Recent Submissions

  • The impact of facial prosthesis on quality of life for people with congenital defects : a systematic review

    Spooner, Katie; Chandler, Grace; Harding, Sam; Coward, Trevor (2025-05-07)
    Purpose: Congenital defects can often cause segregation from society due to aesthetical stigma and subjective opinion by the individual wearing the facial prosthesis, decreasing their overall Quality of Life (QoL). The aim of this systematic review is to collate and subsequently synthesise research reporting the impact of extra-oral facial prostheses on QoL for individuals with a congenital facial defect. Materials and Methods: A systematic review was undertaken following the Joanna Briggs Institute and PRISMA guidelines. The protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42023403545), and searches were performed in six databases from inception to June 4th 2025. Results: 1215 records were retrieved after review three articles were retained for inclusion. Four QoL measures were used across the study’s with the majority reporting QoL as a secondary outcome. A total of 22 people were represented across the study’s and were equally divided with 11 males and 11 females with an age range of 16–85. Despite the fact, numerous methodologies and QoL measures were used, statistically significant improvement in QoL was found following the fitting of a facial prostheses. Conclusions: All three studies suggest that a prosthesis influences patient QoL, however due to the small number of studies and the variety of QoL measures used, definitive conclusions regarding the impact of prosthetics on congenital facial deformities cannot be drawn. Future research should use standardized, prosthesis-specific QoL measures for clearer comparisons.
  • The impact of extra-oral facial prosthesis on quality of life for people with aquired defects : a systematic review

    Spooner, Katie; Chandler, Grace; Harding, Sam; Coward, Trevor (2025-05-07)
    Purpose: Acquired facial defects caused by traumatic injury or malignancy are likely to affect one’s physical wellbeing. They may lead to segregation from society due to the stigma and the subjective opinions of the individual, decreasing their overall quality-of-life (QoL). Facial prostheses are suitable forms of rehabilitation for people with acquired facial defects. Recently, QoL has been receiving attention important in evaluating patient outcomes. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise research reporting the impact of extra-oral facial prostheses on QoL for individuals with an acquired facial defect. Materials and methods: A systematic review was undertaken following Joanna Briggs Institute and PRISMA guidelines. The protocol was registered (CRD42024403538), and the searches were performed in six databases from inception to 5th August 2024. Results: 1291 records were retrieved after review ten articles were retained for inclusion. The papers were grouped into those assess people with acquired facial defects in either the auricular, nasal, or orbital regions. A total of 363 people were represented. Six QoL measures were used. Across all three groups, QoL improved post-prosthesis. Although nasal prosthesis users reported lower physical and social functioning than those with auricular prostheses. Conclusions: All ten studies reported positive impact on QoL of prosthesis, however their generalizability is limited by varying methodologies and QoL measures, none of which are designed for use with prosthesis users. Despite these limitations, QoL improvements were seen regardless of follow-up duration or prior prosthetic experience. Future research should use standardized, prosthesisspecific QoL measures for clearer comparisons.
  • Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene product expression is associated with survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

    Jones, Leanne; Divakar, Sonika; Collins, Lewis; Hamarneh, Wael; Ameerally, Phillip; Anthony, Karen; Machado, Lee (2025)
    Mutation of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) gene causes neuromuscular disorders, but increasing evidence has implicated DMD in the development and progression of several major cancer types. This study investigates the prognostic and biological significance of DMD expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data revealed that high DMD expression correlates with improved overall (median survival difference: 22 months, p = 0.0083) and progression-free (p = 0.0237) survival. The Dp71ab transcript is most strongly associated with better outcomes (median overall survival: 42 months, p = 0.0007). Notably, DMD expression levels stratify HPV-positive patients, identifying a DMD low/HPV-positive subgroup with poor outcomes. Immunohistochemical analysis of 50 HNSCC tissue cases confirmed dystrophin localisation in the nucleus and cytoplasm, with high nuclear expression linked to longer overall survival (mean difference: 31 months, p = 0.0497). Functional assays in HNSCC cells showed that Dp71ab overexpression disrupts nuclear morphology and reduces proliferation. Differential gene expression analysis additionally identified 388 upregulated and 30 downregulated genes, with pathways linked to muscle processes, ribosome biogenesis and non-coding RNA regulation. These findings highlight DMD as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target in HNSCC, warranting further mechanistic studies of Dp71 isoforms.