Iodixanol nasal solution reduces allergic rhinoconjunctivitis signs and symptoms in Allergen BioCube: a randomized clinical trial.

Purpose: Allergic rhinitis (AR) affects ~20% of the population worldwide. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the safety and efficacy of iodixanol nasal solution (Nasapaque) for AR treatment, using the Allergen BioCube (ABC), an environmental exposure unit. Iodixanol is a commonly used contrast media agent that shows efficacy on the signs and symptoms of AR.

Preliminary study of hearing protection and non-impact, blast-induced concussion in US military personnel.

Primary Objective: To examine the relationship between hearing protection and non-impact, blast-induced concussion in US military personnel.

Research Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Methods And Procedures: A total of 501 US service members from the Expeditionary Medical Encounter Database with hearing protection status reported either 'worn' or 'not worn' were eligible for analysis.

Correction for Gonzalez et al., "Migraines Are Correlated with Higher Levels of Nitrate-, Nitrite-, and Nitric Oxide-Reducing Oral Microbes in the American Gut Project Cohort".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1128/mSystems.00105-16.

Migraines Are Correlated with Higher Levels of Nitrate-, Nitrite-, and Nitric Oxide-Reducing Oral Microbes in the American Gut Project Cohort.

Nitrates, such as cardiac therapeutics and food additives, are common headache triggers, with nitric oxide playing an important role. Facultative anaerobic bacteria in the oral cavity may contribute migraine-triggering levels of nitric oxide through the salivary nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway. Using high-throughput sequencing technologies, we detected observable and significantly higher abundances of nitrate, nitrite, and nitric oxide reductase genes in migraineurs versus nonmigraineurs in samples collected from the oral cavity and a slight but significant difference in fecal samples.

Head stabilization measurements as a potential evaluation tool for comparison of persons with TBI and vestibular dysfunction with healthy controls.

A large percentage of persons with traumatic brain injury incur some type of vestibular dysfunction requiring vestibular physical therapy. These injuries may affect the natural ability to stabilize the head while walking. A simple method of utilizing motion capture equipment to measure head movement while walking was used to assess improvements in head stabilization of persons undergoing computerized vestibular physical therapy and virtual reality training for treatment of their vestibular problems.

Dynamic assessment of binocular eye movement coordination: norms and functional implications.

Alignment of the two eyes is controlled by a finely tuned, fast acting system with components within the brain. Assessment of binocular alignment has classically been done statically. Eye positions are assessed in primary position and at eccentric angles to interpret the functional status of the oculomotor nerves and muscles.

Blast-related ear injuries among U.S. military personnel.

Blast-related ear injuries are a concern during deployment because they can compromise a servicemember's situational awareness and adversely affect operational readiness. The objectives of this study were to describe blast-related ear injuries during Operation Iraqi Freedom, identify the effect of hearing protection worn at the point of injury, and explore hearing loss and tinnitus outcomes within one year after injury. The Expeditionary Medical Encounter Database was used to identify military personnel who survived blast-related injury, and it was linked with outpatient medical databases to obtain diagnoses of hearing loss and tinnitus.

Perceived stigma and barriers to mental health care in Marines attending the Combat Operational Stress Control program.

The Department of Defense is aggressively addressing combat stress reactions (CSRs) through comprehensive Combat/Operational Stress Control (COSC) briefings/programs and referral resources for the prevention, identification, and treatment of stress reactions. The purpose of this study was to develop and administer a survey to assess perceptions of CSRs and barriers to care which affect help-seeking behavior in Marines attending the COSC program. A sample of 553 U.

High altitude headache and acute mountain sickness at moderate elevations in a military population during battalion-level training exercises.

Few studies have evaluated high altitude headache (HAH) and acute mountain sickness (AMS) in military populations training at moderate (1,500-2,500 m) to high altitudes (>2,500 m). In the current study, researchers interviewed active duty personnel training at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center. Participants were asked about HAH and AMS symptoms, potential risk factors, and medications used.

Unsteadiness and drunkenness sensations as a new sub-type of BPPV.

Aim: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) represents at least 35% of vertigo cases and perhaps much more. The aim of this study was to review a proposed new type of BPPV which may be detected by using a mechanical assistance in BPPV diagnostic and therapeutic maneuvers. MATERIELS AND METHODS: The prospective study extracted subjects from 465 patients who presented with some positional vertigo or unsteadiness.

Vestibular migraine may be an important cause of dizziness/vertigo in perimenopausal period.

Migraine disorders are more prevalent among women than men. The ovarian neurosteroids play an important role in this sex difference by modulating neurotransmitter systems involving migraine pathogenesis. During perimenopause, unlike the postmenopausal period, women are under unstable fluctuations of ovarian neurosteroid levels.

The clinical differentiation of cerebellar infarction from common vertigo syndromes.

This article summarizes the emergency department approach to diagnosing cerebellar infarction in the patient presenting with vertigo. Vertigo is defined and identification of a vertigo syndrome is discussed. The differentiation of common vertigo syndromes such as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, Meniere's disease, migrainous vertigo, and vestibular neuritis is summarized.

Epidemiologic study to explore links between Ménière syndrome and migraine headache.

Many authors have noted an association between Ménière syndrome and migraine headache. In an attempt to explore a possible link between these two disorders, we performed an epidemiologic study. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) includes interviews with tens of thousands of patients annually to estimate the incidence of various diseases.

A randomized controlled trial of cognitive-behavior therapy for tinnitus.

This study is a randomized, waitlist-controlled trial testing the effect of a brief, "manualized" cognitive-behavioral group therapy on distress associated with tinnitus, quality of well-being, psychological distress including depression, and internal focus. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) included training in activity planning, relaxation training and, primarily, cognitive restructuring. Sixty-five participants were recruited, and 41 completed treatment.

Effects of caffeine on postural stability.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a caffeine-containing "energy drink" on postural stability. Twenty-three young adult participants stood on a balance-measuring platform for two intervals of 30 seconds each, once with eyes open and once with eyes closed. Subjects performed the tasks before and 1 hour after consumption.

Quantitative electroencephalography for tinnitus--a means for data collection, analysis, and translation.

Quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) is the technique whereby brain electrical activity in individuals is recorded as they sit quietly with their eyes closed. The electrical activity is quantified with a variety of statistical measures to characterize the huge variation in combinations of emissions from the brain. Neuroscience research has demonstrated that such resting brain activity measures may be consistently altered in conditions such as depression or dementia.

Tinnitus treatment with customized sounds.

Recent studies have indicated that the pathophysiological basis for tinnitus may be abnormal activity in the auditory areas of the brain rather than aberrant activity in the periphery. Tinnitus-related activity leads to changes in tonotopic representation in auditory cortex. However, such reorganization can be reversed through training-induced changes in the response pattern of cortical neurons.

Cognitive neuroscience in tinnitus research: a current review.

Advances in methods of examining the human brain have led to a dramatic increase in specific knowledge about the origins of tinnitus. Neural modeling, behavioral measurements of hearing performance and psychological state, neuro-morphology, metabolic measurements of neural activity, electromagnetic recordings of synaptic potentials, and optical measurements of action potentials are all modalities that have provided insights or the promise of new information about the pathophysiology of tinnitus. This review examines these techniques and their contributions to knowledge about tinnitus.

Task performance and eye activity: predicting behavior relating to cognitive workload.

Introduction: The focus of this study was to examine oculomotor behavioral changes while subjects performed auditory and driving tasks.

Methods: There were 13 participants who completed 3 10-min tasks consisting of driving only, the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT) only, and a dual task of both driving and auditory tasks. For each participant, changes in six measures were assessed as a function of cognitive workload, specifically changes in eye activity, including blink frequency, blink duration, fixation frequency, fixation duration, pupil diameter, and horizontal vergence.

Antidepressant therapy in tinnitus.

Review the literature on the co-morbidity of depression and anxiety with tinnitus. Briefly consider proposed mechanisms by which antidepressants might be helpful for tinnitus, including treatment of co-morbid depression and anxiety and a more direct serotonergic mechanism of tinnitus. Survey the literature on antidepressants and tinnitus including tinnitus reported as a side effect of antidepressants (phenelzine, amitriptyline, protriptyline, doxepin, imipramine, fluoxetine, trazadone, bupropion, venlafaxine), tinnitus associated with withdrawal of antidepressants (venlafaxine and sertraline) and antidepressants as a treatment for tinnitus (case reports--fluoxetine and paroxetine, retrospective reviews--imipramine and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, single blind trials of amitriptyline and double blind placebo controlled trials of trimipramine, nortriptyline, paroxetine and sertraline).

Randomized placebo-controlled trial of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in the treatment of nondepressed tinnitus subjects.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (paroxetine) for relief of tinnitus.

Design: One hundred twenty tinnitus sufferers participated in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Paroxetine or placebo was increased to a maximally tolerated dose (up to 50 mg/day), and patients were treated for a total of 31 days at the maximal dose.

The Dix-Hallpike test and the canalith repositioning maneuver.

The Dix-Hallpike test and the canalith repositioning maneuver (CRM) are used to diagnose and treat benign positional vertigo (BPV). Dix-Hallpike is the standard procedure for diagnosis of BPV, but if the horizontal canal is not tested for BPV and the Dix-Hallpike is only carried out once, the condition may not be diagnosed and appropriately treated. We describe our method of testing for BPV and treating it with CRM.