Polyphenols in Inner Ear Neurobiology, Health and Disease: From Bench to Clinics.

There is substantial experimental and clinical interest in providing effective ways to both prevent and slow the onset of hearing loss. Auditory hair cells, which occur along the basilar membrane of the cochlea, often lose functionality due to age-related biological alterations, as well as from exposure to high decibel sounds affecting a diminished/damaged auditory sensitivity. Hearing loss is also seen to take place due to neuronal degeneration before or following hair cell destruction/loss.

Impact of the -174 G > C IL-6 polymorphism on bioelectrical parameters in obese subjects after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

Background: Recent data demonstrated that the -174 G > C IL-6 polymorphism may account for differences in the therapeutic response to laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) surgery.

Objective: We investigated the impact of -174 G > C IL-6 polymorphism on weight loss, body composition, and fluid distribution changes in obese subjects after LAGB.

Design And Outcome Measures: Twenty obese subjects were selected and studied at baseline and 3 months after LAGB.

Limited fatty infiltration due to apoptosis in human degenerated temporomandibular joint disks: an immunohistochemical study.

In this study, we hypothesized that caspase 3, which plays a central role in the execution phase of cell apoptosis, could be involved in limiting fatty degeneration of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disks and therefore inhibit the TMJ disk tissue from completely degenerating into fatty tissue. Therefore, caspase 3 immunohistochemical expression in human TMJ degenerated disks was studied. Fifty-nine degenerated TMJ disks were stained with Harry's hematoxylin, and they were then examined with light microscopy to detect any pathologic changes typical of fatty degeneration.