Quantitative comparison of the expression of antimicrobial peptides in the oral mucosa and extraoral skin

Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) defend epithelial surfaces against pathological micro-organisms. We know of no comparison of their expression between the oral mucosa and extraoral epithelium, but knowledge of differences in their quantities is of interest, possibly as a starting point for new treatments. Expression of AMP human beta-defensin (hBD)-1/-2/-3 and psoriasin in the oral mucosa and extraoral epithelium of the head and neck were measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (n=14), immunohistochemistry (n=6), and western blot (n=8). RT-PCR showed that all the genes investigated were expressed significantly more in the oral mucosa than in the skin (hBD-1: p=0.002; hBD-2: p=0.006; hBD-3: p=0.035; psoriasin: p=0.02). Immunohistochemistry and western blot showed differential concentrations of proteins: hBD-2 (p=0.021) and hBD-3 (p=0.043) were pronounced in the oral mucosa, whereas psoriasin was raised in the extraoral skin (p=0.021). There was no difference in protein concentrations for hBD-1 (p=0.08). The observed differences in the expression of AMP may be important for new treatments such as topical application of AMP derivatives.     

Intradural anterior transpetrosal approach

The standard anterior transpetrosal approach (ATPA) for petroclival lesions is fundamentally an epidural approach and has been practiced for many decades quite successfully. However, this approach has some disadvantages, such as epidural venous bleeding around foramen ovale. We describe here our experience with a modified technique for anterior petrosectomy via an intradural approach that overcomes these disadvantages. Five patients with petroclival lesions underwent surgery via the intradural ATPA. The intraoperative hallmarks are detailed, and surgical results are reported. Total removal of the lesions was achieved in two patients with petroclival meningioma and two patients with pontine cavernoma, whereas subtotal removal was achieved in one patient with petroclival meningioma without significant morbidity. No patient experienced cerebrospinal fluid leakage. The intradural approach is allowed to tailor the extent of anterior petrosectomy to the individually required exposure, and the surgical procedure appeared to be more straightforward than via the epidural route. Caveats encountered with the approach were the temporal basal veins that could be spared as well as identification of the petrous apex due to the lack of familial epidural landmarks. The risk of injury to the temporal bridging veins is higher in this approach than in the epidural approach. Intradural approach is recommended in patients with a large epidural venous route, such as sphenobasal and sphenopetrosal vein. Navigation via bone-window computed tomography is useful to identify the petrous apex.     

The Nobel Prize and otolaryngology: ‘Papa Gunnar’s’ promotion of his peers Gustav Killian and Themistocles Gluck

Objectives: This study is part of a larger project investigating the enactment of excellence in medicine, with a focus on the Nobel Prize. It takes a closer look at two promising candidates for the Prize in the 1920s and 1930s, Gustav Killian and Themistocles Gluck, and aims at reconstructing their Nobel careers as well as taking Gunnar Holmgren’s role as a nominator and evaluator behind the curtains into account.

Method: Besides the files collected at the Nobel Archive, the paper is based on a review of scientific publications and ergo-biographical sketches.

Results: An analysis of Nobel Prize nominations and evaluations offer a unique perspective to study aspects of the history of otolaryngology.

Conclusion: Using original files in the archive of the Nobel committee for physiology or medicine in Sweden, this historical vignette explores judgments of scientific innovation and performance in the history of otolaryngology during the first half of the 20th century. This study shows that Gunnar Holmgren, the founder of Acta Oto-Laryngologica in 1918, repeatedly put forward scholars within the field as prime contenders for the award.     

Tiling resolution array comparative genomic hybridization analysis of a fibrosarcoma of bone

Fibrosarcoma of bone is a rare malignant tumor accounting for less than 5% of all primary malignant bone neoplasms. There is very limited knowledge regarding the molecular genetics of this tumor, and there are no cytogenetic data available. In the present study, a fibrosarcoma deriving from the left iliac bone of a 10-year-old girl was characterized using cytogenetics, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and whole genome tiling resolution array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). Cytogenetic and FISH analyses revealed a ring chromosome 6 as the sole acquired aberration, a finding corroborated by array CGH. The ring formation, however, did not result in any gain of genetic material. Nor did the breakpoints in 6p25 and 6q14 seem to affect any known gene loci in such a way that the ring formation could have resulted in the creation of a fusion gene or in the exchange of regulatory sequences. Thus, a reasonable interpretation of the pathogenetic significance of the ring formation would be that it resulted in the loss of one or more putative tumor suppressor gene loci distal to the two breakpoints.