Limbic encephalitis is an inflammatory process involving the limbic structures of the brain, manifested with short-term memory deficits, confusion, depression and seizures. It is usually a paraneoplastic condition but it may also appear as a nonparaneoplastic syndrome. Patients with this condition may exhibit a variety of antibodies in their serum or/and cerebrospinal fluid targeting basement membrane components that bind to a variety of neurotransmitter receptors such as α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid and GABA B and proteins associated to the ion channels such as LGI1, Caspr2 or intracellular components. Flurodeoxyglucose PET/computed tomography usually demonstrates increased uptake in the limbic structures, and it may reveal the site of the primary tumor. Treatment consists of tumor removal if possible. Symptomatic treatment includes steroids, gamma immune globulin, plasma exchange, immunosuppressive therapies and anti-epileptic drugs. Prognosis is better when it is associated with antibodies against basement membrane rather than intracellular antibodies.
Background/Aim: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) acts as an oncogene in malignancies. Our aim was to examine the role of combined EGFR/ anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) expression as molecular markers in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) patients. Materials and Methods: Fifty (n=50) tissue sections derived from twenty-five (n=25) primary LSCCs were analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results: EGFR overexpression was observed in 17/25 (68%) cases. Concerning ALK, 23/25 (92%) demonstrated low expression. EGFR expression was associated with grade (p=0.049), whereas ALK expression was correlated with stage (p=0.048). ALK overexpression was detected at advanced-stage EGFR-positive cases. A biphasic EGFR protein expression pattern was observed in five (n=5) LSCC cases, whereas ALK expression was stable in all cases. Conclusion: EGFR overexpression is frequently observed in LSCC combined with low ALK expression. LSCC patients with EGFR/ALK protein overexpression should be eligible for targeted therapeutic strategies. Molecular analyses in solid malignancies-including laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas (LSCC)-have shown that upregulation of specific growth factor receptors critically destabilize the cell micro-environment inducing signal transduction from the membrane to the nucleus (1). Among these molecules, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays a crucial role in this process. The EGFR (other names include: ERBB, ERBB1, or HER1) gene is located on the short (p) arm of chromosome 7 at position 12 (cytogenetic chr band 7p12.1) (2). The protein encoded by the corresponding gene acts as a transmembrane glycoprotein. It is a member of the verb -b2 erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene (ErbB)/human epidermal receptor (HER) family of receptor tyrosine kinases, that includes also other three cell membrane receptor tyrosine kinases: HER2/c-neu (ERBB2), HER3 (ERBB3) and HER4 (ERBB4). Three main EGFR depended pathways have been already identified including the PI3K-AKT-PTEN-mTOR, the RAS-(B) RAF-MEK-ERK/MAPK and also the IL6-JAK1/2-STAT3 (3). Concerning LSCC, a subset of patients exhibits EGFR activating mutations (approximately 10-30%) and also gene amplification (approximately 10-35%) leading to protein overexpression (4, 5). Similarly, deregulation of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) seems to be a novel marker in handling LSCC patients with EGFR aberrant expression. ALK gene is located at chromosome 2 (2p23 band) encoding a protein which acts as a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase 815 This article is freely accessible online.
Background: Apart from nasal symptoms allergic rhinitis was associated with ocular or other symptoms affecting social and somatic activities or sleep. In the literature, only a few prospective studies regarding allergic rhinitis and holistic consideration of quality of life were reported. Methods: The aim of this case control study was to investigate prospectively the effect of allergic rhinitis on quality of life. 103 patients (50 males and 53 females) with mean age 30.8 ± 13.4 years, range 18-55 years, diagnosed with the disease with skin prick testing, were evaluated regarding quality of life by using the General Health Questionnaire-28, the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and the mini Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire. 50 participants without history or allergic symptoms during the last 12 months formed the control group. Independent sample t-tests were conducted to assess significant differences between patients with allergic rhinitis and controls regarding all the examined parameters concerning quality of life. Data was analyzed using Windows statistical package of SPSS version 18.0
Although Chr7 polysomy is a relatively rare gross genetic event in OSSC, it affects their biological behavior leading toa progressively aggressive phenotype (advanced stage). Furthermore, Chr7 polysomy is observed more frequently in non-viral (HPV) cases.
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