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Objective: We recently described the development of the Neck Fibrosis Scale (NFS). In this submission, we confirm domain structure and validate a scoring system for the NFS. Study Design: Prospective cross‐sectional study. Methods: Between January 2020 and December 2021, 127 head and neck cancer patients with varying degrees of cutaneous neck fibrosis completed the original 15 item NFS. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify optimal groupings with similar underlying factors. The association between the domains of the NFS and various measures of neck morbidity (i.e., construct validity) were assessed using gamma regression. Results: Exploratory factor analysis confirmed 13 of the 15 items from the NFS mapped onto two factors, which were labelled 'physical' and 'emotional' domains. Of the remaining two items, 'energy' did not load uniquely onto one factor and was removed. 'Neck‐swelling' did not load on either factor (loadings <0.3) but was retained within the physical domain based on clinical importance. This resulted in a revised 14‐item questionnaire. Internal consistency for these two domains was high (>0.8, p < 0.01). Both the physical and emotional domains of the revised NFS show strong correlation with the neck dissection impairment index and neck range of motion. The physical domain strongly correlated with neck elasticity (0.902 [95%CI 0.839–0.972], p < 0.01). Patients receiving multimodal therapy had physical domain scores that were 31.6% [95% 13.9–51.8] higher (worse) than unimodal therapy patients. Conclusions: A domain structure and scoring strategy have been developed for the NFS. Future efforts should be directed toward an evaluation of responsiveness. Level of Evidence: NA Laryngoscope, 133:2198–2202, 2023 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perilipin 2 (Plin2) is a lipid droplet protein that has roles in both lipid and glucose homeostasis. An increase in Plin2 in liver is associated with the development of steatosis, glucose intolerance, and ceramide accumulation in alcoholic liver disease. We investigated the role of Plin2 on energy balance and glucose and lipid homeostasis in wildtype and Plin2 knockout (Plin2KO) mice chronically fed a Lieber-DeCarli liquid ethanol or control diet for six weeks. Methods: We performed in vivo measurements of energy intake and expenditure; body composition; and glucose tolerance. After sacrifice, liver was dissected for histology and lipid analysis. Results: We found that neither genotype nor diet had a significant effect on final weight, body composition, or energy intake between WT and Plin2KO mice fed alcohol or control diets. Additionally, alcohol feeding did not affect oxygen consumption or carbon dioxide production in Plin2KO mice. We performed glucose tolerance testing and observed that alcohol feeding failed to impair glucose tolerance in Plin2KO mice. Most notably, absence of Plin2 prevented hepatic steatosis and ceramide accumulation in alcohol-fed mice. These changes were related to downregulation of genes involved in lipogenesis and triglyceride synthesis. Conclusions: Plin2KO mice chronically fed alcohol are protected from hepatic steatosis, glucose intolerance, and hepatic ceramide accumulation, suggesting a critical pathogenic role of Plin2 in experimental alcoholic liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]