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Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a low five-year survival rate because of its high rate of recurrence and metastasis. After surgical resection or radiation, the main treatments for HNSCC, patients sometimes experience functional or aesthetic disorders. Therefore, there is a great demand for the development of non-surgical treatment strategies to improve clinical outcomes and patients' quality of life. One such non-surgical treatment is mild hyperthermia (mHT). Many studies have investigated combination treatments with mHT and immune checkpoint inhibitors in preclinical settings. However, there have been no detailed reports on the effects of mHT on immune checkpoint molecules. Here, we investigated the effects of mHT on the tumor microenvironment (TME), particularly on programmed cell death receptor-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1), in SCCVII cells and a squamous cell carcinoma mouse model. First, we found that PD-L1 mRNA levels and surface PD-L1 expression significantly increased after mHT. Second, a single tumor model was used to determine the effect of HT on the TME. mHT enhanced the accumulation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, elevated PD-L1 expression in the TME, and decreased the PD-1 positive rate of CD4+ T cells. Finally, using a bilateral tumor model, we found that anti-PD-L1 monotherapy and combination therapy resulted in longer survival than the isotype control or mHT monotherapy. Moreover, the combination therapy resulted in a significantly higher survival rate than anti-PD-L1 monotherapy. In conclusion, our findings elucidate changes in PD-L1 expression in the TME and strengthen the rationale for mHT and PD-L1 blockade combination therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postoperative nutritional management with a nasogastric tube is often used to prevent malnutrition after oral and maxillofacial surgery. However, enteral nutrients (EN) may cause various complications due to their liquid formulation. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of semi-solid EN with a xanthan gum thickener through a nasogastric tube and examined patients' complications, nutritional status, and quality of life. We established two groups: an L group (n=20) to which we administered liquid EN, and an SS group (n=20) to which we administered semi-solidified EN. The primary outcome was the occurrence of gastrointestinal complications. The secondary outcome was a change in nutritional status based on body weight and controlling nutritional status. The other outcome was the improvement in the patients' quality of life, assessed by the administration time. During nutritional management with a nasogastric tube, the median daily administration time in the L group was 9.0 hours, and 9 patients experienced diarrhea. In the SS group, the median daily feeding time was 2.3 hours, and only 2 patients experienced diarrhea. Both groups exhibited a decrease in body weight while controlling nutritional status scores were maintained. Semi-solidification of EN may be useful for postoperative nutritional management after oral and maxillofacial surgery by reducing complications, maintaining nutritional status, and shortening administration time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to reveal the effects of unloading on satellite cell function. Methods: C57BL/6 male mice were randomly divided into control (Cont) and unloading (HS) group. HS mice were individually housed with their hindlimbs suspended for 1 week. Extensor digitorum longus and other muscles of the lower limbs were removed from euthanized mice and were used for single fiber isolation and cell sorting, respectively. Results: We performed immunocytochemistry analysis of cultured myofibers in order to assess proliferative ability and differentiation capacity of satellite cells. The proportion of activated satellite cells to total satellite cells were decreased in HS group. Moreover, the number of proliferating satellite cells and the proportion of differentiating myoblasts was lower in HS than in Cont group. To examine the molecular mechanism underlying the satellite cell dysfunction by unloading, we assessed mRNA expression of Wnt signaling components in sorted satellite cells using qPCR analysis. Decreased expression of Wnt receptor genes, including Frizzled and lipoprotein receptor-related protein, was observed in satellite cells isolated from HS mice. Discussion: It is suggested that unloading induces satellite cell dysfunction, including delayed activation, decreased proliferation, and poor differentiation via inactivation of Wnt signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]