A Cross-sectional Study on the Aetiology and Predisposing Factors of Hoarseness of Voice.

The primary objective of the study was to find out the aetiology of hoarseness and analyse people with hoarseness based on socio-demographic profile like age, gender, occupation and socio-economic status. Secondary objective was to find out the predisposing factors of hoarseness and to see their association between benign and malignant causes of hoarseness. The study was conducted for a period of one and half years in 178 patients who were above the age of 18 years of age and presented with hoarseness lasting for more than 2 weeks to the Department of Otorhinolaryngology.

Impact of olfactory disorders on personal safety and well-being: a cross-sectional observational study.

Objectives: Investigate safety perceptions, quantify hazardous events, and analyse their manifestations in individuals with olfactory dysfunction through an online cross-sectional survey.

Methods: An online survey, available from 25th February to 28th September 2022, captured data on demographics, olfactory disorder causes, safety concerns, and experienced hazardous events. Distributed via Fifth Sense channels, it targeted individuals with self-claimed olfactory dysfunction.

Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma in Postmenopausal Females: A Potential Link With Hyperandrogenism.

A 54-year-old female presented to the otolaryngology (ENT) outpatient department with an eight-month history of unilateral nasal obstruction and headache. There was no change in the sense of smell, rhinorrhoea, facial pain, or associated epistaxis. On examination, there was a large, erythematous mass in the superior aspect of the right nasal cavity, filling the space between the nasal septum, middle, and superior meatus.

Understanding the Impact of Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyposis on Smell and Taste: An International Patient Experience Survey.

The aim is to understand the patient experience of living with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP), clinician interactions and how symptoms, smell and taste disturbance are managed. An anonymized, online survey was distributed through a UK charity, Fifth Sense, a UK otolaryngology clinic and online support groups to capture qualitative and quantitative data. Data were collected from 1st December 2022 to 1st February 2023.

Assessment of COVID-19-related olfactory dysfunction and its association with psychological, neuropsychiatric, and cognitive symptoms.

Purpose Of Review: To provide a detailed overview of the assessment of COVID-19-related olfactory dysfunction and its association with psychological, neuropsychiatric, and cognitive symptoms.

Recent Findings: COVID-19-related olfactory dysfunction can have a detrimental impact to the quality of life of patients. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, olfactory and taste disorders were a common but under-rated, under-researched and under-treated sensory loss.

Systematic Review of Protein Biomarkers in Adult Patients With Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a heterogeneous condition characterized by differing inflammatory endotypes. The identification of suitable biomarkers could enable personalized approaches to treatment selection.

Objective: This study aimed to identify and summarize clinical studies of biomarkers in adults with CRS in order to inform future research into CRS endotypes.

Investigations and Outcomes for Olfactory Disorders.

Purpose Of Review: To provide a detailed overview of the investigations and core outcome measures for olfactory disorders.

Recent Findings: Olfactory disorders can have a detrimental impact to the quality of life of patients. There are a wide range of causes of olfactory loss including sinonasal conditions, idiopathic, post-head trauma or infection.

Manipulation under anaesthesia of fractured nasal bones - a 10-year retrospective study.

Background: Nasal bone fractures are treated by manipulation under general or local anaesthesia procedures. Data on long-term benefits of manipulation under local anaesthesia are limited. This study aimed to quantify the proportion of patients requiring septoplasty or septorhinoplasty after manipulation under general and local anaesthesia procedures.

A Case of Recurrent Isolated Uvula Oedema Secondary to Obesity and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.

A 34-year-old male presented as an emergency with sudden onset globus, stertor and choking whilst asleep. He had similar previous episodes that self-resolved. The patient's observations were all within normal range.

A double-blind clinical trial to compare the efficacy and safety of a multiple amino acid-based ORS with the standard WHO-ORS in the management of non-cholera acute watery diarrhea in infants and young children: "VS002A" trial protocol.

Background: Diarrhea is the second deadliest disease for under-five children globally and the situation is more serious in developing countries. Oral rehydration solution (ORS) is being used as a standard treatment for acute watery diarrhea for a long time. Our objective is to compare the efficacy of amino acid-based ORS "VS002A" compared to standard glucose-based WHO-ORS in infants and young children suffering from acute non-cholera watery diarrhea.

Simulation-based teaching: an effective modality for providing UK foundation doctors with core ENT skills training.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an ENT simulation course for equipping foundation doctors with core ENT skills in preparation for an ENT senior house officer post.

Method: A total of 41 foundation doctors in the East of England participated in our two-part simulation course. Pre- and post-course surveys, consisting of Likert scales and a Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure, were sent to assess confidence in core ENT skills and acceptability of course format.

Blood transfusion demands in a tertiary otolaryngology, head and neck centre: A 5-year retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: To retrospectively analyse and report the utilisation of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in a tertiary otolaryngology, head and neck centre in the United Kingdom.

Background: Twenty-seven per cent of RBC transfusions were for surgical indications in a 2014 England and North Wales survey. Currently, there is limited literature on RBC transfusions in Otolaryngology.

Selective constraints on protamine 2 in primates and rodents.

Background: Protamines are sperm nuclear proteins with a crucial role in chromatin condensation. Their function is strongly linked to sperm head morphology and male fertility. Protamines appear to be affected by a complex pattern of selective constraints.

Sexual Selection of Protamine 1 in Mammals.

Protamines have a crucial role in male fertility. They are involved in sperm chromatin packaging and influence the shape of the sperm head and, hence, are important for sperm performance. Protamine structure is basic with numerous arginine-rich DNA-binding domains.

Quantitative expression analysis of drought responsive genes in clones of Hevea with varying levels of drought tolerance.

In order to meet the ever rising global demand for natural rubber, cultivation of Hevea is being extended to non-traditional regions of India where extreme climatic conditions like drought and low temperature negatively influence the crop performance. In order to ensure maximum productivity, identification of drought tolerant clones of Hevea which can cope up with stress and give better crop yield is essential. Several attempts have been made previously to identify genes that are associated with drought tolerance in Hevea.

Sensitivity and specificity of a rapid point-of-care test for active yaws: a comparative study.

Background: To eradicate yaws, national control programmes use the Morges strategy (initial mass treatment and biannual resurveys). The resurvey component is designed to actively detect and treat remaining yaws cases and is initiated on the basis of laboratory-supported reactive non-treponemal serology (using the rapid plasma reagin [RPR] test). Unfortunately, the RPR test is available rarely in yaws-endemic areas.

Sexual selection on protamine and transition nuclear protein expression in mouse species.

Post-copulatory sexual selection in the form of sperm competition is known to influence the evolution of male reproductive proteins in mammals. The relationship between sperm competition and regulatory evolution, however, remains to be explored. Protamines and transition nuclear proteins are involved in the condensation of sperm chromatin and are expected to affect the shape of the sperm head.

Proteins involved in motility and sperm-egg interaction evolve more rapidly in mouse spermatozoa.

Proteomic studies of spermatozoa have identified a large catalog of integral sperm proteins. Rapid evolution of these proteins may underlie adaptive changes of sperm traits involved in different events leading to fertilization, although the selective forces underlying such rapid evolution are not well understood. A variety of selective forces may differentially affect several steps ending in fertilization, thus resulting in a compartmentalized adaptation of sperm proteins.

Evolution of protamine genes and changes in sperm head phenotype in rodents.

Little is known about the genetic basis of evolutionary changes in sperm phenotype. Postcopulatory sexual selection is associated with differences in protamine gene sequences and promoters and is a powerful force acting on sperm form and function, although links between protamine evolution and sperm phenotype are scarce. Protamines are involved in sperm chromatin condensation, and protamine deficiency negatively affects sperm morphology and male fertility, thus suggesting that they are important for sperm design and function.

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity in adults with intellectual disabilities: a preliminary investigation.

Background: Cortisol is a marker of physiological arousal, exhibiting a characteristic pattern of diurnal activity. The daily cortisol profile has been xamined extensively and is atypical in a number of clinical disorders. However, there are very few studies focussing on the cortisol profile in adults with intellectual disabilities (ID).

Sexual selection halts the relaxation of protamine 2 among rodents.

Sexual selection has been proposed as the driving force promoting the rapid evolutionary changes observed in some reproductive genes including protamines. We test this hypothesis in a group of rodents which show marked differences in the intensity of sexual selection. Levels of sperm competition were not associated with the evolutionary rates of protamine 1 but, contrary to expectations, were negatively related to the evolutionary rate of cleaved- and mature-protamine 2.

Decision-making difficulties experienced by adults with autism spectrum conditions.

Autobiographical and clinical accounts, as well as a limited neuropsychological research literature, suggest that, in some situations, men and women with autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) may have difficulty making decisions. Little is known, however, about how people with ASCs experience decision-making or how they might best be supported to make decisions for themselves. In this study, we compared the decision-making experiences of adults with and without ASCs (n=38 and n=40, respectively) using a novel questionnaire and the General Decision Making Style inventory (GDMS, Scott & Bruce, 1995).

An fMRI investigation of detection of semantic incongruities in autistic spectrum conditions.

The aim of this study was to investigate differences in the brain's haemodynamic response to semantically incongruent and congruent sentences in adults with an autistic spectrum condition (ASC) and a typically developing Control group. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure regional variations in neural activity during detection of semantic incongruities within written sentences. Whilst the 12 controls showed a pattern of activity extending from posterior cingulate cortices bilaterally and the left occipitotemporal region to the left superior and inferior temporal lobes, right anterior cingulate and right inferior frontal gyrus, the 12 participants with an ASC presented a more spatially restricted activation pattern, including the left inferior frontal gyrus, left anterior cingulate cortex and right middle frontal gyrus.