Availability and Pricing of Drugs Prescribed by Otolaryngologists Through a Direct-to-Consumer Pharmacy: Medicare Savings Implications.

High prescription drug prices can financially strain patients and insurers, with substantial clinical repercussions. In recent years, direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmacies have emerged as potentially lower-cost alternatives for patients to fill prescriptions. We evaluated whether drugs commonly prescribed by otolaryngologists were available at a national DTC pharmacy (Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company [MCCPDC]) and estimated potential Medicare savings from DTC pricing.

Nasal endoscopy score thresholds to trigger consideration of chronic rhinosinusitis treatment escalation and implications for disease control.

Background: In the absence of direct evidence supporting how to use nasal endoscopy findings to judge chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) disease control, experts' practice patterns could provide guidance.

Methodology: Participants consisted of a diverse group of twenty-nine rhinologists. Participants were presented with every possible combination of bilateral nasal endoscopy findings represented by the modified Lund-Kennedy (MLK; range: 0-12) endoscopic scoring system and Nasal Polyp Score (NPS; range: 0-8).

In office sampling of eosinophil peroxidase to diagnose eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis.

Background: Practical biomarkers for endotypic characterization of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) remain elusive, hindering clinical utility. Eosinophil peroxidase (EPX) is an enzyme released by activated eosinophils. The objective of this study was to evaluate a clinic EPX assay as a marker of eosinophilic CRS.

Cost Analysis of High-Signal Approach in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Residency.

Objective: The objective of this study is to analyze a high-signal approach for otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) residency applicants and calculate cost savings for programs and applicants.

Methods: Data from both the 2022-2024 Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and a data model were used to demonstrate cost savings with a high-signal approach. Modeled data assumed that the number of applications per applicant would be equal to the number of signals allowed.

The neuropeptide drosulfakinin enhances choosiness and protects males from the aging effects of social perception.

The motivation to reproduce is a potent natural drive, and the social behaviors that induce it can severely impact animal health and lifespan. Indeed, in males, accelerated aging associated with reproduction arises not from the physical act of courtship or copulation but instead from the motivational drive to court and mate. To better understand the mechanisms underlying social effects on aging, we studied male choosiness for mates.

Leadership Training Curriculum for Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Residents: A Scoping Review.

Objective: Otolaryngologists take on various leadership roles throughout their daily practice, but specific training focused on leadership development during otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) residency is not well-defined. This project explores the current state of leadership curricula for OHNS residents.

Data Sources: Google Scholar, Embase, PubMed, and MedEdPORTAL.

Behavioral dissection of hunger states in .

Hunger is a motivational drive that promotes feeding, and it can be generated by the physiological need to consume nutrients as well as the hedonic properties of food. Brain circuits and mechanisms that regulate feeding have been described, but which of these contribute to the generation of motive forces that drive feeding is unclear. Here, we describe our first efforts at behaviorally and neuronally distinguishing hedonic from homeostatic hunger states in and propose that this system can be used as a model to dissect the molecular mechanisms that underlie feeding motivation.

Ring neurons in the Drosophila central complex act as a rheostat for sensory modulation of aging.

Sensory perception modulates aging, yet we know little about how. An understanding of the neuronal mechanisms through which animals orchestrate biological responses to relevant sensory inputs would provide insight into the control systems that may be important for modulating lifespan. Here, we provide new awareness into how the perception of dead conspecifics, or death perception, which elicits behavioral and physiological effects in many different species, affects lifespan in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster.

Effects of hunger on neuronal histone modifications slow aging in .

Hunger is an ancient drive, yet the molecular nature of pressures of this sort and how they modulate physiology are unknown. We find that hunger modulates aging in . Limitation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) or activation of hunger-promoting neurons induced a hunger state that extended life span despite increased feeding.

Determinants of physician assessment of chronic rhinosinusitis disease control using EPOS 2020 criteria and the importance of incorporating patient perspectives of disease control.

Background: We identify chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) manifestations associated with how rhinologists assess CRS control, with a focus on patient perspectives (patient-reported CRS control).

Methods: Fifteen rhinologists were provided with real-world data from 200 CRS patients. Participating rhinologists first classified patients' CRS control as "controlled," "partly controlled," and "uncontrolled" using seven CRS manifestations reflecting European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps (EPOS) CRS control criteria (nasal obstruction, drainage, impaired smell, facial pain/pressure, sleep disturbance, use of systemic antibiotics/corticosteroids in past 6 months, and nasal endoscopy findings) and patient-reported CRS control.

Interview Invitations for Otolaryngology Residency Positions Across Demographic Groups Following Implementation of Preference Signaling.

Importance: Preference signaling is a new initiative in the residency application process that has been adopted by 17 specialties that include more than 80% of applicants in the 2023 National Resident Matching cycle. The association of signals with interview selection rate across applicant demographics has not been fully examined.

Objective: To assess the validity of survey-based data on the association of preference signals with interview offers and describe the variation across demographic groups.

Impact of the Standardized Interview Offer Date Initiatives: A Survey of Otolaryngology Applicants and Programs.

Objective: To investigate residency applicant and program compliance with and attitudes toward a newly implemented standardized interview offer date program.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: US Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery training programs.

IL-13-associated epithelial remodeling correlates with clinical severity in nasal polyposis.

Background: Epithelial remodeling is a histopathologic feature of chronic inflammatory airway diseases including chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Cell-type shifts and their relationship to CRS endotypes and severity are incompletely described.

Objective: We sought to understand the relationship of epithelial cell remodeling to inflammatory endotypes and disease outcomes in CRS.

Light modulates lifespan via perceptual systems independent of circadian rhythms.

Across taxa, sensory perception modulates aging in response to important ecological cues, including food, sex, and danger. The range of sensory cues involved, and their mechanism of action, are largely unknown. We therefore sought to better understand how one potential cue, that of light, impacts aging in .

The serotonin receptor 5-HT2A modulates lifespan and protein feeding in .

The conserved neurotransmitter serotonin has been shown to be an important modulator of lifespan in specific nutritional contexts; however, it remained unclear how serotonin signaling influences lifespan under normal conditions. Here, we show that serotonin signaling through the 5-HT2A receptor influences lifespan, behavior, and physiology in . Loss of the 5-HT2A receptor extends lifespan and induces a resistance to changes in dietary protein that are normally detrimental to lifespan.

Lifespan extension in female mice by early, transient exposure to adult female olfactory cues.

Several previous lines of research have suggested, indirectly, that mouse lifespan is particularly susceptible to endocrine or nutritional signals in the first few weeks of life, as tested by manipulations of litter size, growth hormone levels, or mutations with effects specifically on early-life growth rate. The pace of early development in mice can also be influenced by exposure of nursing and weanling mice to olfactory cues. In particular, odors of same-sex adult mice can in some circumstances delay maturation.

Impact of Preference Signaling on Residency Interview Distribution Among Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Applicants.

Objective: This study investigates interview offer distribution among applicants of varying levels of competitiveness in a residency application cycle with and without preference signaling.

Design And Setting: Self-reported applicant survey data evaluating the 2021-2022 Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery residency signal experience was used to investigate the current distribution of interview offers among applicants. These data then informed a model to assess the distribution of interview offers without signaling in place.

Two-Year Interview and Match Outcomes of Otolaryngology Preference Signaling.

Objective: To present the first year-over-year data comparison of preference signaling for residency interviews in the otolaryngology application marketplace.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study conducted over 2 application cycles.

Setting: Otolaryngology training programs in the United States.

Serotonin and dopamine modulate aging in response to food odor and availability.

An organism's ability to perceive and respond to changes in its environment is crucial for its health and survival. Here we reveal how the most well-studied longevity intervention, dietary restriction, acts in-part through a cell non-autonomous signaling pathway that is inhibited by the presence of attractive smells. Using an intestinal reporter for a key gene induced by dietary restriction but suppressed by attractive smells, we identify three compounds that block food odor effects in C.

IL-13-programmed airway tuft cells produce PGE2, which promotes CFTR-dependent mucociliary function.

Chronic type 2 (T2) inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract are characterized by mucus overproduction and disordered mucociliary function, which are largely attributed to the effects of IL-13 on common epithelial cell types (mucus secretory and ciliated cells). The role of rare cells in airway T2 inflammation is less clear, though tuft cells have been shown to be critical in the initiation of T2 immunity in the intestine. Using bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing of airway epithelium and mouse modeling, we found that IL-13 expanded and programmed airway tuft cells toward eicosanoid metabolism and that tuft cell deficiency led to a reduction in airway prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) concentration.

Factors affecting operative autonomy and performance during otolaryngology training: A multicenter trial.

Objective: Surgical education is changing in an era of new regulations and evolving training cultures. We sought to understand the factors that affect operative experiences during otolaryngology residency.

Methods: From December 2019 to December 2020, five otolaryngology training programs used the SIMPL OR smartphone application to evaluate residents after each operation.

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Otolaryngology Trainee Surgical Case Numbers: A Multi-institutional Review.

Objective: To determine the effect of the initiation of COVID-19-related restrictions on the volume of surgical cases performed by otolaryngology trainees.

Study Design: Multi-institutional retrospective analysis of resident surgical case logs.

Setting: Accredited residency training programs in otolaryngology head and neck surgery.

Expansion and application of dye tracers for measuring solid food intake and food preference in Drosophila.

The Drosophila model is used to investigate the effects of diet on physiology as well as the effects of genetic pathways, neural systems and environment on feeding behavior. We previously showed that Blue 1 works well as a dye tracer to track consumption of agar-based media in Drosophila in a method called Con-Ex. Here, we describe Orange 4 as a novel dye for use in Con-Ex studies that expands the utility of this method.