Expression and clinical significance profile analysis of S100 family members in human acute myeloid leukemia.

OBJECTIVE: S100 proteins conduce to tumorigenesis and metastasis in a variety of ways, facilitating a local inflammatory environment for development and progression of tumors. However, the expression patterns and the precise roles of the S100 family members contributing to tumorigenesis and the progression of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remain to be elucidated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Herein, the expression of S100 transcripts was analyzed in various tumor types in comparison to the normal controls using the ONCOMINE database, along with the corresponding expression profiles in the different subtypes of AML as retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We used the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database to investigate the prognostic values of S100 mRNA expression in AML. RESULTS: Our results indicated that high expression of S100A4 mRNA was associated with poor overall survival (OS) (p=0.026), while that of S100P was correlated with a favorable OS in AML patients (p=0.028). Other members of the S100 family did not show any correlation to the survival. Moreover, the correlation between the expression levels of S100A4 and S100P and the clinical characteristics and methylation of AML patients was investigated. The results demonstrated that the promoter methylation level of S100A4 (p=0.002) and S100P (p=0.029) was higher in 61-80-years-old group as compared to the other age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, it can be deduced that S100A4 and S100P might be novel biomarkers and crucial prognostic factors for AML.

The expression of TP53 pathway-related proteins in ovarian carcinoma transplanted subcutaneously in nude mice.

OBJECTIVE: Given the important functions of TP53 pathway in various biological processes, this study aimed to investigate the expression of TP53 pathway-related proteins in ovarian carcinoma transplanted subcutaneously in nude mice with and without the presence of p53 inhibitor and to explore possible roles of p53 in the development of ovarian cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty BALB/c-nu female nude mice were randomly divided into model group, control group and p53 inhibitor group (Pftα group). There were 10 rats in each group. The nude mice were subcutaneously inoculated with human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3, and the tumor growth was observed. Morphological changes of tumor tissue were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. The mRNA and protein levels of TP53 pathway related factors-p53, p21 and mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2) were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. RESULTS: p53 inhibitor can increase the growth rate of subcutaneously transplanted tumor in nude mice. p53 inhibitor could decrease the expression of p53 and p21 at both mRNA and protein levels and increase the expression of MDM2 at both mRNA and protein levels in ovarian carcinoma transplanted subcutaneously in nude mice. CONCLUSIONS: TP53 pathway may play pivotal roles in the development of ovarian cancer and TP53 pathway may be a new target for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Acoustic analysis of the singing and speaking voice in singing students.

The singing power ratio (SPR) is an objective means of quantifying the singer's formant. SPR has been shown to differentiate trained singers from nonsingers and sung from spoken tones. This study was designed to evaluate SPR and acoustic parameters in singing students to determine if the singer-in-training has an identifiable difference between sung and spoken voices. Digital audio recordings were made of both sung and spoken vowel sounds in 55 singing students for acoustic analysis. SPR values were not significantly different between the sung and spoken samples. Shimmer and noise-to-harmonic ratio were significantly higher in spoken samples. SPR analysis may provide an objective tool for monitoring the student's progress.

Relationship between aerodynamic measures of glottal efficiency and stroboscopic findings in asymptomatic singing students.

Singing requires exquisite coordination between the respiratory and phonatory systems to efficiently control glottal airflow. Asymptomatic singing students underwent pulmonary function testing (PFT), videostrobolaryngoscopic examination, and measures of glottal efficiency (maximum phonation time [MPT], glottal flow rate [GFR], and phonation quotient [PQ]) performed in both a sung and spoken tone. Pulmonary function and glottal efficiency values were within reported normative data for professional singers. However, sung tones were made with significantly higher GFR and PQ and lower PQ than spoken tones. The mean GFR was not related to the degree of glottal closure (by videostrobolaryngoscopy) or underlying pulmonary support.

Thyroplasty type I: short- versus long-term results.

OBJECTIVE: After thyroplasty type I, significant improvement has been reported in objective measures of vocal function. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the short- and long-term results in patients undergoing thyroplasty type I. METHODS: Data on 26 patients who had undergone thyroplasty type I for management of unilateral vocal fold paralysis were compared from before surgery to the short-term (1-month) and long-term (>1-year) postoperative assessment points. Statistical analysis included paired tests to assess the significance of between-group differences. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between the preoperative and both postoperative evaluations for the measures of mean glottal flow rate, maximum phonation time, jitter, shimmer, and harmonic-to-noise ratio. However, no significant differences were found between the 1-month and >1-year assessment points. CONCLUSIONS: The results for the parameters studied appeared to reach maximum improvement within 1 month after surgery. It is possible that the effects of time, including the normal aging process, hormonal changes, or other alterations in general health, may require longer follow-up to better address these issues.

Incidence of abnormal laryngeal findings in asymptomatic singing students.

OBJECTIVE: Abnormalities in the mucosal lining of the vocal folds may interfere with the normal vibratory patterns and result in vocal limitations, especially for singers whose demands are great. A prospective, longitudinal study was undertaken to investigate the incidence of laryngeal abnormalities in asymptomatic singing students. METHODS: Sixty-five singing students at the school of music underwent videostroboscopic evaluation and completed a comprehensive questionnaire. Videos were rated by 3 experienced clinicians, and interrater reliability was calculated. Results were correlated with demographic factors, background medical history, and singing history. RESULTS: Five students (8.3%) exhibited early signs of benign vocal fold lesions (2 with nodules and 3 with cysts). A high incidence of posterior erythema (n = 44; 73.4%), suggesting possible reflux, was found. CONCLUSIONS: A surprisingly high number of otherwise asymptomatic singing students demonstrated abnormal laryngeal findings. Their relationship with vocal performance will be addressed as well as implications for preventative measures.

Laryngeal injuries after short- versus long-term intubation.

Forty-five patients were seen over a 5-year period with laryngeal injuries following endotracheal intubation (ETI). The mean duration of ETI was 5.6 days (2 hours to 37 days). Patients intubated for less than 24 hours were most likely to present with a vocal fold immobility or an anterior glottic web. Long-term intubation was associated with the development of subglottic stenoses and granulomas. Patients with vocal fold immobility were seen more often after ETI for surgical reasons and had a significantly higher incidence of previous intubation and tobacco usage. Subglottic stenoses were seen in younger patients intubated for medical reasons and associated with nasogastric tubes and longer periods of intubation.

Cause of hoarseness in elderly patients.

Hoarseness is a common symptom in older individuals and may reflect a wide variety of pathologic, medical, physiologic, and/or functional causes. Although vocal fold atrophy is one of the more common reported findings in the elderly, inconclusive information is known about the differential diagnosis and cause of dysphonia in older individuals. The purpose of this investigation was to review the cause of hoarseness in all patients older than 65 years and to determine any correlation with advancing age and other demographic factors. Additionally, we wanted to determine the effect vocal pathology has on objective voice measures with advancing age. The two most common causes of hoarseness found in 393 patients older than 65 years were vocal fold bowing and unilateral vocal fold paralysis, followed by benign vocal fold lesions, voice tremor, and spasmodic dysphonia. Although objective measures of vocal function were abnormal compared with reported normative data, they did not increase in severity with advancing age. Apparently, the compounding effect of age on underlying vocal pathology does not increase the severity of the vocal disturbance, at least as represented by objective voice measures. The high incidence of medical illnesses seen in this population also needs to be kept in mind because it may further affect the underlying voice disturbance. It might be interesting to compare data on the patients' perceptions of their vocal disturbance for each disorder as a function of age. It would also be helpful to know whether patients responded to treatment differentially based on age.

Vocal evaluation of thyroplasty type I in the treatment of nonparalytic glottic incompetence.

This study investigated the prethyroplasty and postthyroplasty voices of patients with glottic incompetence of mobile vocal folds related to vocal fold bowing and scarring. Seventeen patients underwent vocal function evaluation preoperatively and 1 month postoperatively with videostrobolaryngoscopic examination, acoustic and aerodynamic analysis, and perceptual judgment of voice characteristics. The postoperative voice outcome in this group of patients was compared to that of a group of patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis. Patients with vocal fold bowing showed significant improvement in glottic gap size and hoarseness after the surgery. There was minimal improvement on other test measures. Patients with vocal fold scarring exhibited worse preoperative and postoperative vocal functions, with little voice improvement after surgery. The outcome of thyroplasty type I in cases of vocal fold bowing or scarring is not as good as that in unilateral vocal fold paralysis.

The effect of patient factors on response outcomes to Botox treatment of spasmodic dysphonia.

Injection of botulinum toxin (Botox) into the laryngeal muscles has become the treatment of choice for controlling the symptoms of spasmodic dysphonia (SD). Currently, no specific battery of objective tests to assess the outcome is universally accepted. The purpose of this study was to investigate demographic, clinical, and treatment factors with voice outcome following Botox injection. Sixty-eight patients with adductor SD who underwent at least one Botox injection during a 5-year period were studied. Voice outcome measures were made from patient self-reporting scales and included overall vocal quality, length of response, and duration of breathiness. Vocal quality was significantly correlated with the underlying severity of vocal symptoms prior to treatment, incidence of breathiness and unilateral versus bilateral injection. The length of response was greater in males and following bilateral injections. An increased period of breathiness significantly correlated with bilateral injections.

Abnormal soft palate posturing in patients with laryngeal movement disorders.

Laryngeal movement disorders (LMDs), including spasmodic dysphonia and essential voice tremor, have been described as focal disorders affecting the muscles of the larynx. Little reference has been made to possible hyperfunction of supralaryngeal structures and/or palatal involvement. Videonasolaryngoscopic examinations of 83 patients with LMDs revealed a significantly high incidence of abnormal soft palate posturing (84%). Further associations and implications are presented.

Longitudinal evaluation of vocal function after thyroplasty type I in the treatment of unilateral vocal paralysis.

This study investigated longitudinal changes of vocal efficiency and stability after primary thyroplasty type 1. Fifty-three patients with unilateral vocal-fold paralysis underwent vocal-function evaluation preoperatively and at periodic intervals of 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. Vocal-function assessment included videostrobolaryngoscopic examination, acoustical and aerodynamic analysis, and perceptual judgment of voice characteristics. Parameters that included glottic-gap size, maximum phonation time, glottic-flow rate, jitter, harmonic/noise ratio, breathiness, hoarseness, loudness, and phrasing showed significant improvement after thyroplasty and remained stable as early as 1 month postoperatively, with only slight fluctuations over a 6-month period. Postoperative voice outcome was not affected by age, sex, duration of vocal symptoms, cause of paralysis, or preoperative pulmonary function.

Selenium inhibition of chemical carcinogenesis in the upper aerodigestive tract of hamsters.

Evidence suggests that ingestion of selenium compounds may inhibit carcinogenesis. We studied this in hamsters in which squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue was induced with 0.5% dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA). Forty-five hamsters, divided into three groups of 15 each, were fed a low-selenium diet and the left lateral border of the tongue was painted with DMBA three times a week. Control animals were given deionized water, while water for animals in groups 1 and 2 contained 3 and 6 ppm selenium, respectively. All sufficiently long-lived animals developed leukoplakia of the tongue and floor of the mouth that progressed to dysplasia and papillary or ulcerative carcinoma. Carcinomas were seen less frequently on the palate and in the pyriform sinuses. Carcinoma metastasized to neck lymph nodes in two hamsters. Data indicate a 2-week delay in leukoplakia incidence for the selenium groups; a higher survival rate was also noted, although this was not statistically significant. We conclude that this model is similar to tobacco-induced squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract in humans and that ingestion of supplemental selenium produces a modest inhibitory effect on leukoplakia.

Plasmacytoma of the larynx.

Plasmacytoma involving the larynx is very rare. To the best of our knowledge there are only 79 cases reported in the world literature. We are adding 3 more cases; 2 cases were associated with multiple myeloma and 1 was considered to be a solitary or extramedullary plasmacytoma. The clinical picture was hoarseness and upper airway obstruction. In plasmacytoma of the larynx multiple biopsies are often nondiagnostic, sometimes revealing only chronic inflammation and amyloid infiltration in the tissues. Most authors agree that the treatment of choice is conservative surgical excision and radiation therapy. Surgery may also be reserved to excise residual scar tissue and fibrosis after treatment mainly to improve the airway and eliminate the tracheostomy tube. To confirm the definitive diagnosis of solitary plasmacytoma of the larynx, long-term follow-up of many years is necessary in order to rule out multiple myeloma.