Cervical lymph node metastasis in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the larynx: a collective international review

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) of the head and neck is a well-recognized pathologic entity that rarely occurs in the larynx. Although the 5-year locoregional control rates are high, distant metastasis has a tendency to appear more than 5 years post treatment. Because AdCC of the larynx is uncommon, it is difficult to standardize a treatment protocol. One of the controversial points is the decision whether or not to perform an elective neck dissection on these patients. Because there is contradictory information about this issue, we have critically reviewed the literature from 1912 to 2015 on all reported cases of AdCC of the larynx in order to clarify this issue. During the most recent period of our review (1991-2015) with a more exact diagnosis of the tumor histology, 142 cases were observed of AdCC of the larynx, of which 91 patients had data pertaining to lymph node status. Eleven of the 91 patients (12.1%) had nodal metastasis and, based on this low proportion of patients, routine elective neck dissection is therefore not recommended

The efficacy of baking soda dentifrice in controlling plaque and gingivitis: A systematic review

Objective: To test the efficacy of a dentifrice containing baking soda (BS), compared with dentifrice without BS for controlling plaque and gingivitis.Materials and methods: MEDLINE‐PubMed and Cochrane‐CENTRAL were searched. The inclusion criteria were randomized controlled clinical trials including healthy participants aged 18 years or older. Studies were selected that compared the effect of toothbrushing with a dentifrice with and without BS on the clinical parameters of plaque and gingivitis. Data were extracted from the selected studies, and a meta‐analysis was performed.Results: The search retrieved 21 eligible publications. Among these papers, 43 comparisons were provided, with 23 involving a single‐use design and 20 being evaluations with a follow‐up. Negative controls were found, or positive controls for which various active ingredients had been used. The included studies showed a moderate overall potential risk of bias and considerable heterogeneity. The meta‐analysis of plaque scores from the single‐brushing experiments showed that BS dentifrice (BS‐DF) was associated with significantly better outcomes than the negative control dentifrices (DiffM −0.20; P < 0.0001; 95% CI: [−0.27; −0.12]) or the positive control dentifrices (DiffM −0.18; P < 0.0001; 95% CI: [−0.24; −0.12]). This finding was only confirmed in studies that used a follow‐up design as compared to a negative control (DiffM −0.19; P = 0.01; 95% CI: [−0.34; −0.04]). The indices of gingival bleeding also improved when the comparison was a negative control (DiffM −0.08; P = 0.02; 95% CI: [−0.16; −0.01] and (DiffM −0.13; P < 0.001; 95% CI: [−0.18; −0.08]. However, for the gingival index scores, the meta‐analysis did not reveal any significant differences.Conclusion: BS‐DF showed promising results with respect to plaque removal in single‐use studies. However, the finding was partially substantiated in follow‐up studies. Studies that assessed bleeding scores indicated that a small reduction can be expected from BS, relative to a control product

Analysis of extracellular mRNA in human urine reveals splice variant biomarkers of muscular dystrophies

Patients with myotonic dystrophy need to undergo invasive muscle biopsies to monitor disease progression and response to therapy. Here, the authors show that extracellular RNAs in human urine can be used as biomarkers to differentiate patients from unaffected controls, and to monitor exon skipping in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy taking the drug eteplirsen

Is there a role for triclosan/copolymer toothpaste in the management of periodontal disease?

Dental caries and periodontal disease are the most common oral conditions experienced by adults today. The treatment of these diseases by the dental team can only be performed when patients attend dental practices. There is recognition that the preventive measures patients perform at home between dental visits is of vital importance in the control of these diseases. Water fluoridation and fluoridated toothpastes have made enormous progress into the prevention of dental caries worldwide. However, prevention of periodontal disease is yet to enjoy the same success. A number of toothpastes have been developed for the prevention and control of periodontal disease. One such toothpaste - containing triclosan/copolymer - has been thoroughly researched. The literature pertaining to the efficacy, mode of action and safety of triclosan/copolymer toothpaste has been reviewed. A MEDLINE search identified 198 articles dated from 1989 to 2008. The findings of this body of research are discussed and conclusions regarding the efficacy of triclosan/copolymer toothpaste in the home-care management of periodontal disease are presented.A. Blinkhorn, P. M. Bartold, M. P. Cullinan, T. E. Madden, R. I. Marshall, S. L. Raphael and G. J. Seymou

Rare neurological channelopathies — networks to study patients, pathogenesis and treatment

Each of the thousands of rare neurological diseases requires a widely distributed network of centres, investigators and patients, so as to foster multidisciplinary investigations and involve sufficient numbers of patients in the discovery of disease pathogenesis and novel treatment. In this Review, we highlight the value of this collaborative approach in patient-oriented research into rare neurological channelopathies. Two networks, the Consortium for Clinical Investigations of Neurological Channelopathies (CINCH) and the Clinical Research Consortium for Studies of Cerebellar Ataxias (CRC-SCA), provide a link between patients with rare channelopathies and investigators who are studying disease pathogenesis and developing novel treatments. Interactions between patients, researchers and advocacy groups promote shared agendas that benefit patient education and recruitment, research collaboration and funding, and training and mentoring of junior investigators who are attracted to the study of the diseases that provide the focus for the two networks. Here, we discuss how linkage of national and international centres has enabled recruitment of study participants, provided opportunities for novel studies of pathogenesis, and facilitated successful clinical trials

The splice of life: Alternative splicing and neurological disease

Splicing of pre-messenger RNA is regulated differently in the brain compared with other tissues. Recognition of aberrations in splicing events that are associated with neurological disease has contributed to our understanding of disease pathogenesis in some cases. Neuron-specific proteins involved in RNA splicing and metabolism are also affected in several neurological disorders. These findings have begun to bridge what we know about the mechanisms regulating neuron-specific splicing and our understanding of neural function and disease.B. Kate Dredge, Alexandros D. Polydorides and Robert B.Darnel