Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Patients Aged from 15 to 40 Years.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hearing characteristics and causes of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) in patients aged from 15 to 40 years, focusing on audiological outcomes one year after the diagnosis. The medical records of individuals with SSNHL who were referred to our tertiary-level audiologic center were reviewed. All patients had undergone comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, including high-resolution 3D-FLAIR delayed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), and screening for coagulation, infectious, and autoimmune diseases.

Ultrasound assisted lumbar intrathecal administration of nusinersen in adult patients with spinal muscular atrophy: A case series.

Introduction/aims: Intrathecal nusinersen administration can be challenging in certain adult spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients with difficult spinal anatomy who require imaging techniques (fluoroscopy or computed tomography scans) or invasive approaches (catheter placement, laminotomy) to identify the intrathecal space. We used ultrasound (US) assistance to access the lumbar intrathecal space in patients with SMA who experienced previous difficulties or failures with intrathecal dosing.

Methods: Eighteen adult patients with difficult spines were enrolled.

Differences between Pressurized and Non-Pressurized Transient-Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions in Neonatal Subjects.

Introduction: Recently, Interacoustics presented a new otoacoustic emission protocol where the probe pressurizes the ear cavity, thus eliminates the risk of non-assessment (REFER outcome) due to a negative middle ear pressure. This study evaluated the characteristics and the performance of this new protocol on a newborn well-baby population.

Methods: One hundred sixty-three newborns (age 2.

Early Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Patients With Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss in an Emergency Setting.

Objective: The role of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) is controversial due to the inhomogeneity of clinical and MR protocols. The aim of this work is to relate early MR findings obtained immediately after the admission, with the clinical presentation, the audiological findings, and the outcomes of treatment.

Study Design: Prospective observational study.

Intestinal permeability and Ménière's disease.

Purpose: Ménière disease (MD) is a multifactorial chronic disabling condition characterized by episodic vertigo, ear fullness, and hearing loss. MD patients often complain of aspecific gastrointestinal symptoms associated with autonomic dysregulation, frequently outweighed by the otological manifestations. Dietary modifications have been reported to improve the typical MD symptoms in some cases.

The occlusal imaging and analysis system by T-scan III in tinnitus patients.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated that the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) in tinnitus patients ranges from 7% to 95%, and it is reported in literature that idiopathic tinnitus patients should be referred to a dentist to define whether or not the tinnitus is associated with TMD. However, the possible pathophysiological relation between TMDs and tinnitus is not generally investigated in clinical practice.

Methods: The patterns and forces of occlusal contacts have been studied by means of T-scan III in 47 tinnitus patients (23 suffering from idiopathic tinnitus and 24 affected by Ménière disease [MD]) and 13 healthy subjects.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and tinnitus.

Introduction: In our clinical experience, some of the patients affected by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) reported the onset of tinnitus shortly before or in association with the positional vertigo.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and the clinical patterns of tinnitus episodes which occurred in association with BPPV and to suggest possible interpretative hypotheses.

Methods: 171 normal hearing patients affected by BPPV (50 males and 122 females; age range: 25-77 years; mean age 60.

Ménière disease and gluten sensitivity: recovery after a gluten-free diet.

We report the case of a 63-year-old female with definite unilateral Ménière disease, osteoarthritis of the distal finger joints with mucous cysts and Heberden's nodes, and constipation with recurrent abdominal pain whose symptoms remitted after 6months of a restrictive gluten-free diet.

Auditory late potentials in normal-hearing adult subjects with Down's syndrome.

Objective: Several studies have demonstrated that adult subjects with Down's syndrome (DS) and hearing impairments show significantly delayed latencies in auditory late potentials (ALPs). The aim of this study was to investigate whether the differences were still present in ALPs in an adult DS population with normal hearing, taking into consideration sex, handedness, and head size.

Study Design: Prospective study.

Effect of eye lateralization on contralateral suppression of transient evoked otoacoustic emissions.

Several studies have previously demonstrated that postural changes modify evoked otoacoustic emission. In order to evaluate a possible interaction between eye muscles and ciliated cells in the inner ear, we studied the effects of eye lateralization on the contralateral suppression of transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs). Thirty-eight normal hearing subjects with TEOAEs were recruited.

The influence of music on static posturography.

It is well known that high intensity sounds modify balance by activating the saccule, which is sensitive to both vestibular and acoustic stimuli. Few studies have examined the effects of music on the postural responses in healthy subjects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different types of music (Mozart, Köhler, Köhler with a carrier of 12 KHz and subjects' favourite music) on twelve healthy subjects standing on a stabilometric platform.

Audiological and vestibular findings in the Kabuki syndrome.

Since the first description of Kabuki syndrome (KS) in 1981, over 350 cases from a variety of countries have been reported. Even though otolaryngological manifestations are common in KS, only a limited number of the reports provide audiological and vestibular data. The aim of the present study was to investigate the vestibular function and describe the audiological findings in KS.

The use of rubber foam pads and "sensory ratios" to reduce variability in static posturography assessment.

Unlabelled: Despite the numerous works published, static posturography has still a limited clinical use due to its intrinsic inter-individual high variability. For this reason, foam pads have been introduced but their use is still not standardized. Aim of the study was to define the variability of static posturography parameters in standard and foam standing.

Auditory brainstem responses (ABR) in normal hearing adult subjects with Down's syndrome.

Background: Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) have been previously investigated in subjects with Down's syndrome (DS), but the published data are generally from children with hearing loss. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hearing pathway in normal hearing adult DS patients.

Methods: We used ABRs to analyze absolute and interpeak latencies in 19 adult DS patients aged 18-45 years whose pure tone audiometry (PTA) test results indicated thresholds within normal limits, and 19 normal controls.

Highly potent 1,4-benzothiazine derivatives as K(ATP)-channel openers.

A series of 1,4-benzothiazines, suitably functionalized at the N-4 and C-6 positions, arising from the replacement of a benzopyran-based structure of cromakalim with a 1,4-benzothiazine nucleus, has been synthesized as potassium channel openers (KCOs). Most of the tested compounds show high vasorelaxant potency that is considerably higher than that of the reference levcromakalim (LCRK). In the presence of the well-established selective K(ATP) blocker, glibenclamide, the vasorelaxing effects were antagonized in a competitive fashion, indicating the involvement of the K(ATP) channel in their pharmacological effect.

Electrophysiological analysis of cognitive slowing in subjects with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy.

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathies (MEs) are multisystemic inherited disorders affecting tissues with high energy requirement such as the muscle, retina and central nervous system. Progressive external ophthalmoplegia and myopathy are the most common features in adults, and cognitive impairment is rare. In many neurodegenerative disorders, ERPs have been effectively performed to record cognitive slowing on tasks with different amount of information.

Velnacrine thiaanalogues as potential agents for treating Alzheimer's disease.

The only therapeutic drugs for combating dementia disease are acetylcholine esterase inhibitors (AChEI). However, the use of tacrine, the first AChEI to be launched as an Alzheimer's disease (AD) drug, has been limited by serious side effects. Therefore, efforts to search for more potent and selective inhibitors of AChE still remain highly significant in the therapeutic treatment of AD.

QSAR study and VolSurf characterization of anti-HIV quinolone library.

Antiviral quinolones are promising compounds in the search for new therapeutically effective agents for the treatment of AIDS. To rationalize the SAR for this new interesting class of anti-HIV derivatives, we performed a 3D-QSAR study on a library of 101 6-fluoro and 6-desfluoroquinolones, taken either from the literature or synthesized by us. The chemometric procedure involved a fully semiempirical minimization of the molecular structures by the AMSOL program, which takes into account the solvatation effect, and their 3D characterization by the VolSurf/GRID program.

6-Aminoquinolones as new potential anti-HIV agents.

A series of 6-aminoquinolone compounds were evaluated for their in vitro activity against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Compound 12a, bearing a methyl substituent at the N-1 position and a 4-(2-pyridyl)-1-piperazine moiety at the C-7 position, was the most active in inhibiting HIV-1 replication on de novo infected C8166 human lymphoblastoid cell lines. The 12a EC(50) value was 0.

Chemometric rationalization of the structural and physicochemical basis for selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition: toward more specific ligands.

The discovery that proinflammatory prostaglandins are produced by cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an inducible isoform of the constitutive cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), opened a new frontier in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, because the selective inhibition of COX-2 can lead to therapeutically effective compounds which do not have the common side effects of classical non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Different crystallographic structures of both free COX-1 and COX-2 as well as complexes with inhibitors have been solved. Because of the great similarity between the two enzymes, it is difficult to detect the most important structural and physicochemical features that would be useful for designing inhibitors with an improved selectivity.

Studies on 6-aminoquinolones: synthesis and antibacterial evaluation of 6-amino-8-ethyl- and 6-amino-8-methoxyquinolones.

From our quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) study on a large set of 6-aminoquinolones, which indicated that a group larger than methyl could be allocated at C-8 position, we have synthesized two new series of 6-aminoquinolones characterized by the presence of an ethyl or a methoxy group at C-8 position. The antibacterial evaluation shows that, while the 8-ethyl derivatives were devoid of any antibacterial activity, the introduction of methoxy group gave compounds with good antibacterial activity, especially against gram-positive bacteria. A tentative explanation of the different behaviours among the 8-substituted analogues is given taking into account both the length and electronic properties of the C-8 groups.

Angiotensin converting enzyme deletion allele in different kinds of dementia disorders.

In order to verify the association of Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene with different kinds of dementia, as well as its association with APO-E (genotype), we performed ACE genotyping in subjects with late-onset probable Alzheimer's disease (LOAD, n = 64), early-onset probable Alzheimer's disease (EOAD, n = 32), possible Alzheimer's disease (pAD, n = 44), vascular dementia (VD, n = 12), age-associated memory impairment (AAMI, n = 15) and 40 healthy age-matched controls, who were previously characterized for APO-E. After the principal component analysis ACE D and Apo-Eepsilon4 alleles disclosed the highest prevalence in the cognitively impaired groups of subjects, Apo-Eepsilon4 being more specific for LOAD and pAD. ACE D allele seems to be an unspecific susceptibility factor for mental decline.

Synthesis and antibacterial evaluation of [1,3]benzothiazino[3,2-a]quinoline- and [3,1]benzothiazino[1,2-a]quinoline-6-carboxylic acid derivatives.

A series of [1,3]benzothiazino[3,2-a]quinoline- (5) and [3,1]benzothiazino[1,2-a]quinoline-6-carboxylic acids (10) were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial activity. The activity is discussed in terms of their structural features revealed by molecular orbital correlation.

Chemometric methodologies in a quantitative structure-activity relationship study: the antibacterial activity of 6-aminoquinolones.

The paper illustrates the chemometric strategies appropriate for extracting information from a large amount of biological data regarding the antibiotic activity of 6-aminoquinolones. The unique framework based on principal component analysis, projection onto latent structures, and response surface methodologies permits the structure-activity correlations to be shown and to suggest new compounds for further testing. The low activity of the suggested molecules points out the limitations of quantitative structure-activity relationship models when the training set is not properly designed in order to balance all the structural variations taken into account.