic Nomograms in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: The Negative Impact of Low Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio

Objectives: To investigate the prognostic significance of preoperative neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the impact of different clinical-pathologic factors in a series of primary oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC).Materials and Methods: All naive OSCCs treated with upfront surgery between 2000 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with distant metastasis, synchronous head and neck cancer, immunological disorders, or who had received previous chemotherapy and/or radiation of the head and neck area were excluded. The main outcomes were overall (OS), disease-specific (DSS), loco-regional free (LRFS), and distant metastasis free (DMFS) survivals. Univariate (Kaplan-Meier) and multivariate (Cox regression model) analysis were performed, and nomograms developed for each outcome. NLR was analyzed as a continuous variable using restricted cubic spline multivariable Cox regression models.Results: One-hundred-eighty-two patients were included. Five-year estimates for LRFS, DMFS, DSS, and OS were 67, 83.7, 69.5, and 61.2%, respectively. NLR had a complex influence on survival and risk of recurrence: negative for very low and high values, while positive in case of intermediate ratios. At univariate analysis, T classification, 7th AJCC stage, nodal metastasis, perineural spread, and lymphovascular invasion were statistically significant. At multivariate analysis, extranodal extension (ENE) and perineural spread were the most powerful independent prognostic factors. NLR was an independent prognosticator for the risk of recurrence. In nomograms, NLR and ENE had the strongest prognostic effect.Conclusions: In OSCC, very low preoperative NLR values have a negative prognostic impact on survival and recurrence, similarly to high ratios. ENE and perineural spread are the most important clinical-pathologic prognosticators

The Peritoneum as a Natural Scaffold for Vascular Regeneration

Objective: The peritoneum has the same developmental origin as blood vessels, is highly reactive and poorly thrombogenic. We hypothesize that parietal peritoneum can sustain development and regeneration of new vessels. Methods and Results: The study comprised two experimental approaches. First, to test surgical feasibility and efficacy of the peritoneal vascular autograft, we set up an autologous transplantation procedure in pigs, where a tubularized parietal peritoneal graft was covered with a metal mesh and anastomosed end-to-end in the infrarenal aorta. Second, to dissect the contribution of graft vs host cells to the newly developed vessel wall, we performed human-to-rat peritoneal patch grafting in the abdominal aorta and examined the origin of endothelial and smooth muscle cells. In pig experiments, the graft remodeled to an apparently normal blood vessel, without thrombosis. Histology confirmed arterialization of the graft with complete endothelial coverage and neointimal hyperplasia in the absence of erosion, inflammation or thrombosis. In rats, immunostaining for human mitochondri revealed that endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells rarely were of human origin. Remodeling of the graft was mainly attributable to local cells with no clear evidence of c-kit+ endothelial progenitor cells or c-kit+ resident perivascular progenitor cells. Conclusions: The parietal peritoneum can be feasibly used as a scaffold to sustain the regeneration of blood vessels, whic

Primary parotid carcinoma: analysis of risk factors and validation of a prognostic index

Primary cancer of the parotid gland (PG) is a rare disease characterized by a wide variety of histologies and subtypes. The aim of the study was to identify factors influencing survival and validate the prognostic scores (PS1 and PS2) by Vander Poorten et al. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study

ViPS (Viabahn Padova Sutureless) technique: Preliminary results in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease

BACKGROUND: To describe early results of a novel technique (ViPS, Viabahn Padova Sutureless) that connects a vascular prosthetic graft to a target artery in a sutureless fashion. METHODS: A consecutive series of five patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (Rutherford class IV and V) underwent six ViPS procedures (one bilateral) for limb revascularization. Angiography in all cases demonstrated complete superficial femoral artery (SFA) occlusion with reconstitution of a circumferentially calcified above-knee popliteal artery. Ultrasonography revealed no adequate vein for autogenous bypass creation. In all cases, a previous attempt of SFA endovascular recanalization was unsuccessful. A Viabahn (W.L. Gore, Flagstaff, AZ) endoprosthesis was partially deployed, and its proximal end was sutured to a polytetrafluoroethylene graft. After surgical exposure, the circumferentially calcified popliteal artery, which could not be safely sutured, was transected and the undeployed distal portion of the Viabahn was inserted into the popliteal artery supported by a stiff guidewire. The distal portion of the Viabahn graft was then deployed 2.5 cm into the popliteal artery with optimal apposition. The proximal end of the polytetrafluoroethylene graft was then sutured to the common femoral artery. The distal portion of the Viabahn was ballooned to ensure apposition with the popliteal artery. RESULTS: The mean time for surgical modification of the device was 6.6 minutes with a mean time for ViPS anastomosis deployment of 7 seconds. Mean operative time for ViPS procedure was 61 minutes (range: 48-74). Completion angiogram in all cases demonstrated a patent graft with no sign of dissection. The patients' symptoms resolved in all cases, with complete ulcer healing occurring in five patients within 3 weeks. Follow-up imaging (mean = 2.6 months, range: 1-5) with eco-color-Doppler and computed tomography angiogram demonstrated a patent graft with no loss of device integrity in all cases. CONCLUSION: The ViPS technique is simple, easily performed, and provides an alternative for bypass creation, particularly in cases where challenging arterial anastomoses are required. Furthermore, this technique has the potential to reduce operative time and is accomplished using common commercially available devices

Diagnostic reliability of pretreatment biopsy in malignant nasoethmoidal tumors: A retrospective study of 77 cases

Pretreatment biopsy is crucial in histology-based management of malignant nasoethmoidal tumors, because misdiagnosis can lead to inadequate therapeutic planning. Factors influencing the reliability of biopsy were retrospectively investigated in a tertiary referral center

Palladium nanoparticles supported on polyvinylpyridine: Catalyticactivity in Heck-type reactions and XPS structural studies

Palladium nanoparticles, obtained by metal vapour synthesis (MVS), weredeposited on cross-linked polyvinylpyridine. The Pd/PVPy system showedhigh catalytic activity in the Heck C-C coupling reaction of iodo- andbromo-arenes (iodobenzene, bromobenzene, p-nitrobromobenzene,p-bromoacetophenone, p-(methoxy)bromobenzene) with alkyl acrylates(methyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, ethylhexyltrans-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)acrylate) at 100 degrees C-175 degrees Cworking under nitrogen atmosphere as well as in air. The catalyst isstable and the leaching of metal in solution is very low. When reused,the recovered Pd/PVPy maintains the catalytic activity of the pristinematerial. XPS structural studies performed on the starting catalyst aswell as on the recovered one indicate the presence of a interactionbetween the basic nitrogen of the pyridine present in the polymer andthe metal. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved