Oral mucositis is a common adverse effect of cancer treatment that can increase the risk for local and systemic infection. This prospective study was designed to evaluate the preventive effects of an amino-acid-rich elemental diet (ED), Elental ® , on radiotherapy-or chemoradiotherapy-induced mucositis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients. Fifty patients were enrolled in this prospective study, who had received radiation (60-70 Gy) with/without chemotherapy [S-1, UFT, cisplatin (CDDP), docetaxel (DOC) plus CDDP, or Cetuximab]. The Elental ® group (25 patients) had received Elental ® during treatment, and the control group (25 patients) had not. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors related to abatement of oral mucositis. A comparison of the rates of completion of chemoradiation treatments as well as the nutritional or inflammatory status between Elental ® and control groups was performed. Multivariate analysis indicated that most of the patients who received Elental ® suffered from a lower degree of mucositis and showed significantly improved rate of completion of chemoradiation (no interruption) compared to the control group. There was a significant difference between the Elental ® group and the control group in terms of the mean change of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in blood serum; however, there was no significant difference in terms of a mean change of body weight and total protein level in blood serum before and after chemoradiation. Our study shows that the Elental ® elemental diet could be useful for the treatment of oral mucositis induced by chemoradiation. Elental ® might also promote improved completion rates of chemoradiotherapy in OSCC patients.

It appears that MLD did not simply soften the skin, but rather normalized it in terms of strain. However, this was not confirmed in the subcutaneous tissue.

Objective: To investigate the safety and effi cacy of a novel arm sleeve composed of a conventional arm sleeve extending to a wider area of the body. Materials and Methods: Five subjects with post-mastectomy upper extremity lymphedema, who had already been using their own arm sleeve, used a brand-new conventional arm sleeve for 2 weeks, followed by a novel arm sleeve for 2 weeks. The adverse events, arm-related symptoms, interface pressures, and subcutaneous fl uid distributions observed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were assessed. Results: The use of the novel arm sleeve resulted in a graduated compression extending to the shoulder (forearm, 21.8 ± 3.7 mmHg; upper arm, 15.2 ± 3.3 mmHg; shoulder, 8.8 ± 3.1 mmHg). By eliminating the wring seen in the conventional arm sleeve, the disturbed proximal diffusion of the subcutaneous fl uid and venous occlusion were successfully avoided, as confi rmed by MRI. No adverse event or worsening of arm-related symptoms was reported. Conclusion:The novel arm sleeve seemed to provide graduated compression to a wider area, allowing improved subcutaneous fl uid and venous drainage without any adverse events. Therefore, the novel arm sleeve may be recommended as a compression therapy option for upper extremity lymphedema.