Transoral Approach to Excision of Massive Dermoid Cysts in Pediatric Patients: A Case Series

Floor of mouth (FOM) dermoid cysts are a rare but clinically significant lesion of the head and neck. Classically, large cysts have been excised via a transcervical approach, although the limits of the transoral approach are expanding. The majority of FOM dermoid cysts present in the midline, but true lateral cysts have been reported. In this case series, we describe 3 pediatric patients who all underwent successful transoral excision of massive dermoid cysts, along with a literature review. Massive cystic lesions were identified on preoperative imaging. The dermoid cysts averaged 6 × 4.3 × 5 cm and were successfully removed via a transoral approach. Two were removed via a median ventral FOM incision and one via a lateral trans-sublingual approach to the FOM. When needed, the geniohyoid muscle was divided to gain access to the cyst. All cysts were removed intact, although partial, controlled decompression was performed to aid in dissection. There were no post-operative complications. FOM dermoid cysts are a rare but important cause of pediatric neck masses that present a challenging but satisfying surgical opportunity. The transoral approach is a viable option for massive dermoid cysts superior to the mylohyoid

Congenital Nasal Pyriform Aperture Stenosis Repair: A Case Series and Discussion of Postoperative Care

Congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis (CNPAS) is a rare condition related to holoprosencephaly in which bony overgrowth of the medial nasal process of the maxilla narrows the pyriform aperture. CNPAS presents in neonates with signs of upper airway obstruction ranging from mild to severe respiratory distress and failure to thrive. Surgical intervention is indicated after failed conservative measures and generally includes temporary stent placement. We report a series of 3 cases of CNPAS treated surgically, examine postoperative care recommendations in the literature, and present a comprehensive postoperative care regimen with a novel method to maintain stent patency

Scholar-activists in an expanding European food sovereignty movement

This article analyzes the roles, relations, and positions of scholar-activists in the European food sovereignty movement. In doing so, we document, make visible and question the political dimensions of researchers' participation in the movement. We argue that scholar-activists are part of the movement, but are distinct from the affected constituencies, put in place to ensure adequate representation of key movement actors. This is because scholar-activists lack a collective identity, have no processes to formulate collective demands, and no mechanisms for inter-researcher and researchers-movement communication. We reflect on whether and how scholar-activists could organize, and discuss possible pathways for a more cohesive and stronger researcher engagement in the movement.</p

Sav1 Loss Induces Senescence and Stat3 Activation Coinciding with Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis

Tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) is recognized as a final phenotypic manifestation in the transition from chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Here we show that conditional inactivation of Sav1 in the mouse renal epithelium resulted in upregulated expression of profibrotic genes and TIF. Loss of Sav1 induced Stat3 activation and a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) that coincided with the development of tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Treatment of mice with the YAP inhibitor verteporfin (VP) inhibited activation of genes associated with senescence, SASPs, and activation of Stat3 as well as impeded the development of fibrosis. Collectively, our studies offer novel insights into molecular events that are linked to fibrosis development from Sav1 loss and implicate VP as a potential pharmacological inhibitor to treat patients at risk for developing CKD and TIF

Enhancement of HIV-1 infection and intestinal CD4+ T cell depletion ex vivo by gut microbes altered during chronic HIV-1 infection

Additional file 3: Table S2. Clinical Study Participant Characteristics

Impact of community-based chronic obstructive pulmonary disease service, a multidisciplinary intervention in an area of high deprivation: A longitudinal matched controlled study

Objective: To examine the effects of a consultant-led, community-based chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) service, based in a highly deprived area on emergency hospital admissions. Design: A longitudinal matched controlled study using difference-in-differences analysis to compare the change in outcomes in the intervention population to a matched comparison population, five years before and after implementation. Setting: A deprived district in the North West of England between 2005 and 2016. Intervention: A community-based, consultant-led COPD service providing diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation from 2011–2016. Main outcome measures: Emergency hospital admissions, length of stay per emergency admission, and emergency re-admissions for COPD. Results: The intervention was associated with 24 fewer emergency COPD admissions per 100,000 population per year (95%CI -10.6 to 58.8, p=0.17) in the post-intervention period, relative to the control group. There were significantly fewer emergency admissions in populations with medium levels of deprivation (64 per 100,000 per year; 95%CI 1.8 to 126.9) and amongst men (60 per 100,000 per year; 95%CI 12.3 to 107.3). Conclusion: We found limited evidence that the service reduced emergency hospital admissions, after an initial decline the effect was not sustained. The service, however, may have been more effective in some subgroups

Transcriptome analysis of pigeon milk production - role of cornification and triglyceride synthesis genes

BACKGROUND : The pigeon crop is specially adapted to produce milk that is fed to newly hatched young. The process of pigeon milk production begins when the germinal cell layer of the crop rapidly proliferates in response to prolactin, which results in a mass of epithelial cells that are sloughed from the crop and regurgitated to the young. We proposed that the evolution of pigeon milk built upon the ability of avian keratinocytes to accumulate intracellular neutral lipids during the cornification of the epidermis. However, this cornification process in the pigeon crop has not been characterised. RESULTS: We identified the epidermal differentiation complex in the draft pigeon genome scaffold and found that, like the chicken, it contained beta-keratin genes. These beta-keratin genes can be classified, based on sequence similarity, into several clusters including feather, scale and claw keratins. The cornified cells of the pigeon crop express several cornification-associated genes including cornulin, S100-A9 and A16-like, transglutaminase 6-like and the pigeon \u27lactating\u27 crop-specific annexin cp35. Beta-keratins play an important role in \u27lactating\u27 crop, with several claw and scale keratins up-regulated. Additionally, transglutaminase 5 and differential splice variants of transglutaminase 4 are up-regulated along with S100-A10. CONCLUSIONS: This study of global gene expression in the crop has expanded our knowledge of pigeon milk production, in particular, the mechanism of cornification and lipid production. It is a highly specialised process that utilises the normal keratinocyte cellular processes to produce a targeted nutrient solution for the young at a very high turnover