The distressed (Type D) personality is independently associated with tinnitus: a case-control study.

Background: Tinnitus is a common and disturbing condition, reported by 10% to 20% of the general population.

Objective: The authors sought to determine personality characteristics associated with tinnitus patients versus a control group of ear-nose-throat (ENT) patients without tinnitus.

Method: Adult chronic tinnitus sufferers (N=265) and ENT patients without tinnitus (N=265) participated in a cross-sectional study.

The impact of Type D personality on health-related quality of life in tinnitus patients is mainly mediated by anxiety and depression.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of Type D personality on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and self-reported tinnitus-related distress in chronic tinnitus patients and whether this relationship is mediated by indicators of psychological distress (i.e., vital exhaustion, anxiety, and depression).

Morphological changes in spiral ganglion cells after intracochlear application of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in deafened guinea pigs.

When guinea pigs are deafened with ototoxic drugs spiral ganglion cells (SGCs) degenerate progressively. Application of neurotrophins can prevent this process. Morphological changes of rescued SGCs have not been quantitatively determined yet.

A systematic review of diagnostic criteria for acute mastoiditis in children.

Objective: To review systematically the literature for the current criteria and strategies used to diagnose acute mastoiditis in children.

Method: A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library of studies on the diagnosis of acute mastoiditis in children published between January 1980 and September 2007. The study type and setting, diagnostic criteria for acute mastoiditis, disease-specific history, presenting otologic and systemic signs and symptoms, diagnostic procedures, and final diagnosis were identified.

Intratympanic gentamicin therapy for control of vertigo in unilateral Menire's disease: a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Conclusions: Intratympanic application of gentamicin is a relatively safe and efficient treatment for the reduction of complaints of vertigo attacks associated with Menière's disease. The treatment also reduces the severity of the perceived aural fullness.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of intratympanic gentamicin treatment in patients with unilateral Menière's disease.

Hippocampal volume measurement in patients with Ménière's disease: a pilot study.

Conclusion: No signs of chronic stress as in hippocampal atrophy were present in patients with Ménière's disease.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of chronic stress (allostatic load) by measuring hippocampal volume in patients with Ménière's disease.

Subjects And Methods: Ten patients with Meniere's disease and 10 healthy controls were evaluated for absolute and relative hippocampal volumes measured on MRI scans, saliva cortisol levels and frequency of daily stressors.

Functional sex differences in human primary auditory cortex.

Background: We used PET to study cortical activation during auditory stimulation and found sex differences in the human primary auditory cortex (PAC). Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured in 10 male and 10 female volunteers while listening to sounds (music or white noise) and during a baseline (no auditory stimulation).

Results And Discussion: We found a sex difference in activation of the left and right PAC when comparing music to noise.

Intracochlear assessment of electrode position after cochlear implant surgery by means of multislice computer tomography.

The development of electrode arrays, the past years, has focused on modiolus-hugging cochlear implant electrodes. Besides, atraumatic implantation of electrodes is of importance for the use in hearing preservation, in cases of combined electric and acoustic stimulation. Intracochlear positioning of the individual electrodes by means of multislice computer tomography (CT) has not yet been shown.

Effectiveness of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for children with chronic active otitis media: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Objective: The goal was to determine the clinical effectiveness of prolonged outpatient treatment with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for children with chronic active otitis media.

Methods: We performed a randomized, placebo-controlled trial with 101 children (1-12 years of age) with chronic active otitis media (defined as otorrhea for > or =12 weeks). In addition to a short course of steroid and antibiotic eardrops, children were assigned randomly to receive 6 to 12 weeks of orally administered trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (18 mg/kg, 2 times per day) or placebo and were monitored for 1 year.

Audiological performance after cochlear implantation: a 2-year follow-up in children with inner ear malformations.

Conclusions: Open-set speech perception in children with an inner ear malformation is equal to that of other congenitally deaf children after an average of 2 years follow-up.

Objective: To analyze audiological performance after cochlear implantation in a sample of children with radiographically detectable malformations of the inner ear compared to performance in prelingually deafened children at large.

Materials And Methods: Nine children with osseous inner ear malformations were compared to 22 congenitally deaf children, all of whom underwent cochlear implantation.

Tinnitus and neural plasticity of the brain.

Objective: To describe the current ideas about the manifestations of neural plasticity in generating tinnitus.

Data Sources: Recently published source articles were identified using MEDLINE, PubMed, and Cochrane Library according to the key words mentioned below.

Study Selection: Review articles and controlled trials were particularly selected.

Differences in aerodynamic characteristics of new and dysfunctional Provox 2 voice prostheses in vivo.

Tracheoesophageal voice prostheses need to be replaced due to increased airflow resistance or retrograde leakage of fluid into the trachea as a consequence of biofilm formation. Previous in vitro studies show a change of aerodynamic features of biofilm covered voice prostheses after removal of the prostheses out of the patient. To assess these changes in an in situ situation, aerodynamic characteristics were measured within 45 patients at the beginning and at the end of the wearing process of the Provox 2 voice prosthesis.

Analysis of cortisol and other stress-related hormones in patients with Ménière's disease.

Objective: To evaluate cortisol and catecholamine levels in patients with Ménière's disease.

Study Design: Prospective, controlled study.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Evaluation of the relation between audiometric and psychometric measures of hearing after tympanoplasty.

The objective of this prospective study was to evaluate the relation between audiometric and psychometric measures after tympanoplasty from the perspective of preoperative selection of patients and postoperative assessment of the results of reconstructive middle ear surgery. Hearing (dis)ability was measured by means of pure-tone audiometry and a validated self-assessment questionnaire: the (modified) Amsterdam Inventory of Auditory Disability and Handicap (m)AIAD. Average hearing thresholds and (m)AIAD scores were evaluated for 80 patients, pre- and 12 months postoperatively.

Effect of dairy products on the lifetime of Provox2 voice prostheses in vitro and in vivo.

Background: Reduction of biofilm formation on tracheoesophageal voice prostheses by certain dairy products might extend their clinical lifetime. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of certain dairy products on voice prosthetic biofilms and lifetimes in vitro and in vivo.

Methods: The in vitro results were accomplished using an artificial throat.

In vitro leakage susceptibility of tracheoesophageal shunt prostheses in the absence and presence of a biofilm.

Although leakage through a tracheoesophageal shunt prosthesis is the main cause of prosthesis failure in a laryngectomy patient, this has never been the subject of in vitro evaluation. The aim of this study was to compare three commercially available voice prostheses by comparison of their in vitro leakage patterns, in absence or presence of a biofilm. To compare in vitro leakage patterns, a model comprised of an artificial throat equipped with a single prosthesis coupled to a water reservoir was developed.

Prediction of survival and therapy outcome with 11C-tyrosine PET in patients with laryngeal carcinoma.

Unlabelled: Choosing the optimal treatment for an individual with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck is a difficult challenge because of the unpredictable clinical behavior of this malignancy. A reliable method for assessing the clinical behavior and predicting the radiocurability of tumors would assist in the therapy strategy and prognosis. This study evaluated whether quantitative PET using l-[1-(11)C]-tyrosine (TYR) has predictive value for survival and therapy outcome in patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx.

Prevention of biofilm formation by dairy products and N-acetylcysteine on voice prostheses in an artificial throat.

Objective: To evaluate the preventive effect of buttermilk, Yakult Light fermented milk drink and N-acetylcysteine on biofilm formation on voice prostheses in vitro.

Material And Methods: Groningen button and Provox 2 voice prostheses were inoculated with a mixture of bacteria and yeasts isolated from previously explanted Groningen button voice prostheses. After 5 h, separate throats were flushed with buttermilk, Yakult Light fermented milk drink, N-acetylcysteine or phosphate-buffered saline, which served as a control.

Direct measurement flow resistance of cochlear aqueduct in guinea pigs.

Objective: The cochlear aqueduct connects the scala tympani to the subarachnoid space and is the main pressure equalization canal for the inner ear. Increases in inner ear volume and pressure are thought to cause clinical symptoms such as vertigo, tinnitus and fluctuating hearing loss. In this study the flow resistance of the cochlear aqueduct was determined and its relation with inner ear pressure was studied.

Evaluation of cochlear function in an acute endolymphatic hydrops model in the guinea pig by measuring low-level DPOAEs.

During and after microinjection of artificial endolymph into scala media of the guinea pig, the 2f1- f2 -DPOAE at 4.5 kHz generated by low-level primaries was recorded. Reproducible changes were measured when 1.

The influence of antimicrobial peptides and mucolytics on the integrity of biofilms consisting of bacteria and yeasts as affecting voice prosthetic air flow resistances.

The integrity of biofilms on voice prostheses used to rehabilitate speech in laryngectomized patients causes unwanted increases in airflow resistance, impeding speech. Biofilm integrity is ensured by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). This study aimed to determine whether synthetic salivary peptides or mucolytics, including N-acetylcysteine and ascorbic acid, influence the integrity of voice prosthetic biofilms.

Functional and anatomic alterations in the gentamicin-damaged vestibular system in the guinea pig.

Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to investigate the expected functional and morphologic effect of gentamicin on the vestibular system simultaneously by measurement of vestibular evoked potentials and electron microscopic evaluation.

Background: Vestibular short-latency evoked potentials to linear acceleration have been shown to be a useful parameter of vestibular function. In gentamicin-treated animals, the morphologic damage has been well documented, although this has seldom been quantified.

Treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss with antiviral therapy: a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial.

A subclinical viral labyrinthitis has been postulated in the literature to elicit idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL). An etiologic role for the herpes family is assumed. Corticosteroids possess a limited beneficial effect on hearing recovery in ISSHL.

Therapy evaluation of laryngeal carcinomas by tyrosine-pet.

Introduction: One of the major problems in head and neck oncology is determination of tumor status after radiotherapy. Physical examination and conventional imaging by CT and MRI do not always accurately differentiate between residual or recurrent tumor and posttreatment inflammation, fibrosis, edema, or scarring. The feasibility of positron emission tomography (PET) with L-[1-(11)C]-tyrosine (TYR) for therapy evaluation of laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas by identification of residual or recurrent disease after radiotherapy was investigated.

Reliability and validity of the (modified) Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap.

This study investigated the psychometric adequacy of the (modified) Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap ((m)AIAD). The original version of the AIAD was developed by Kramer et al in 1995. Special emphasis was placed on the statistical aspects of the scores, because these properties place limits on the clinical utility of the instrument.