Task force of the Brazilian Society of Otology - evaluation and management of peripheral facial palsy.

Objective: To review key evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral facial palsy in children and adults.

Methods: Task force members were educated on knowledge synthesis methods, including electronic database search, review and selection of relevant citations, and critical appraisal of selected studies. Articles written in English or Portuguese on peripheral facial palsy were eligible for inclusion.

Brazilian Society of Otology task force - Vestibular Schwannoma ‒ evaluation and treatment.

Objective: To review the literature on the diagnosis and treatment of vestibular schwannoma.

Methods: Task force members were educated on knowledge synthesis methods, including electronic database search, review and selection of relevant citations, and critical appraisal of selected studies. Articles written in English or Portuguese on vestibular schwannoma were eligible for inclusion.

Extracellular vesicles derived from human vestibular schwannomas associated with poor hearing damage cochlear cells.

Background: Vestibular schwannoma (VS) is a tumor of the vestibular nerve that transmits balance information from the inner ear to the brain. Sensorineural hearing loss occurs in 95% of patients with these tumors, but the cause of this loss is not well understood. We posit a role of VS-secreted extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a major contributing factor in cochlear nerve damage.

Activation of TRAIL-DR5 pathway promotes sensorineural degeneration in the inner ear.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family cytokines are important mediators of inflammation. Elevated levels of serum TNF-α are associated with human sensorineural hearing loss via poorly understood mechanisms. We demonstrate, for the first time, expression of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and its signaling death receptor 5 (DR5) in the murine inner ear and show that exogenous TRAIL can trigger hair cell and neuronal degeneration, which can be partly prevented with DR5-blocking antibodies.

Secreted Factors from Human Vestibular Schwannomas Can Cause Cochlear Damage.

Vestibular schwannomas (VSs) are the most common tumours of the cerebellopontine angle. Ninety-five percent of people with VS present with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL); the mechanism of this SNHL is currently unknown. To establish the first model to study the role of VS-secreted factors in causing SNHL, murine cochlear explant cultures were treated with human tumour secretions from thirteen different unilateral, sporadic VSs of subjects demonstrating varied degrees of ipsilateral SNHL.

Identification of blood meal sources of Lutzomyia longipalpis using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the cytochrome B gene.

An analysis of the dietary content of haematophagous insects can provide important information about the transmission networks of certain zoonoses. The present study evaluated the potential of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome B (cytb) gene to differentiate between vertebrate species that were identified as possible sources of sandfly meals. The complete cytb gene sequences of 11 vertebrate species available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database were digested with Aci I, Alu I, Hae III and Rsa I restriction enzymes in silico using Restriction Mapper software.

Stapedotomy in a residency training program.

Introduction: The major objective of a stapedotomy is the restoration of hearing. In training centers, the hearing results obtained by resident physicians are lower than those achieved by more experienced surgeons. An analysis of the surgical results obtained by resident physicians is essential to identification of the deficiencies in the learning process.

Eagle's Syndrome.

Introduction:  Eagle's syndrome is characterized by cervicopharyngeal signs and symptoms associated with elongation of the styloid apophysis. This elongation may occur through ossification of the stylohyoid ligament, or through growth of the apophysis due to osteogenesis triggered by a factor such as trauma. Elongation of the styloid apophysis may give rise to intense facial pain, headache, dysphagia, otalgia, buzzing sensations, and trismus.

An unusual case of bilateral agenesis of the cochlear nerves.

Imaging of the cochlea and internal auditory canals are increasingly important nowadays because of the growing number of cochlear implants being performed throughout the world. We report a case of a 4-year-old boy who was born deaf and was being evaluated in our service for possible cochlear implantation. Audiometry disclosed profound bilateral deafness.

The sphenopalatine artery: a surgical challenge in epistaxis.

Unlabelled: Knowledge on the anatomy of the sphenopalatine artery (SPA) and its branches is fundamental for the success of the endoscopic treatment of posterior epistaxis. However, the complex anatomical variations seen in the irrigation of the nasal cavity poses a significant surgical challenge.

Objective: This paper aims to describe the endoscopic anatomy of the SPA in human cadavers.

[Hepatectomy of lymphangioma in situs inversus totalis--case report].

We present a case of hepatectomy in a patient with liver's lymphangioma associated with Situs Inversus Totalis. The first case of medical literature.

Sarcomatous transformation in the McCune-Albright syndrome.

Background: McCune-Albright syndrome is a relatively rare disease characterized by the trio of fibrous dysplasia, café-au-lait pigmentation, and endocrine disturbances. It predominantly affects females and may be associated with sarcomatous degeneration in 0.4% to 4% of the cases.

Multi-centric prospective evaluation of rk39 rapid test and direct agglutination test for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil.

The diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is still a major problem in Brazil and several other countries where the disease is endemic. The use of an easy-to-use and interpret, sensitive, and specific method that requires no complex infrastructure or specialized professionals, such as direct agglutination test (DAT) and the rK39-based rapid immunochromatographic test may enhance the diagnosis of disease. This study evaluated the performance of a rapid test (DiaMed- IT-LEISH®) and the DAT for the diagnosis of VL in 213 parasitologically confirmed cases and 119 controls with clinical suspicion of VL and confirmation of another etiology.

Chronic hepatitis C virus in the state of Piauí, northeastern Brazil.

Knowledge of genotype distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has clinical importance due to genotype 1 lower response to treatment compared with genotypes 2 and 3. The goal of this survey was to describe clinical and laboratorial profiles of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in the State of Piauí, as well as to expand the overall awareness of the distribution of HCV genotyping in Northeast of Brazil. A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out between April 1999 and August 2005.

Clinical and epidemiological analysis of patients with HIV/AIDS admitted to a reference hospital in the northeast region of Brazil.

The AIDS epidemic has become a worldwide phenomenon of enormous magnitude and extension, deeply transforming medical practices and public health initiatives. This retrospective survey aimed to analyze clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients with HIV/AIDS admitted to the Institute of Tropical Diseases Natan Portella, Teresina, Piauí, Brazil, from January, 2001 through December, 2004. Of the 828 patients, 43% were from other states and 71.

Knowledge of stroke among a Brazilian urban population.

Knowledge of the population in regards to stroke has clinical and epidemiological importance. Prompt identification of the symptoms means efficient medical attendance within the window of therapeutic opportunities reducing significantly the morbidity-mortality. Our aim was to evaluate the level of knowledge of the population of Teresina (PI) concerning factors of risk, symptoms and treatment of stroke.