Primary localized laryngeal amyloidosis presenting with hoarseness and dysphagia: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Primary localized laryngeal amyloidosis is an extremely rare condition. It usually presents with hoarseness, pain and/or difficulty in breathing.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present the case of a 23-year-old woman with primary localized laryngeal amyloidosis who presented with hoarseness and dysphagia.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A search of PubMed shows that dysphagia in patients with laryngeal amyloidosis has been reported only once, although this symptom is relatively common in other conditions presenting with laryngeal mass. There were no signs of any systemic disease in our patient and diagnosis was established histopathologically. She was treated surgically by microlaryngoscopy under general anesthesia and the mass was excised using a CO₂ laser technology method.</p

Perinatal and early life risk factors for childhood brain tumors: Is instrument-assisted delivery associated with higher risk?

Background: The childhood peak of brain tumors suggests that early-life exposures might have a role in their etiology. Hence, we examined in the Greek National Registry for Childhood Hematological Malignancies and Solid tumors (NARECHEM-ST) whether perinatal and early-life risk factors influence the risk of childhood brain tumors. Methods: In a nationwide case-control study, we included 203 cases (0–14 years) with a diagnosis of brain tumor in NARECHEM-ST (2010–2016) and 406 age-, sex-, and center-matched hospital controls. Information was collected via interviews with the guardians and we analyzed the variables of interest in multivariable conditional logistic regression models. Results: Instrument-assisted delivery was associated with higher (OR: 7.82, 95%CI: 2.18–28.03), whereas caesarean delivery with lower (OR: 0.67, 95%CI: 0.45-0.99) risk of childhood brain tumors, as compared to spontaneous vaginal delivery. Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy (OR: 2.35, 95%CI: 1.45–3.81) and history of living in a farm (OR: 4.98, 2.40–10.32) increased the odds of childhood brain tumors. Conversely, higher birth order was associated with lower risk (OR for 2nd vs. 1st child: 0.60, 95%CI: 0.40-0.89 and OR for 3 rd vs. 1 st : 0.34, 95%CI: 0.18-0.63). Birth weight, gestational age, parental age, history of infertility, smoking during pregnancy, allergic diseases, and maternal diseases during pregnancy showed no significant associations. Conclusions: Perinatal and early-life risk factors, and specifically indicators of brain trauma, exposure to toxic agents and immune system maturation, might be involved in the pathogenesis of childhood brain tumors. Larger studies should aim to replicate our findings and examine associations with tumor subtypes. © 2019 Elsevier Lt