‘Out of house’ virtual surgical planning for mandible reconstruction after cancer resection: is it oncologically safe?

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the time delay between ‘out of house’ proprietary virtual surgical planning (OH-VSP) of the mandibular resection for oral cancer and the actual surgery results in compromised margins and oncological disadvantage for the patient. Outcomes of patients who had OH-VSP of their mandibular resection and reconstruction were compared with those of patients who had the same surgery using a conventional non-VSP approach. The groups were similar in patient demographics, tumour stage and size, nodal status, and reconstruction complexity. VSP resulted in a significant reduction in operating time (P < 0.01). VSP did not affect bony (P = 0.49) or soft tissue (P = 0.22) margin status. In summary, VSP reduced the operating theatre time, and despite the time interval between bony resection planning and surgery, there was no compromise to the oncological safety of the operation.     

Perceived HIV Treatment Norms Modify the Association Between HIV-Related Stigma and Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Among Persons Living with HIV in Baltimore,Maryland

AIDS and Behavior - Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is associated with reduced HIV-related morbidity/mortality and ongoing transmission; however, the extent to which this association is...     

Bands of Fontana are caused exclusively by the sinusoidal path of axons in peripheral nerves and predict axon path; evidence from rodent nerves and physical models

The precise cause of the bands of Fontana, striations on peripheral nerves visible to the naked eye, has been the subject of debate for hundreds of years. Some researchers have described them as reflecting the sinuous course of nerve fibres passing through nerves, and others have proposed that endoneurial collagen and sheaths surrounding nerves play a role in their appearance. We hypothesised that the bands are caused exclusively by reflection of light from the surfaces of nerve fibres travelling in phase in sinusoidal waveforms through peripheral nerves. We aligned images of obliquely illuminated nerves with confocal images of axons in those nerves, and the numbers and positions of the bands precisely matched the axonal waves. We also developed three‐dimensional models of nerves with representations of the sinusoidal path of axons at their surface. We observed patterns resembling the bands of Fontana when these models were obliquely illuminated. This provides evidence that the bands of Fontana can be caused by light reflected sinusoidal path of axons alone. We subsequently describe a mechanism of band production based on our observations of both nerves and models. We report that smaller diameter nerves such as phrenic nerves and distal branches of sciatic nerves have shorter band intervals than larger nerves, such as proximal trunks of sciatic nerves, and that shorter band intervals correlate with longer axons per unit length of nerve, which suggests a greater tolerance to stretch. Inspection of banding patterns on peripheral nerves may permit prediction of axon length within nerves, and assist in the interpretation of nerve conduction data, especially in diseases where axon path has become altered.     

A comprehensive review of the nasal microbiome in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS)

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has been known as a disease with strong infectious and inflammatory components for decades. The recent advancement in methods identifying microbes has helped implicate the airway microbiome in inflammatory respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD. Such studies support a role of resident microbes in both health and disease of host tissue, especially in the case of inflammatory mucosal diseases. Identifying interactive events between microbes and elements of the immune system can help us to uncover the pathogenic mechanisms underlying CRS. Here we provide a review of the findings on the complex upper respiratory microbiome in CRS in comparison with healthy controls. Furthermore, we have reviewed the defects and alterations of the host immune system that interact with microbes and could be associated with dysbiosis in CRS.