Adaptation and validation into Spanish of a specific questionnaire on quality of life in patients with tracheostomy (TQOL).

Background And Objective: A long-term tracheostomy can have significant negative effects on quality of life because it causes physical, functional, sensory, psychological, social, economic, and work impairments to the life of the individual. The objective of this study was to validate in Spanish a quality-of-life questionnaire for these patients.

Materials And Methods: A psychometric validation study of a questionnaire in 45 patients over 18 years of age, with tracheostomy for six months, who understand Spanish and have a good understanding of the questions of the SF-36 questionnaire and a specific quality of life questionnaire for the patient with tracheostomy (TQOL-versión española).

Therapy-Induced Modulation of the Tumor Microenvironment: New Opportunities for Cancer Therapies.

Advances in immunotherapy have achieved remarkable clinical outcomes in tumors with low curability, but their effects are limited, and increasing evidence has implicated tumoral and non-tumoral components of the tumor microenvironment as critical mediators of cancer progression. At the same time, the clinical successes achieved with minimally invasive and optically-guided surgery and image-guided and ablative radiation strategies have been successfully implemented in clinical care. More effective, localized and safer treatments have fueled strong research interest in radioimmunotherapy, which has shown the potential immunomodulatory effects of ionizing radiation.

[Vertigo, imbalance and mourning].

It is a well-known fact, and there are several publications on this matter, the links between panic attacks, simulation, anxiety, depression and lightheadedness or imbalance, but in our perusal of the related literature no connection between pathological mourning, dizziness and imbalance was found. In this paper are reported the outcomes of a prospective study of 58 patients suffering vertigo and imbalance as well and psychiatrically assessed. Pathologic mourning shows its predominance among otic vertiginous.

[Nasal leishmaniasis in an HIV-positive patient].

Leishmania is currently one of the most clinically important protozoa in otorhinolaryngology. Mediterranean countries, including Spain, have endemic HIV and L. infantum.

[Treatment of idiopathic facial paralysis: corticoids versus acyclovir versus empirical treatment].

Bell's palsy has no specific treatment because its cause is still debated. The most widely accepted theory postulates an immunovirological origin consisting of the reactivation of a silent herpesvirus on the geniculate ganglion. We studied three groups of patients with Bell's palsy who received different treatments in an attempt to discern differences in evolution between treatment groups.

[Stapedectomy versus stapedotomy. Our experience].

Otosclerosis surgery has seen three well-differentiated stages of development: a) SHC fenestration; b) stapes mobilization, and c) platinectomy, a procedure introduced in 1960 by Shea. Since then, only one variation has been proposed: platinotomy. After a comparative study of platinectomy versus platinotomy, we, like other authors, concluded that platinotomy was a better technique because of the ease of execution and good functional results.

[Second primary tumors in patients with laryngeal neoplasms].

A cohort epidemiologic study of second primary tumours appeared in patients diagnosed of laryngeal neoplasms, between years 1988 and 1990, and a follow-up term of 5 years, is presented. An statistical analysis of several data to define a possible high risk group for developing primary tumours was performed for all patients.

[Omeprazole: a new treatment for paranasal sinus polyps in Widal syndrome. Preliminary study].

A preliminary report is made of the potential therapeutic effect of omeprazol in reducing nasosinusal polyps. This study is based on the empirical observation of nasal airflow improvement in patients suffering from nasosinusal polyposis after administering omeprazol. Different phases of the study suggested that patients with Widal's syndrome benefited the most.

[Recurrent peripheral facial paralysis. Our case load from 1995].

Of 117 cases of peripheral facial palsy seen in our emergency room in 1995, 10 (8.5%) were relapses. Seven were males and 3, females.