Verification EVestG recordings are vestibuloacoustic signals.

Introduction: Neural dysfunction is associated with aberrant nerve firing; thus, electrodiagnosis has the potential for objective diagnosis and quantification of neural dysfunction. Electrical stimulation alters nerve firing and may also have treatment potential. This article outlines some findings related to electrodiagnosis and electrical stimulation of the ear.

Does N-acetylcysteine Improve Established Hearing Loss in Guinea Pigs?

Objective: To assess whether multiple injections of a powerful antioxidant can improve established sensorineural hearing loss in guinea pigs.

Study Design: Animal study.

Setting: Animal science laboratory, University of Manitoba.

Comparing Vestibular Responses to Linear and Angular Whole-Body Accelerations in Real and Immersive Environments.

The vestibular end organs differ in terms of anatomical and physiological characteristics. Sensory modalities' stimuli including visual stimuli and vestibular sensation can influence these organs differently. This paper explores differences between vestibular responses to axial tilts in physical and virtual environments.

Physiological separation of Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease with significant levels of cerebrovascular symptomology and healthy controls.

Most dementia patients with a mixed dementia (MxD) diagnosis have a mix of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia. Electrovestibulography (EVestG) records vestibuloacoustic afferent activity. We hypothesize EVestG recordings of AD and MxD patients are different.

Reliability of caloric testing.

Objective: To assess the long-term stability of caloric testing in patients.

Methods: In this retrospective study, Cronbach's alpha was used to determine whether caloric testing results are stable over time (up to 7 years) in patients who have not undergone interventions. After excluding invalid records, two hundred patients who underwent repeated caloric testing in the same lab over varying periods of time were included.

Brain-derived nerve growth factor in the cochlea - a reproducibility study.

Objective: Brain-derived nerve growth factor (BDNF) plays an important role in cochlear development so it is plausible that it could restore hearing loss if delivered directly into the cochlea. We wished to confirm our previous report that a single intracochlear injection of brain-derived nerve growth factor (BDNF) was beneficial for hearing in guinea pigs. We wished to assess the reproducibility of our results and assess possible improved methods with a view to developing a clinical treatment for sensorineural hearing loss.

Differences Between Physical vs. Virtual Evoked Vestibular Responses.

Electrovestibulography (EVestG), a technology purported to measure vestibular activity at the vestibular periphery, was used to compare the vestibular responses to two sensory inputs: (1) back-forward physical tilt (with eyes-open and eyes-closed) and (2) virtual reality replica of the back-forward tilt (eyes-open, physically static). Twenty-seven healthy participants (10 females) were tested. From each of the EVestG recordings, two feature curves: (1) average field potential (FP), and (2) distribution of time intervals between the detected FPs were extracted.

The Role for Imaging in the Investigation of Isolated Objective Vestibular Weakness.

Objective: Unilateral vestibular weakness has considerable potential etiologies. One source is a vestibular schwannoma. This article evaluates, in the absence of other symptoms and signs, if unilateral vestibular weakness is an analogue to asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss and serves as an indication for lateral skull base imaging.

Hemorrhagic stroke after Epley maneuver: a case report.

Background: This is the first case to our knowledge of a serious adverse event following the Epley maneuver, which is the treatment of choice for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), the most common vestibular disorder in adults.

Case Presentation: A 77 year old female presented for outpatient evaluation of vertigo at a tertiary otolaryngology clinic. She was found to have BPPV clinically, and elected to have a particle repositioning maneuver (Epley maneuver) performed in clinic.

Systematic review of ototoxic pre-surgical antiseptic preparations - what is the evidence?

Objective: There is uncertainty regarding the safety of surgical antiseptic preparations in the ear. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to assess the evidence regarding ototoxicity of surgical antiseptic preparations.

Methods: A literature search was conducted using the PRISMA methods.

Mannitol and the blood-labyrinth barrier.

Background: Characterization of the blood labyrinth barrier (BLB) is extremely important to determine whether the BLB can be manipulated pharmacologically. However, experiments to investigate the BLB are technically difficult to perform. In this report, we demonstrated a unique method of controlling the BLB, and established the pharmacokinetics of gentamicin in perilymph, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood with and without mannitol.

Clinical predictors of chronic rhinosinusitis: do the Canadian clinical practice guidelines for acute and chronic rhinosinusitis predict CT-confirmation of disease?

Background: The diagnosis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) based on clinical presentation alone remains challenging. To improve the accuracy of clinical diagnosis, the Canadian Rhinosinusitis Guidelines recommend the use of specific symptom and endoscopic criteria. Our study objective was to determine whether symptom and endoscopic criteria, as defined by the Canadian Rhinosinusitis Guidelines, accurately predict CT-confirmed CRS diagnosis.

Impact of maternal iron deficiency on the auditory functions in the young and adult guinea pig.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the hearing function in the guinea pig offspring at post-natal day (PNd) 24 and PNd84 born from dams suffering from iron deficiency during pregnancy and lactation by using the auditory brainstem response (ABR).

Method: Female guinea pigs (n = 24 per dietary group) were fed an iron sufficient (IS) diet (114 mg/kg) or an iron deficient (ID) diet (11.7 mg/kg) during the gestation and lactation periods.

Statistical Considerations in Otolaryngology Journals.

Statistics can be intimidating for clinicians and reviewers. Statistics are often important and useful but can mislead. Elaborate statistics can support conclusions that contradict clinical experience.

Mutations in HYAL2, Encoding Hyaluronidase 2, Cause a Syndrome of Orofacial Clefting and Cor Triatriatum Sinister in Humans and Mice.

Orofacial clefting is amongst the most common of birth defects, with both genetic and environmental components. Although numerous studies have been undertaken to investigate the complexities of the genetic etiology of this heterogeneous condition, this factor remains incompletely understood. Here, we describe mutations in the HYAL2 gene as a cause of syndromic orofacial clefting.

Tinnitus Treatment Trends.

Objective: The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) recently published guidelines on the treatment of tinnitus. This paper examines the possible impact of those guidelines on otologic practice.

Design: A survey was sent to the members of the American Neurotology Society before and after the publication of Clinical practice guideline: tinnitus.

Methods considerations for nystagmography.

Objectives: 1. To assess the reproducibility of eye movement velocity measurement using two methods: traditional electro-oculography (EOG) and infrared video-oculography (VOG) and, 2. Determine whether the normal values for unilateral weakness and bilateral reduction of caloric responses vary according to method employed.

Elevated auditory brainstem response thresholds in mice with Connexin36 gene ablation.

Conclusion: Expression of connexin36 (Cx36) and electrical synapses formed by Cx36-containing gap junctions contribute to normal auditory brainstem response thresholds in mice.

Objectives: Electrical synaptic transmission mediated by gap junctions has not been intensively studied in the auditory system. This study used transgenic mice with knockout of the gene coding for the major protein that forms neuronal gap junctions in mammalian brain (Cx36) to evaluate the role of Cx36 in murine hearing.

A new diagnostic vestibular evoked response.

Objective: To describe the development of a new clinically applicable method for assessing vestibular function in humans with particular application in Meniere's disease.

Study Design: Sophisticated signal-processing techniques were applied to data from human subject undergoing tilts stimulating the otolith organs and semicircular canals. The most sensitive representatives of vestibular function were extracted as "features".

Normal Values for Cervical Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potentials.

Objectives: To assess the variability of normal values for cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP) testing and to provide guidance regarding which parameters should be reported for clinical practice.

Study Design: Forty-eight normal subjects with no history of hearing loss or vestibular symptoms underwent cVEMP testing. Measurement parameters were tabulated and compared to other sets of cVEMP normal values in the literature.

Preliminary report: neural firing patterns specific for Meniere's disease.

Objective: To describe the application of a new, objective diagnostic test for Meniere's disease.

Introduction: Electrovestibulography (EVestG) is a complex, newly-developed test paradigm that searches for neural firing patterns that may be diagnostic for particular neural disorders. EVestG system was previously "trained" to distinguish Meniere's disease from other patients on a set of training data.

Clinical practice guideline: tinnitus executive summary.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) has published a supplement to this issue featuring the new Clinical Practice Guideline: Tinnitus. To assist in implementing the guideline recommendations, this article summarizes the rationale, purpose, and key action statements. The 13 recommendations developed address the evaluation of patients with tinnitus, including selection and timing of diagnostic testing and specialty referral to identify potential underlying treatable pathology.

Clinical practice guideline: tinnitus.

Objective: Tinnitus is the perception of sound without an external source. More than 50 million people in the United States have reported experiencing tinnitus, resulting in an estimated prevalence of 10% to 15% in adults. Despite the high prevalence of tinnitus and its potential significant effect on quality of life, there are no evidence-based, multidisciplinary clinical practice guidelines to assist clinicians with management.

Steroids in aminoglycoside-containing ear drops: do they reduce cochlear toxicity?

Objectives/hypothesis: To determine whether betamethasone (BM) reduces the cochlear toxicity of otic gentamicin (GM) if given together.

Study Design: Controlled animal study.

Methods: Thirty-four mice were assigned at random to receive intratympanic injections of either 0.