Search

Copyright of Acta Oto-Laryngologica is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: To investigate the middle and inner ear functions, and efferent auditory systems in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Thirty-five RA patients and 40 control subjects participated in the study. Pure-tone audiometry, high-frequency audiometry, multifrequency tympanometry, transient evoked otoacoustic emissions, and contralateral suppression tests were administered to all participants. Results: Pure-tone hearing thresholds of RA patients were significantly higher at all frequencies except for 2000 Hz, 14,000 Hz, and 16,000 Hz in the right ear and 16,000 Hz in the left ear (p<0.05). Resonance frequency values of RA patients were statistically significantly lower than those of the control group (p<0.001). Emission amplitudes obtained with contralateral acoustic stimulation were significantly lower at 1400 Hz frequency in both groups than without contralateral acoustic stimulation (p<0.05). While contralateral suppression was observed at all frequencies in the control group, no suppression occurred at 2800 Hz and 4000 Hz in RA patients. Conclusion: The results obtained in this study demonstrated the presence of hearing dysfunction in patients with RA. When a patient is diagnosed with RA, an audiological evaluation should be made, and the patient should be informed about the possibility of audiological involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Tacrolimus, an immunosuppressive agent, is used especially after organ transplantation. It has been asserted that tacrolimus has protective effects on the auditory system in some studies while it has negative effects in other studies. The purpose of our study is to investigate the effect of tacrolimus on the inner ear of the rats. Materials and Methods: 20 healthy Sprague Downey male rats weighing 250-350 grams were included in our study. The first group of rats were given 1mg/kg tacrolimus (n:7), the second group of rats were given 0.1 mg/kg tacrolimus (n:7), and the third group (n:6) was the non-administered control group. The first measurements of all rats were taken with distortion-product otoacoustic emission before starting the experiment. Then, tacrolimus drug was administered by gavage method to the 1st and 2nd groups along 30 days. The last measurement was repeated on the 30th day. Results: According to the results of the first measurements, emission was obtained in all rats and the responses were found to have similar characteristics. Similarly, the difference between the signal noise rate values in the last measurements taken from the groups did not show any statistical significance. Conclusions: Based on the distortion-product otoacoustic emission measurements, it can be said that Tacrolimus does not have ototoxic effects on the auditory system of rats considering the administered dosage and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Schwannomas are uncommon benign tumors of the external auditory canal. The clinical features, the differential diagnosis, and the surgical treatment of these lesions are discussed. Case presentation A 51-year-old patient presented with a mass obliterating the external auditory meatus. Excisional biopsy was performed. Diagnosis was reported to be schwannoma by histopathologic examination. Conclusion Schwannoma, rarely seen in the external auditory canal, can be managed by a precise excision of the tumor via transmeatal approach.

Abstract Background Sarcoidosis is a chronic, systemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology that features noncaseating granulomas in many body regions. Sinonasal involvement is rare but is also suspected to be underreported. Case presentation We present the case of a 39-year-old woman who was incidentally diagnosed with isolated sarcoidosis involving the middle turbinates. Histopathologic examination of resected concha bullosa material and an extensive panel of diagnostic tests revealed a diagnosis of isolated sarcoidosis. Since no systemic manifestations were detected, topical corticosteroid (nasal spray) was administered in the postoperative period. Throughout the 12 months after surgery, the patient remained free of symptoms and all nasal endoscopy examinations were normal. Conclusion Although isolated nasal involvement of sarcoidosis is rare, otorhinolaryngologists should consider this condition in a differential diagnosis for sinonasal complaints.

Objectives: Within the last few years, oto-endoscopes have been in use for inserting transtympanic ventilation tubes. However, in terms of published studies, only a limited number have investigated the efficacy of endoscopic myringotomy and tube placement in children. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the feasibility of endoscopic ventilation tube insertion in children by comparing the duration and outcomes of endoscopic versus microscopic technique. Method: The study included 39 children in total (22 boys and 17 girls) aged 2-10 years and diagnosed with chronic otitis media with effusion (COME). In Group A, ventilation tube insertion was performed using oto-endoscopy in 15 patients (29 ears). In Group B, ventilation tube insertion was performed using surgical microscopy in 24 patients (44 ears). Results: The mean operative time for the microscopic technique was significantly shorter than that of the endoscopic technique (P < 0.05). No serious perioperative complications related to the techniques used occurred. Conclusions: In children, oto-endoscopic tube placement can be performed safely, but the duration of endoscopic tube placement is not shorter than that of microscopic tube placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasal polyposis (NP) is a chronic inflammatory disease. Several genes play major roles in the pathophysiology of the disease. We analyzed RYD5 gene polymorphisms to determine the effect of these variants or their genetic combinations on NP. We genotyped the RYD5 gene in 434 participants (196 patients with NP and 238 controls). Data were analyzed with SPSS, SNPStats, and multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) software. We genotyped 10 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the RYD5 gene. RYD5 (+152G>T) (p.Gly51Va) has not been reported previously. The PolyPhen and PROVEAN predicted the missense mutation as deleterious, but sorting intolerant from tolerant (SIFT) did not. In the genotype analysis, we found that four SNPs ( RYD5 [−264A>G], [−103G>A], [+57-14C>T], and [+66A>G]) were significantly associated with NP. The individuals with combined genotypes of six risk alleles ( RYD5−264G, −103A, +13C, +57-14T, +66G, and +279T) had significantly higher risks for NP compared with the ones with one or four risk alleles. Haplotype analysis revealed that the two haplotypes were associated with risk of NP. As indicated by MDR analysis, RYD5 (−264A>G and −103G>A) and RYD5 (−264A>G, −177C>A, and −103G>A) were the best predictive combinations and they had the highest synergistic interaction on NP. In addition, RYD5 (+13C>T) was significantly associated with increased risk of both NP with asthma and NP with allergy and asthma. Some SNPs and their combinations in the RYD5 gene are associated with increased probability for developing NP. We emphasize the importance of genetic factors on NP and NP-related clinical phenotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]