Assessment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps: Development of the Nasal Polyp Patient Assessment Scoring Sheet tool.

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a heterogeneous disorder with a wide range of validated subjective and objective assessment tools to assess disease severity. However, a comprehensive and easy-to-use tool that integrates these measures for determining disease severity and response to treatment is still obscure. The objective of this study was to develop a standardized assessment tool that facilitates diagnosis, uniform patient monitoring, and comparison of treatment outcomes between different centers both in routine clinical practice and in research.

Management of Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps (CRSwNP) in the Pan-Arab Region: Consensus Recommendations from a Multidisciplinary Expert Working Group.

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a chronic and often debilitating inflammatory condition of the nasal and paranasal tissues. An expert panel of specialists from the Gulf region (the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates) and from Egypt gathered to evaluate existing guidance and develop regional guidance on the management of CRSwNP through a consensus approach. The present article presents the main observations and recommendations from this panel.

Insights on Competency and Knowledge Related to the Tracheostomy Care of Nurses at a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Oman.

To assess the efficacy of current knowledge and competency of tracheostomy care providers in inpatient setting. A real-time questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was carried out on 34 tracheostomy nursing care providers from different in patient settings. There were 50 questions in 8 sections, covering most of the aspects and steps of tracheostomy.

Methanol production and purification via membrane-based technology: Recent advancements, challenges and the way forward.

Industrial revolution on the back of fossil fuels has costed humanity higher temperatures on the planet due to ever-growing concentration of carbon dioxide emissions in Earth's atmosphere. To tackle global warming demand for renewable energy sources continues to increase. Along renewables, there has been a growing interest in converting carbon dioxide to methanol, which can be used as a fuel or a feedstock for producing chemicals.

Recurrent repeat expansions in human cancer genomes.

Expansion of a single repetitive DNA sequence, termed a tandem repeat (TR), is known to cause more than 50 diseases. However, repeat expansions are often not explored beyond neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. In some cancers, mutations accumulate in short tracts of TRs, a phenomenon termed microsatellite instability; however, larger repeat expansions have not been systematically analysed in cancer.

Can Clinical and Radiological Diagnosis Reduce the Need for Bronchoscopy in Pediatric Tracheobronchial Foreign Body Aspiration Cases?

Objectives: To assess the diagnostic accuracy and efficacy of taking history, conducting physical examination, and assessing the radiological characteristics of children suspected of having aspirated foreign bodies (FBs), vis-à-vis tracheobronchoscopy, the gold standard diagnostic tool. An additional objective was to analyze the types and locations of aspirated FBs.

Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study used the archived medical data of consecutive pediatric patients who had presented with suspected tracheobronchial FB aspiration (TFBA) from January 2011 to May 2021.

Incorporation of Evidence-based Guidelines on Bleeding Risk Assessment Prior to Surgery into Practice: Real-time Experience.

Objectives: Despite guidelines recommending no need for coagulation testing before surgeries when a history of bleeding is negative, surgeons still overuse it in this part of the world. We aim to measure unbiased estimates of hemostatic outcomes in ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeries and assess the surgeons' behavior of preoperative coagulation testing.

Methods: We enrolled all patients who underwent ENT surgeries from July 2017 to January 2018.

Expert Opinion on Biological Treatment of Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps in the Gulf Region.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is defined as the inflammation of nose and paranasal sinuses, affecting the patients' quality of life and productivity. Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a principal clinical entity confirmed by the existence of chronic sinonasal inflammation and is characterized by anterior or posterior rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, hyposmia and/or facial pressure or facial pain. Several epidemiologic studies have revealed wide variations in the incidence of CRS among regions globally ranging from 4.

Clinical Characteristics of COVID-19 from the Otorhinolaryngologist's Perspective: First Report from Oman, Middle East.

To study the otorhinolaryngological clinical characteristics of COVID-19 positive patients. A prospective cross sectional study on sixty five patients who were SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive, and completed 14 days of isolation period were surveyed with a questionnaire. The responses were evaluated and assessed.

Novel Multidisciplinary Salivary Gland Society (MSGS) Questionnaire: An International Consensus.

Objectives: First, establishment and validation of a novel questionnaire documenting the burden of xerostomia and sialadenitis symptoms, including quality of life. Second, to compare two versions regarding the answering scale (proposed developed answers Q3 vs. 0-10 visual analogue scale Q10) of our newly developed questionnaire, in order to evaluate their comprehension by patients and their reproducibility in time.

The best COVID-19 predictor is recent smell loss: a cross-sectional study.

Background: COVID-19 has heterogeneous manifestations, though one of the most common symptoms is a sudden loss of smell (anosmia or hyposmia). We investigated whether olfactory loss is a reliable predictor of COVID-19.

Methods: This preregistered, cross-sectional study used a crowdsourced questionnaire in 23 languages to assess symptoms in individuals self-reporting recent respiratory illness.

Surgical patients' use of, and attitudes towards, the internet for e-patient activities in Germany and Oman.

Introduction: E-patient activities are known to impact upon the patient-doctor relationship and on surgical outcomes. In Oman, there is no published information about the e-patient. The aim of this study, conducted at two surgical sites, was to investigate surgical e-patients' use of, and attitudes towards, the Internet, and the possible impact on the delivery of healthcare.

Postoperative Functional and Cosmetic Satisfaction among Subjects Undergoing Open Versus Endonasal Septorhinoplasty: Five Years' Experience from an Open-label Study at a Tertiary Care Center in Oman.

Objectives: We sought to compare functional and cosmetic satisfaction among male and female patients undergoing open and closed septorhinoplasty within sub-groups of indications for the surgery at a tertiary care hospital in Oman.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study in the ear, nose, and throat surgery department at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital from 2010 to 2015. All patients aged above 17 years, without dysmorphic pathologies, and due to be operated through open or endonasal septorhinoplasty based on the appropriate indications (functional or cosmetic or functional and cosmetic), were included in the study.

Surgeons' Interactions With and Attitudes Toward E-Patients: Questionnaire Study in Germany and Oman.

Background: Doctors' interactions with and attitudes toward e-patients have an overall impact on health care delivery.

Objective: This study aimed to gauge surgeons' interactions with e-patients, their attitudes toward those e-patient activities, the possible impact on the delivery of health care, and the reasons behind those activities and attitudes.

Methods: We created a paper-based and electronic survey form based on pertinent variables identified in the literature, and from March 2018 to July 2018 we surveyed 49 surgeons in Germany and 59 surgeons in Oman, asking them about their interactions with and attitudes toward e-patients.

Preoperative transfusion versus no transfusion policy in sickle cell disease patients: a randomized trial.

Background: Many children with sickle cell disease (SCD) indicated for adenotonsillectomy receive pre-operative transfusion therapy, either simple or exchange transfusion, in order to reduce surgical and sickle cell disease-related complications.

Subjects And Methods: This is a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial aiming to compare between preoperative simple transfusion and no transfusion in pediatric patients with sickle SCD admitted in Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman for adenotonsillectomy during the period from January 2014 through June 2018. They were randomly assigned into two arms (simple transfusion and no transfusion).

Limitations and drawbacks of the hospital-based universal neonatal hearing screening program: First report from the Arabian Peninsula and insights.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of the current universal neonatal hearing screening program in a tertiary medical institution in Oman, identify its limitations and drawbacks, and explore their causative factors.

Methods: A retrospective review was carried out to analyse the hearing screening of 12,743 live babies born between January 2016 and December 2018. Screen coverage, drop outs, follow up rate, and age at completion of screening, diagnosis, and intervention were analysed.

Multiple Mini-interview Consistency and Satisfactoriness for Residency Program Recruitment: Oman Evidence.

Objectives: Standard interviews are used by most residency programs to assess non-cognitive skills, but variability in the interviewer's skills, interviewer bias, and context specificity limit reliability. We sought to investigate the consistency and satisfactoriness of the multiple mini-interview (MMI) model for resident selection into an otorhinolaryngology head and neck surgery residency program.

Methods: This pilot study was done in an independent academic residency training center for 15 applicants, in seven eight-minute MMI stations with eight raters for the 2015-2016 academic year.

Effects of an Adenotonsillectomy on the Cognitive and Behavioural Function of Children Who Snore: A naturalistic observational study.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate cognitive and behavioural changes among 9-14-year-old Omani children with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) after an adenotonsillectomy (AT).

Methods: This naturalistic observational study was conducted at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, between January 2012 and December 2014. Omani children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy (ATH) underwent overnight polysomnography and those with confirmed OSA were scheduled for an AT.

Allergic Rhinitis in Relation to Food Allergies: Pointers to future research.

Allergic rhinitis is a ubiquitous type of allergic reaction which results in significant costs to affected patients and their families. Although allergic rhinitis can coexist with other atopic conditions, the role of food allergies in the development of allergic rhinitis has not been well studied. This article explores relevant literature on this subject in order to identify gaps in the available body of knowledge and elucidate scope for further research.

Congenital midnasal stenosis - A novel technique for management.

Neonates are obligate nasal breathers and nasal obstruction in a neonate is an emergency. Here we report two cases of congenital mid-nasal stenosis, discuss its presentation and diagnosis with description of a novel method of management.

The Accuracy of IOS Device-based uHear as a Screening Tool for Hearing Loss: A Preliminary Study From the Middle East.

Objectives: To determine and explore the potential use of uHear as a screening test for determining hearing disability by evaluating its accuracy in a clinical setting and a soundproof booth when compared to the gold standard conventional audiometry.  .

Methods: Seventy Sultan Qaboos University students above the age of 17 years who had normal hearing were recruited for the study.

Allergic rhinitis and associated comorbidities: prevalence in oman with knowledge gaps in literature.

Objectives: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a global health problem and its impact on health related quality of life for patients is substantial, and the economic impact often underestimated. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis in Oman is unknown. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of AR and associated co-morbidities among adults in Oman.

Castleman disease of the parotid gland in a pediatric patient: a case report.

Castleman disease, also called angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia, is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by enlarged hyperplastic lymph nodes. Affected patients usually present with mediastinal lymphadenopathy; sometimes other groups of lymph nodes are involved, with or without associated systemic manifestations. We report a case of Castleman disease involving the intraparotid lymph node in a 15-year-old boy who presented with a 3-month history of a painless swelling of the right parotid gland.