Surgical Reconsideration of Traumatic Facial Paralysis.

Introduction: Despite the different pathophysiological mechanisms underlying Bell's palsy, in assessing severe traumatic facial paralysis, many surgeons rely on electrophysiological criteria to determine whether facial nerve exploration is warranted. To assess the value of preoperative electroneurography (ENoG) and the time of surgery, we analyzed data from three tertiary medical centers.

Materials And Methods: The records of 517 patients with a degenerative ratio (DR) greater than 80% on ENoG were collected, and two groups were defined: group A (90% DR ≤ ENoG) and group B (80% DR ≤ ENoG < 90% DR).

Policy Review and Modeling Analysis of Mitigation Measures for Coronavirus Disease Epidemic Control, Health System, and Disease Burden, South Korea.

We reviewed the timeline of key policies for control of the coronavirus disease epidemic and determined their impact on the epidemic and hospital burden in South Korea. Using a discrete stochastic transmission model, we estimated that multilevel policies, including extensive testing, contact tracing, and quarantine, reduced contact rates by 90% and rapidly decreased the epidemic in Daegu and nationwide during February‒March 2020. Absence of these prompt responses could have resulted in a >10-fold increase in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths by May 15, 2020, relative to the status quo.

Lessons from a COVID-19 hospital, Republic of Korea.

Objective: To document the experiences of converting a general hospital to a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) designated hospital during an outbreak in Daegu, Republic of Korea.

Methods: The hospital management formed an emergency task force team, whose role was to organize the COVID-19 hospital. The task force used different collaborative channels to redistribute resources and expertise to the hospital.

Intensive Care Unit Capacity and Its Associated Risk Factors During the COVID-19 Surge in the Republic of Korea: Analysis Using Nationwide Health Claims Data.

Objective: To identify risk factors for intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mechanical ventilator usage among confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients and estimate the effects of mitigation efforts on ICU capacity in Korea.

Patients And Methods: Data on profiles and medical history of all confirmed COVID-19 patients in the past 1 year were extracted from the Korean National Health Insurance System's claims database to assess risk factors for ICU admission and ventilator use. We used a time-series epidemic model to estimate the ICU census in Daegu from the reported hospital data.

The Feasibility of a Modified Exclusive Endoscopic Transcanal Transpromontorial Approach for Vestibular Schwannomas.

 We evaluated the feasibility of an exclusive endoscopic transcanal transpromontorial approach (EETTA) for the treatment of small vestibular schwannomas (VSs) limited to the internal auditory canal (IAC), and introduced a modification without external auditory canal closure.  Between June 2016 and June 2017, seven patients with VS underwent surgery using a modified EETTA. Treatment outcomes, including efficacy of tumor resection, preservation of function, operation time, and quality of life (QOL), were evaluated.

Rottlerin induces cyclooxygenase-2 upregulation through an ATF4 and reactive oxygen species-independent pathway in HEI-OC1 cells.

Hearing loss can be caused by infection, inflammation, loud noise and ototoxic drugs. The induction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX‑2) expression is an important event during the cellular inflammatory response. The present study investigated the effect of rottlerin on CO-2 mRNA and protein expression in HEI-OC1 cells.

Dicer Is Down-regulated and Correlated with Drosha in Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

Previously, we reported the expression levels of specific microRNA machinery components, DGCR8 and AGO2, and their clinical association in patients with idiopathic sudden hearing loss (SSNHL). In the present study, we investigated the other important components of microRNA machinery and their association with clinical parameters in SSNHL patients. Fifty-seven patients diagnosed with SSNHL and fifty healthy volunteers were included in this study.

The Expression of AGO2 and DGCR8 in Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

Objectives: The microRNAs have been implicated in the development and function of the inner ear, especially in contribution to hearing. However, the impact of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) on expression of miRNA biogenesis-related components has not been established. To investigate the regulations of microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis-related components, argonaute 2 (AGO2) and DiGeorge syndrome critical region gene 8 (DGCR8) mRNA expression in SSNHL and to evaluate the value of clinical parameters on their expression.

Dexamethasone inhibits interleukin-1β-induced matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in cochlear cells.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of interleukin (IL)-1β on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 expression in cochlea and regulation of IL-1β-mediated MMP-9 expression by dexamethasone and the molecular and signaling mechanisms involved.

Methods: House ear institute-organ of Corti 1 (HEI-OC1) cells were used and exposed to IL-1β with/without dexamethasone. Glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, RU486, was used to see the role of dexamethasone.

Coding of electric pulse trains presented through cochlear implants in the auditory midbrain of awake rabbit: comparison with anesthetized preparations.

Cochlear implant (CI) listeners show limits at high frequencies in tasks involving temporal processing such as rate pitch and interaural time difference discrimination. Similar limits have been observed in neural responses to electric stimulation in animals with CI; however, the upper limit of temporal coding of electric pulse train stimuli in the inferior colliculus (IC) of anesthetized animals is lower than the perceptual limit. We hypothesize that the upper limit of temporal neural coding has been underestimated in previous studies due to the confound of anesthesia.

Better temporal neural coding with cochlear implants in awake animals.

Both the performance of cochlear implant (CI) listeners and the responses of auditory neurons show limits in temporal processing at high frequencies. However, the upper limit of temporal coding of pulse-train stimuli in the inferior colliculus (IC) of anesthetized animals appears to be lower than that observed in corresponding perceptual tasks. We hypothesize that the neural rate limits have been underestimated due to the effect of anesthesia.

Temporal bone histopathology in neurofibromatosis type 2.

Objectives/hypothesis: To describe the histopathologic findings in the temporal bone in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). The literature contains limited data on otopathology of NF2.

Study Design: Basic science study.

A polymorphism at -1607 2G in the matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) increased risk of sudden deafness in Korean population but not at -519A/G in MMP-1.

Objectives/hypothesis: Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) is associated with a risk of inflammatory disease and cancer invasion. Two common etiologies for sudden deafness (SD) are circulatory disturbance and inflammation. The present study aimed to investigate whether MMP-1 polymorphisms are associated with SD.

Rottlerin induces heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) up-regulation through reactive oxygen species (ROS) dependent and PKC delta-independent pathway in human colon cancer HT29 cells.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is a cytoprotective enzyme activated by its substrate heme and diverse stimuli. The induction of HO-1 gene expression is one of the important events in cellular response to pro-oxidative and pro-inflammatory insults. In this study, the effect of rottlerin, a putative PKC delta inhibitor, on HO-1 expression in HT29 human colon cancer cells was investigated.

Staging in vestibular schwannoma surgery: a modified technique.

The authors herein propose the staged excision as a novel strategy to preserve facial nerve and minimize complication during microsurgery of large vestibular schwannoma (VS). At the first stage, for reducing mass effect on the brain stem and cerebellum, subtotal tumor resection was performed via a retrosigmoid craniotomy without intervention of meatal portion of tumor. With total resection of the remaining tumor, the facial nerve was decompressed and delineated during the second stage translabyrinthine approach at a later date.

Interleukin-1beta up-regulates inducible nitric oxide by way of phosphoinositide 3-kinase-dependent in a cochlear cell model.

Objective: To investigate the effect of interleukin (IL)-1beta on inducible nitric oxide (iNOS) expression in cochlea and the molecular and signaling mechanisms involved.

Materials And Methods: House Ear Institute-Organ of Corti 1 (HEI-OC1) cells were used and exposed to IL-1beta. Pharmacologic inhibitors such as PD98059 (an extracellular-regulated protein kinase [ERKs] inhibitor), SB203580 (a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase [MAPK] inhibitor), SP600125 (a c-Jun N-terminal kinases [JNKs]) inhibitor), and LY294002 (an inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase [PI3 K]) were used to see the role of JNKs, ERKs, p38 MAPK, or PI3 K signaling pathway(s) in iNOS expression in response to IL-1beta in HEI-OC1 cells.

IL4 receptor polymorphism is associated with increased risk of sudden deafness in Korean population.

The interleukin 4 receptor (IL4R) polymorphism Q576R (rs 180275) has been well known to be associated with atopy and other inflammatory diseases. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) A > G transition potentiates the binding specificity of the adjacent tyrosine residue. In this study we investigated the possible relationship between sudden deafness (SD) and IL4R polymorphism Q576R in 97 Korean SD patients and 613 controls using pyrosequencing method.

Structural requirements for the neuroprotective effects of aspirin analogues against N-methyl-D-aspartate and zinc ion neurotoxicity.

In order to elucidate the structural requirements for the dual neuroprotective activity of aspirin against N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and zinc ion neurotoxicity, various aspirin analogues and derivatives, modified at the carboxylic group, the acetyl group, and the chain length between the carboxylic acid moiety and phenyl ring, were synthesized. Replacement of the carboxylic acid group with alkyl groups (compounds 2c and 2d) resulted in a dramatic increase in neuroprotective activity against NMDA neurotoxicity, while reduction of the carboxylic acid group to the alcohol (compound 2g) completely abolished this activity. In contrast to NMDA neurotoxicity, compounds that are devoid of the carboxylic acid group did not show any activity against zinc ion neurotoxicity.