Hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate-based medical devices: formulations, esophageal mucosal protection, and their place in the management of GERD.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) remains a challenging condition, even in the third millennium. For much of the past century, Schwartz's dictum-"No acid, no ulcer"-has shaped our approach to acid-related diseases, making acid suppression the cornerstone of therapy. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely regarded as the standard treatment for GERD.

Laryngopharyngeal reflux and psychological distress: a vicious cycle worth investigating.

Objectives: To investigate the correlation between laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and psychological distress in a sample of adult Italian patients.

Methods: LPR was assessed using the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), Reflux Finding Score (RFS), and 24-hour impedance-pH monitoring. Psychological distress was evaluated with the following clinical tools: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10).

Mimicking Human Laryngeal Tissues for a Soft Artificial Prosthesis.

The larynx is a vital organ, with three main functions: breathing, swallowing, and phonation. Nevertheless, in the case of advanced laryngeal carcinoma, the total laryngectomy is still the gold standard. This clinical practice causes several physical and social problems to the patient.

Italian Vocal Fatigue Index: Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation.

Background: Vocal fatigue involves self-perceived vocal symptoms and reduced physiological capacity. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI), a tool originally designed to distinguish between patients with vocal fatigue and vocally healthy individuals, for Italian speakers.

Method: A four-step translation and validation process was employed.

European clinical practice guideline: managing and treating laryngopharyngeal reflux disease.

Objective: To propose a European consensus for managing and treating laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) to guide primary care and specialist physicians.

Methods: Twenty-three European experts (otolaryngologists, gastroenterologists, surgeons) participated in a modified Delphi process to revise 38 statements about the definition, clinical management, and treatment of LPRD. Three voting rounds were conducted on a 5-point scale and a consensus was defined a priori as agreement by 80% of the experts.

The Revised Reflux Symptom Index (R-RSI): Development, Internal and External Validation Study.

Introduction: This study proposes a revised version of the Reflux Symptom Index (R-RSI), a seventeen-item questionnaire that was revised to increase the suspicion of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD).

Methods: Internal validation involved 213 participants, comprising 160 subjects without a previous LPRD diagnosis and 53 subjects with a self-reported previous diagnosis of LPRD with or without gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were calculated.

Artificial intelligence for the recognition of benign lesions of vocal folds from audio recordings.

Objective: The diagnosis of benign lesions of the vocal fold (BLVF) is still challenging. The analysis of the acoustic signals through the implementation of machine learning models can be a viable solution aimed at offering support for clinical diagnosis.

Materials And Methods: In this study, a support vector machine was trained and cross-validated (10-fold cross-validation) using 138 features extracted from the acoustic signals of 418 patients with polyps, nodules, oedema, and cysts.

Adaptation and validation of the Italian Singing Voice Handicap Index-10 (SVHI-10-IT).

Objective: The aim of this study was to adapt and validate the Italian version of the singing Voice Handicap Index-10 (SVHI-10-IT).

Methods: 99 Italian singers were enrolled in the study. All subjects underwent videolaryngostroboscopic examination and were asked to fill out the self-reported 10-item SVHI-10-IT.

Assessing Acoustic Parameters in Early Music and Romantic Operatic Singing.

Objective: Since the recent early music (EM) revival, a subset of singers have begun to specialize in a style of singing that is perceptually different from the more "mainstream" romantic operatic (RO) singing style. The aim of this study is to characterize EM with respect to RO singing in terms of its vibrato characteristics and the singer's formant cluster.

Study Design: This study presents a within-subject experimental design.

Development of a New Self-Assessment Tool for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Screening in Singers (SVHI-12-LPR).

Introduction: The present study aimed to develop a new tool for the evaluation of singers with self-reported symptoms suggestive of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) (the SVHI-12-LPR), by correlating RSI with SVHI in a population sample of 163 subjects (both professional and amateur singers), evaluated also by videolaryngostroboscopy. This study was a cross-sectional, double-observational study.

Methods: RSI and SVHI were administered to 159 singers (amateurs, singing students, and professional singers).

Dysphagia in Parkinson's disease: Pharyngeal manometry and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation.

Objective: Dysphagia is a common symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD) and it represents a negative prognostic factor because of its complications. This study is to evaluate pharyngeal dysphagia for boluses of various consistencies with Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) and Pharyngeal High-Resolution Manometry (PHRM) in a group of PD patients, making a comparison between the information provided by the two exams.

Methods: Group of 20 patients affected by PD was selected and initially subjected to a qualitative evaluation of the swallowing performing FEES.

Complications during Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing in 5,680 Examinations.

Objective: To evaluate retrospectively the incidence of complications during fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) in 5,680 examinations.

Patients And Methods: 5,680 patients were evaluated at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Audiology and Phoniatrics of Pisa University Hospital between January 2014 and December 2018, involving both inpatients and outpatients. Most common comorbidities included neurological pathologies such as stroke (11.

Psychopathological aspects of dysphagia: a systematic review on correlations with eating disorders and other psychiatric conditions.

Background: The effect of psychopathology on swallowing ability tends to be an overlooked issue in the assessment of dysphagic patients, possibly overshadowed by the given prominence to organic pathologies and the difficulties on the management of these patients. In addition, it should also be kept in mind that a great number of psychotropic drugs can affect swallowing adding problematic clinical issues in this area. Despite this, assessment of dysphagia should be considered as an extremely important issue, due to its impact on basic symptomatology, course of illness and quality of life.

Psychological Distress in a Sample of Adult Italian Patients Affected by Vocal Nodules and Muscle-Tension Dysphonia: Preliminary Results.

Objectives: To evaluate the correlation between voice disorders and psychological distress, in terms of anxiety, stress, and depression, in a sample of adult Italian patients and to compare our results with those obtained in a group of adult healthy controls matched by age, sex, geographic distribution, and occupation.

Methods: This prospective-controlled study included 100 adults with Vocal nodules (VN) and Muscle Tension Dysphonia (MTD1), aged between 18 and 65 years, as Experimental Group (EG) and 100 age-matched subjects without any voice disorders as a Control Group (CG). All patients in the EG underwent a phoniatric evaluation, including the administration of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and laryngeal examination.

Evaluation of the Electroglottographic Signal Variability in Organic and Functional Dysphonia.

Objectives: To confirm the data reported in our previous studies on the analysis of the variability of the electroglottographic signal in the pathological voice; to evaluate possible differences in variability between organic and functional pathologies; to identify any distinctive/typical EGG patterns for these pathologies.

Methods: One hundred twenty-five subjects were enrolled (36 euphonic and 89 pathological: 24 functional dysphonia, 21 bilateral vocal nodules, 23 unilateral polyps and 21 unilateral cysts). All subjects were studied with videolaryngostroboscopy, spectrographic analysis of voice and electroglottography (EGG).

Laryngopharyngeal reflux, gastroesophageal reflux and dental disorders: A systematic review.

Objectives: To investigate the role of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) in the development of dental disorders.

Methods: The first outcome was review of the role of reflux in the development of dental disorders in adults. The second outcome was review of the potential pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the association between reflux and dental disorders.

A structural equation model to examine the clinical features of mild-to-moderate COVID-19: A multicenter Italian study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical features of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a sample of Italian patients and to investigate the occurrence of smell and taste disorders. Infected individuals with suspected (clinical diagnosis) or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection were recruited. Patients completed a survey-based questionnaire with the aim of assessing their epidemiological and clinical characteristics, general otorhinolaryngological symptoms, and smell and taste disorders.

Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) and Singing Voice Handicap Index (SVHI) in Singing Students: A Pilot Study.

Objective: To correlate, RSI with SVHI, in a group of singing students, by means of a specific anamnestic questionnaire which analyzes the physical, social, emotional, and economic impacts of voice problems on their lives. This study is a cross-sectional single-center observational study.

Methods: Forty-two modern singing students (26F/16M; average age: 24.

Assessment and Diagnostic Accuracy Evaluation of the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) Scale: Psychometric Properties using Optimal Scaling Techniques.

Objectives: To investigate the psychometric properties of the reflux symptom index (RSI) as short screening approach for the diagnostic of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) in patients with confirmed diagnosed regarding the 24-hour multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring (MII-pH).

Methods: From January 2017 to December 2018, 56 patients with LPR symptoms and 71 healthy individuals (control group) were prospectively enrolled. The LPR diagnosis was confirmed through MII-pH results.

Treatment of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease: A systematic review.

Backgroung: For a long time, laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) has been treated by proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) with an uncertain success rate.

Aim: To shed light the current therapeutic strategies used for LPRD in order to analysis the rationale in the LPRD treatment.

Methods: Three authors conducted a PubMed search to identify papers published between January 1990 and February 2019 about the treatment of LPRD.

Development of scores assessing the refluxogenic potential of diet of patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux.

Objective: To develop clinical tools assessing the refluxogenic potential of foods and beverages (F&B) consumed by patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR).

Methods: European experts of the LPR Study group of the Young-Otolaryngologists of the International Federation of Oto-rhino-laryngological societies were invited to identify the components of Western European F&B that would be associated with the development of LPR. Based on the list generated by experts, four authors conducted a systematic review to identify the F&B involved in the development of esophageal sphincter and motility dysfunctions, both mechanisms involved in the development of gastroesophageal reflux disease and LPR.

Awareness of European Otolaryngologists and General Practitioners Toward Laryngopharyngeal Reflux.

Objectives: To investigate the current trends in management of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) among young European otolaryngologists and general practitioners (GP).

Methods: An international survey was sent to European general practitioners and all otolaryngologists under 45 years old from the 2017 IFOS meeting. This survey was conducted by the LPR Study Group of YO-IFOS (Young Otolaryngologists of the International Federation of Otolaryngological Societies).

The management of suspected or confirmed laryngopharyngeal reflux patients with recalcitrant symptoms: A contemporary review.

Objective: To summarise current knowledge about the prevalence, aetiology and management of recalcitrant laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) patients-those who do not respond to anti-reflux medical treatment.

Methods: A literature search was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines to identify studies that reported success of anti-reflux medical treatment with emphasis on studies that attempted to be rigorous in defining a population of LPR patients and which subsequently explored the characteristics of non-responder patients (ie aetiology of resistance; differential diagnoses; management and treatment). Three investigators screened publications for eligibility from PubMED, Cochrane Library and Scopus and excluded studies based on predetermined criteria.