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Background & Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the deteriorations in nutrition, swallowing, cognition, and independence among geriatric people with Alzheimer’s disease who are living with their families (PWADLF), to examine how these conditions relate to and how much they affect the patients’ qualities of life. Methods: Standardized Mini-Mental Examination (SMMSE), Barthel Index (BI), Bedside Water Swallow Test (BWST), The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) were determined. Results: According to the BWST results, 31.1% of patients had dysphagia. It was observed that 49.6% of the patients were at risk of malnutrition, and 30.3% were malnourished; 16% were highly dependent, 58.8% were moderately dependent, and only 1.7% were completely independent. It was observed that the SMMSE, MNA, and BI variables had a significant impact on the NHP variable. Conclusions: It was found in this study that elderly PWADLF are at risk for dysphagia and malnutrition. As the stage of patients progressed, it was observed that the risk of dysphagia and malnutrition increased, and their independence levels and quality of life decreased. It was found that quality of life is related to independence, nutrition, and cognitive level, and these conditions have a significant effect on the quality of life, respectively. Therefore, conditions such as malnutrition, which may decrease the quality of life in people with Alzheimer’s disease, should be evaluated early, and necessary corrective measures taken.

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, and swallowing difficulties may occur as the disease progresses. Dysphagia has many consequences, such as aspiration and pneumonia. In particular, in the advanced stage, approximately 70% of the causes of death in AD involve aspiration pneumonia. Therefore, it is vital to assess the presence or absence of dysphagia in AD. Objective: This study aims to describe swallowing difficulty across the stages of AD. Methods: Thirty-five AD patients were evaluated. The Mini-Mental State Examination was conducted. A bedside water swallow test (BWST) and the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) were administered. Finally, fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing was used to evaluate residual, aspiration and penetration conditions. Results: EAT-10 scores, BWST results, and penetration-aspiration status were statistically significantly different according to AD stage (p < 0.05). Among all patients, 74.3% had residue, 25.7% had penetration, and 2.9% had aspiration. Conclusions: This study has demonstrated that swallowing dysfunction begins at a mild stage and progressively worsens toward the advanced stage in patients with AD. At all stages of AD, residue was observed, and this poses a risk for the development of penetration-aspiration. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the early dysphagia of individuals.

Currently, there is no comprehensive and multidisciplinary recommendation study covering all aspects of pediatric dysphagia (PD). This study aimed to generate PD management recommendations with methods that can be used in clinical practice to fill this gap in our country and in the world, from the perspective of experienced multidisciplinary experts.This recommendation paper was generated by a multidisciplinary team, using the seven-step process and a three-round modified Delphi survey via e-mail. First, ten open-ended questions were created, and then detailed recommendations including management, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up were created with the answers from these questions. Each recommendation item was voted on by the experts as overall consensus (strong recommendation), approaching consensus (weak recommendation) and divergent consensus (not recommended).In the 1st Delphi round, a questionnaire of 414 items was prepared based on the experts' responses to ten open-ended questions. In the 2nd Delphi round, 59.2% of these items were accepted as pre-recommendation. In the 3rd Delphi round, 62.6% of 246 items were accepted for inclusion in the proposals. The final version recommendations consisted of 154 items.This study includes comprehensive and detailed answers for every problem that could be posed in clinical practice for the management of PD, and recommendations are for all pediatric patients with both oropharyngeal and esophageal dysphagia.

Dysphagia is one of the most common and important complications of stroke. It is an independent marker of poor outcome after acute stroke and may become chronic after the acute period and continues to affect all aspects of the patient's life. Patients with stroke may encounter any of the medical branches in the emergency room or outpatient clinic, and as in our country, there may not be specialists specific for dysphagia, such as speech-language pathologists (SLP), in every hospital. This study aimed to raise awareness and create a common opinion of medical specialists for stroke patients with dysphagia. This recommendation paper has been written by a multidisciplinary team and offers 45 recommendations for stroke patients with dysphagia. It was created using the eight-step Delphi round via e-mail. This study is mostly specific to Turkey. However, since it contains detailed recommendations from the perspective of various disciplines associated with stroke, this consensus-based recommendation paper is not only a useful guide to address clinical questions in practice for the clinical management of dysphagia in terms of management, diagnosis, and follow-up, but also includes detailed comments for these topics.

Aim: Asthma occurs in association with allergic rhinitis. Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test for Children (CARATKids) is a questionnaire to assess control of both diseases. The aim of thi...

Objectives To use multifrequency multicomponent tympanometry (MF-MCT) for evaluating the middle ear mechano-acoustics of children with a history of ventilation tube (VT) insertion and to determine the effects of tube insertion sequelae on middle ear function. Methods A prospective case-control study in a tertiary referral center involving 26 children (51 ears) aged 3–15 years. The children had undergone VT insertion surgery at least one-year previously and had no other known ear diseases. In addition, 13 age-matched healthy controls (26 ears) with no prior history of ear disease were included. The patients and control subjects underwent an otoscopic examination, standard 226 Hz tympanometry, and MF-MCT. Results In 13.7% of cases, the VT was still in place in the operated ears. Post-operative myringosclerosis and/or eardrum retraction were noticed in 30% of ears with intact tympanic membranes in the patient group. While patients exhibited a great variability of tympanometric types (with standard 226 Hz tympanometry and tympanometric patterns with 1000 Hz MF-MCT), all cases in the control group had type A tympanograms and 3B1G patterns. Conclusion The effects of VT treatment on the mechano-acoustics of the middle ear have been revealed in this study. It has also been determined that VT application may increase the mass effect on the middle ear functions, which can be detected in the tympanometric shape and pattern.

Introduction: Tegmen defect (TD) has a potential of intracranial spread of middle ear infection, meningoencephalic herniation (MEH), and cerebrospinal fluid leakage (CSFL). Especially the defects >1 cm with MEH or CSFL are generally repaired via the classical middle fossa or minicraniotomy technique. The aim of this study was to show the efficiency of the intracranial, extradural placement of the septal cartilage graft in the closure of the TD larger than 1 cm via the transmastoid (TM) approach. Methods: The demographic, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data of 11 patients with chronic otitis media (COM) who had TD larger than 1 cm were reviewed retrospectively. Hospitalization time and hearing preservation with respect to MEH or CSFL were analyzed. Results: The most common etiology of TD was cholesteatoma (82%), and 91% of the patients had multiple COM surgery history. The mean TD size was 15.4 (10–25) mm. Fifty-five percent of the patients presented with either MEH or CSFL. The mean follow-up of the patients was 22.5 (8–42) months. There was no significant difference between preoperative and postoperative mean bone conduction thresholds. Mean hospitalization time was 5.2 (3–10) days. There was no significant difference in the hospitalization time between patients with MEH or CSFL and without MEH or CSFL. Neither recurrence nor graft infection was encountered. Conclusion: Extradural grafting with the septal cartilage in the large TD up to 25 mm can be repaired efficiently via the TM approach without application of a lumbar drainage.

Esophageal dysphagia (ED) is often underestimated in neuromuscular disorders (NMD) and it is important to evaluate the esophageal phase of swallowing with an easy and rapid screening test. We aimed both to assess the prevalence of ED in NMD and to perform validity and reliability study of the brief easophageal dysphagia questionnaire (BEDQ) screening test in NMD patients. This prospective cross-sectional clinical study was performed on NMD patients. Demographic features and disease characteristics were recorded. Endoscopic evaluation for oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) and high-resolution esophageal manometry for ED were performed. In addition, the BEDQ and the 10-item eating assessment tool (EAT-10) were used to all subjects. Cronbach’s α and principle components factor analysis (PFCA) with varimax rotation were used for reliability. The Chicago Classification version 3 (CCv3) level (high-resolution esophageal manometry) and EAT-10 was used for validity. A total of 50 patients were included in the study. Thirty-four (68%) patients were diagnosed with myasthenia gravis and 16 (32%) patients were diagnosed with myopathy. Esophageal dysphagia according to the CCv3 was found in 33 (66%) of patients. While the Cronbach’s α was excellent as 0.937 for test overall the T-BEDQ scale. The PCFA included all scale items and resulted in a single factor (eigenvalue = 5.72, 71.5%). The all BEDQ scores were demonstrated good correlation with EAT-10 score and very good correlation with CCv3 level. Evaluation of swallowing in patients with NMD should include not only the oropharyngeal phase of swallowing, but also esophageal phase. For this purpose, the BEDQ can be used as a rapid, valid, and reliable test for the evaluation of ED.

Dysphagia is one of the most common and important complications of stroke. It is an independent marker of poor outcome following acute stroke and it continues to be effective for many years. This consensus-based guideline is not only a good address to clinical questions in practice for the clinical management of dysphagia including management, diagnosis, follow-up, and rehabilitation methods, but also includes detailed algorithms for these topics. The recommendation paper has been written by a multidisciplinary team and offers 117 recommendations for stroke patients with dysphagia. While focusing on management principles, diagnosis, and follow-up in the 1st part (45 items), rehabilitation details were evaluated in the 2nd part (72 items).

Background/aim: Ischemia is insufficient blood flow to provide adequate oxygenation. In the present study, we aimed to show whether acute hypoxia has a critical oxygen value that may lead to the deterioration of cochlear function.Materials and methods: Under general anesthesia, prehypoxic signal-to-noise ratios were determined by distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE). The oxygen saturation (SaO2) values of rats were monitored with an oxygen saturation probe. Rats were injected with an extra dose of anesthetic agent, and SaO2 was reduced. DPOAE values in SaO2 100–90, 90–80, 80–70, and 70–60 posthypoxic values were measured and compared statistically with prehypoxic values.Results: At 3000 and 4000 Hz, SaO2 70–60 values measured after the hypoxia were observed to be statistically significantly lower than the values measured before the hypoxia. At 6000 and 8000 Hz, SaO2 80–70 and 70–60 values measured after the hypoxia were observed to be statistically significantly lower than the values measured before the hypoxia. At 10,000 Hz, all of the values measured after the hypoxia were observed to be statistically significantly lower than the values obtained before the hypoxia.Conclusion: Many studies have been conducted on the effects of hypoxia on the inner ear. It remains unclear how fluctuations in DPOAE levels affect hearing in clinical trials when the SaO2 starts to decrease. Although hypoxia has been implicated in the etiology of sudden hearing loss and tinnitus, the effects of acute hypoxia on the cochlea are still uncertain. Further studies are needed on this subject.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effect of low-dose topical administration of methotrexate MTX in a toluene diisocyanate TDI -induced allergic rhinitis rat model. Materials and Methods: The experiments were performed on 18 healthy male Wistar albino rats weighing between 250-270 g. Rats were divided into four study groups: control group n=5 , sham group n=3 , steroid group n=5 , and MTX group n=5 . After the drugs were administered, multiple biopsies were taken bilaterally from the nasal mucosal areas and evaluated histologically for fibrosis, loss of cilia and goblet cells, edema, squamous cell metaplasia, and vascular proliferation. Results: Fibrosis, loss of cilia cells, edema, and vascular proliferation were significantly lower in both MTX and steroid groups than in the control group p0.05 . There were no statistically significant differences with respect to loss of goblet cells and squamous cell metaplasia among the studied groups p>0.05 . Conclusion: Methotrexate may be an alternative or adjuvant therapeutic agent in allergic rhinitis.

Background: Head and neck paragangliomas are slowly growing benign tumors and they originate from specialized neural crest cells.Aims/objectives: This study aimed to express the safety of paragangl...

Aim: In this study, it was aimed to experimentally investigate the protective effects of melatonin in the cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. Material and Methods: Ten Wistar-albino rats were included in the study. Two equal groups were generated randomly as cisplatin and melatonin groups. Rats’ underwent Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) and Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission (DPOAE) testing before the drug administration and the results were recorded. Both tests were repeated 72 hours after the cisplatin administration in all rats. Results: Significant difference was found between the I-IV interval values before the treatment and after the treatment both in cisplatin and melatonin group. As well as the significant difference in hearing threshold value changes, statistically, significant differences in ABR-I and ABR-IV interval variations were also seen between the cisplatin and melatonin groups. A statistically significant decrease was found between the initial and final control SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) levels within the cisplatin group in the evaluations at 2000Hz, 3000Hz and 4000Hz. Statistically, significant differences were observed between SNR levels when the melatonin group was compared with the cisplatin group. Conclusion: Melatonin appears to reduce cisplatin-induced ototoxicity in rats. Although, the use of supplementary therapies targeting to reduce the toxic effects in clinical studies is still a controversial point.

Purpose: This study was aimed to investigate the presence of dysphagia with multidimensional objective tests in FM female patients with and without dysphagia symptom compared to healthy female subjects. Methods: A case control study was conducted on 165 subjects (21 FM patients with dysphagia symptom, 62 FM patients without dysphagia symptom and 82 healthy subjects). All subjects were evaluated with a clinical screening test, endoscopy, electrophysiology of swallowing (dysphagia limit and swallowing intervals) and musculoskeletal ultrasound (cross-sectional thickness and area of swallowing muscles). Patients (with and without dysphagia symptom) and healthy subjects were compared in terms of all evaluation parameters. Results: The mean age of 165 subjects was [Formula: see text] years and all subjects ([Formula: see text], 100%) were female. Endoscopic evaluation results were similar among three groups ([Formula: see text]). Both the functional evaluation of swallowing measured by swallowing intervals ([Formula: see text]-value between 0.001 and 0.004) and the structural features assessed by the ultrasound ([Formula: see text]-value between 0.001 and 0.007) were significantly impaired in patient groups compared to healthy subjects. FM patients without dysphagia symptom also had significant impairments in function ([Formula: see text]-value between 0.001 and 0.004 for swallowing intervals) and structural features ([Formula: see text]-value between 0.001 and 0.007 for cross-sectional thickness and area of swallowing muscles) compared to healthy subjects. Conclusion: The structure and function of swallowing may be affected in patients with FM, even without dysphagia symptoms.

Cartilage has been used in otologic surgery for ossicular reconstruction and grafting since 1960s. Due to low metabolic rate, stiffness and stability properties with regard to fascia, it is thought to be more effective in tympanoplasty. With the help of this measurement technique, redundant oversized harvesting of cartilage can be prevented and overmanuplation during graft replacement especially after a delicate ossiculoplasty procedure can be avoided. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the preparation of optimal island cartilage composite graft with a simple sterile suture package template for the appropriate size of the tympanic membrane perforation, and to provide a functional surgery with minimal donor site defect and minimal manipulation. With this technique, 143 patients with chronic otitis have been operated in our clinic. No complications with respect to this method, have been observed up to date. Using an easily prepared template is a simple and effective method for measuring the perforation size.

Bartter syndrome with sensorineural deafness (Bartter syndrome type 4) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized with polyhydramniosis, premature birth, massive polyuria, renal salt-wasting, hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis, normotensive hyperreninemic hyperaldosteronism, and hearing loss. Homozygous mutations in BSND, CLCNKA, and CLCNKB mutations cause the disorder. Here we report a 3-year-old boy who had not been evaluated and investigated before cochlear implantation. Hypokalemia was detected during the routine laboratory workup before surgery. Further analyses revealed metabolic alkalosis with high renin and aldosterone levels. Hypokalemia improved with oral potassium chloride supplementation. Genetic tests revealed a homozygous c.139G>A (pG47R) mutation in BSND gene, and both parents were heterozygous for the same mutation. We want to emphasize the importance of evaluating hearing loss in children, since some of the genetic syndromes may cause life threatening abnormalities.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effect of low-dose topical administration of methotrexate (MTX) in a toluene diisocyanate (TDI)-induced allergic rhinitis rat model. Materials and Methods: The experiments were performed on 18 healthy male Wistar albino rats weighing between 250-270 g. Rats were divided into four study groups: control group (n=5), sham group (n=3), steroid group (n=5), and MTX group (n=5). After the drugs were administered, multiple biopsies were taken bilaterally from the nasal mucosal areas and evaluated histologically for fibrosis, loss of cilia and goblet cells, edema, squamous cell metaplasia, and vascular proliferation. Results: Fibrosis, loss of cilia cells, edema, and vascular proliferation were significantly lower in both MTX and steroid groups than in the control group (p0.05). There were no statistically significant differences with respect to loss of goblet cells and squamous cell metaplasia among the studied groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: Methotrexate may be an alternative or adjuvant therapeutic agent in allergic rhinitis.

The use of preincisional plain levobupivacaine, lidocaine adrenaline and saline for perioperative blood loss and postoperative analgesia in pediatric tonsillectomy patients are compared.Ninety patients were randomly assigned into one of the 3 groups to receive preincisional peritonsillar infiltration of levobupivacaine 0.25% (group LB), lidocaine-adrenaline 1% with 1:200,000 (group LA) and saline (group S) under general anesthesia. Intraoperative blood loss, pre- and postoperative hemoglobin (hb) and haematocrit (htc) values, hemostasis time, operation duration, number of cautery used (20 W, 1s) and heart rates were recorded. Pain scores in PACU, at 6th, 12th and 24th hours postoperatively and the number of the patients requiring analgesic treatment for first 24h was also recorded.There was a 30% reduction in perioperative blood loss in group LB and 63% reduction in group LA compared to group S (39 ± 6, 21 ± 4 and 55 ± 7 ml respectively) (p0.001). Even though all three groups have significantly lower postoperative hb and htc values with respect to preoperative levels both local anesthetic groups had significantly higher postoperative hb and htc values than saline (p0.001). Time required for hemostasis, the number of cautery used for haemostasis and operation duration were lower in groups LB and LA with respect to group S. Pain scores of the group LB revealed a significantly lower score throughout 24h. Only 14 patients in group LB demanded additional analgesic where as all patients in the other groups had. Adding adrenaline to the local anesthetic solution showed no side effects. Also we did not happened to see any complications related to local anesthetic injections. There was no postoperative major bleeding in groups.Levobupivacaine has a vasoconstrictive effect in 0.25% concentrations that may be beneficial in tonsillectomy patients and has a consistent analgesic effect.

Cisplatin is a common chemotherapeutic agent used in many solid and hematologic malignancies. The main unwanted effect of cisplatin is ototoxicity, for which no standard treatment has been reported. The present study examined the protective efficacy of resveratrol on cisplatin-dependent ototoxicity through an experimental model. Fifteen rats were randomized into three groups. Group 1 (control group) (n = 5) received intraperitoneal (i.p.) 15 mg/kg cisplatin; group 2 (resveratrol group) (n = 5) received i.p. 100 mg/kg resveratrol, followed by i.p. 15 mg/kg cisplatin; group 3 (n = 5) served as a vehicle group and received i.p. 1 ml dimethyl sulfoxide. All rats underwent the auditory brainstem response (ABR) test before and 72 h after the treatment. Pretreatment ABR values of the groups were not significantly different. The pretreatment hearing threshold values of the groups were 30 ± 6.60 and 28.5 ± 5.29 dB in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p > 0.05). The post-ABR-I and post-ABR-IV values were, respectively, 1.41 ± 0.18 and 5.83 ± 0.16 ms in the control subjects and 1.19 ± 0.22 and 4.58 ± 0.27 ms in the study group. The ABR-I and ABR-IV durations in rats treated with resveratrol were significantly shorter (p < 0.01). A comparison of threshold values shows that the resveratrol-treated rats had significantly lower values than the control rats. After cisplatin injection, ABR I–IV intervals were compared among the groups. The ABR I–IV interval duration was 4.42 ± 0.16 ms in the control group, while the resveratrol-treated rats showed a significantly shorter ABR I–IV interval duration of 3.49 ± 0.27 ms (p < 0.001). Resveratrol attenuated cisplatin-dependent inner-ear damage, as shown by the ABR-I, ABR-IV, ABR I–IV interval, and hearing threshold values. Our results suggest that this natural antioxidant may be effectively used in reducing the unwanted effects of cisplatin on the ear physiology of patients, particularly those undergoing chemotherapy.

Oncocytoma is a rare neoplasm which consists of 2% of benign salivary gland tumors. Usually oncocytoma is seen in 6th decade and female to male ratio is 1:1. Most of these tumors are localized in parotid gland, the involvement of other salivary glands is rare. The most common presentation is usually slow growing, asymptomatic mass lesion. In this paper a 68-year-old female patient admitted with the complaint of mass lesion at right submandibular gland and diagnosed with oncocytoma was presented and the topic was discussed along with the relevant literature. Key words: Salivary Glands; Submandibular Gland; Neoplasms; Oncocytoma., Onkositoma benign tükrük bezi tümörlerinin %2'sini oluşturan nadir bir neoplazidir. Genelde 6. dekatta görülür ve kadın/erkek oranı 1:1'dir. Bu tümörlerin büyük çoğunluğu parotis glandına yerleşir, diğer tükrük bezlerinde yerleşim nadirdir. Klinikte genelde asemptomatik , yavaş büyüyen kitle ile prezante olurlar. Bu yazıda sağ submandibuler gland yerleşimli kitle nedeniyle başvuran ve onkositoma tanısı alan 68 yaşında bayan hasta sunuldu ve konu literatür bilgileri eşliğinde tartışıldı. Anahtar kelimeler: Tükrük Bezleri; Submandibuler Bez; Neoplazmlar; Onkositoma.

Oncocytoma is a rare neoplasm which consists of 2% of benign salivary gland tumors. Usually oncocytoma is seen in 6th decade and female to male ratio is 1:1. Most of these tumors are localized in parotid gland, the involvement of other salivary glands is rare. The most common presentation is usually slow growing, asymptomatic mass lesion. In this paper a 68-year-old female patient admitted with the complaint of mass lesion at right submandibular gland and diagnosed with oncocytoma was presented and the topic was discussed along with the relevant literature. Key words: Salivary Glands; Submandibular Gland; Neoplasms; Oncocytoma.

Flow Evaluation of the Internal Jugular Vein after Neck Dissection Objective: To evaluate thrombosis, flow rate and changes in the caliber of the internal jugular vein after neck dissection. Methods: Sixteen patients who underwent twenty-two internal jugular vein sparing neck dissections December 2008 to September 2009 were evaluated. Pre- and postoperatively, the patency of internal jugular veins was determined by duplex Doppler ultrasound examination. The patients were scanned in the supine position, and the patency and caliber of the internal jugular veins were assessed. These examinations were performed preoperatively and at the 1st and 3rd postoperative months. Results: There were significant differences in the caliber and flow rate of the internal jugular veins as detected in preoperative and 7-day postoperative evaluations (p 0.05). The caliber and flow rate of the internal jugular veins were determined to be within the normal range at the 3-month postoperative evaluation. Thrombus was not found in any patient postoperatively. Conclusion: Decreased flow rate improved gradually in neck dissections that preserved the internal jugular vein. The protection of the internal jugular vein will minimize morbidity.

To evaluate the quality of life after surgery for benign neoplastic disease of the parotid gland. Forty-nine patients who underwent surgery for benign parotid disease between January 2004 and December 2008 were included in this retrospective study. EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires were used to determine the quality of life. The variables of these questionnaires were compared with age, gender, educational status, histopathologic diagnosis and Frey syndrome. A statistically significant correlation was noted between the female gender and post-surgical pain, sleeplessness and the use of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (p < 0.001). There was a significant difference between age and difficulties in moving the mouth (p < 0.001). Frey syndrome related to social functions, economical difficulties, speech defect, reduced sexuality, and nutritional parameters were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001). Frey syndrome is the most common complication that affects the quality of life in patients who had parotidectomy due to a benign parotid disease. Therefore, all patients should be informed about Frey syndrome before parotidectomy.

The aim of the study was to demonstrate the effects of nasal CPAP treatment on the morphology and function of nasal mucosa in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Patients with complaints relevant to OSA underwent respiratory function tests, arterial blood gas analyses and polysomnography. Saccharine test and nasal biopsies were performed to assess the mucociliary transport time and to observe the histopathological changes in patients with apnea-hypopnea index ≥15 in whole night polysomnography. Tissue samples were obtained from middle and inferior turbinates and septal mucosa to observe the degree of inflammation and fibrosis by semiquantitative means. Biopsies and mucociliary transport test were performed before and 3 months after the initiation of CPAP treatment. A total of 25 patients with a mean age of 52 were enrolled in the study. While the pretreatment mucociliary transport time before and 3 months after the treatment were 10.50 and 11.50 min respectively. The difference between these values was statistically insignificant. Mean apnea-hypopnea index was 63.19, while mean partial oxygen pressure was 75.46 mmHg. Nasal CPAP treatment was introduced with a mean pressure of 9.54 cmH2O. The degree of inflammation and fibrosis was found to be significantly increased after CPAP treatment. Nasal CPAP leads to alterations in mucosa. Efforts should be directed to make CPAP treatment a safer method via protecting the morphologic and functional properties of the nasal mucosa.

We investigated the prognostic factors affecting survival and recurrence in laryngeal cancer.The study included 116 patients (4 females, 112 males; mean age 55+/-9 years; range 35 to 75 years) who underwent surgery for squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. Risk factors for survival and recurrence were analyzed using univariate analysis and Cox regression analysis. The mean follow-up period was 43+/-25 months.Mortality occurred in 14 patients, nine of which were due to tumoral causes. In univariate analyses, lymphovascular invasion, cartilage invasion, positive surgical margins, postoperative deglutition time, and complications had a significant effect on survival, while recurrence was influenced by age, postoperative deglutition time, postoperative radiotherapy, and positive surgical margins (p0.05). Cox regression analyses showed that postoperative deglutition time, radiotherapy, recurrence, and tumor localization significantly affected survival, and preoperative differentiation, tracheotomy, pre- and postoperative tumor stage, radiotherapy, cartilage invasion, and positive surgical margins were significant prognostic factors for recurrence (p0.05).Evaluation of the prognostic factors in larynx cancer may serve as a guide to treatment and follow-up.