The impact of preoperative malnutrition and sarcopenia on survival in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients remains controversial. We investigated the effects of the preoperative nutritional status and abnormalities in body composition on the mortality of OSCC patients. A retrospective study involving 103 patients with OSCC was conducted. Disease-specific survival (DSS) according to the preoperative psoas muscle mass index (PMI) and intramuscular adipose tissue content (IMAC) was evaluated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the predictive performance of the covariates with respect to DSS. The DSS rate in patients with high IMAC and low PMI was significantly lower than that in controls. Multivariate analysis revealed that a low preoperative Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) and high IMAC were independent risk factors. We demonstrated that preoperative malnutrition and abnormal body composition, such as preoperative skeletal muscle quality, are associated with DSS in OSCC patients. Our study suggests that the evaluation of preoperative malnutrition and skeletal muscle quality would be useful for predicting mortality in patients with OSCC.

Accumulating evidence has shown that sarcopenia in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is at a risk of poor prognosis. There is no universal consensus on how to assess sarcopenia in patients with OSCC in daily practice. It is important to validate the usefulness of sarcopenia assessment from cervical muscles, which are frequently used in routine clinical practice in patients with OSCC. In this study, we investigated whether preoperative lumbar (L3) skeletal muscle mass and adiposity in OSCC patients were associated with cervical (C3) skeletal muscle mass and adiposity from CT measurements. We also investigated whether skeletal muscle mass and adiposity in the C3 muscles were associated with survival rates in patients with OSCC. We demonstrated that both the quality and quantity of muscle between the C3 and L3 levels were positively correlated with each other. We also demonstrated that the survival rates in patients with low sternocleidomastoid muscle mass index, high processus spinosus muscle-intramuscular adipose tissue content, and the combination of both were significantly lower than those in the controls. These results suggest that the assessment of sarcopenia from multiple neck muscles by preoperative CT measurements may be useful in predicting the prognosis of patients with OSCC.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is one of the most common malignant salivary gland carcinomas, but no effective treatment strategy has been established other than surgical resection. Purkinje cell protein (PCP) 4/peptide (PEP) 19 is a calmodulin-binding antiapoptotic peptide that is expressed and inhibits apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is an epidermal growth factor that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many carcinomas, particularly breast and gastric carcinomas. In the present study, we performed immunohistochemical analyses of samples from 73 patients who underwent surgical resection for MEC of the salivary gland using antibodies against PCP4/PEP19 and HER2. PCP4/PEP19 expression was related to better prognosis, while HER2 expression was associated with worse prognosis. Patients that were PCP4/PEP19-positive and HER2-negative showed similar outcomes to PCP4/PEP19 and HER2 alone. Therefore, PCP4/PEP19 and HER2 are predicted to play important roles in the pathogenesis and progression of MEC.

Subacute autonomic and sensory ganglionopathy: a postmortem case Acute autonomic and sensory neuropathy (AASN) is characterised by severe autonomic dysfunction, sensory deficit, and relatively well or fully preserved motor nerve function. 1-4 The disease sometimes has a chronic course. 2 4 Detailed information is limited because there have been so few reports of the postmortem examination of AASN. 2-4 This case provides histopathological evidence for autonomic and sensory ganglionopathy in AASN. A 30 year old Japanese man had abdominal pain and a rise in body temperature to 40°C on 1 January 1990. On 23 January, he felt prickling and paraesthesia in all his limbs. On 14 February he could no longer walk due to severe prickling of the entire body. On 2 March, he became bedridden because of orthostatic hypotension. He experienced mild weakness in the all limbs, dysarthria, and dysphagia. On 13 March, he was transferred to our hospital. Physical examination on admission showed anhidrosis, urinary retention, hyposalivation, and paralytic ileus. There was no history of intoxication by drugs or food preceding the illness. His blood pressure was 122/70 mm Hg when supine and 80/46 mm Hg when sitting with no increase in heart rate. His skin was dry. Neurologically, the right pupil was round and 5.5 mm in diameter, whereas the left was oval shaped and 6.0 mm in diameter. The light reflex was sluggish, and the convergence reflex absent bilaterally. Muscle power was mildly weak in his limbs, and there was moderate limb ataxia. Deep tendon reflexes were decreased. Sensation was lost to all modalities over his entire body, including the face. Complete blood cell and serum biochemistry findings were normal. Epstein-Barr virus antibody titres were not raised in the serum. His CSF was normal. Motor conduction velocities (MCVs) and compound motor action potentials were normal in the right median nerve and the right tibial nerve. No sensory nerve action potentials (SNAPs) were evoked in the bilateral sural nerves. The coeYcient of variation of the R-R interval on his ECG was reduced (1.9%). In October, dysarthria, dysphagia, and muscle weakness gradually lessened. Despite the improvement in muscle power, severe sensory impairment and paraesthesia of the entire body, as well as

Oral care involving a denture cleaning regimen is important for reducing the incidence of systemic diseases. However, limited information is currently available on denture cleaning frequencies and regimens. Therefore, the present study investigated the relationship between the number of Candida spp. present on the complete dentures of nursing home residents and cleaning regimens. Residents were surveyed to assess their denture cleaning methods. Plaque was collected by applying a sterile swab to the mucosal surface of each examined complete denture worn by 77 residents, and the Candida spp. collected were cultured, identified, and quantified. The relationship between denture cleaning regimens and the quantity of Candida spp. was investigated. Correlation and multivariable analyses revealed that the strongest factor influencing the number of Candida spp. on dentures was the frequency of use of denture cleansers. The number of Candida spp. was the lowest on dentures cleaned daily with a denture cleanser. The present results demonstrated that the daily use of a denture cleanser effectively controlled the adherence of Candida spp. to dentures. Oral and other healthcare providers need to provide instructions on and assist nursing home residents with the daily care of dentures, using denture cleansers, including the environment where cleaning is performed.

Forests are the natural habitat for termite breeding, where the diversity of its species is higher than other habitats. Therefore, it is imperative to be knowledgeable about the diversity of termites to assess the function of their colonies in environmental ecosystems. An introductory survey to measure the diversity of termite species in a tropical forest in Kapuas Hulu Regency, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, was initiated from August – September 2020. This survey was carried out at various altitudes, namely 100 - 200, 201 - 300, and 301 - 400 masl. The termite sampling process was carried out on a 100 m path for each altitude. Observations were made in 8 plots, measuring 10 x 10 m. The termites were collected from the soil surface, leaf litters, mud trails, fallen logs, tree trunks, and roots, including termite nests. The chemical properties of the soil were analyzed to measure organic carbon, pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. A total of 150 samples of termite were collected in the survey from 8 plots at an altitude of 100 – 200 masl (97 individuals), 5 plots at an altitude of 201 – 300 masl (43 individual) and 2 plots at an altitude of 301 - 400 masl (10 individuals). We found seven species of subterranean termites belonging to two families (Termitidae and Rhinotermitidae) and five sub-families (Macrotermitinae, Termitinae, Coptotermitinae, Nasutitermitinae, and Rhinotermitinae). Increasing altitude leads reduction in the number of species of individual termites. This reduced diversity of termite species in higher areas is due to decreased temperature because cold temperatures inhibit termite’s metabolic rate. Soil chemical analysis shows that C-Organic, N, P, K, and CEC contents in this study decreased with increasing altitude. In conclusion, we highlight that altitude is a limiting factor for the distribution of termite species. It is in direct proportion with the homogeneous distribution of termite species in secondary forests of Kapuas Hulu District, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, possibly due to a decrease in air temperature and soil mineral elements.