Taste Disturbance After Endoscopic Tympanoplasty with Tragal Cartilage Graft and Improvement Strategies.

To explore the risk factors of early postoperative taste disturbance (EPTD) after type I endoscopic tympanoplasty and operative modification strategies to improve taste disturbance. This was a controlled study. One hundred and twenty-four patients who underwent type I endoscopic tympanoplasty with tragal cartilage graft were separated evenly into control and modified groups.

Pathologic Status of Tissue Around the Malleus Handle Tip in Endoscopic Tympanoplasty: Potential Impact on Surgical Decisions.

To avoid postoperatively acquired cholesteatoma, whether there was any squamous epithelial tissues residue around the tip of the malleus handle, and the need to remove these tissues were explored. This prospective study enrolled 197 patients who underwent endoscopic tympanoplasty. A postoperative pathological evaluation of the tissue around the tip of the malleus handle was performed to determine the presence of squamous epithelium.

The use of vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) in the diagnosis of otolithic dysfunction of patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a survey of awareness and recognition of otorhinolaryngology medical staffs.

Purpose: To assess awareness and recognition of vestibular function tests in otorhinolaryngology medical staffs, especially the vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) testing in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: A survey was delivered via either email or a social media app. The medical staffs of the Chinese Medical Association of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery from various branches were enrolled.

Risk Factors of Difficult Pharyngeal Accidental Fishbones Ingestion.

Objective: Accidental pharyngeal fishbone ingestion is a common complaint in ear, nose, and throat clinics. Approximately two-thirds of the accidentally ingested fishbones can be removed using tongue depressors and indirect laryngoscopy. However, the remaining third is challenging to identify and remove using these methods.

A Predictive Model Development of Hospital Admission during Triage in a Chinese Ear, Nose, and Throat Emergency Department.

Introduction: Triaging patients into correct severity categories in an emergency department is an advanced skill that depends on a quick assessment after obtaining very little information. The purpose of this study was to assess specific risk factors associated with hospital admissions in the emergency department environment of the specialized Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat hospital located in Shanghai, China.

Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study.

Relative Humidity Affects Acute Otitis Media Visits of Preschool Children to the Emergency Department.

Objective: The associations between climate variables and diseases such as respiratory infections, influenza, pediatric seizure, and gastroenteritis have been long appreciated. Infection is the main reason for acute otitis media (AOM) incidence. However, few previous studies explored the correlation between climatic parameters and AOM infections.

Clinical characteristics of otogenic lateral sinus thrombosis in patients under 18 years old compared with that in adult patients.

Background: Otogenic lateral sinus thrombosis (OLST) is a rare complication of otitis media. We do not know whether the disease progress between the pediatric and adult OLST patients is consistent. However, pediatric surgical methods always refer to the adults'.

Myringoplasty With an Ultrathin Cartilage-Perichondrium Complex Graft Versus Temporalis Fascia Graft: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

Objective: To compare endoscopic myringoplasty using the cartilage-perichondrium complex as a graft (test group) with temporalis fascia microscopic myringoplasty (control group).

Study Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Department of Otorhinolaryngology in a tertiary Chinese hospital.

Direct reprogramming adult fibroblast into cells with partial inner ear hair cell characteristics through cell activation and signal directed approach.

Loss of inner ear hair cell (HC) is an irreversible process in mammals and is the most common cause of human hearing and balance disorders especially in the elderly. Cell therapy based on highly scalable generation of HC linage and inner ear transplantation is one of the most promising therapeutic approaches for HC impairment. For fibroblast is quite abundant and readily available in human body, it is an ideal endogenous cell source to generate HC lineage for transplantation purpose.

Mechanisms of Hearing Loss in a Guinea Pig Model of Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence.

Defective acoustic transmission in the cochlea is closely related with various auditory and vestibular symptoms. Among them, semicircular canal dehiscence (SCD) with a defective semicircular bone is typical. Currently, the pathogenesis of SCD is usually explained by the third window hypothesis; however, this hypothesis fails to explain the variability in the symptoms and signs experienced by superior SCD (SSCD) patients.

Cell proliferation during hair cell regeneration induced by Math in vestibular epithelia .

Hair cell regeneration is the fundamental method of correcting hearing loss and balance disorders caused by hair cell damage or loss. How to promote hair cell regeneration is a hot focus in current research. In mammals, cochlear hair cells cannot be regenerated and few vestibular hair cells can be renewed through spontaneous regeneration.

The Role of the Notch Signal Pathway in Mucosal Cell Metaplasia in Mouse Acute Otitis Media.

Otitis media (OM) is a major cause of morbidity in pediatric and adult patients. This inflammatory condition is characterized by mucous cell hyperplasia that is thought to produce mucins from the middle ear mucosa. We are interested in the role of Notch signalling pathway in this inflammatory process.

Shrinkage of ipsilateral taste buds and hyperplasia of contralateral taste buds following chorda tympani nerve transection.

The morphological changes that occur in the taste buds after denervation are not well understood in rats, especially in the contralateral tongue epithelium. In this study, we investigated the time course of morphological changes in the taste buds following unilateral nerve transection. The role of the trigeminal component of the lingual nerve in maintaining the structural integrity of the taste buds was also examined.

MeCP2 in the rostral striatum maintains local dopamine content critical for psychomotor control.

Methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is a chromatin regulator highly expressed in mature neurons. Mutations of MECP2 gene cause >90% cases of Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder featured by striking psychomotor dysfunction. In Mecp2-null mice, the motor deficits are associated with reduction of dopamine content in the striatum, the input nucleus of basal ganglia mostly composed of GABAergic neurons.

Changes in ADF/destrin expression in the development of hair cells following Atoh1-induced ectopic regeneration.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of actin depolymerizing factor (ADF)/destrin and position changes of kinetosomes in the development of hair cells following Atoh1-induced ectopic regeneration in the basilar membrane of mice. We observed through immunofluorescence at various time-points the expression of ADF/destrin and the specific kinetosome marker, γ-tubulin, in hair cells following ectopic regeneration induced by adenovirus transfection, overexpression of Atoh1 and culture. Changes of ADF/destrin distribution and kinetosome position during culture of new hair cells [Myo7a(+)] following Atoh1-induced ectopic regeneration are consistent with the changes in ADF/destrin expression and the polar migration of kinetosomes in hair cells of the cochlear sensory epithelium in normal development.

Clinical characteristics of patients with labyrinthine fistulae caused by middle ear cholesteatoma.

Background: Labyrinthine fistula (LF) is a very common clinical complication mainly caused by middle ear cholesteatoma. Whether the presence of different degree LF caused by middle ear cholesteatoma aggravates neurosensory hearing loss (NSHL) and what is the degree of the hearing loss caused by LF were still under controversial. This study aimed to investigate whether the LF degree is correlative with the age distribution, disease duration and hearing loss degree for cholesteatomatous patients.

Cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma of the external auditory canal: a case report and review of the literature.

Cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma (cNEC) is rarely seen in the external ear. In this paper, we newly describe a patient with cNEC in his right external auditory canal, followed by a further discussion on the clinical features, diagnosis, and treatments of cNEC of the external ear. A review of the literature showed that cNEC of the external auditory canal generally presents as asymptomatic and that pathology yields the most confirmative diagnosis.

Identification of small non-coding RNAs in the planarian Dugesia japonica via deep sequencing.

Freshwater planarian flatworm possesses an extraordinary ability to regenerate lost body parts after amputation; it is perfect organism model in regeneration and stem cell biology. Recently, small RNAs have been an increasing concern and studied in many aspects, including regeneration and stem cell biology, among others. In the current study, the large-scale cloning and sequencing of sRNAs from the intact and regenerative planarian Dugesia japonica are reported.

Thiourea based fluorous organocatalyst.

This review deals with general and significant development of the fluorous organocatalysts based on thiourea. The applications of fluorous technology are briefly discussed. The implementations of thiourea based catalysts in organic synthesis are focused on in the chapter.

Expression of Numb and Numb-like in the development of mammalian auditory sensory epithelium.

The Numb and Numb-like are evolutionarily conserved cell fate-determining factors in mammals. For the first time, we investigate the involvement of the Numb and Numb-like in the developing auditory sensory epithelium. We show that both of them are expressed in the rat auditory sensory epithelium, and the four isoforms of the Numb have dynamic expression patterns during cochlear development.

Survival and fate of transplanted embryonic neural stem cells by Atoh1 gene transfer in guinea pigs cochlea.

Embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs) were isolated from the neuroepithelium of the dorsal telencephalon of embryonic rats and infected by Ad5-Atoh1-enhanced green fluorescent protein. These NSCs were then delivered into neurosphere culture medium or transplanted into the endolymphatic space of the normal guinea pig cochlea through cochleostomy. Embryonic NSC phenotype of these isolated cells was determined by immunohistochemical detection of cell-specific protein markers.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of C57BL/6 mouse inner ear during development.

Purpose: To explore the three-dimensional (3-D) morphological characteristics of the complicated inner ear development of the C57BL/6 mouse.

Methods: Specimens of C57BL/6 mouse embryos on days E7.5, E8.

[Influences of two different endolymphatic infusion ways to cochlear morphology and function in guinea pigs].

Objective: To explore the influence of two different endolymphatic infusion ways on cochlear morphology and function.

Methods: Forty healthy pigment guinea pigs (250 - 350 g) with normal Prey's reflex were divided into A and B group with 20 animals respectively. The right ears served as treated ears and the left ones as control ones.