Stapes Surgery for Patients with Preoperative Small Air Bone Gap

peer reviewedPurpose of Review: This review summarized the existing literature on the stapes surgery for patients with a preoperative air bone gap (ABG) under 30 dB. Recent Findings: Early surgery for otosclerosis appears to give good results without increasing the risks of complications, but the topic is still controverted. Summary: Stapes surgeries for patients with a preoperative ABG lower than the classical 30 dB are more common today and some studies support this change in paradigm. The risk/benefit balance needs to be discussed with the patients

Virtual reality surgical simulation as a tuition aid for understanding surgical temporal bone anatomy: trial on 15 ear, nose, and throat registrars

peer reviewe

Evaluation of Surgical Simulation in Temporal Bone Surgical Radio-Anatomy Learning

Background Lack of data regarding efficiency of simulation-based teaching, in particular high-fidelity virtual reality, constitutes a major drawback for its implementation in the medical training. However, it provides a structured, safe and supportive environment to familiarize with complex anatomy and practice surgical skills. We aimed to evaluate high-fidelity virtual reality simulation in learning of temporal bone radio-anatomy during ENT residency. Materials and Methods 15 Belgian otorhinolaryngology residents completed 5 sessions of simulation in antro-mastoidectomy using VOXEL-MAN Tempo® surgical simulator. Technical mistakes and surgical parameters were recorded. Before and after training period, residents completed a temporal bone radiological anatomy test available online (http://www.radioanatomie.com). Pre- and post-simulation scores were compared as primary endpoint by non-parametric Wilcoxon test using RCmdr (https://www.r-project.org). As secondary endpoint, residents’ surgical skills following simulation training were blindly assessed on cadaveric human temporal bones using a reproducible scale by seniors otologist surgeons of our department. Correlation between radiological testing and dissection scale were evaluated by Spearman regression. Finally, trainees completed a survey on the device itself. Results Performance on radiological testing significantly increased with a mean improvement of 28 ± 12.12 (Wilcoxon p = 0.0011). Surgical results on cadaveric specimens were not correlated to surgical simulation parameters. Higher results on radiological testing were associated with higher scores on dissection scale, suggesting that subjects who succeeded better at dissection were those who knew best anatomy. Among residents, 80% felt this tool suitable for early surgical education, and 84.6% queried further information on simulation techniques. 100% of trainees would integrate this tool within their learning of temporal bone's radiological and surgical anatomy. Conclusions High-fidelity virtual reality simulator improved temporal bone anatomy teaching and specifically increased knowledge of temporal bone radiological anatomy. Acknowledgement No conflict of interest

Surgical Simulation in Temporal Bone Surgical Radio-Anatomy Learning

Introduction and Aim: We aimed to evaluate high-fidelity virtual reality simulation in learning of temporal bone radio-anatomy during ENT residency. Methods: Fifteen ENT residents completed a radiological temporal bone anatomical testing before and after five training sessions on the VOXEL-MAN Tempo® surgical simulator. Secondary investigation: residents also completed a personal subjective assessment after these training session and residents’ technical skills were assessed on cadaveric temporal bones. Results: Primary outcome: Residents significantly improved their performance on the temporal bone radiological anatomy test after completing virtual training on the simulator. Secondary outcomes: The personal assessment survey indicated that 100% of the residents would integrate this virtual tool within the learning methods. No significant correlation was found between virtual simulator performances and surgical performances on cadaveric model, but a significant correlation was shown between the anatomical testing result and the performances on cadaveric model. Conclusions: This study suggested that a high-fidelity virtual reality simulator, the VOXEL-MAN Tempo® device, improved teaching of temporal bone anatomy and specifically increased trainees’ practical knowledge regarding radiological anatomy of temporal bone

Galectin-1 in Melanoma Biology and Related Neo-Angiogenesis Processes.

Aggressiveness of advanced melanomas relates in part to their marked propensity to develop neoangiogenesis and metastases. Among its numerous pro-cancer roles, galectin (gal)-1 expressed and/or secreted by both cancer and endothelial cells stimulates proliferation and angiogenesis. This study first shows that gal-1 is more highly expressed at both mRNA and protein levels than its congeners in melanomas and particularly in advanced lesions. The roles of gal-1 were further investigated in vivo in the highly proliferating and vascularized pseudometastatic B16F10 mouse melanoma model using stable knockdown B16F10 cells and wild-type versus gal-1 knockout mice, and then in vitro in B16F10 tumoral and lung microvascular cells. Gal-1 depletion in the B16F10 tumor cells but not in the tumor-bearing mice significantly increased melanoma-bearing mice survival. Tumor-derived gal-1 thus seems to have more critical roles than the host-derived one. In fact, gal-1 displays distinct effects on the H-Ras-dependent p53/p21 pathways: in primary lung microvessel endothelial cells, gal-1 seems to be involved in the maintenance of senescent status through the induction of both p53 and p21 while it stimulates B16F10 cancer cell proliferation through a p53/p21 decrease. Altogether, these data point to gal-1 as a potential target to combat melanomas.Journal of Investigative Dermatology advance online publication, 24 May 2012; doi:10.1038/jid.2012.142

Stankiewicz-Isidor syndrome: expanding the clinical and molecular phenotype

Purpose: Haploinsufficiency of PSMD12 has been reported in individuals with neurodevelopmental phenotypes, including developmental delay/intellectual disability (DD/ID), facial dysmorphism, and congenital malformations, defined as Stankiewicz-Isidor syndrome (STISS). Investigations showed that pathogenic variants in PSMD12 perturb intracellular protein homeostasis. Our objective was to further explore the clinical and molecular phenotypic spectrum of STISS. Methods: We report 24 additional unrelated patients with STISS with various truncating single nucleotide variants or copy-number variant deletions involving PSMD12. We explore disease etiology by assessing patient cells and CRISPR/Cas9-engineered cell clones for various cellular pathways and inflammatory status. Results: The expressivity of most clinical features in STISS is highly variable. In addition to previously reported DD/ID, speech delay, cardiac and renal anomalies, we also confirmed preaxial hand abnormalities as a feature of this syndrome. Of note, 2 patients also showed chilblains resembling signs observed in interferonopathy. Remarkably, our data show that STISS patient cells exhibit a profound remodeling of the mTORC1 and mitophagy pathways with an induction of type I interferon-stimulated genes. Conclusion: We refine the phenotype of STISS and show that it can be clinically recognizable and biochemically diagnosed by a type I interferon gene signature