Methods: A total of 44 patients with clinically M0 squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck underwent primary tumor resection and neck dissection within 6 wk of diagnostic imaging. Imaging consisted of a standard WB PET/CT protocol without intravenous contrast enhancement, followed by

a Selleckchem Bcl2 inhibitor high-resolution dedicated head and neck (HN) PET/CT protocol, which included diagnostic-quality contrast-enhanced CT (CECT). Imaging results were compared with histopathology. A 5-point scale was used to designate primary tumor localization and the presence of lymph node metastasis on a per-patient and per-level basis. For cervical nodes, receiver-operating-characteristic curves were generated to determine the differences in performance between the WB and HN PET/CT protocols and CECT. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative

www.selleckchem.com/products/ABT-737.html predictive values, and accuracy were calculated for primary tumor and cervical nodes. Results: No statistical difference was observed between WB and HN PET/CT protocols, both of which significantly outperformed CECT, in the evaluation of the primary tumor. The performance of the HN PET/CT protocol was superior to that of the WB PET/CT in the detection of cervical node metastases, achieving statistical significance on a per-level basis and approaching significance on a per-patient basis, with the greatest advantage in the detection of small positive lymph nodes (<15 mm). No significant difference was observed between the WB PET/CT protocol and CECT in nodal staging, either on a per-patient or on a per-level basis. Conclusion: The primary advantage of the dedicated HN PET/CT protocol over the WB protocol or CECT in the staging of head and neck cancer is in the detection of small lymph node metastases.”
“Keloid disease (KD) is a common fibroproliferative disorder of unknown etiopathogenesis. Its unique occurrence in human skin and lack of animal models pose challenges for KD research. The lack of a suitable model in KD and over-reliance on cell culture

has hampered the progress in developing new treatments. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of two promising candidate antifibrotic therapies: (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) silencing in a long-term 3-MA concentration human keloid organ culture (OC). Four millimeters of air-liquid interface (ALI) keloid explants on collagen gel matrix in serum-free medium (n = 8 cases) were treated with different modalities (EGCG treatment; PAI-1 knockdown by short interfering RNA (siRNA) and application of dexamethasone (DEX) as control). Normal skin (n = 6) was used as control (only for D0 keloid-untreated comparison). Besides routine histology and quantitative (immuno-) histomorphometry, the key phenotypic and growth parameters of KD were assessed. Results demonstrated that EGCG reduced keloid volume significantly (40% by week 4), increased apoptosis (>= 40% from weeks 1 to 4), and decreased proliferation (<= 17% in week 2).