Predictive capacity for local disease control of neogenin-1 (NEO1) transcriptional expression in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To analyze the predictive capacity for local disease control of the transcriptional expression of neogenin-1 (NEO1) gene in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS/PATIENTS: A retrospective study was performed on tumor biopsies from 107 patients with HNSCC treated surgically. The transcriptional expression of NEO1 was determined by RT-PCR. NEO1 transcriptional expression value was categorized according to local disease control by recursive partitioning analysis. RESULTS: Lower NEO1 transcriptional expression was associated with worse local control after surgical treatment. Patients with lower NEO1 expression (n = 25, 23.4%) had a 5-year local recurrence-free survival of 61.8% (95% CI: 42.1-81.5%), while patients with higher NEO1 expression (n = 82, 76.6%) had a 5-year local recurrence-free survival of 85.6% (95% CI: 77.6-93.6%), (P = 0.003). According to the result of multivariable analysis, patients with lower NEO1 expression had a 2.7-fold increased risk of local tumor recurrence (95% CI: 1.0-7.0, P = 0.043) compared to patients with higher NEO1 expression. CONCLUSIONS: HNSCC patients with a lower transcriptional expression of NEO1 have a significantly higher risk of local recurrence after surgical treatment.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma: Evaluating the prognostic impact of primary tumor site.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is one of the most common salivary gland malignancies. Our aim was to evaluate the prognostic impact of primary tumor site in patients with MEC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cohort identified 308 patients with MEC who underwent primary surgery between 1985 and 2015. Survival outcomes were determined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Hazard ratios for primary site were determined using the Cox proportional-hazards model. RESULTS: One hundred eighty (58%) patients were diagnosed with minor and 128 (42%) with major salivary gland cancer. Primary site in the minor salivary gland group included 137 (44%) oral cavity, 38 (12%) pharynx, 3 (0.9%) nasal cavity, and 2 (0.6%) trachea and larynx. The major salivary gland group included 118 (38%) parotid, 8 (3%) submandibular, and 2 (0.6%) sublingual. With a median follow-up of 73 months, 5-year overall survival and disease-specific survival were 84% and 91%, respectively. Patients with tumors located in the hard palate and retromolar trigone had the best survival, while patients with tumors located in the paranasal sinuses and submandibular gland had the poorest survival. After controlling for tumor grade and stage, MEC primary site was not predictive of survival or recurrence. On multivariate analysis, worse DSS was associated with stage III-IV tumors (HR: 7,11; 95% CI: 1.19-26.43; p = 0.0034) and high-grade tumors (HR: 19.12; 95% CI: 2.26-162.77; p = 0.0068). CONCLUSIONS: While high grade and advanced overall stage were found to be independent predictors of worse survival, primary tumor site was not predictive of poor outcome.

[Educational innovation on the practices for the subjects of community nursing, mental health nursing and geriatric nursing]. / Innovación docente en las prácticas de enfermería comunitaria, salud mental y geriatría.

The new European space for higher education requires changes in education manners as well as execution. One of the main challenges is for the students to acquire competence in their professional life. For that purpose they require knowledge, but also skills and a proactive attitude towards learning. In this paper we tell the experience of the Virgen de las Nieves School of Nursing in Granada, with regards to the integration of the practices for the subjects of Community Nursing III, Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, and Geriatric Nursing, which are taken in the third year of the Diplomatura en Enfermería degree. Said practices, which were previously being offered separately within different contexts, will be merged in the same program whose scope will be Primary Care. We believe that the experience has been very positive by looking both at the results and the satisfaction of the students and the professional lecturers. It has been achieved an increase in the number of community care practice hours, and students have managed to acquire more autonomy in their learning and to incorporate critical reasoning in their education. In the methodology used, they have been the main evaluators and protagonists in their learning process, seeking the implication of professionals and teaching tutors in this change. The consensus on the objectives and methods, along with the obstacles which had to be overcome, constitutes one of the most interesting aspects of this experience.