The influence of 2020 coronavirus lockdown on presentation of oral and maxillofacial trauma to a central London hospital.

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 was first identified in China in December 2019. Its spread resulted in a pandemic, with the United Kingdom entering a period of national lockdown on 23 March 2020 to reduce disease burden on the National Health Service (NHS). King's College Hospital is a Major Trauma Centre serving an inner-city population of 700,000 with 120,000 patients attending the emergency department (ED) annually. We aimed to determine the effect of lockdown on OMFS trauma presentations and lessons learned from emergency service provision during a pandemic. All referrals to the oral and maxillofacial surgical (OMFS) team from ED during the first six weeks of the lockdown period - 23 March 2020 - 3 May 2020 - were compared with the same six-week period in 2019. A total of 111 referrals were made to OMFS during the first six weeks of the lockdown period in 2020 compared with 380 referrals in 2019. Of these, 50.5%, (n=192) were related to facial trauma in 2019 vs (63.1%, n=70) in 2020. Fewer patients were admitted under OMFS: 17.4% (n=35) in 2019 vs 2.9% (n=2) in 2020, and a greater number of patients were discharged from OMFS care directly from the ED: 63.2% (n=127) in 2019 vs 82.9% (n=58) in 2020. There was profound effect of the lockdown on referrals to OMFS from the ED, in number and type of diagnosis. This is potentially reflective of the increased availability of acute/emergency dental services in South-East London during the lockdown period. This gives us valuable insight for service planning in the event of further restrictions.

Circular RNA circ-SMAD7 is downregulated in colorectal cancer and suppresses tumor metastasis by regulating epithelial mesenchymal transition.

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "Circular RNA circ-SMAD7 is downregulated in colorectal cancer and suppresses tumor metastasis by regulating epithelial mesenchymal transition, by D.-K. Wang, R.-F. Chong, B.-L. Song, K.-F. Fan, Y.-F. Liu, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020; 24 (4): 1736-1742-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202002_20350-PMID: 32141541" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/20350.

Circular RNA circ-SMAD7 is downregulated in colorectal cancer and suppresses tumor metastasis by regulating epithelial mesenchymal transition.

OBJECTIVE: Recently, circular RNAs play a vital role in many diseases including tumor progression. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most ordinary malignant tumors. The purpose of our study is to detect the potential function of circ-SMAD7 in CRC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The level of circ-SMAD7 was detected by Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) in CRC tissue samples. The circ-SMAD7 expression level and the patients' overall survival time were analyzed. Functional experiments were conducted to identify the changes of the biological behaviors in CRC cells after the overexpression of circ-SMAD7. The transwell assay, the Matrigel assay, and the Wound healing assay were conducted. The Western blot assay was performed to analyze the effect of circ-SMAD7 on the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. RESULTS: In the research, the expression level of circ-SMAD7 was significantly decreased in CRC tissues compared with that in the adjacent samples. Circ-SMAD7 expression was positively associated to patients' overall survival time. The expression of circ-SMAD7 was also decreased in CRC cell lines. The upregulation of circ-SMAD7 led to the inhibition of cell migration and invasion in CRC. In addition, the results of further experiments revealed that the EMT-related proteins were regulated via overexpression of circ-SMAD7 in CRC. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that circ-SMAD7 could inhibit cell migration and invasion of CRC by suppressing the EMT process, which might offer a potential therapeutic target for CRC.

Targeting the CXCR4/CXCL12 axis in treating epithelial ovarian cancer.

Ovarian carcinoma is the most crucial and difficult target for available therapeutic treatments among gynecological malignancies, and great efforts are required to find an effective solution. Molecular studies showed that the chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1 (also known as CXCL12) and its receptor, CXCR4, are key determinants of tumor initiation, progression and metastasis in ovarian carcinomas. Hence, it is generally believed that blocking the CXCR4/CXCL12 pathway could serve as a potential therapy for patients with ovarian cancer. Herein, we investigated the role of the CXCR4/CXCL12 axis in regulating ovarian cancer progression. Using flow cytometry, a real-time PCR and western blot analyses, we showed that the chemokine receptor CXCR4 protein and mRNA were overexpressed in human epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines, and these were closely correlated with poor outcomes. Moreover, silencing CXCR4 by small hairpin RNA in HTB75 cells reduced cell proliferation, migration and invasion and significantly reduced RhoA and Rac-1/Cdc42 expressions, whereas overexpression of CXCR4 in SKOV3 cells significantly increased cell migration and markedly increased RhoA, Rac-1/Cdc42 levels. Silencing CXCR4 also led to decreased in vitro cytotoxicity of AMD3100, a specific antagonist of CXCR4, which exerts its effect upon CXCR4 expression. Remarkably, knockdown of CXCR4 in HTB75 cells led to a significantly decreased capability to form tumors in vivo, and the Ki67 proliferation index of xenograft tumors showed a dramatic reduction. Our results revealed that the CXCR4/CXCL12 pathway represents a promising therapeutic target for epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

Custom-made titanium cranioplasty: early and late complications of 151 cranioplasties and review of the literature.

A diverse range of techniques is available for reconstruction of full-thickness calvarial defects and the optimum substrate for cranioplasty remains unproven. During a 9-year period, 149 patients underwent insertion of 151 custom-made titanium cranioplasties using the same technique. Data relating to patient demographics, indication for cranioplasty, and site and size of the defect were collected from the clinical records. Patients were followed up in all cases for a mean of 1 year 2 months (range 7 days to 8 years 8 months). Early complications requiring intervention were experienced in 7% and included seroma, haematoma, and continued bleeding necessitating implant removal in one patient. One death occurred at 3 days post-operation due to haemorrhagic stroke. Late self-limiting complications such as seroma were experienced in 19% of patients, however complete failure requiring implant removal was seen in only 4% of cases. Infection was the cause of failure in all cases. A comprehensive literature review was carried out and data abstracted to compare reported failure rates in other techniques of full-thickness cranial reconstruction. This review shows that custom-made patient-specific titanium cranioplasties compare very favourably to the other published techniques and remain a tried and tested option for reconstruction of all sizes of full-thickness calvarial defect.

Complications encountered in a prospective series of 182 patients treated surgically for mouth cancer.

Outcomes of surgical treatment for patients with mouth cancer can be limited by the risk of perioperative complications. This study identifies factors that predict for complications in such patients. Between 1992 and 2000, 182 patients had surgery for mouth cancer. The patient, their medical and surgical characteristics as well as perioperative complications were identified. Univariate analysis was carried out to determine which characteristics were associated with complications. Complications occurred in 85 patients (47%). Fifty-three percent of the complications were of intermediate severity and 15.6% were major. The operative death rate was 3.2%. Factors predicting complications included pre-existing cardiovascular (p<0.01) and respiratory disease (p=0.02), alcohol consumption (p<0.01), stage of disease, nature and scale of surgery, duration of surgery (p<0.01). Tracheostomies (p<0.01, OR 3.05), poor differentiation of tumour (p<0.05) and presence of extracapsular spread were predictive of complications. Patients with more complications are at increase risk of operative death or dying with head and neck cancer (p=0.04). Complications were also analysed into those that may be related to surgical technique and medical management. 113 (37%) complications were in this category. Factors influencing complications are multifactorial. Identification of risk factors allows individualised approach should improve outcome of treatment.

Endoscopically assisted operative retrieval of parotid stones.

The treatment of large parotid stones remains a problem. We describe a technique in which microendoscopy is used to locate the stone and facilitate its removal. Over a 12-month period, eight patients were treated and seven stones removed successfully. The remaining duct was obstructed by a stricture. In six instances, the parotid duct was repaired and in two ligated. The mean follow up was 10 months (range 6-18) and there have been no complications. Our initial experience suggests that microendoscopy to locate the stone and facilitate its removal is an option in the management of persistent parotid stones.

Perioperative complications and survival in patients with oral cancer.

This study identifies factors that predict for outcome and complications in patients with mouth cancer. Out of a total of 276 patients, one third received radiotherapy alone and the remainder surgery (182) of which 62 also received adjuvant radiotherapy. Factors predicting an adverse outcome at a univariate level were male gender, recurrent disease, no partner, co-existing systemic disease (abdomen and respiratory), alcohol intake, non Caucasian, stage of disease, scale of surgery, decreasing differentiation of tumour, increasing hospital stay and blood loss. On multivariate analysis, female gender, reduced scale of surgery, absence of recurrence, excess alcohol consumption, increased hospital stay and duration of surgery were predictive of improved survival. Complications occurred in 85 patients (47%). Predictive variables on univariate analysis were preexisting cardio-respiratory disease, alcohol consumption, stage of disease, nature and scale of surgery. The 5 year disease specific survival was 87% for stage I, 75% for stage II, 62% for stage III and 43% for stage IV with a 3.2% operative death rate.

Conservative management of salivary stones and benign parotid tumours: a description of the surgical techniques involved.

Recent advances in salivary gland surgery have made it possible to apply minimally invasive techniques to the management of salivary stones and benign parotid tumours. The techniques of extra-capsular dissection, intraoral removal of stones and endoscope-assisted removal of parotid calculi are described together with the context in which they are applied in clinical practice.

Anterior knee pain after intramedullary tibial nailing.

BACKGROUND: Currently, intramedullary nailing is a well-accepted method for treating tibial shaft fractures, but some patients complain of anterior knee pain after surgery. Multiple factors may influence this troublesome complication. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 200 patients who were treated with intramedullary nailing after tibial shaft fractures. Sixty-four patients complained of knee pain after surgery. We evaluated the knee pain in relation to the surgical approach, radiographic readings, and the type of nail used. RESULTS: Among the 64 patients, 45 (70%) received central approaches and 19 (30%) received paramedial approaches (p = 0.0002); 46 patients (72%) showed nail protrusions on radiographs and only 18 patients (28%) were without nail impingement (p = 0.0001). Forty-three patients (67%) received Kuntscher nail fixation and just 21 patients (33%) had interlocking nail fixation (p = 0.0015). CONCLUSION: The use of the central patellar tendon splitted approach, nail protrusion observed on radiographs, and the insertion of a non-locking intramedullary nail were all significant risk factors for anterior knee pain after surgery. All these risk factors should be avoided in tibial nailing to decrease the problem of postoperative knee pain.

Fusion of the lumbar spine with a free vascularized fibular bone graft: case report.

Spinal fusion with either non-vascularized or vascularized bone grafts has been well documented for inflammatory, degenerative, post-oncological and post-traumatic reconstruction Vascularized bone graft has been proven to have more rapid healing and better clinical results. A few reports have indicated that free vascularized fibular bone grafts have been used for reconstruction of the cervical and thoracic spine with good clinical results. We report a case of a third lumbar vertebra burst fracture successfully treated with a free vascularized fibula graft after failure of an initial conventional bone graft. The neurological symptoms improved significantly. The strong and straight bone quality makes the vascularized fibula an ideal choice for reconstruction of the spine. Vascularized fibula bone graft is an option in cases with failed nonvascularized bone grafts, in cases where an iliac bone is not suitable for reconstruction, or in cases where a poor recipient bed makes having well-vascularized bone necessary. This report describes our surgical approach and demonstrates the versatility of the free fibular osteoseptocutaneous flap for reconstruction of any portion of the spine.

Photodynamic therapy using mTHPC for malignant disease in the oral cavity.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) produces local tumor necrosis, on activation of a previously administered sensitizer with non-thermal light of an appropriate wavelength. It is attractive for treating tumors of the mouth as tissue healing is particularly good. We describe the use of the photosensitizing agent meta tetrahydroxyphenyl chlorin (mTHPC, Foscan) for PDT of oral cancer, including patients with field cancerization. Nineteen patients with histologically confirmed oral cancer (8 with field change disease) and one with severe dysplasia, were sensitised with mTHPC intravenously. Activation was carried out 72-96 hr later with laser light at 652 nm using a range of light doses. The results were assessed clinically and histologically. Multiple biopsies were taken during the ulcerative stages to look at the effects of PDT and after healing to assess the overall treatment result. All single lesions up to stage T3 cleared after one PDT treatment (total of 6 patients). Three out of 6 T4 tumours were also cleared. Lesions in patients with field change disease did less well, only 9 of 14 T1 and T2s clearing, including 4 that required extra treatments with a higher light dose. Most healed very well, but tongue tethering was seen in 1 patient and another had necrosis in normal areas due to light scattering within the mouth. PDT using mTHPC is a promising new treatment for patients with oral cancer.

Free composite serratus anterior and rib flaps for tibial composite bone and soft-tissue defect.

Open fracture in the lower extremity often involves composite bone and soft-tissue defects. For patients with extensive segmental bone defects, vascularized fibular transfers can be utilized and are generally accepted as one of the best options for reconstruction of intercalary defects. In some cases, either bilateral tibias and fibulas are fractured or the contralateral fibula is traumatically damaged or absent, precluding free fibular transfer. If an osteocutaneous fibular flap cannot be used to manage such a defect, a composite serratus anterior and rib flap may be considered. Nine composite serratus anterior and rib flaps, with or without latissimus dorsi transfers, were performed in eight patients between August of 1993 and March of 1994. One patient sustained a left knee disarticulation and underwent reconstruction for a right tibial defect. He failed to achieve lower extremity function within 2 years and was considered a failure. One flap failed, and the patient underwent a below-knee amputation. The remaining six patients received seven composite flaps for tibial and calcaneal defects and could ambulate without assistance. Based on this review, we conclude that the composite serratus anterior and rib flap with optional latissimus dorsi muscle can be used for (1) bilateral tibial fibular fractures, (2) contralateral lower limb amputation with fillet of the amputated leg if the leg is present for harvest, (3) contralateral middle-third fracture of the fibula, (4) patients in whom iliac bone is not suitable because of either a bone defect greater than 10 to 12 cm or previous harvest of bone graft, and (5) extensive composite bone and soft-tissue defects.

Photodynamic therapy using 5-aminolevulinic acid for premalignant and malignant lesions of the oral cavity.

BACKGROUND: Premalignant changes in the mouth, which are often widespread, are frequently excised or vaporized, whereas cancers are treated by excision or radiotherapy, both of which have cumulative morbidity. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is another option that produces local tissue necrosis with light after prior administration of a photosensitizing agent. This heals with remarkably little scarring and no cumulative toxicity. This article describes the use of PDT with the photosensitizing agent 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) for premalignant and malignant lesions of the mouth. METHODS: Eighteen patients with histologically proven premalignant and malignant lesions of the mouth were sensitized with 60 mg/kg ALA by mouth and treated with laser light at 628 nanometers (100 or 200 Joules/cm2). The results were assessed macroscopically and microscopically. Biopsies were taken immediately prior to PDT for fluorescence studies, a few days after PDT to assess the depth of necrosis, when healing was complete, and up to 88 weeks later. RESULTS: The depth of necrosis varied from 0.1 to 1.3 mm, but complete epithelial necrosis was present in all cases. All 12 patients with dysplasia showed improvement (repeat biopsy was normal or less dysplastic) and the treated areas healed without scarring. Some benefit was observed in five of six patients with squamous cell carcinoma, but only two became tumor free (one with persistent mild dysplasia). No patient had cutaneous photosensitivity for longer than 2 days. CONCLUSIONS: PDT using ALA for dysplasia of the mouth produces consistent epithelial necrosis with excellent healing and is a simple and effective way to manage these patients. Results in invasive cancers are less satisfactory, mainly because the PDT effect is too superficial with current treatment regimens using ALA as the photosensitizing agent.