Blog Archive

Αλέξανδρος Γ. Σφακιανάκης

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Visual cortex plasticity in cochlear implant users revealed in a visual motion detection task

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Clin Neurophysiol. 2022 Feb 17;137:11-24. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2022.02.005. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate brain reorganization following cochlear implantation using electroencephalography, an implant-compatible technique to record electrical brain activity.

METHODS: We investigated cortical plasticity in cochlear implant (CI) users using visual evoked potentials in response to visual motion changes. We estimated visual and auditory neural sources in CI users (n = 20) and normal hearing (NH) matched control participants (n = 22).

RESULTS: Results showed intra-modal plasticity in the visual cortex of CI users, revealed by higher P1 and visual mismatch negativity amplitude, and greater contribution of the visual cortex during visual motion changes compared to NH controls.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest more efficient processing of visual information in CI users that may r eflect enhanced multimodal compensatory strategies during speech processing.

SIGNIFICANCE: This study showcases an objective, implant-compatible method that could be used in a clinical setting to measure and longitudinally track cortical plastic changes, enabling a better understanding of the link between individual patterns of cortical plasticity and CI outcomes.

PMID:35231864 | DOI:10.1016/j.clinph.2022.02.005

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How Many Nodes to Take? Lymph Node Ratio Below 1/3 Reduces Papillary Thyroid Cancer Nodal Recurrence

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Introduction

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) accounts for the majority of thyroid malignancies; risk of PTC recurrence over a 30-year period is approximately 30%, of which 70% occur as nodal metastases. Patients with nodal disease who are treated with therapeutic dissection are at higher risk for recurrence, but optimal nodal yield has not been defined. We aim to determine variables predictive of nodal recurrence of PTC within the first 5 years of surgery, with a focus on lymph node ratio (LNR), to inform clinical decision-making.

Methods

Retrospective chart review identified 41 patients with nodal recurrence of PTC and 284 without nodal recurrence following thyroid surgery from 2000 to 2015. Cohorts were compared with regards to clinical history, surgical findings, and tumor characteristics.

Results

The fraction of the patients who underwent therapeutic central or lateral lymph node dissection was significantly higher in the nodal recurrence cohort. Maximum tumor size, presence of extrathyroidal extension, largest lymph node focus, LNR, postoperative thyroglobulin level, and administration of postoperative radioactive iodine were significantly increased in the PTC nodal recurrence group. LNR greater than 0.3 held the highest level of significance as a binary cutoff and captured the larger proportion of patients in the nodal recurrence cohort (68.3%).

Conclusion

This study demonstrates characteristics to help assess risk of nodal recurrence of PTC and suggests LNR of lower than 0.3 is optimal to reduce risk of recurrence. The next steps include cohort studies to validate findings and weight variable analysis to optimize the extent of surgical therapeutic dissection.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 2022

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Survival of adult patients with solid cancer

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Bull Cancer. 2022 Feb 26:S0007-4551(22)00068-6. doi: 10.1016/j.bulcan.2022.01.010. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Population-based cancer survival is a major indicator of effectiveness of cancer management. This study is the first population-based study to estimate the net survival (NS) of adult cancer patients in Reunion Island, a French overseas department with distinctive epidemiological, cultural, and sociodemographic characteristics.

METHODS: All adult incident cases (n=23,055) of invasive solid tumors diagnosed between 1998 and 2014 and registered in the Reunion Island Cancer Registry were included in the study. The Pohar-Perme estimator was used to estimate 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year NS.

RESULTS: 5-year NS ranged from 7% (liver in women) to 97% (thyroid cancer in women) for cancers diagnosed between 2006 and 2014. For the most common cancers, the age-standardized 5-year NS of women was 81% for breast canc er, 58% for colorectal cancer and 62% for cervical cancer. For men, the age-standardized 5-year NS was 85% for prostate cancer, 12% for lung cancer, and 52% for colorectal cancer. Age-standardized 5-year NS increased slightly with the period of diagnosis (from 1998-2005 to 2006-2014) for prostate, breast, head and neck, lung, colorectal (women), and stomach (men) cancers, remained stable for colorectal (men) cancer, and decreased slightly for cervical and stomach (women) cancers.

DISCUSSION: Overall, NS was lower in Reunion Island than in mainland France. While the epidemiological, cultural, and sociodemographic characteristics of the Reunionese population likely explain some of the observed differences compared to mainland France, site-specific studies are needed to explore the different determinants of survival in Reunion Island.

PMID:35232576 | DOI:10.1016/j.bulcan.2022.01.010

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SSEA-4 positive dental pulp stem cells from deciduous teeth and their induction to neural precursor cells

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Stage-specific embryonic antigen-4 (SSEA-4) is a marker for the identification of multipotent embryonic cells. It is also positive in neuroepithelial cells, precursor neural cells (NPC), and human dental pulp ...
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Peripheral facial palsy following COVID-19 vaccination: a case report

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Pan Afr Med J. 2021 Dec 21;40:244. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2021.40.244.31498. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

We conducted a clinical study of a patient with no particular medical history and without a personal or family history presenting with right facial asymmetry occurred two days after COVID-19 vaccination (recombinant vaccine). Full clinical examination, laboratory assessments and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were normal, suggesting the diagnosis of post-vaccine peripheral facial palsy (COVID-19). The diagnosis of peripheral facial palsy following COVID-19 vaccination with complete recovery was retained.

PMID:35233264 | PMC:PMC8831221 | DOI:10.11604/pamj.2021.40.244.31498

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Thyroid and Parathyroid Conditions: Hyperthyroidism

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FP Essent. 2022 Mar;514:11-17.

ABSTRACT

Hyperthyroidism is an excess in thyroid hormone production caused by such conditions as Graves disease, toxic multinodular goiter, and toxic adenoma. Overt hyperthyroidism is defined as a low or undetectable thyrotropin (TSH) level with elevated triiodothyronine (T3) or thyroxine (T4) values, whereas subclinical hyperthyroidism is defined as low or undetectable TSH with normal T3 and T4 levels. Symp toms of hyperthyroidism include nervousness, heat intolerance, weight loss, and fatigue. The long-term consequences of unmanaged or poorly managed hyperthyroidism include increased risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events, atrial fibrillation, sexual dysfunction, and osteoporosis. Overt and subclinical hyperthyroidism can be managed effectively with antithyroid drugs (eg, propylthiouracil, methimazole) or with definitive therapies (eg, radioactive iodine ablation, thyroidectomy). Subclinical hyperthyroidism is not always treated, although close monitoring is needed to prevent disease complications or progression to overt hyperthyroidism. Treatment for subclinical hyperthyroidism is recommended for patients 65 years or older with TSH levels lower than 0.10 mIU/L. Treatment also is recommended for symptomatic patients or those with cardiac or osteoporotic risk factors. Thyroid storm is a life-threatening complication of unmanaged or inadequately managed hyperthyroidism that warrants urgent treatment in a hospital setting.

PMID:35235281

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