Ryo Ota

A case of invasive paranasal aspergillosis that developed from a non-invasive form during 5-year follow-up

Invasive paranasal aspergillosis has been previously reported, but there have been no case reports of non-invasive paranasal aspergillosis that progressed to the invasive form during follow-up. A case of non-invasive aspergillosis of the maxillary sinus that appeared to become invasive during 5-year follow-up is reported. The patient was diagnosed as having non-invasive aspergillosis at the first visit because CT images revealed only mucosal thickening and calcifications in the right maxillary sinus. Five years later, CT images showed an invasive mass lesion in the orbit and large bone destruction of the posterior wall of the maxillary sinus. The patient was rescued by total removal of the orbital contents with zygomatic ostectomy followed by appropriate antifungal chemotherapy irrespective of residual tissue invasion. We would propose that appropriate surgical treatment and antifungal agents are necessary to improve the prognosis of invasive aspergillosis.

Carbachol injection into the pontine reticular formation depresses laryngeal muscle activities and airway reflexes in decerebrate cats.

To understand the role of cholinoceptive, medial pontine reticular formation (mPRF) neurons in the control of upper airway, pharyngolaryngeal reflexes, we measured activities of intrinsic laryngeal muscles (posterior cricoarytenoid, PCA; thyroarytenoid, TA), diaphragm (DIA), genioglossus (GG) and a neck muscle (trapezius) in unanesthetized, decerebrated, spontaneously breathing cats with and without mPRF carbachol injections. The ethimoidal nerve was electrically stimulated to evoke sneezing, and the superior laryngeal nerve to evoke the laryngeal reflex, swallowing, and coughing. Carbachol reduced the amplitudes of the spontaneous electromyographic activities in the neck, TA, PCA, GG, and DIA to 7%, 30%, 54%, 45% and 71% of control, respectively, reduced the respiratory rate to 53% without changes in expiratory CO(2) concentration; the magnitude of the laryngeal reflex in the TA muscle to 56%; increased its latency by 13%; and reduced the probability of stimulus-induced sneezing, swallowing, and coughing to less than 40%. These changes lasted more than 1h. These data demonstrate that important upper airway reflexes are suppressed by increasing cholinergic neurotransmission in the mPRF. Because acetylcholine release in the mPRF changes in accordance with sleep-wake cycles, the present findings are relevant to the control of upper airway reflexes during various vigilance states.

R098: Contribution of the Nucleus of the Lateral Lemniscus NLL to the Control of Laryngeal Activities

apy. However, according to the cancer types, radiosensitivity of each cancer varies. Especially, the cancer over-expressing COX-2 is reported to have higher radioresistance to radiation therapy. METHODS: Human oral cavity squamous carcinoma cells were cultured and xenografted in 40 athymic nude mice (1 x 107, left thigh, subcutaneous injection) and the mice were divided into 4 groups: the control group (10 mice), the radiation therapy group (10 mice, Group A), the Meloxicam injection group (10 mice, Group B), and the combination therapy group with radiation and Meloxicam (10 mice, Group C). The tumor volume was measured every five days during the treatment and the tumor specimen was taken for immunohistochemical staining when the treatment was finished. The mean tumor volume, the apoptosis index and the proliferation index were measured. RESULTS: In the combination therapy group (Group C), the tumor growth rate was decreased compared with the radiation therapy group (Group A). Also, according to the result of the apoptosis index and the proliferation index measured using immunohistochemical staining, the combination therapy group presented a higher apoptosis index and a lower proliferation index than other groups. CONCLUSION: Meloxicam, selective COX-2 inhibitor, improves the efficacy of radiation therapy for the human oral cavity squamous carcinoma and this effect was due to the apoptosis modulation by the selective COX-2 inhibitor. SIGNIFICANCE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the selective COX-2 inhibitor when combined with radiation therapy, and to assess the possibility of clinical application of the selective COX-2 inhibitor for radiation therapy in head and neck cancer.

R086: Nasal Nitric Oxide Greatly Increases in Humming

A1555G mutation in a large proportion of families with nonsyndromic deafness in this sample provides a molecular explanation for the high prevalence of aminoglycoside-induced hearing loss in the Chinese population. Hearing losses are bilateral and sensorineural with a symmetric and usually progressive pattern. Audiograms associated with mtDNA deafness were usually sloping and nonspecific. SIGNIFICANCE: Because of the potential for preventing deafness in matrilineal relatives, we suggest that screening for the mtDNA A1555G mutation should be routinely performed, especially in Chinese patients with hearing loss of uncertain cause. Support: NIH DC05575.