Roles of ultrasonography and computed tomography in the surgical management of cervical lymph node metastases in papillary thyroid carcinoma

AIMS

Adequate evaluation and surgical management of cervical lymph node metastasis is very important in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of preoperative ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT) on the surgical management of cervical lymph node metastases in PTC.

METHODS

Medical records and imaging findings were retrospectively analyzed for 252 patients with PTC who underwent thyroidectomy with neck dissection.

RESULTS

The sensitivity of both imaging techniques was lower in the central neck (US 23%, CT 41%) than in the lateral neck (US 70%, CT 82%). The specificities of US and CT were 97% and 90% in the central neck, and 84% and 64% in the lateral neck, respectively. Our surgical plans for therapeutic neck dissection were based on imaging findings in 59% of patients who underwent lateral compartment neck dissection and in 32.1% of patients who underwent central compartment neck dissection, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The roles of preoperative US and CT in surgical planning for central compartment neck dissection in PTC are limited because of their low sensitivity in the central neck, but US and CT may be useful in cases with non-palpable lateral neck nodes.

Induction of apoptosis in HepG2 cells by solanine and Bcl-2 protein

The nightshade (Solanum nigrum Linn.) has been widely used in Chinese traditional medicine as a remedy for the treatment of digestive system cancer. The anti-tumor activity of solanine, a steroid alkaloid isolated from the nightshade has been demonstrated. To observe the effect of anti-tumor and mechanism of solanine. The MTT assay was used to evaluate the IC(50) on the three digestive system tumor cell lines. The effect on the morphology was observed with a laser confocal microscopy; the rate of apoptosis and the cell cycle were measured using flow cytometry (FCM); the expression of Bcl-2 protein was measured by Western blot. The results show that the IC(50) for HepG(2), SGC-7901, and LS-174 were 14.47, >50, and >50 microg/ml, respectively; the morphology of cells in the negative control was normal; for the treated groups, typical signs for apoptosis were found. The rate of apoptosis in HepG(2) cells induced by solanine was found to be 6.0, 14.4, 17.3, 18.9, and 32.2%, respectively. Observation of the cell cycle showed that cells in the G(2)/M phases disappeared while the number of cells in the S phase increased significantly for treated groups. Western blot showed that solanine decreased the expression of Bcl-2 protein. Therefore, the target of solanine in inducing apoptosis in HepG(2) cells seems to be mediated by the inhibition in the expression of Bcl-2 protein.

Measuring water contents in animal organ tissues using terahertz spectroscopic imaging

We investigated the water contents in several organ tissues such as the liver, spleen, kidney, and brain tissue of rats using the terahertz spectroscopic imaging technique. The water contents of the tissues were determined by using a simple equation containing the absorption coefficients of fresh and lyophilized tissues and water. We compared the measured water contents with the difference in mass of tissues before and after lyophilization. All results showed a good match except for the kidney, which has several Bowman's capsules.

Robot-assisted excision of the submandibular gland by a postauricular facelift approach: comparison with the conventional transcervical approach

Various approaches have been described for excision of a submandibular gland including endoscopic and robot-assisted techniques. We present the outcome of excision by a robot-assisted postauricular facelift approach and compare it with the conventional transcervical approach. We studied 30 cases of excision of the gland for benign disease (16 transcervical and 14 robot-assisted), and collected clinical and personal data, and details of patients' satisfaction with the result. The most common conditions were sialadenitis (n=15) and pleomorphic adenoma (n=12). The robot-assisted operations took significantly longer (p=0.045), had more drainage (p<0.001), and a significantly better cosmetic outcome (p=0.002). Robot-assisted excision of the submandibular gland may prove to be a viable option in the treatment of benign conditions for those patients seeking a better cosmetic outcome.

Change of telomerase activity in peripheral whole blood of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients before and after surgery: a pilot study

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate telomerase activity in peripheral whole blood from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients as a biomarker for diagnosis of HNSCC or detection of recurrence during follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS Telomerase activity was measured from peripheral whole blood extracts by telomerase repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) in HNSCC patients before and after surgery and in a control group. Sixty-two HNSCC patients and 42 control subjects were included. RESULTS Telomerase activity was found in 41 out of 62 (66.1%) HNSCC patients before surgery and in 8 out of 42 (19.0%) controls (p<0.001). Among 41 HNSCC patients who showed positive telomerase activity before surgery, 32 (78.1%) showed a conversion of telomerase activity to negative after surgery. In follow-up, 6 out of 8 (75%) showed conversion of telomerase activity from negative to positive after recurrence. Telomerase activity was changed to negative in 4 out of 6 (66%) recurred patients with positive telomerase activity after second surgery. CONCLUSION The telomerase activity in peripheral whole blood extracts of HNSCC patients might be a useful biomarker for detecting recurrence after treatment. Further study with larger sample size using a more sensitive detection method of telomerase activity is necessary to verify these results.

[Effects of buzhong yiqi decoction on the anticancer activity and toxicity induced by cyclophosphamide]

Effects of Buzhong Yiqi decoction on anticancer activity and toxicity induced by cyclophosphamide were investigated. The results showed that the decoction significantly increased the anticancer activity and simultaneously decreased the toxicity of cyclophosphamide. These data suggest that anticancer chemotherapeutic drugs combined with traditional Chinese medicine Buzhong Yiqi decoction can raise curative effect and reduce toxicity.