Xerostomia, salivary characteristics and gland volumes following intensity‐modulated radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a two‐year follow up

Australian Dental Journal, EarlyView.


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MHC class I presented antigens from malignancies: A perspective on analytical characterization & immunogenicity

Publication date: Available online 24 April 2018
Source:Journal of Proteomics
Author(s): Maike Schmidt, Jennie R. Lill
The field of cancer immunotherapy has expanded rapidly in the past few years, with many new approaches entering the clinic for T cell mediated killing of tumors. Several of these clinical approaches involve the exploitation of a CD8 + T cell response against MHC I presented tumor antigens. Here, we describe the types of tumor antigens which are considered as targets in the design of T cell based therapeutic approaches, the rationale for targeting MHC I antigens and the analytical tools commonly employed for the discovery of MHC I presented peptides. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach are discussed and a perspective on the future directions of the MHC I peptide exploration field and biotherapeutic strategies is given.SignificanceThis work is the first review time an article has been written to show summarize all the various types of tumor antigens, and the analytical tools employed to discover and characterize them.



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Incidence and Risk Factors for Intraoperative Seizures During Elective Craniotomy

Background: Perioperative seizures may affect 1% to 50% of patients undergoing craniotomy and adversely impact outcomes. However, data on intraoperative seizures are limited. This retrospective case-control study investigated the incidence and risk factors for intraoperative seizures during elective supratentorial craniotomy involving evoked potential monitoring. Materials and Methods: Patients aged 18 years or above undergoing elective supratentorial craniotomy with evoked potential monitoring who experienced intraoperative seizures at our institution between December 2008 and March 2014 were compared with a control group generated using a random number generator. Six controls were used for each case from among the patients who underwent elective supratentorial craniotomy during the same calendar year. Multivariate analysis was conducted using logistic regression to identify the risk factors for intraoperative seizures. Results: Among the 1916 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 45 (2.3%) had intraoperative seizures. The majority of seizures occurred during burr-hole placement or craniotomy, before lesion manipulation. Timing of seizures relative to motor evoked potential runs and stimulus intensity was variable. Significant risk factors for intraoperative seizures were seizure history (odds ratio [OR], 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-4.46; P=0.03), diagnosis of brain tumor (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.16-4.19; P=0.02), and temporal craniotomy (OR, 5.18; 95% CI, 2.03-13.25; P=0.001). Intraoperative prophylactic use of phenytoin/fosphenytoin and levetiracetam was protective against seizure (phenytoin/fosphenytoin: OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.04-0.35; P

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Is adjunctive photodynamic therapy more effective than scaling and root planing alone in the treatment of periodontal disease in hyperglycemic patients? A systematic review

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy, Volume 22
Author(s): Fawad Javed, Danial Salehpoor, Talal Al-Dhafeeri, Muhammad Yousuf, Hans Malmstrom, Junad Khan, Zohaib Akram
BackgroundTo assess the impact of scaling and root planing (SRP) with and without adjunct photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of periodontal disease (PD) in hyperglycemic patients.MethodsDatabases (MEDLINE, EMBASE; and CENTRAL) were searched up to December 2017. The addressed PICO question was: "What is the effectiveness of adjunctive PDT to non-surgical periodontal treatment by means of clinical periodontal and glycemic parameters in hyperglycemic patients?"ResultsFour clinical trials and 1 experimental study were included. Energy fluence, power output, power density and duration of irradiation were 2.79 J per square centimeters (J cm⁻²), 150 milliwatts (mW), 428 milliwatts per square centimeters (mW/cm²) and 133 s (s) respectively. All studies reporting clinical periodontal and metabolic parameters, showed that aPDT was effective in the treatment of periodontal inflammation in hyperglycemic patients at follow-up. When compared with SRP alone, none of the studies showed additional benefits of PDT as compared to SRP alone at follow up. Three studies showed no influence of SRP with or without aPDT on HbA1c levels. One study showed a significant reduction of HbA1c levels in adjunctive aPDT as compared to SRP alone at follow-up.ConclusionIt remains debatable whether adjunctive PDT as compared to SRP is effective in the treatment of periodontal inflammation and reduction of HbA1c levels in hyperglycemic patients.



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Photodynamic therapy does not induce cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers in the presence of melanin

Publication date: Available online 24 April 2018
Source:Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy
Author(s): Shaila Mudambi, Paula Pera, Deschana Washington, Eva Remenyik, Eszter Fidrus, Gal Shafirstein, David Bellnier, Gyorgy Paragh
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an office-based treatment for precancerous and early cancerous skin changes. PDT induces cell death through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) are the most important DNA changes responsible for ultraviolet (UV) carcinogenesis. Recently ROS induced by UVA were shown to generate CPDs via activating melanin. This raised the possibility that PDT induced ROS may also induce CPDs and mutagenesis in melanin containing cells. Previously the effect of PDT on CPDs in melanin containing cells has not been assessed. Our current work aimed to compare the generation of CPDs in melanin containing cells subjected to UVA treatment and porfimer sodium red light PDT. We used ELISA to detect CPDs. After UVA we found a dose dependent increase in CPDs in melanoma cells (B16-F10, MNT-1) with CPD levels peaking hours after discontinuation of UVA treatment. This indicated the generation of UVA induced dark-CPDs in the model. Nevertheless, PDT in biologically relevant doses was unable to induce CPDs. Our work provides evidence for the lack of CPD generation by PDT in melanin containing cells.



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Effects of PACT using phenothiazine-derived drugs and red light on the macrophage x S. aureus interface

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy, Volume 22
Author(s): Gustavo Miranda Pires Santos, Susana C.P.S. de Oliveira, Juliana C.S. Monteiro, Sandra R. Fagnani, Fernando Pires Sampaio, Pedro J.L. Crugeira, Paulo Fernando Almeida, Antonio L.B. Pinheiro
The aim of this study was to evaluate the lethal potential of macrophages infected with Staphylococcus aureus after PACT (Photochemical Antimicrobial Chemotherapy) using phenothiazine derivatives (a solution containing 1:1 methylene blue and O toluidine blue) and laser (660 nm, 40 mW, 60 s, 12 J/cm²) or LED (632 ± 2 nm, 145 mW, 40 s, 12 J/cm²). Six experimental groups were evaluated: Control Group (untreated); Photosensitizer group (phenothiazines – 12.5 μg/mL); Laser Group; LED Group; Laser PACT Group; and LED PACT Group. The pre-irradiation time used in this study was 5 min. Macrophages and bacteria were cultured in specific culture media and/or allowed interaction between the cell types. Subsequently, tests were carried out to evaluate microbial proliferation, ROS production by macrophages and survival capacity of S. aureus after phagocytosis. Fluorescence microscopy assays were performed with the H2DCFDA probe, after PACT, at the initial time (0 h), 4-h and 12-h. The tests were performed in triplicate and the statistical test used was ANOVA with Tukey post-test. After PACT, a statistically significant difference (p > 0.0001) was observed between the microbial growth of the control group and the PACTs groups. Laser PACT and LED PACT groups presented, respectively, reductions of 84.2% and 81.5% when compared to control and 53.3% and 46% when compared to the photosensitizer group. It is concluded that the therapeutic protocols presented in this study increased the phagocytic capacity, the response rate of the phagocytes and the consequent reduction of the numbers of S. aureus for both PACT protocols, however the increase in ROS production was only observed in the group irradiated with Laser light.



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Correlates of stigma in adults with epilepsy: A systematic review of quantitative studies

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Epilepsy & Behavior, Volume 83
Author(s): David Baker, Fiona J.R. Eccles, Helen L. Caswell
ObjectivesThe aim of this review was to identify quantitative correlates, predictors, and outcomes of stigma in adults with epilepsy living in Western countries.MethodsTo identify relevant literature, four academic databases (PsycINFO, CINAHL, PubMed, and Scopus) were systematically searched using key terms related to stigma and epilepsy.ResultsThirty-three research papers reporting findings from 25 quantitative studies of correlates of stigma in epilepsy were identified. The findings suggest that stigma can be predicted by demographic, illness-related, and psychosocial factors, although associations were found to be highly culturally specific. Outcomes of stigma in people with epilepsy were replicated more consistently across cultures, and its impact was significant. Detrimental effects included both worse physical health, including less effective management of the condition, and reduced psychological well-being, including difficulties such as depression and anxiety.ImplicationsEducational initiatives and therapeutic interventions that aim to address stigma in people with epilepsy are recommended; however, these need to be culturally informed to ensure that they are valid and effective.



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