Determinants of neurological disease: Synthesis of systematic reviews.

Systematic reviews were conducted to identify risk factors associated with the onset and progression of 14 neurological conditions, prioritized as a component of the National Population Health Study of Neurological Conditions. These systematic reviews provided a basis for evaluating the weight of evidence of evidence for risk factors for the onset and progression of the 14 individual neurological conditions considered. A number of risk factors associated with an increased risk of onset for more than one condition, including exposure to pesticides (associated with an increased risk of AD, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brain tumours, and PD; smoking (AD, MS); and infection (MS, Tourette syndrome).

Risk factors for the onset and progression of Huntington disease.

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by chorea, behavioural and psychiatric manifestations, and dementia, caused by a CAG triplet repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene. Systematic review of the literature was conducted to determine the risk factors for the onset and progression of HD. Multiple databases were searched, using terms specific to Huntington disease and to studies of aetiology, risk, prevention and genetics, limited to studies on human subjects published in English or French between 1950 and 2010.

Impact of routine coronary catheterization in low extremity artery disease undergoing percutaneous transluminal angioplasty: study protocol for a multi-center randomized controlled trial.

Background: The prevalence of significant obstructive coronary artery disease with complex lesions is high in patients who have low extremity artery disease (LEAD). However, intermediate- or long-term cardiovascular prognosis of LEAD patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) remains poor. Accordingly, prophylactic coronary revascularization may modify short- and long-term cardiovascular outcomes of LEAD patients receiving PTA.

Compressive Optic Neuropathy Caused by Cholesterol Gran- uloma in the Posterior Ethmoid Sinus.

Purpose: Cholesterol granuloma is usually associated with chronic middle ear disease. Involvement of the ethmoid sinus by cholesterol granuloma is rare. We describe a case with cholesterol granuloma of the posterior ethmoid sinus causing optic nerve compression.

Prenatal risk factors for Tourette Syndrome: a systematic review.

Background: Tourette Syndrome (TS) appears to be an inherited disorder, although genetic abnormalities have been identified in less than 1% of patients, and the mode of inheritance is uncertain. Many studies have investigated environmental factors that might contribute to the onset and severity of tics and associated comorbidities such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). A systematic review and qualitative analysis were performed to provide a broad view of the association between pre- and perinatal factors and TS.

Predictive model for improvement of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Objective: To establish a predictive model for evaluating improvement in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL).

Study Design: Bayesian cure rate model.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Predictive model for progression of hearing loss: meta-analysis of multi-state outcome.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: To develop a multi-state Markov model to predict multi-state progression of age-related hearing loss (ARHL).

Method: A systematic searching of literature from Medline (1966-2005) was performed. The disease process for hearing loss was modelled as a four-state continuous-time Markov process.

Cost-effectiveness of hearing aids in the hearing-impaired elderly: a probabilistic approach.

Objective: Hearing aids are the principal tool for rehabilitation of hearing loss, one of the most prevalent impairments among elderly adults, but cost-utility ratings for hearing aid use are limited.

Design: Cost-effectiveness analysis.

Setting And Patients: A multistate Markov model was constructed to model 50- to 80-year-old patients moving between states, including normal hearing, mild, moderate, or severe hearing loss.

Measurement of hearing aid outcome in the elderly: comparison between young and old elderly.

Objective: To evaluate speech performance and subjective outcomes for older individuals who have hearing impairment and use digital hearing aids. The outcomes between young and old elderly users were compared.

Study Design: Prospective.

Middle meatus bacteriology of acute rhinosinusitis in patients after irradiation of nasopharynx.

Background: Patients who undergo radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tend to suffer from rhinosinusitis because irradiation causes damage to sinonasal tissue; however, their bacteriology is lacking in the literature. The aim of this study was to determine the bacteriology and antibiotic resistance in acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) of these patients.

Methods: We collected nasal purulent discharge for bacteriology and antibiotic susceptibility tests in irradiated NPC patients with ARS.

Distortion product otoacoustic emissions as a prognostic factor for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

We investigated distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) as a prognostic factor in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) patients with the time-dependent Cox proportional-hazards model. We also compared the importance of the prognostic factors that are reported in the literature. 108 patients with ISSHL were included.

Gauze-assisted technique in endoscopic removal of fungus balls of the maxillary sinus.

Background: The aim of this study was to establish and evaluate a newly developed gauze-assisted technique in complete removal of fungus balls of the maxillary sinus with usual instruments of endoscopic sinus surgery.

Methods: Fifteen adults with fungus balls of the maxillary sinus were collected. A newly developed surgical technique that involves the replacement of the fungus balls with the gauze strip was applied.

Cholesterol granuloma of the maxillary sinus.

Cholesterol granuloma (CG) of the maxillary sinus is very rare. In this study, the searching of the literature was performed with the keywords of cholesterol granuloma and maxillary sinus. All retrieved literature were reviewed throughout to identify and analyze all individual characteristics.

Dumbbell-shaped cervical spinal neurilemmoma presenting as neck mass.

Cervical neurilemmoma may originate from any nerve sheath tissue in the neck including the vagus nerve, glossopharyngeal nerve, brachial plexus, sympathetic trunk and cervical spine. We report an unusual case of a dumbbell-shaped neurilemmoma arising from the cervical spinal roots in a patient who complained of having had a neck mass for several months. Computed tomographic scan and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a dumbbell-shaped tumour extending from the C4 spinal level through the intervertebral foramen into the right parapharyngeal space.

Middle cranial fossa arachnoid cysts causing sensorineural hearing loss.

Arachnoid cyst of the middle cranial fossa has never been reported to present with sensorineural hearing impairment. We report the case of a 15-year-old girl who complained of progressive hearing loss on the right side for 4 years. The pure tone audiometry revealed sensorineural hearing loss with an average of 63 dB, and the auditory brain stem response demonstrated absence of all waves on the right side.

Uncommon anatomic variations in patients with chronic paranasal sinusitis.

Objective: Some uncommon anatomic variations would be encountered with the increasing number of patients with chronic paranasal sinusitis who have undergone functional endoscopic sinus surgery. The correct identification and proper treatment for these variations are important.

Study Design And Setting: A retrospective study of serial computed tomography scan images was conducted in 100 patients collected randomly.

Triple discrete fungus balls of the paranasal sinuses.

Paranasal sinus fungus balls occur usually in single sinus, most frequently the maxillary sinus. Multisinus localization was found only 6% in the largest review of this disease entity. Even multiple sinuses involved, these sinuses were mostly contiguous.

Leiomyoma of the external auditory canal--a case report and brief review of the literature.

Leiomyoma usually originates from the uterus and alimentary tract, but rarely from the soft tissue of the head and neck. It is extremely rare that leiomyoma appears in the external auditory canal. A 47-year-old male with left external auditory canal leiomyoma presented with conductive hearing impairment and post-auricular swelling.

Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma of the hard palate.

Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma (HCCC) of the salivary gland is new disease only recognized in recent years. It is rare and the standard treatment is still under investigation. This is a report of a 42-year-old female with HCCC who presented with a painless submucosal hard palatal mass of three years duration.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss after rapid reduction of blood pressure in malignant hypertension.

Although circulatory impairment of the cochlea would be intuitively a possible cause of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), definite proof is lacking. A 46-year-old man developed bilateral SSHL immediately after rapid reduction of the blood pressure in malignant hypertension. Vertigo and left-sided hearing impairment and tinnitus resolved spontaneously a few hours after onset.

Morphometric changes in the cochlear nucleus in patients who had undergone cochlear implantation for bilateral profound deafness.

We have investigated the morphometric changes in the cochlear nucleus of patients who had undergone cochlear implantation following profound deafness. The brain stems of 11 adult patients who had undergone implantation and four non-implanted control cases with varying degrees of hearing loss were studied. The volumes of the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) and dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN), and the maximal cross-sectional area and densities of cell bodies in the anterior ventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) were measured bilaterally by light microscopy assisted by the Neurolucida 2000 image analysis system.