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Abstract Despite advancements in treating metastatic melanoma, many patients exhibit resistance to targeted therapies. Our study focuses on ATP1A1, a sodium pump subunit associated with cancer development. We aimed to assess ATP1A1 prognostic value in melanoma patients and examine the impact of its ligand, bufalin, on melanoma cell lines in vitro and in vivo. High ATP1A1 expression (IHC) correlated with reduced overall survival in melanoma patients. Resistance to BRAF inhibitor was linked to elevated ATP1A1 levels in patient biopsies (IHC, qPCR) and cell lines (Western blot, qPCR). Additionally, high ATP1A1 mRNA expression positively correlated with differentiation/pigmentation markers based on data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases and Verfaillie proliferative gene signature analysis. Bufalin specifically targeted ATP1A1 in caveolae, (proximity ligation assay) and influenced Src phosphorylation (Western blot), thereby disrupting multiple signaling pathways (phosphokinase array). In vitro, bufalin induced apoptosis in melanoma cell lines by acting on ATP1A1 (siRNA experiments) and, in vivo, significantly impeded melanoma growth using a nude mouse xenograft model with continuous bufalin delivery via an osmotic pump. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that ATP1A1 could serve as a prognostic marker for patient survival and a predictive marker for response to BRAF inhibitor therapy. By targeting ATP1A1, bufalin inhibited cell proliferation, induced apoptosis in vitro, and effectively suppressed tumor development in mice. Thus, our findings strongly support ATP1A1 as a promising therapeutic target, with bufalin as a potential agent to disrupt its tumor-promoting activity.

Abstract Objective To validate a French version of the Olfactory Disorders Questionnaire (Fr-ODQ). Methods Patients with olfactory disorder (OD) and controls were enrolled from two medical centers. Individuals completed the Fr-ODQ and the French version of the sinonasal outcome tool-22 (SNOT-22). The extended Sniffin'Sticks procedure was used to test odor Threshold, Discrimination, and Identification (TDI). Cronbach’s alpha was used to measure the internal consistency of Fr-ODQ. The reliability and the external validity were evaluated through a test–retest approach and by correlating Fr-ODQ and SNOT-22 scores. Results Eighty-nine patients with OD and 65 healthy individuals completed the evaluations. The Cronbach’s alpha was 0.827, reporting adequate internal consistency. The test–retest reliability was high (r s = 0.944, p = 0.001). The external validity was adequate regarding the significant correlation between Fr-ODQ and SNOT-22 (r s = 0.498; p = 0.001). Patients with OD reported a significant higher score of Fr-ODQ than healthy individuals (p

Severe COVID-19 disease is associated with dysregulation of the myeloid compartment during acute infection. Survivors frequently experience long-lasting sequelae, but little is known about the eventual persistence of this immune alteration. Herein, we evaluated TLR-induced cytokine responses in a cohort of mild to critical patients during acute or convalescent phases (n = 97). In the acute phase, we observed impaired cytokine production by monocytes in the patients with the most severe COVID-19. This capacity was globally restored in convalescent patients. However, we observed increased responsiveness to TLR1/2 ligation in patients who recovered from severe disease, indicating that these cells display distinct functional properties at the different stages of the disease. In patients with acute severe COVID-19, we identified a specific transcriptomic and epigenomic state in monocytes that can account for their functional refractoriness. The molecular profile of monocytes from recovering patients was distinct and characterized by increased chromatin accessibility at activating protein 1 (AP1) and MAF loci. These results demonstrate that severe COVID-19 infection has a profound impact on the differentiation status and function of circulating monocytes, during both the acute and the convalescent phases, in a completely distinct manner. This could have important implications for our understanding of short- and long-term COVID-19–related morbidity.

Abstract Probe of pH study may kink in the esophagus leading to nasal symptoms during the removal.

Abstract Background The lack of objective data makes it difficult to establish the prognostic value of chemosensitive disorders in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. We aimed to prospectively monitor patients diagnosed with COVID-19 to see if the severity of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction associates with subsequent disease severity. Methods Multicentre prospective study that recruited 106 COVID-19 subjects at diagnosis. Chemosensitive functions were assessed with psychophysical tests within 4 days of clinical onset, at 10 and 20 days. Daily body temperature and oxygen saturation were recorded as markers of disease severity alongside need for hospitalisation. The correlation between olfactory and gustatory scores and disease severity was assessed with linear regression analysis. Results At T0, 71 patients (67%) presented with olfactory dysfunction while gustatory impairment was detected in 76 cases (65.6%). Chemosensitive disorders gradually improved over the observation period. No significant correlations were found between T0 chemosensitive scores and final disease severity. The correlation between olfactory scores and fever proved significant at T2 (p = 0.05), while the relationship with gustatory scores was significant at T1 (p = 0.01) and T2 (p

Functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are increasingly being designed as a theranostic nanoplatform combining specific targeting, diagnosis by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and multimodal therapy by hyperthermia. The effect of the size and the shape of IONPs is of tremendous importance to develop theranostic nanoobjects displaying efficient MRI contrast agents and hyperthermia agent via the combination of magnetic hyperthermia (MH) and/or photothermia (PTT). Another key parameter is that the amount of accumulation of IONPs in cancerous cells is sufficiently high, which often requires the grafting of specific targeting ligands (TLs). Herein, IONPs with nanoplate and nanocube shapes, which are promising to combine magnetic hyperthermia (MH) and photothermia (PTT), were synthesized by the thermal decomposition method and coated with a designed dendron molecule to ensure their biocompatibility and colloidal stability in suspension. Then, the efficiency of these dendronized IONPs as contrast agents (CAs) for MRI and their ability to heat via MH or PTT were investigated. The 22 nm nanospheres and the 19 nm nanocubes presented the most promising theranostic properties (respectively, r2 = 416 s−1·mM−1, SARMH = 580 W·g−1, SARPTT = 800 W·g−1; and r2 = 407 s−1·mM−1, SARMH = 899 W·g−1, SARPTT = 300 W·g−1). MH experiments have proven that the heating power mainly originates from Brownian relaxation and that SAR values can remain high if IONPs are prealigned with a magnet. This raises hope that heating will maintain efficient even in a confined environment, such as in cells or in tumors. Preliminary in vitro MH and PTT experiments have shown the promising effect of the cubic shaped IONPs, even though the experiments should be repeated with an improved set-up. Finally, the grafting of a specific peptide (P22) as a TL for head and neck cancers (HNCs) has shown the positive impact of the TL to enhance IONP accumulation in cells.

Background Neurological COVID-19 disease has been reported widely, but published studies often lack information on neurological outcomes and prognostic risk factors. We aimed to describe the spectrum of neurological disease in hospitalised COVID-19 patients; characterise clinical outcomes; and investigate factors associated with a poor outcome. Methods We conducted an individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis of hospitalised patients with neurological COVID-19 disease, using standard case definitions. We invited authors of studies from the first pandemic wave, plus clinicians in the Global COVID-Neuro Network with unpublished data, to contribute. We analysed features associated with poor outcome (moderate to severe disability or death, 3 to 6 on the modified Rankin Scale) using multivariable models. Results We included 83 studies (31 unpublished) providing IPD for 1979 patients with COVID-19 and acute new-onset neurological disease. Encephalopathy (978 [49%] patients) and cerebrovascular events (506 [26%]) were the most common diagnoses. Respiratory and systemic symptoms preceded neurological features in 93% of patients; one third developed neurological disease after hospital admission. A poor outcome was more common in patients with cerebrovascular events (76% [95% CI 67–82]), than encephalopathy (54% [42–65]). Intensive care use was high (38% [35–41]) overall, and also greater in the cerebrovascular patients. In the cerebrovascular, but not encephalopathic patients, risk factors for poor outcome included breathlessness on admission and elevated D-dimer. Overall, 30-day mortality was 30% [27–32]. The hazard of death was comparatively lower for patients in the WHO European region. Interpretation Neurological COVID-19 disease poses a considerable burden in terms of disease outcomes and use of hospital resources from prolonged intensive care and inpatient admission; preliminary data suggest these may differ according to WHO regions and country income levels. The different risk factors for encephalopathy and stroke suggest different disease mechanisms which may be amenable to intervention, especially in those who develop neurological symptoms after hospital admission.

TP53 mutation is one of the most frequent genetic alterations in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and results in an accumulation of p53 protein in tumor cells. This makes p53 an attractive target to improve HNSCC therapy by restoring the tumor suppressor activity of this protein. Therapeutic strategies targeting p53 in HNSCC can be divided into three categories related to three subtypes encompassing WT p53, mutated p53 and HPV-positive HNSCC. First, compounds targeting degradation or direct inhibition of WT p53, such as PM2, RITA, nutlin-3 and CH1iB, achieve p53 reactivation by affecting p53 inhibitors such as MDM2 and MDMX/4 or by preventing the breakdown of p53 by inhibiting the proteasomal complex. Second, compounds that directly affect mutated p53 by binding it and restoring the WT conformation and transcriptional activity (PRIMA-1, APR-246, COTI-2, CP-31398). Third, treatments that specifically affect HPV+ cancer cells by targeting the viral enzymes E6/E7 which are responsible for the breakdown of p53 such as Ad-E6/E7-As and bortezomib. In this review, we describe and discuss p53 regulation and its targeting in combination with existing therapies for HNSCC through a new classification of such cancers based on p53 mutation status and HPV infection.

At the beginning of 2021, the scientific community realized the burden of COVID-19-related persistent olfactory disorders (ODs). The percentage of those infected with COVID-19 who developed severe and persistent ODs [1–3] with devastating effects on their quality of life was 5 to 40% [4,5].

It has now been two years since the publication in Pathogens of our European multicenter study on the prevalence of olfactory dysfunctions (OD) during COVID-19 [...]

We assessed immune cell infiltrates to develop an immunoscore for prognosis and to investigate its correlation with the clinical data of patients with head and neck cancer. CD8, FoxP3, and CD68 markers were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 258 carcinoma samples and positive cells were counted in stromal and intra-tumoral compartments. The RStudio software was used to assess optimal cut-offs to divide the population according to survival while the prognostic value was established by using Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression models for each immune marker alone and in combination. We found with univariate analysis that the infiltration of immune cells in both compartments was predictive for recurrence-free survival and overall survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that CD8+ density was an independent prognostic marker. Additionally, the combination of CD8, FoxP3, and CD68 in an immunoscore provided a significant association with overall survival (p = 0.002, HR = 9.87). Such an immunoscore stayed significant (p = 0.018, HR = 11.17) in a multivariate analysis in comparison to tumor stage and histological grade, which had lower prognostic values. Altogether, our analysis indicated that CD8, FoxP3, and CD68 immunoscore was a strong, independent, and significant prognostic marker that could be introduced into the landscape of current tools to improve the clinical management of head and neck cancer patients.

Introduction: To evaluate the recovery rate of loss of smell (LOS) with objective olfactory testing in COVID-19 patients.Methods: Adults with confirmed COVID-19 and self-reported sudden LOS were prospectively recruited through a public call from the University of Mons (Belgium). Epidemiological and clinical data were collected using online patient-reported outcome questionnaires. Patients benefited from objective olfactory evaluation (Sniffin-Sticks-test) and were invited to attend for repeated evaluation until scores returned to normal levels.Results: From March 22 to May 22, 2020, 88 patients with sudden-onset LOS completed the evaluations. LOS developed after general symptoms in 44.6% of cases. Regarding objective evaluation, 22 patients (25.0%) recovered olfaction within 14 days following the onset of LOS. The smell function recovered between the 16th and the 70th day post-LOS in 48 patients (54.5%). At the time of final assessment at 2 months, 20.5% of patients (N = 18) had not achieved normal levels of olfactory function. Higher baseline severity of olfactory loss measured using Sniffin-Sticks was strongly predictive of persistent loss (p < 0.001).Conclusion: In the first 2 months, 79.5% of patients may expect to have complete recovery of their olfactory function. The severity of olfactory loss, as detected at the first Sniffin-Sticks-test, may predict the lack of mid-term recovery.

Abstract The histopathologic examination is important after tonsillectomy, irrespective to the surgical indication.

(1) Background: Persistent olfactory (POD) and gustatory (PGD) dysfunctions are one of the most frequent symptoms of long-Coronavirus Disease 2019 but their effect on the quality of life (QoL) of patients is still largely unexplored. (2) Methods: An online survey was administered to individuals who reported to have had SARS-CoV-2 infection at least 6 months prior with persisting COVID-19 symptoms (using the COVID symptom index), including ratings of POD and PGD, and their physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) components of quality of life were assessed using the standardized short form 12 questionnaire (SF-12). (3) Results: Responses from 431 unique individuals were included in the analyses. The most frequent persistent symptoms were: fatigue (185 cases, 42.9%), olfactory dysfunction (127 cases, 29.5%), gustatory dysfunction (96 cases, 22.3%) and muscle pain (83 cases, 19.3%). Respondents who reported persisting muscle pain, joint pain, fatigue, headache, gastrointestinal disturbances, and dyspnea had significantly worse PCS. Those experiencing persistent fatigue and dyspnea also showed significantly lower MCS. Respondents reporting POD or PGD showed significantly worse QoL, but only pertaining to the MCS. Multiple regressions predicted MCS based on olfactory and marginally on gustatory ratings, but not PCS. Age significantly affected the prediction of PCS but not MCS, and gender and temporal distance from the COVID-19 diagnosis had no effect. (4) Conclusions: POD and PGD are frequent symptoms of the long-COVID-19 syndrome and significantly reduce QoL, specifically in the mental health component. This evidence should stimulate the establishment of appropriate infrastructure to support individuals with persistent CD, while research on effective therapies scales up.

We report the clinical features of 3 patients in France who had parotitis (inflammation of the parotid salivary glands) as a clinical manifestation of confirmed coronavirus disease. Results from magnetic resonance imaging support the occurrence of intraparotid lymphadenitis, leading to a parotitis-like clinical picture.

OBJECTIVES:To investigate the role of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) in the development of dental disorders. METHODS:The first outcome was review of the role of reflux in the development of dental disorders in adults. The second outcome was review of the potential pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the association between reflux and dental disorders. Three investigators screened publications for eligibility and exclusion based on predetermined criteria through a literature search conducted on PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). RESULTS:From 386 publications, 24 studies were kept for analysis. Objective approaches were used in 16 studies to confirm GERD diagnosis. Pharyngeal reflux episodes (LPR) were considered in 2 studies. No study considered nonacid reflux. The study results supported a higher prevalence of dental erosion and caries in reflux patients compared with healthy individuals. Patients with dental erosion have a higher prevalence of reflux than controls. The pathophysiological mechanisms would involve changes in the saliva physiology. No study investigated the microbiota modifications related to reflux although the findings are supporting the critical role of microbiota change in the development of dental disorders. There is an important heterogeneity between studies about diagnostic methods and clinical outcome evaluation. CONCLUSION:The involvement of reflux in the development of dental disorders is not formally demonstrated and requires future investigations considering pharyngeal acid and nonacid reflux episodes and in particular their potential impact on oral microbiota.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of early administration of oral corticosteroids (OC) or nasal corticosteroids (NC) as an add-on to olfactory training (OT) versus OT alone in patients with olfactory dysfunction (OD) related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: Patients with a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 and OD were prospectively recruited from March 22 to December 15, 2020 from 4 European hospitals. Patients had confirmed OD on psychophysical testing. All patients undertook OT, with add-on 10 days of OC (group 1: OC + OT), or 1 month of NC (group 2: NC + OT) or olfactory training alone (group 3: OT). Olfactory evaluations (Sniffin’Sticks tests) were carried out at the time of inclusion, 1 and 2 months after the start of the therapeutic course. Results: A total of 152 hyposmic or anosmic patients completed the study. Group 1, 2 and 3 included 59, 22 and 71 patients, respectively and all patient groups were comparable regarding baseline Sniffin’Sticks tests. The median Sniffin’Sticks test values significantly improved from pre- to post-intervention in all groups. The increase of Sniffin’Sticks test values was higher in group 1 (OC + OT) compared with groups 2 and 3 (p < 0.001) at one month after treatment but did not remain so at 2 months. Groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively, presented parosmia in 20/71 (28.2%), 9/22 (40.9%) and 42/71 (59.2%) patients. This difference was statistically significant between group 1 and 3 (p < 0.001). There were no patients with a worsening of the disease or an increase of the severity of the COVID-19 symptoms. Conclusions: The use of OCs in patients with OD related to mild COVID-19 is generally well-tolerated without any case of deterioration of symptoms. OC is associated with greater improvement in psychophysical olfactory evaluations at 1-month post-treatment but there was no difference at 2 months. Parosmia may be reduced following treatment with OC and NC. On the basis of these preliminary results, it is possible to state that considering the 2 months efficacy of OC and NC with respect to the OT alone and the risk-benefit ratio, the benefit to start a specific treatment of COVID-19 related OD cannot be demonstrated and there is a need for a randomised controlled trial to assess this further.

Although the overall survival rate of papillary or follicular thyroid cancers is good, anaplastic carcinomas and radio iodine refractory cancers remain a significant therapeutic challenge. Galectin-1 (Gal-1) is overexpressed in tumor cells and tumor-associated endothelial cells, and is broadly implicated in angiogenesis, cancer cell motility and invasion, and immune system escape. Our team has previously demonstrated a higher serum level of Gal-1 in patients with differentiated thyroid cancers versus healthy patients, and explored, by a knockdown strategy, the effect of Gal-1 silencing on cell proliferation and invasion in vitro, and on tumor and metastasis development in vivo. OTX008 is a calixarene derivative designed to bind the Gal-1 amphipathic β-sheet conformation and has previously demonstrated anti-proliferative and anti-invasive properties in several cancer cell lines including colon, breast, head and neck, and prostate cancer lines. In the current work, the impacts of OTX008 were evaluated in six thyroid cancer cell lines, and significant inhibitions of proliferation, migration, and invasion were observed in all lines expressing high Gal-1 levels. In addition, the signaling pathways affected by this drug were examined using RPPA (reverse phase protein array) and phosphoprotein expression assays, and opposite regulation of eNos, PYK2, and HSP27 by OTX008 was detected by comparing the two anaplastic lines 8505c and CAL 62. Finally, the sensitive 8505c line was xenografted in nude mice, and 3 weeks of OTX008 treatment (5 mg/kg/day) demonstrated a significant reduction in tumor and lung metastasize sizes without side effects. Overall, OXT008 showed significant anti-cancer effects both in vitro and in vivo in thyroid cancer lines expressing Gal-1, supporting further investigation of the molecular mechanisms of the drug and future clinical trials in patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer are two major causes of death worldwide. The question is, “Could there be a link between these two pathologies in addition to their shared, common risk factors?” To find some answers, we studied the effect of oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) on head and neck cancer (HNC) cell lines, since oxLDL is a major contributor to atherosclerosis and the principal cause of CVD. In this study, we exposed three HNC cell lines (Detroit 562, UPCI-SCC-131 and FaDu) to oxLDL. We investigated two oxLDL receptors, CD36 and Lox-1, using immunofluorescence. Cancer cell migration was evaluated using Boyden chambers and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway was investigated using Western blotting. We demonstrated that the expression of CD36 and Lox-1 significantly increases after exposure to oxLDL. Moreover, we found that oxLDL reduces the migration of HNC cell lines, an observation that is in line with an increased degradation of β-catenin under oxLDL. Finally, the inhibition of CD36 with sulfosuccinimidyl oleate (SSO) reverses the inhibition of cell migration. In conclusion, we report that oxLDL seems to induce an increase in CD36 expression on HNC cell lines, enhancing the uptake of these lipids in cells to finally decrease cancer cell migration via the CD36/β-catenin pathway.

Background: The objective evaluation of the olfactory function of coronavirus disease 2019 patients is difficult because of logistical and operator-safety problems. For this reason, in the literature, the data obtained from psychophysical tests are few and based on small case series. Methods: A multicenter, cohort study conducted in seven European hospitals between March 22 and August 20, 2020. The Sniffin-Sticks test and the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center orthonasal olfaction test were used to objectively evaluate the olfactory function. Results: This study included 774 patients, of these 481 (62.1%) presented olfactory dysfunction (OD): 280 were hyposmic and 201 were anosmic. There was a significant difference between self-reported anosmia/hyposmia and psychophysical test results (p = 0.006). Patients with gastroesophageal disorders reported a significantly higher probability of presenting hyposmia (OR 1.86; p = 0.015) and anosmia (OR 2.425; p < 0.001). Fever, chest pain, and phlegm significantly increased the likelihood of having hyposmia but not anosmia or an olfactory disturbance. In contrast, patients with dyspnea, dysphonia, and severe-to-critical COVID-19 were significantly more likely to have no anosmia, while these symptoms had no effect on the risk of developing hyposmia or an OD. Conclusions: Psychophysical assessment represents a significantly more accurate assessment tool for olfactory function than patient self-reported clinical outcomes. Olfactory disturbances appear to be largely independent from the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the patients. The non-association with rhinitis symptoms and the high prevalence as a presenting symptom make olfactory disturbances an important symptom in the differential diagnosis between COVID-19 and common flu.

Objectives: Assess the predictive accuracy of the WHO COVID-19 severity classification on COVID-19 hospitalized patients. The secondary aim was to compare its predictive power with a new prediction model, named COVID-19 EPI-SCORE, based on a Bayesian network analysis. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a population of 295 COVID-19 RT-PCR positive patients hospitalized at Epicura Hospital Center, Belgium, admitted between March 1st and April 30th, 2020. Results: Our cohort’s median age was 73 (62–83) years, and the female proportion was 43%. All patients were classified following WHO severity classification at admission. In total, 125 (42.4%) were classified as Moderate, 69 (23.4%) as Severe, and 101 (34.2%) as Critical. Death proportions through these three classes were 11.2%, 33.3%, and 67.3%, respectively, and the proportions of critically ill patients (dead or needed Invasive Mechanical Ventilation) were 11.2%, 34.8%, and 83.2%, respectively. A Bayesian network analysis was used to create a model to analyze predictive accuracy of the WHO severity classification and to create the EPI-SCORE. The six variables that have been automatically selected by our machine learning algorithm were the WHO severity classification, acute kidney injury, age, Lactate Dehydrogenase Levels (LDH), lymphocytes and activated prothrombin time (aPTT). Receiver Operation Characteristic (ROC) curve indexes hereby obtained were 83.8% and 91% for the models based on WHO classification only and our EPI-SCORE, respectively. Conclusions: Our study shows that the WHO severity classification is reliable in predicting a severe outcome among COVID-19 patients. The addition to this classification of a few clinical and laboratory variables as per our COVID-19 EPI-SCORE has demonstrated to significantly increase its accuracy.

Melanoma is the most common cancer in young adults, with a constantly increasing incidence. Metastatic melanoma is a very aggressive cancer with a 5-year survival rate of about 22−25%. This is, in most cases, due to a lack of therapies which are effective on the long term. Hence, it is crucial to find new therapeutic agents to increase patient survival. Toad venoms are a rich source of potentially pharmaceutically active compounds and studies have highlighted their possible effect on cancer cells. We focused on the venoms of two different toad species: Bufo bufo and Rhinella marina. We screened the venom crude extracts, the fractions from crude extracts and isolated biomolecules by studying their antiproliferative properties on melanoma cells aiming to determine the compound or the combination of compounds with the highest antiproliferative effect. Our results indicated strong antiproliferative capacities of toad venoms on melanoma cells. We found that these effects were mainly due to bufadienolides that are cardiotonic steroids potentially acting on the Na+/K+ ATPase pump which is overexpressed in melanoma. Finally, our results indicated that bufalin alone was the most interesting compound among the isolated bufadienolides because it had the highest antiproliferative activity on melanoma cells.

The coronavirus pandemic raging worldwide since December 2019 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which invades human cells via the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. Although it has already been identified in many organs, ACE2 expression remains largely unknown in the head and neck (HN) sphere. Thus, this study aims to investigate its protein expression in several sites of the upper aerodigestive tract in order to highlight potential routes of infection. We compared ACE2 immunohistochemical expression between 70 paraffin-embedded specimens with two different antibodies and reported the quantified expression in each histological location. Surprisingly, we obtained different results depending on the antibody, an absence of labeling having been observed with a monoclonal antibody raised against the extracellular domain, whereas the polyclonal, against the cytoplasmic part of the protein, revealed enriched ACE2 expression, particularly in sinuses, vocal cords, salivary glands and oral cavity epithelial cells. The interpretation of these discordant results has brought several exciting lines of reflection. In conclusion, this study provides possible routes of entry for the SARS-CoV-2 in HN region and, above all, has led us to encourage caution when studying the ACE2 expression which is currently at the center of all attention.

Objective: We investigate the prevalence of the self-reported and objective sudden loss of smell (SLS) in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: Severe COVID-19 patients with self-reported SLS were recruited at hospitalization discharge. Epidemiological and clinical data were collected. The Sino-nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22) was used to evaluate rhinological complaints. Subjective olfactory and gustatory functions were assessed with the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHNES). Objective SLS was evaluated using psychophysical tests. Potential associations between olfactory evaluation and the clinical outcomes (duration of hospitalization; admission biology; one month serology (IgG), and chest computed tomography findings) were studied. Results: Forty-seven patients completed the study (25 females). Subjectively, eighteen (38.3%) individuals self-reported subjective partial or total SLS. Among them, only three and four were anosmic and hyposmic, respectively (38.9%). Considering the objective evaluation in the entire cohort, the prevalence of SLS was 21.3%. Elderly patients and those with diabetes had lower objective olfactory evaluation results than young and non-diabetic individuals. Conclusions: The prevalence of SLS in severe COVID-19 patients appears to be lower than previously estimated in mild-to-moderate COVID-19 forms. Future comparative studies are needed to explore the predictive value of SLS for COVID-19 severity.

Thyroid cancers are the most frequent endocrine cancers and their incidence is increasing worldwide. Thyroid nodules occur in over 19−68% of the population, but only 7−15% of them are diagnosed as malignant. Diagnosis relies on a fine needle aspiration biopsy, which is often inconclusive and about 90% of thyroidectomies are performed for benign lesions. Galectin-1 has been proposed as a confident biomarker for the discrimination of malignant from benign nodules. We previously identified by phage display two peptides (P1 and P7) targeting galectin-1, with the goal of developing imaging probes for non-invasive diagnosis of thyroid cancer. The peptides were coupled to ultra-small superparamagnetic particles of iron oxide (USPIO) or to a near-infrared dye (CF770) for non-invasive detection of galectin-1 expression in a mouse model of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC, as the most frequent one) by magnetic resonance imaging and fluorescence lifetime imaging. The imaging probes functionalized with the two peptides presented comparable image enhancement characteristics. However, those coupled to P7 were more favorable, and showed decreased retention by the liver and spleen (known for their galectin-1 expression) and high sensitivity (75%) and specificity (100%) of PTC detection, which confirm the aptitude of this peptide to discriminate human malignant from benign nodules (80% sensitivity, 100% specificity) previously observed by immunohistochemistry.

Objectives: To review the current knowledge regarding the involvement of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and the immune system in the development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods: An electronic literature search was conducted to identify articles published between 1990 and 2019 pertaining to tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TICs) in HNSCC using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Issues of clinical relevance, including tumor location, the number of tumor samples, the inclusion of additional specimens (dysplastic or normal mucosa), tumor size, methods used for HPV detection, relationship between antigen expression and patient characteristics (age, gender, smoking, alcohol consumption, etc.), and prognostic data (overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS)) were assessed by four blinded investigators. Results: The search identified 335 relevant studies, of which 41 met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 7 studies focused on the peripheral blood immune cell concentration in patients with HNSCC according to HPV status, and 36 studies investigated TICs in the intraepithelial and/or stromal compartment(s) according to HPV status. The immune cells studied were CD8+ T cells (N = 19), CD4+ T cells (N = 7), regulatory T cells (Tregs, N = 15), macrophages (N = 13), myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs, N = 4), and Langerhans cells (LCs, N = 2). Conclusions: Irrespective of tumor location, CD8+ and CD4+ T cells appear to play a key role in the development of HPV−related HNSCC, and their infiltration is likely associated with a significant impact on OS and RFS. To date, the roles and prognostic value of Tregs, macrophages, DCs and MDSCs remain unclear.