Primary malignant melanoma of the nasal cavity

Primary malignant melanoma of the nose and paranasal sinus mucosa is a rare disease and seen in less than 1% among all melanomas. Malignant melanomas have 2 origins: cutaneous and mucosal. The mucosal form has a worse prognosis because of its aggressiveness compared with that of the cutaneous form. Mucosal melanomas often occur at a rate of 2% to 3% among all melanomas and are typically found in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Generally, it is more common in males and in those older than 50 years. In this study, 4 patients were observed at the Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine; 2 of them were a 64-year-old man and an 82-year-old woman who had a malignant melanoma originating from the nasal septal mucosa, 1 patient was a 72-year-old woman whose malignant melanoma originated from the inferior turbinate, and 1 patient was a 77-year-old woman with a sinonasally located melanoma. The conditions of these patients were discussed under the light of literature instructions.     

Canalicular adenoma of the palate

ABSTRACT: Canalicular adenomas are uncommon, benign epithelial neoplasm of the salivary glands that usually involve the upper lip and the buccal mucosa of elderly people. Differential diagnosis of the canalicular adenoma versus adenocarcinoma is important because it may result in unjustified radiotherapy or extensive and aggressive surgery. Despite the benign nature of canalicular adenomas, complete surgical removal and a regular clinical follow-up are recommended. The current study describes the diagnostic procedures, surgical management, and follow-up of a canalicular adenoma involving the palate of a 79-year-old man.     

Analysis of ethmoid roof and skull base with coronal section paranasal sinus computed tomography

ABSTRACT: Chronic paranasal sinus disease is one of the most common causes of application to physicians in pediatric and adult patients. In the surgical treatment of these diseases, endoscopic sinus surgery is an application that is often done to increase the quality of the patient's life. On account of this, the anatomic variations in skull basement must be well known to avoid possible major complications that may occur during the operation.Recent developments in paranasal sinus surgery also enhanced the need for examining exhaustively the anatomy of this region and existing pathology. Superiority of computed tomography (CT) has an unquestionable importance for the evaluation of anatomic structure and pathology compared with conventional radiographs. A likely anatomic knowledge is needed for a safe surgery. Before the surgery, determining the anatomic variations makes the operation safer and increases the prospects, so we can prevent complications that may occur during the surgery.In this study, CT coronal sections of 300 patients who were admitted to the Department of Ear Nose Throat of Medical Faculty of Cumhuriyet University Research and Training Hospital between the dates December 2008 and January 2011 with complaints of nasal flow and postnasal drip were studied. According to coronal section CT examinations, the patients were divided into 2 groups. Group 1, with 156 cases (64%), showed mucosal changes, and in 144 cases (36%), no mucosal changes were established (group 2). In comparison between the sexes, in groups 1 and 2 females, significant difference was determined for other parameters except the average height of the ethmoid roof. In the comparison between the sexes, in groups 1 and 2 males, significant difference was determined for all parameters. The difference between these 2 rates was statistically significant.Keros types 1 and 2 cases were compared with the control group, and there was no statistically significant difference. Notwithstanding, at the comparison of the Keros type 3 with the control group, there was a statistically significant difference for all the parameters (maximum orbital height, the length of the middle concha, and the nasal wall).It seems to be important for us to know the average length of the peripheral anatomic structures to avoid serious complications that may occur during the operation. Careful preoperative review of paranasal sinus CT scans in patients undergoing sinus surgery seems to be the most important to prevent severe intraoperative complications.     

Three-month treatment with pioglitazone reduces circulating levels of S100A8/A9 (MRP8/14) complex, a biomarker of inflammation, without changes in body mass index, in type 2 diabetics with abdominal obesity

We measured circulating S100A8/A9 (MRP8/14) complex levels before and after 3-month treatment with pioglitazone in type 2 diabetic patients. The results showed that pioglitazone reduced circulating S100A8/A9 complex levels, without changing body mass index, in type 2 diabetic patients with abdominal obesity.     

Anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin in a murine model of chronic asthma

BackgroundCurcumin, a dietary pigment responsible for the yellow colour of curry, has been used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and exhibits a variety of pharmacological effects.MethodsForty-two BALB/c mice were divided into six groups: I, II, III, IV, V, and control group. All groups except the controls were sensitised and challenged with ovalbumin. Group I received nebulised saline in challenge period. Mice in groups II, III, IV, and V were administered curcumin at a dose of 10 mg/kg, curcumin 20 mg/kg, dexamethasone 1 mg/kg, and dimethyl sulfoxide 1 mg/kg, respectively, intraperitoneally once a day for the final 5 days of the challenge period. Animals were sacrificed 24 h after the last drug administration and the airway samples were evaluated histologically by light microscopy.ResultsAll histological parameters in Group III improved similar to Group IV when compared to Group I. In Group II, only thickness of epithelium was significantly lower compared with regard to Group I. All variables except epithelium thicknesses were found to be significantly better in Group III compared to Group II.ConclusionsIn our study, we demonstrated that curcumin administration alleviates the pathological changes of chronic asthma. Curcumin might be a promising therapy for asthma in the future.     

Migraine and Tension-Type Headache Reduction Through Pericranial Muscular Suppression: A Preliminary Report

Migraine and tension-type headaches have always plagued mankind. In spite of all the research dollars spent trying to determine the etiologies of these headaches, the neurology community still has not established a known cause of migraine and tension type headaches. This paper describes a study that was conducted for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in which the efficacy of the Nociceptive Trigeminal Inhibition Tension Suppression System was evaluated and proved safe and efficacious in the reduction of medically diagnosed migraine and tension-type headache.     

Medullary and Odontogenic Disease in the Painful Jaw: Clinicopathologic Review of 500 Consecutive Lesions

Jaw-deviation dystonia is characterized by the lateral shift of the mandible due to involuntary masticatory muscle contraction, causing difficulties in speech or mastication. We evaluated a patient with jaw-deviation dystonia by recording movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs) and treated with muscle afferent block (MAB). MRCP associated with mandibular movements (mouth opening, closing, and left and right lateral movements) was recorded in the patient and ten age-matched healthy subjects. In the control subjects, the amplitude of Bereitschaftspotential (BP)/negative slope (NS') was significantly higher for left lateral movements than for the mouth closing. The cortical map of BP/NS' prior to mouth opening and closing showed symmetric distribution, whereas those of lateral movements showed a slight predominance in the ipsilateral hemisphere. The patient showed lower amplitude as compared with control subjects. The right lateral movement (homonymous task) showed task-specific markedly reduced potentials. After MAB by intramuscular injection of lidocaine and ethanol to the inferior head of the left lateral pterygoid muscle, the deviation abolished and severity in speech and mastication was significantly improved. This study suggests that jaw-deviation dystonia might have the same etiology as other focal dystonias.