PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Giuseppe Colella

Publications and source records attributed to Giuseppe Colella.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Parotid function after selective deep lobe parotidectomy.

Selective deep lobe parotidectomy is a demanding technique, but it preserves healthy glandular tissue, improves cosmetic results and minimises the incidence of Frey's syndrome. We have evaluated postoperative function of the superficial lobe of the parotid after selective resection of the deep lobe. Fourteen patients who each had a mass involving the deep lobe of the parotid were selected from 127 patients with tumours of the parotid gland who were seen and treated between January 2001 and March 2004. Of the 14, 12 matched the study criteria. The preoperative diagnosis was made using both computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound or fine needle aspiration cytology, and the diagnosis was confirmed by histological analysis. All cases were treated by the same surgeon. At 6 months follow-up all patients had a House-Brackmann test, iodine starch test, and scintigraphy of both parotid glands. After scintigraphy the maximum uptake value and function of the gland were evaluated with the concentration index (CI) and the CI percentage ratio. The concentration function of the gland in the resected side of the study group had a mean (S.D.) CI index of 5.5 (3.6) and a CI percentage ratio of 84%. Selective deep lobe parotidectomy has the following advantages: it minimises the impact of treatment on the facial contour, it does not increase postoperative morbidity and it preserves the function of the gland.

Adult↗

Effect of c-Met expression on survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

The proto-oncogene c-Met has been suggested to be associated with progression of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. The aims of the present study were to assess the prevalence of c-Met expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to verify whether c-Met can be considered a marker of prognosis in these patients. In a retrospective study, a cohort of 84 OSCC patients was investigated for c-Met expression and its cellular localization by immunohistochemistry. After grouping for c-Met expression, OSCC patients were statistically analyzed for the variables age, gender, histological grading, tumor node metastasis, staging and overall survival rate. Univariate and multivariate statistics were used for data analysis. Sixty-nine cases (82.2%) of OSCC showed immunopositivity, with a mainly membranous expression and scattered areas also showing a cytoplasmic localization, whereas 15 cases (17.8%) did not show c-Met. No statistical association was found between c-Met expression and any variables considered at baseline, apart from the higher number of c-Met positivity in females (p = 0.026). Among positive tumors, well-differentiated areas showed low or absent cytoplasmic expression, while low-differentiated areas showed both membranous and cytoplasmic positivity. In terms of prognostic significance, c-Met expression was found to have an independent association with a poorer overall survival rate (p = 0.036). On the basis of these results, it is possible to suggest c-Met as an early marker of poor prognosis, a hallmark of aggressive biological behavior in OSCC, suggested to be useful in identifying cases of OSCC before the relapse.

Adolescent↗

Brushing of oral mucosa for diagnosis of HPV infection in patients with potentially malignant and malignant oral lesions.

INTRODUCTION: Adequate brushing of oral mucosa is important for accurate human papillomavirus (HPV) detection in potentially malignant (oral leukoplakia [OL], oral lichen planus [OLP]) and malignant (oral squamous cell carcinoma [OSCC]) lesions. Since various factors may limit the adequacy of oral brushing and, consequently, the accuracy of HPV detection, modified sampling procedures should be evaluated for their effect on HPV frequency and/or types detected. AIM: To compare the HPV frequency in samples obtained by brushing the lesion site with the frequency in samples obtained by brushing an apparently normal adjacent site. The correlation between HPV frequency and keratinization of the site affected by the lesion, as well as sociodemographic variables (age, sex, smoking and drinking habits), was also examined. METHODS: HPV DNA was detected in brushing samples from 50 patients with OL, 49 with OLP, and 17 with OSCC. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was performed by MY09/MY11 and GP05+/GP06+ primers; the HPV type was identified by DNA sequencing and a reverse hybridization (line probe) assay. Data were analyzed by the Z test, the Fisher's exact test, the chi-square test, odds ratio (OR), and a logistic regression model. RESULTS: HPV DNA was detected in 22% of samples from lesion sites and in 16% of samples from adjacent sites (p = 0.22) in patients with OL, in 24.5% and 22.4% of samples from lesion and adjacent sites, respectively, in patients with OLP (p = 0.40), and in 35.3% and 41.2% of samples from lesion and adjacent sites, respectively, in patients with OSCC (p = 0.36). Lesions adjacent to HPV-positive normal sites had an increased rate of HPV detection (OR = 30; 95% CI 9.57, 94.1). HPV-18 was the most frequent genotype, followed by HPV-6, -16, -33, and -53. HPV prevalence was reduced in lesions at keratinized sites (14.5%) compared with non-keratinized sites (34.4%; p = 0.007; OR = 0.32; 95% CI 0.13, 0.81). DISCUSSION: In patients with OL, OLP, or OSCC, a high prevalence of HPV infection was shown in apparently normal sites adjacent to lesion sites infected by HPV. The lower HPV frequency in lesions at keratinized sites suggests that HPV detection by lesion brushing is affected by keratinization. The keratinized epithelium may be less susceptible to HPV infection or, alternatively, the highly proliferative activity in non-keratinized sites may predispose to HPV infection. CONCLUSION: Results from this study indicate that taking samples from normal sites adjacent to oral lesions may be of value in HPV detection, particularly when the lesions are located at keratinized sites. This sampling procedure may allow more accurate diagnosis of HPV infection compared with sampling only the lesion site, and may also represent a reliable method to investigate the biological characteristics of HPV infection and related oral carcinogenesis.

Alphapapillomavirus↗

Usefulness of the LigaSure vessel sealing system during superficial lobectomy of the parotid gland.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usefulness of the LigaSure Precise instrument in superficial lobectomy of the parotid gland. DESIGN: Prospective study of the surgical procedures in the LigaSure Vessel Sealing System and comparison with a conventionally treated control group. SETTING: Secondary care academic referral center. Patients Thirty-five patients with a parotid gland benign tumor were randomly allocated to 2 superficial lobe parotidectomy groups: 17 using the LigaSure procedure (group A) and 18 using the conventional method (group B). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: During the past few years, different methods of achieving hemostasis in parotid gland surgery have been tested as means of decreasing operative time and facial nerve injuries by controlling bleeding. With the whole LigaSure Vessel Sealing System, we experienced the usefulness of the LigaSure Precise instrument in superficial lobectomy of the parotid gland. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were noted between the 2 groups in mean age, tumor diameter, length of hospital stay, time to return to work, or number of adverse events during or after surgery. Operative time was significantly shorter in group A than in group B (P < .001). Total operative time for conservative partial parotidectomy with traditional excision ranged from 115 to 235 minutes (mean, 155.8 minutes). Using the LigaSure system, the mean operative time was 136.4 minutes. Salivary fistulas were more common in group A (3 of 17 patients), with no cases in group B. CONCLUSIONS: The LigaSure method is comparable with but not superior to the conventional method. The main advantages of the LigaSure system are its "sutureless technique" and operative time savings; however, the cost is considerably higher.

Adult↗

The buccal fat pad in oral reconstruction.

UNLABELLED: We describe the indications, advantages, and complications of the buccal fat pad (BFP) flap and report our clinical experience with the flap for intraoral reconstruction after tumour removal. METHODS: From 1993 to 2002, a pedicled BFP flap was used to reconstruct oral defects after tumour removal in 15 patients, prospectively analysed. RESULTS: Adequate closure of the defect was achieved. In seven cases there was some retraction of the BFP. CONCLUSIONS: The BFP, as a flap, offers a good and simple option in the reconstruction of small to medium defects in the oral cavity, above all in older patients. The greatest disadvantage is that reduction in oral opening could occur, to an unpredictable degree.

Adipose Tissue↗

Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the tongue in old age.

Rhabdomyosarcoma represents the most common soft tissue sarcoma of patients under 15 years of age, but it is definitely rare in subjects older than 45. A very rare case of embryonal type rhabdomyosarcoma of the tongue in a 65-year-old man is reported. The adult patient was treated with surgery and post-operative adjuvant radiotherapy and is disease-free at 48 months of follow-up. TUNEL analysis showed that apoptosis was present in 10% of the cells, thus suggesting that an high number of apoptotic cells may represent an indicator of good prognosis for this malignancy.

Aged↗

Endoscopic third ventriculostomy in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.

OBJECTIVE: To define the role and indications for an endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (INPH). A series of 25 patients treated by endoscopic technique was analyzed, and the results were compared with those of 14 studies reporting patients treated by shunting. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with INPH were treated by ETV from January 1994 through December 2000. All were younger than 75 years of age, had a preoperative clinical history of 1 year or less, had prevalence of gait disturbance with scarce or mild dementia, had marked ventricular enlargement on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and had intracranial pressure values ranging from 8 to 12 mm Hg. All were studied by a phase-contrast MRI flow study 1 month after ETV. The 14 reviewed series of patients treated by shunting (all published after 1980) each include more than 25 patients, for a total of 777 patients. RESULTS: The overall rate of neurological improvement after ETV in our series was 72% (including two patients reoperated on because of absence of flow in the MRI scan); this percentage is slightly higher than that found in the 14 series of shunted patients (66%). Gait disturbance showed a high rate of improvement when compared with other symptoms, both in our ETV study and in other shunting series. Postoperative complications occurred only in one patient (4%) with an intracerebral frontal hemorrhage and in 37.9% of patients from the series including shunted patients. CONCLUSION: In patients with INPH showing short duration of symptoms, prevalence of gait disturbance, and slight mental impairment, ETV provides similar results to those of shunting. We suggest performing ETV in these patients and reserving shunting only for those who do not improve after ETV, despite the presence of cerebrospinal fluid flow through the ventriculostomy on MRI flow studies. The good results after ETV in our series indirectly confirm that the cerebrospinal fluid absorption is good or at least sufficient in selected patients with INPH.

Aged↗

Mandibular metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinoma--a case report.

Mandibular metastases from papillary carcinoma of the thyroid are very uncommon. Whereas follicular carcinoma metastasizes hematogenously, papillary carcinoma usually remains intrathyroidal and tends to metastasize only to regional nodes. A case of metastatic papillary carcinoma to the mandible is presented here. The metastasis arose five years after a right thyroid lobectomy and isthmectomy for lesions diagnosed as papillary carcinoma. Though relatively rare, thyroid tumors metastatic to the mandible should be included in the differential diagnosis of tumors in the oral region because early detection and treatment of these metastatic lesions may result in long-term survival.

Carcinoma, Papillary↗

Expression of four histone lysine-methyltransferases in parotid gland tumors.

Methylation of histones is one of the important "epigenetic" mechanisms associated with the transcriptional silencing and/or activating of tumor suppressor genes. To assess whether epigenetic phenomena could be involved in salivary gland carcinogenesis, the expression levels of four histone lysine-methyltransferases (HMT) were investigated, in both pleomorphic adenoma and the adjacent normal tissue of the parotid glands. The expression levels of three HMTs, SETB1, Eu-HMTase and SET08, were higher in tumor tissues. On the contrary, DOTL1 presented a lower expression level in the tumor tissues than in the corresponding normal tissues. These data suggest that the HMTs may be involved in the differentiation of pleomorphic adenoma, probably through chromatin structural changes, and indicates that the study of the epigenetic mechanism which modulates the variation in the methylation profile of histones may be useful to obtain information concerning those genes involved in tumor transformation in human parotid glands.

Adenoma, Pleomorphic↗