Sentinel lymph node - work hypothesis in sinonasal carcinoma treatment.

Although rare, sinonasal malignancies (SNM) can be lesions of immense importance. Approximately 60-70% of sinonasal malignancies (SNM) occur in the maxillary sinus and 20-30% occurs in the nasal cavity itself. The lymphatic drainage of the sinuses and nasal cavity include levels I-III as well as the parapharyngian nodes. Elective regional lymph node dissections became controversial because of overtreatment of the many patients without lymph node metastases. Lymphatic metastasis is the most important mechanism of spread in sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma considering the vast network of vessels in this area. The indications and type of neck dissection to be performed in the positive node neck and management of the N0 neck remain controversial. The sentinel lymph node concept is based on the Halsted theory that stressed the importance of locoregional cancer treatment because of the far site spread. Each patient with head and neck malignancies, including sinonasal carcinoma have about 2-3 sentinel lymph nodes of which up to 40% of them contain metastases.

Noninvasive investigations for non alcoholic fatty liver disease and liver fibrosis.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) includes a spectrum of diseases that have insulin resistance in common and are associated with metabolic conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia. NAFLD ranges from simple liver steatosis, which follows a benign course, to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a more severe entity, with necroinflammation and fibrosis, which can progress to cryptogenic cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. Liver biopsy remains the gold standard for evaluating the degree of hepatic necroinflammation and fibrosis; however, several noninvasive investigations, such as serum biomarkers, have been developed to establish the diagnosis and also to evaluate treatment response. These markers are currently neither available in all centers nor validated in extensive studies. Examples include high-sensitivity C reactive protein and plasma pentraxin 3, which are associated with extensive liver fibrosis in NASH. Interleukin-6 correlates with inflammation, and cytokeratin-18 represents a marker of hepatocyte apoptosis (prominent in NASH and absent in simple steatosis). Tissue polypeptide specific antigen seems to have a clinical utility in the follow-up of obese patients with NASH.