Nasal obstruction and palate-tongue position on sleep-disordered breathing.

Objectives: We wanted to evaluate whether the presence of nasal obstruction makes a change on the association between the modified Mallampati score and the severity of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and the sleep quality.

Methods: Polysomnography (PSG), the modified Mallampati score (MMS), the body-mass index, and a questionnaire about nasal obstruction were acquired from 275 suspected SDB patients. The subjects were divided into two groups according to the presence of nasal obstruction.

The effect of anatomically directed topical steroid drops on frontal recess patency after endoscopic sinus surgery: a prospective randomized single blind study.

Background: The failure rate for frontal sinusotomy is higher than that of overall endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). To prevent frontal sinus obstruction, systemic or topical steroids are commonly used, but systemic steroid therapy can cause significant morbidity and topical sprays can not be distributed to the frontal ostium. This study was designed to determine the efficacy of anatomically directed topical steroid drops in reducing frontal ostium stenosis compared with topical steroid sprays after ESS.

Effects of statins on the recovery of olfactory function in a 3-methylindole-induced anosmia mouse model.

Background: Despite the importance of olfactory function, no effective medications have been identified to treat olfactory disorders. This study was performed to evaluate the functional recovery of olfaction damaged by 3-methylindole (3MI) in a mouse model with hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins).

Methods: In a randomized placebo-controlled trial, 24 healthy female BALB/c mice (aged 9-10 weeks and weighing 18-20 g each) were randomly allocated to statin-treated or control groups.

Maxillary sinusitis after reduction malarplasty.

Reduction malarplasty for making an oval facial shape is a popular procedure in Asia. However, a range of complications after malarplasty have been reported, including hematoma, orbital complications, asymmetric face, and depression of the chin. Fixation can be incomplete and the osteotome can penetrate the sinus during surgery due to the narrow surgical field, which can result in sinusitis caused by bony fragments after malarplasty.