Publications by authors named "Chung-Feng Hwang"

Article Synopsis
  • The study aims to explore changes in circadian clock and Toll-like receptor gene expressions in blood cells of patients with Meniere's disease (MD) and vestibular migraine (VM) to see if these differences can help in distinguishing between the two conditions.
  • The research includes 69 participants, comparing blood samples from those with MD and VM during vertigo episodes to healthy controls, revealing significant differences in gene expression, particularly involving the PER and TLR genes.
  • Findings suggest that there are distinct genetic markers linked to MD and VM, which may aid in understanding their different underlying causes and provide potential biomarkers for diagnosis.
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  • The study aimed to compare sleep disturbances in patients with vestibular migraine (VM) and Meniere's disease (MD) and their relationship with dizziness-related challenges.
  • Researchers conducted an observational study with 87 participants, including those with VM, MD, and healthy controls, using sleep quality questionnaires and assessments of dizziness impact.
  • Findings indicated that both patient groups experienced more sleep issues compared to healthy individuals, with VM patients showing worse sleep quality and a significant correlation between sleep disturbance severity and dizziness handicap.
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  • Pendred syndrome is a genetic disorder linked to mutations in the SLC26A4 gene, leading to variations in inner ear structure and hearing loss among family members with the same mutation.
  • A case study of a family of four revealed that all members had sensorineural hearing loss caused by the same genetic variant, yet they displayed different inner ear deformities.
  • The findings emphasize the importance of genetic testing for family members and the potential for diverse clinical presentations, even in individuals with identical genetic mutations.
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Hearing loss has been recognized as a risk factor for dementia and non-motor features of Parkinson's disease (PD). The apolipoprotein E (APOE) protein contributes to maintenance and repair of neuronal cell membranes, causing age-related disorders. This study aimed to analyze the impact of hearing loss on cognitive impairment, PD severity, and APOE gene expression in these patients.

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Objective: To investigate the autonomic symptom burden in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) and its association with the severity and prognosis.

Study Design: Observational prospective study.

Setting: Tertiary academic medical center.

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Background: Few instruments are available for assessing the otorhinologic-related quality of life (QOL) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. Therefore, we evaluated whether the 22-item Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) could be applied to these patients.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with NPC, who had been treated with standard protocol and followed up in our institute between 2019 and 2022, were invited to join the cross-sectional study during their clinic visits.

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Lymphangioma (LM) is a rare but benign tumor derived from lymphatic malformation, which is extremely rare in the auditory canal or middle ear cavity. We presented a case of acquired lymphangioma of the external auditory canal combined with cholesteatoma in the middle ear cavity. To our best knowledge, this is the first case of combined lesions of lymphangioma and cholesteatoma in English literature.

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Meniere's disease (MD) is one of the most complicated diseases in the otologic clinic. The complexity of MD is partially due to the multifactorial etiological mechanisms and the heterogenous symptoms, including episodic vertigo, hearing loss, aural fullness and tinnitus. As a result, the diagnosis of MD and differentiating MD from other diseases with similar symptoms, such as vestibular migraine (VM), is challenging.

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Background: Leptin is important in physiological and pathological functions in various cancers, however, the significance and mechanisms of leptin in nasopharyngeal carcinoma remain ambiguous.

Methods: Leptin expression was analyzed by QPCR, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and TCGA database. The impact of gain- or loss-of-function of leptin were determined by MTT, colony formation, wound healing, and Transwell assays in NPC cells, and by a xenograft tumor model.

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Objectives: The underlying etiology of Meniere's disease (MD) is not completely clear, but the precipitated triggers may alter the circadian clock in patients with MD. This study aims to survey the expression of circadian clock genes in peripheral blood (PB) leukocytes of MD patients.

Methods: We investigated the expression of nine circadian clock genes in the PB leukocytes of patients with MD and normal controls using real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

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Gentamicin is an important aminoglycoside antibiotic used in the treatment of gram‑negative bacterial infections, but nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity reduce its utility. The autophagy pathway is involved in damage of auditory hair cells. With the aim of developing new strategies for attenuating gentamicin ototoxicity, the present study investigated the otoprotective mechanism of 2,3,4',5‑tetrahydroxystilbene‑2‑O‑β‑D-glucoside (THSG) using the mouse cochlear cell line UB/OC‑2.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers analyzed data from 72 patients, finding that lower postoperative NRT thresholds were linked to better speech and tone perception outcomes, with various factors influencing these thresholds, such as electrode type and activation timing.
  • * The results suggest that using curved electrode arrays may improve NRT thresholds post-surgery, which in turn could enhance language performance, highlighting the need for further research on the factors affecting both NRT thresholds and language skills with CIs.
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  • Recessive variants in the MYO15A gene are a significant cause of sensorineural hearing impairment (SNHI), and this study focused on understanding the specific hearing features and outcomes related to these variants.
  • The research involved 40 patients with biallelic MYO15A variants, comparing their audiological data and cochlear implantation results based on the presence of N-terminal domain variants.
  • Findings showed that most patients had severe to profound SNHI, with those having N variants showing better hearing levels, and a majority of cochlear implant recipients experienced positive auditory and speech outcomes, highlighting the need for regular hearing assessments.
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The Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway is the key regulator of the innate immune system in response to systemic infection. Several studies have reported that the systemic TLR4 agonist lipopolysaccharide exacerbates aminoglycoside ototoxicity, but the influence of virus-associated TLR7 and TLR9 signaling cascades on the cochlea is unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the auditory effects of systemic TLR7 and TLR9 agonists during chronic kanamycin treatment.

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Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the major causes of acquired sensorineural hearing loss in modern society. While people with excessive exposure to noise are frequently the population with a lifestyle of irregular circadian rhythms, the effects of circadian dysregulation on the auditory system are still little known. Here, we disturbed the circadian clock in the cochlea of male CBA/CaJ mice by constant light (LL) or constant dark.

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This article contains data concerning the research article entitled "Pressure ulcers and skin infections after cochlear implantation: A delayed yet serious issue" (Hui-Shan Hsieh, Chee-Yee Lee, Hung-Pin Wu, Ming-Ying Zhuo, and Chung-Feng Hwang) [1]. This data article reports the causes of skin flap pressure ulcer over the antenna site and protocol for the clinical managements. The patients with cochlear implant (n = 315) were enrolled.

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Objectives: We compared the functional outcomes of fat myringoplasty and areolar tympanoplasty through a small postauricular incision in patients who underwent transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES).

Methods: The study included patients who underwent myringoplasty or type I tympanoplasty using TEES in our Department of Otolaryngology between April 2016 and May 2019. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the type of graft material used, which was selected based on the available amount of subcutaneous fat and the surgeon's experience.

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Objectives: Skin flap infection is one of the most common complications of cochlear implantation (CI). We identified the causes of skin flap pressure ulcer over the antenna site and proposed wound management strategies.

Methods: A total of 250 consecutive pediatric patients who underwent CI to treat profound hearing loss were retrospectively assessed.

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Cardiovascular factors are associated with the pathophysiological features and risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). However, little is known about the link between carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), SSNHL risk, and their respective treatment outcomes. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed 47 SSNHL cases and 33 control subjects from a single medical center and compared their demographic data and clinical characteristics, including their carotid IMT and audiological data.

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Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a prevalent malignant tumor in Southeast Asia. The management of NPC has remained a challenge until now. ELF-1 is a member of the ETS family of transcription factors that regulate genes involved in cellular growth.

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Background: Zinc plays a vital antioxidant role in human metabolism. Recent studies have demonstrated a correlation between noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and oxidative injury; however, no investigation has focused specifically on the subgroup of NIHL associated tinnitus patients. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of zinc supplementation in treating NIHL associated tinnitus.

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Background: This study was performed to investigate the prognostic factors that influence hearing outcomes of children with cleft lip and palate after ventilation tube insertion.

Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed the hearing thresholds of 90 children with cleft lip and palate and performed univariate and multivariate analyses of five prognostic factors for hearing outcomes: age at palatoplasty, age at first ventilation tube insertion, timing of ventilation tube insertion, frequency of ventilation tube insertion, and type of cleft palate.

Results: On univariate analysis, the authors found that older age at palatoplasty (p = 0.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Out of the patients, 22 (3.74%) experienced major complications, with infections and device failures being the most common, and 13 patients underwent reimplantation at the hospital.
  • * Results showed improvements in auditory performance (mean CAP score increased from 5.5 to 5.8) and speech intelligibility (mean SIR score increased from 3.7 to 4.3) after reimplantation, indicating that the procedure is generally safe with favorable outcomes for Mandarin-speaking users.
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