[Inverted acoustic reflex: an analysis of its morphological characteristics in different physiological and pathological situations].

Introduction And Objectives: Inverted acoustic reflex (IAR) or inverted acoustic effect is the name given to the positive deflexion observed during the carrying out of an admittancemetry when the ear is subjected to a high intensity sound, rather than the typical negative deflexion due to the contraction of the middle ear musculature. The objective of the paper is to analyze the morphology of the IAR by relating it to the situations (physiological or pathological) in which this effect appears with the aim of establishing a pathogenic hypothesis.

Methods: We study the admittance traces obtained in 50 patients on stimulating the ear with high sound intensities (between 100 and 110 dBs HL) in different situations (ageing, death, otosclerosis, facial palsy, perception hypoacusia and normoacusia).

Influence of G308A polymorphism of tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene on inflammatory markers in postsurgical head and neck cancer patients with early enteral nutrition.

Objective: Although immune dysfunction in patients with cancer could be multifactorial, the immune system may be modulated by nutritional substrates and genetic background. Our study evaluated the effect of G308A polymorphism of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) gene on inflammatory markers in patients after surgery for head and neck cancer who received early enteral nutrition.

Methods: A population of 60 patients with oral and laryngeal cancer was enrolled.

[Total idiopathic laryngotracheal stenosis. Treatment with mitomycin C].

This case report involves a 69-year-old woman who presented idiopathic laryngotracheal stenosis with total obstruction of the airway. Seven surgical procedures involving open field and endoscopy techniques had to be performed due to repeated re-obstructions. The novelty in this case is that success was finally obtained with the use of mitomycin C.