Sodium-iodide symporter and its related solute carriers in thyroid cancer

The solute carrier (SLC) family is a large group of membrane transport proteins. Their dysfunction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of thyroid cancer. The most well-known SLC is the sodium-iodide symporter (NIS), also known as sodium/iodide co-transporter or solute carrier family 5 member 5 (SLC5A5) in thyroid cancer. The dysregulation of NIS in thyroid cancer is well documented. The role of NIS in the uptake of iodide is critical in the treatment of thyroid cancer, radioactive iodide (RAI) therapy in particular. In addition to NIS, other SLC members may affect the autophagy, proliferation, and apoptosis of thyroid cancer cells, indicating that an alteration in SLC members may affect different cellular events in the evolution of thyroid cancer. The expression of the SLC members may impact the uptake of chemicals by the thyroid, suggesting that targeting SLC members may be a promising therapeutic strategy in thyroid cancer.

Otitis Media with Effusion and Hearing Loss in Chinese Children with Cleft Lip and Palate

Objective

To determine the incidence of otitis media with effusion and the associated hearing loss, the rate of ventilation tube insertion, and complications of ventilation tube insertion in Chinese cleft palate patients.

Design

Retrospective review in a tertiary care hospital in Hong Kong.

Patients

A total of 104 consecutive patients with cleft lip and/or cleft palate who were born between January 1996 and January 2006.

Results

The incidence of otitis media with effusion in Chinese cleft palate patients for the first 2 years after birth was 76.1%. Of these patients, 16.9% had otitis media with effusion associated with a moderate hearing loss (40 decibels hearing level [dBHL]). Approximately half (53.2%) of our patients had ventilation tube insertion. Complications including retraction, tympanosclerosis, and perforation of the tympanic membrane were found in 15.7% of all ears with otitis media with effusion and ventilation tube insertion.

Conclusions

The high incidence of otitis media with effusion in cleft palate infants found in this study is consistent with that reported in the Western literature. A small but significant proportion of otitis media with effusion was associated with moderate hearing loss that truly required surgical treatment. Cleft palate children are much more likely to develop otitis media with effusion than normal children, and they develop the condition at an earlier age. A protocol for the treatment of otitis media with effusion in cleft palate patients and further prospective studies are warranted.

Mode of treatment affects quality of life in head and neck cancer survivors: Implications for holistic care

CONCLUSION

As adverse effects of live-saving treatment are unavoidable surgeons have a duty to address physical changes and quality of life issues that matter to head and neck (H&N) cancer patients. We propose a tailored holistic care package.

OBJECTIVES

This study compared the quality of life of H&N cancer survivors managed with different approaches in the follow-up phase after initial treatment and identified factors adversely impacting quality of life parameters.

METHODS

H&N cancer patients studied: 1) surgery only, 2) radiotherapy only, 3) surgery and radiotherapy, and 4) any combination of surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Patients unable to communicate in Cantonese, with thyroid cancer or end-of-life disease were excluded. EORTC QLQ-H&N35 Cantonese version was administered at least 1 year after initial H&N cancer treatment.

RESULTS

Quality of life impairment was worse in all of the domains for combination therapy versus monotherapy patients. Scores between surgery or radiotherapy-only patients were not significantly different. Radiotherapy preceding surgery impacted significantly more on speech than surgery before the radiotherapy. Patients with advanced disease had more impairment of quality of life in each domain than patients with early disease. Coughing, eating problems, sticky saliva, and difficulties with social contact were all significant predictors of problems associated with a dry mouth.

[Comparison of prevalence rates of secretory otitis media in Hong Kong Chinese children with western populations]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prevalence rate of secretory otitis media (SOM) in Hong Kong Chinese children and further compare the results with the western studies.

METHODS

From 1995 to 1998, primary schools, kindergartens and nurseries were selected by stratified randomization in Hong Kong of China. Six thousand eight hundred and seventy-two children of age 2 to 7 were examined on-site in the school premises by the otolaryngologist and audiologist with otoscope and tympanometry respectively. In order to achieve standardization comparisons, our raw data were retrieved and the prevalence rates were recalculated according to the various diagnostic criteria set by the western studies.

RESULTS

The prevalence of SOM in the age-groups 2-3, 4-5 and 6-7 of the present study ranged from 5.2% to 21.6% if criteria were set to clinical otoscopic findings and ranged from 7.3% to 30.7% if criteria were based on tympanometric findings. The variations in the diagnostic criteria with tympanometric findings also lead to a deviation of prevalence rates with the same set of data. Regardless of the criteria set for investigations, there are no significant differences between our findings and those of the western studies with the same age groups. Prevalence rates decrease as age increases.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence rates of SOM in Chinese children of age 2-3, 4-5 and 6-7 in Hong Kong are not significantly different from those reported in the literature of the West.

A Prospective Study on the Efficacy of Mometasone Furoate Monohydrate Aqueous Nasal Spray on Chinese Patients with Allergic Rhinitis

OBJECTIVE: We undertook a prospective study of the efficacy of a new intranasal steroid, mometasone furoate nasal spray (Nasonex; Schering-Plough Corp, Kenilworth, NJ).

STUDY DESIGN: Chinese patients with allergic rhinitis were recruited. The patients were assessed by a questionnaire that included demographic data and a Rhinitis Symptoms Score. Objective assessments of the nasal passages were performed with a 2.7-mm 30-degree rigid nasoendoscope and scored according to the modified Lund and Kennedy sinusitis staging and scoring for endoscopic appearances of the nasal cavity in rhinosinusitis. Patients were assessed before treatment, and then 200 μg/d MFNS was prescribed. Patients were reevaluated after 8 and 16 weeks of commencement of MFNS. A total of 51 patients completed the 16-week study.

RESULTS: There were significant reductions in mean Rhinitis Symptoms Score from 6.19 to 3.8 ( P < 0.001) and mean Endoscopic Appearance Score from 4.6 to 3.58 ( P = 0.046). Analysis showed that there were reductions in the severity of all 3 aspects of rhinitis symptoms: rhinorrhea, sneezing, and nasal obstruction.

CONCLUSION: Mometasone furoate nasal spray was effective in controlling allergic rhinitis and was well tolerated by patients.

A prospective study on the efficacy of mometasone furoate monohydrate aqueous nasal spray on Chinese patients with allergic rhinitis

OBJECTIVE

We undertook a prospective study of the efficacy of a new intranasal steroid, mometasone furoate nasal spray (Nasonex; Schering-Plough Corp, Kenilworth, NJ).

STUDY DESIGN

Chinese patients with allergic rhinitis were recruited. The patients were assessed by a questionnaire that included demographic data and a Rhinitis Symptoms Score. Objective assessments of the nasal passages were performed with a 2.7-mm 30-degree rigid nasoendoscope and scored according to the modified Lund and Kennedy sinusitis staging and scoring for endoscopic appearances of the nasal cavity in rhinosinusitis. Patients were assessed before treatment, and then 200 microg/d MFNS was prescribed. Patients were reevaluated after 8 and 16 weeks of commencement of MFNS. A total of 51 patients completed the 16-week study.

RESULTS

There were significant reductions in mean Rhinitis Symptoms Score from 6.19 to 3.8 (P < 0.001) and mean Endoscopic Appearance Score from 4.6 to 3.58 (P = 0.046). Analysis showed that there were reductions in the severity of all 3 aspects of rhinitis symptoms: rhinorrhea, sneezing, and nasal obstruction.

CONCLUSION

Mometasone furoate nasal spray was effective in controlling allergic rhinitis and was well tolerated by patients.

Giant Benign Sinonasal Squamous Papilloma: Report of a Case

We treated a patient with a giant squamous papilloma in the nasal cavity and maxillary sinus that extended through a bony defect into the oral cavity. The mass was excised with a combined endoscopic, Caldwell-Luc, and transoral approach. Lesions of this type are rare, but when they do occur, the rate of recurrence is high. Therefore, long-term followup, including endoscopic examination, is important.

Screening for Otitis Media with Effusion to Measure its Prevalence in Chinese Children in Hong Kong

In an attempt to gain a better understanding of the prevalence of otitis media with effusion (OME) in the Hong Kong community, and to compare the characteristics of the disease here with OME as it is described in the Western literature, we screened more than 6,000 6- and 7-year-old children with both clinical and audiologic examinations. The initial positive screening rate was 5.3%. Upon further evaluation, we determined that the overall prevalence of persistent OME was 2.2%. We found that the disease pattern and natural history of persistent OME in Hong Kong children are similar to those reported in the Western literature.

Osteoradionecrosis of the Temporal Bone in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma after Radiotherapy: A Case Report

Osteoradionecrosis of the temporal bone after external-beam radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma is not uncommon following a long posttreatment interval. We describe the case of a man who had experienced this complication 13 years after he had undergone such radiotherapy. His condition resolved after removal of dead bone from the external auditory canal, followed by antibiotic therapy and periodic aural toileting.