European clinical practice guideline: managing and treating laryngopharyngeal reflux disease.

Objective: To propose a European consensus for managing and treating laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) to guide primary care and specialist physicians.

Methods: Twenty-three European experts (otolaryngologists, gastroenterologists, surgeons) participated in a modified Delphi process to revise 38 statements about the definition, clinical management, and treatment of LPRD. Three voting rounds were conducted on a 5-point scale and a consensus was defined a priori as agreement by 80% of the experts.

Variants in the AGBL5 gene are responsible for autosomal recessive Retinitis pigmentosa with hearing loss.

The AGBL5 gene encodes for the Cytoplasmic Carboxypeptidase 5 (CCP5), an α-tubulin deglutamylase that cleaves the γ-carboxyl-linked branching point of glutamylated tubulin. To date, pathogenic variants in AGBL5 have been associated only with isolated retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Hearing loss has not been reported in AGBL5-caused retinal disease.

Italian Speech-Language Pathologists and Telerehabilitation for Voice Disorders: A Survey on Satisfaction, Effectiveness, Limits, and Future Prospects.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of virtual voice therapy during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown in Italy via the collection of opinions of speech-language pathologists (SLPs). All SLPs who regularly carried out their professional activity in public hospitals, private hospitals, or private practices in Italy were asked to fill out an online survey consisting of two sections: (1) demographic information (age, gender, work setting, seniority, working time, and regular use of virtual voice therapy) and (2) opinions regarding telerehabilitation (motivation, personal satisfaction, effectiveness, and future needs and uses). A total of 299 SLPs (mean age 39.

The Revised Reflux Symptom Index (R-RSI): Development, Internal and External Validation Study.

Introduction: This study proposes a revised version of the Reflux Symptom Index (R-RSI), a seventeen-item questionnaire that was revised to increase the suspicion of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD).

Methods: Internal validation involved 213 participants, comprising 160 subjects without a previous LPRD diagnosis and 53 subjects with a self-reported previous diagnosis of LPRD with or without gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were calculated.

Evaluation of tinnitus in patients with Temporomandibular Disorders through Axis II of the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI).

Background: Tinnitus is a quite common and bothersome disorder that results in a perceived sound or noise, without an external origin, often causing notable psychological distress. Some interconnections between tinnitus, bodily pain perception, and psychological well-being were previously reported, thus the relationships between tinnitus and temporomandibular joint (TMJ)-related muscle issues, resulting in somatosensory tinnitus, must be deeply investigated. This study aims to assess the prevalence of tinnitus in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and to examine the correlation between tinnitus and scales assessing the severity of TMD as well as psychological-related parameters.

Hearing loss in beta-thalassaemia: An Italian multicentre case-control study.

Background: Despite numerous studies, the true scenario of hearing loss in beta-thalassaemia remains rather nebulous.

Materials And Methods: Pure tone audiometry, chelation therapy, demographics and laboratory data of 376 patients (mean age 38.5 ± 16.

Late-onset mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA mimicking Usher syndrome.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA (MPS IIIA or Sanfilippo syndrome type A) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by pathogenic variants in the SGSH gene encoding N-sulfoglucosamine sulfohydrolase, an enzyme involved in the degradation of heparan sulfate. MPS IIIA is typically characterized by neurocognitive decline and hepatosplenomegaly with childhood onset. Here, we report on a 53-year-old male subject initially diagnosed with Usher syndrome for the concurrence of retinitis pigmentosa and sensorineural hearing loss.

Perceptual, aerodynamic and acoustic outcomes of surgical technique for sulcus vocalis patients: A systematic review and meta analysis.

Background: Sulcus Vocalis (SV) is a voice disorder characterized by the parallel invagination of the vocal fold epithelium that adheres to the vocal ligament. This condition disrupts the vibratory function, leading to glottal incompetence, hoarseness, and vocal impairment. Despite various proposed surgical techniques, a standardized treatment approach remains elusive.

Non-Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Larynx: A State-of-the-Art Review.

(1) Background: Non-squamous cell laryngeal carcinoma includes endothelial tumors, such as minor salivary gland tumors, lymphoepithelial tumors, neuroendocrine tumors, soft and hard tissue sarcomas, and malignant melanomas. (2) Methods: A state-of-the-art review using the MEDLINE/PUBMED, Google Scholar, Ovid Medline, Embase, and Scopus electronic databases was performed. (3) Conclusions: In order to optimize overall treatment outcomes, a multidisciplinary, patient-centered approach to the management of non-SCC of the larynx must be adopted universally; a national or international registry on non-SCC laryngeal cancer can be useful to improve understanding about the behavior of this kind of tumor.

Adaptation and validation of the Italian Singing Voice Handicap Index-10 (SVHI-10-IT).

Objective: The aim of this study was to adapt and validate the Italian version of the singing Voice Handicap Index-10 (SVHI-10-IT).

Methods: 99 Italian singers were enrolled in the study. All subjects underwent videolaryngostroboscopic examination and were asked to fill out the self-reported 10-item SVHI-10-IT.

Development of a New Self-Assessment Tool for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Screening in Singers (SVHI-12-LPR).

Introduction: The present study aimed to develop a new tool for the evaluation of singers with self-reported symptoms suggestive of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) (the SVHI-12-LPR), by correlating RSI with SVHI in a population sample of 163 subjects (both professional and amateur singers), evaluated also by videolaryngostroboscopy. This study was a cross-sectional, double-observational study.

Methods: RSI and SVHI were administered to 159 singers (amateurs, singing students, and professional singers).

Assessment of Sleep Features, Mental Health Outcomes, and Alcohol and Tobacco Consumption in Residents and Fellows in Otolaryngology Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: The workload of many residents and fellows in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery has particularly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, outcomes associated with mental health status and sleep remain unclear.

Objective: To assess the sleep, mental status, and alcohol and tobacco consumption habits of residents and fellows before the COVID-19 pandemic (before March 10, 2020) and during the pandemic period (after March 10, 2020).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study included residents and fellows of 6 university hospitals of European regions with a high prevalence of COVID-19 cases.

Stapler-Assisted Pharyngeal Closure After Total Laryngectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: Pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) remains the most frequent complication following total laryngectomy (TL). Pharyngeal closure with a surgical stapler (SAPC) has been proposed as an effective closure technique that decreases the rate of PCF, reduces surgical time, decreases the length of hospital stay, and shortens the time required before safely initiating oral feeding.

Methods: This study involved a systematic review and meta-analysis of patients with laryngeal cancer who underwent TL and with subsequent stapler pharyngeal closure, in order to analyse the current literature regarding the role of SAPC after TL.

Hearing Loss in Beta-Thalassemia: Systematic Review.

In the last half century, the life expectancy of beta-thalassemia patients has strikingly increased mostly due to regular blood transfusions and chelation treatments. The improved survival, however, has allowed for the emergence of comorbidities, such as hearing loss, with a non-negligible impact on the patients' quality of life. This thorough review analyzes the acquired knowledge regarding hearing impairment in this hereditary hemoglobinopathy, aiming at defining its prevalence, features, course, and possible disease- or treatment-related pathogenic factors.