Functional outcome after total and subtotal glossectomy with free flap reconstruction

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate postoperative oral functions of patients who had undergone total or subtotal (75%) glossectomy with preservation of the larynx for oral squamous cell carcinomas. METHODS: Speech intelligibility and swallowing capacity of 17 patients who had been treated between 1992 and 2002 were scored and classified using standard protocols 6 to 36 months postoperatively. The outcomes were finally rated as good, acceptable, or poor. RESULTS: The 4-year disease-specific survival rate was 64%. Speech intelligibility and swallowing capacity were satisfactory (acceptable or good) in 82.3%. Only 3 patients were still dependent on tube feeding. Good speech perceptibility did not always go together with normal diet tolerance, however. CONCLUSIONS: Our satisfactory results are attributable to the use of large, voluminous soft tissue flaps for reconstruction, and to the instigation of postoperative swallowing and speech therapy on a routine basis and at an early juncture. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2008.

Cystatin C is independently associated with total and cardiovascular mortality in individuals undergoing coronary angiography. The Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health (LURIC) study.

AIMS Cystatin C is a well established marker of kidney function. There is evidence that cystatin C concentrations are also associated with mortality. The present analysis prospectively evaluated the associations of cystatin C with all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality in a well-characterized cohort of persons undergoing angiography, but without overt renal insufficiency. METHODS Cystatin C was available in 2998 persons (mean age: 62.7 ± 10.5 years; 30.3% women). Of those 2346 suffered from coronary artery disease (CAD) and 652 (controls) did not. Creatinine (mean ± SD: 83.1 ± 47.8 vs. 74.1 ± 24.7 μmol/L, p = 0.036) but not Cystatin C (mean ± SD: 1.02 ± 0.44 vs. 0.92 ± 0.26 mg/L, p = 0.065) was significantly higher in patients with CAD. After a median follow-up of 9.9 years, in total 898 (30%) deaths occurred, 554 (18.5%) due to CV disease and 326 (10.9%) due to non-CV causes. Multivariable-adjusted Cox analysis (adjusting for eGFR and established cardiovascular risk factors, lipid lowering therapy, angiographic coronary artery disease, and C-reactive protein) revealed that patients in the highest cystatin C quartile were at an increased risk for all-cause (hazard ratio (HR) 1.93, 95% CI 1.50-2.48) and CV mortality (HR 2.05 95% CI 1.48-2.84) compared to those in the lowest quartile. The addition of cystatin C to a model consisting of established cardiovascular risk factors increased the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for CV and all-cause mortality, but the difference was statistically not significant. However, reclassification analysis revealed significant improvement by addition of cystatin C for CV and all-cause mortality (p < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSION The concentration of cystatin C is strongly associated with long-term all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients referred to coronary angiography, irrespective of creatinine-based renal function.

Total and species abundance of Polychaeta during POLARSTERN cruise ANT-XXIV/2, ANDEEP-SYSTCO, in the Southern Ocean

In the course of the ANDEEP-SYSTCO project, during the ANT XXIV-2 expedition in austral summer 2007/2008, the diversity and composition of the Polychaeta of the Antarctic deep-sea and adjacent South Atlantic basins were analyzed. A total of 847 individuals of 31 families were found belonging to 86 different species. Calculation of diversity (Shannon-Wiener Index, Pielou's Evenness) and the general species composition of Polychaeta showed patterns typical for the deep sea, with high species richness and low abundances. Lowest diversity was found in the Agulhas Basin in over 4000 m water depth. Lowest Evenness was found on top of Maud Rise where one-third of all Polychaeta belonged to one species. Cluster analyses resulted in higher affinities of Maud Rise to the Agulhas Basin than to the Antarctic continental slope. Explanations are sought in similarities of environmental factors (e.g., sediment, food input).

Concentrations of carbon of dissolved and particulate total and colored organic matter in the Gulf of Riga in 1980 and 1981

Concentration, distribution, and dynamics of yellow substance were studied during 1980-1982. Colored material accounted for 17-41% of dissolved organic matter and 2-14% of suspended organic matter. A relationship of yellow substance levels with salinity is analyzed. Absorption spectra of suspended particles are studied, occurrence of yellow-colored particles in suspended phase and their distribution in the Gulf of Riga are described. Concentration of suspended yellow organic matter in the upper layer of the gulf was inversely correlated with salinity. Calculations show that 10% of terrigenous humus is flocculated in the gulf during spring.