Intelligibility Sound Therapy Enhances the Ability of Speech-in-Noise Perception and Pre-Perceptual Neurophysiological Response.

Aural rehabilitation with hearing aids can decrease the attentional requirements of cognitive resources by amplifying deteriorated-frequency sound in hearing loss patients and improving auditory discrimination ability like speech-in-noise perception. As aural rehabilitation with an intelligible-hearing sound also can be hopeful, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of aural rehabilitation with intelligible-hearing sound for hearing loss patients. Adult native Japanese speakers (17 males and 23 females, 68.

Severe Type 2 Inflammation Leads to High Platelet-Activating-Factor-Associated Pathology in Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps-A Hierarchical Cluster Analysis Using Bulk RNA Barcoding and Sequencing.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a phospholipid-derived inflammatory mediator that triggers various inflammatory conditions, including eosinophil activation and recruitment. This study aimed to evaluate the expressions of PAF-metabolism-associated genes, namely genes coding the enzymes involved in PAF synthesis (LPCAT1, LPCAT2, LPCAT3, and LPCAT4), PAF degradation (PAFAH1B2, PAFAH1B3, and PAFAH2), and the gene for the PAF receptor (PTAFR) in subtypes of CRSwNP classified by clinical- or hierarchal-analysis-based classifications. Transcriptomic analysis using bulk RNA barcoding and sequencing (BRB-seq) was performed with CRSwNP, including eosinophilic CRS (ECRS) ( = 9), nonECRS = 8), ECRS with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (Asp) ( = 3), and controls with a normal uncinate process mucosa ( = 6).

Swallowing Exercise Evaluated Using High-Density Surface Electromyography in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: Supplementary Analysis of an Exploratory Phase II Trial.

Muscle strength evaluation using high-density surface electromyography (HD-sEMG) was recently developed for the detailed analysis of the motor unit (MU). Detection of the spatial distribution of sEMG can detect changes in MU recruitment patterns resulting from muscle-strengthening exercises. We conducted a prospective study in 2022 to evaluate the safety and feasibility of transcutaneous electrical sensory stimulation (TESS) therapy using an interferential current device (IFCD) in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) undergoing chemoradiotherapy (CRT), and reported the safety and feasibility of TESS.

Exhaled Nitric Oxide and Olfactory Dysfunction in Patients with Asthma: Association with Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

: Olfactory dysfunction is a clinical sign that is important to detect with coexistent upper airway comorbidities in patients with asthma. This study aimed to investigate the etiology of olfactory dysfunction in patients with asthma and the relationship between fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels. : This study included 47 asthma patients who were evaluated for olfactory dysfunction at Hiroshima University Hospital between 2012 and 2020.

Evaluation of the Safety of Percutaneous Sensory Nerve Stimulation in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer Receiving Chemoradiotherapy.

Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the standard treatment for locally advanced head and neck cancer; however, CRT may cause post-treatment dysphagia. Transcutaneous electrical sensory stimulation (TESS), developed in recent years for swallowing rehabilitation, is used at many medical facilities. Although TESS has been used for dysphagia in several fields, its safety and efficacy in patients with head and neck cancer remain to be clarified.

Effectiveness of Expanded Instantaneous Input Dynamic Range Adjustment on Speech Perception.

Instantaneous input dynamic range (IIDR), as defined by Cochlear Ltd. (Sydney, Australia), refers to the acoustic level of short-term input dynamic range (IDR). Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of expanding IIDR to improve speech understanding.

Distinct Gene Set Enrichment Profiles in Eosinophilic and Non-Eosinophilic Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps by Bulk RNA Barcoding and Sequencing.

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a chronic inflammatory disease with a high symptom burden, including nasal congestion and smell disorders. This study performed a detailed transcriptomic analysis in CRSwNP classified as eosinophilic CRS (ECRS), nonECRS according to the Japanese Epidemiological Survey of Refractory Eosinophilic Chronic Rhinosinusitis (JESREC) criteria, and a group of ECRS with comorbid aspirin intolerant asthma (Asp). Gene expression profiles of nasal polyps and the uncinate process in CRSwNP patients and normal subjects (controls) were generated by bulk RNA barcoding and sequencing (BRB-seq).

Co-Expression and Localization of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE2) and the Transmembrane Serine Protease 2 (TMPRSS2) in Paranasal Ciliated Epithelium of Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) uses angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) and the transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) as a primary receptor for invasion. Cell entry by the virus requires the co-expression of these molecules in the host cells.

Objective: We investigated ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression and localization in paranasal epithelium of eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS) patients (n = 38), non-ECRS (n = 31), and healthy controls (n = 25).

Vocal cord dysfunction detected by a three-dimensional image of dynamic change in respiratory resistance in a patient with difficult-to-treat asthma: a case report.

Introduction: Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) often coexists with asthma and exacerbates respiratory symptoms. A noninvasive method could be considered beneficial for the detection and follow-up of VCD complicated by asthma. Here, we report a case of VCD complicated by asthma, highlighting the effectiveness of colored three-dimensional (3-D) imaging of respiratory impedance using a broadband frequency forced oscillation technique (MostGraph).

Effect of Body Mass Index on Posttonsillectomy Hemorrhage.

Objective: Obesity affects adverse outcomes in patients undergoing various surgeries. Tonsillectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures and posttonsillectomy hemorrhage (PTH) is the major complication in patients with tonsillectomy. However, the effect of body mass index (BMI) on posttonsillectomy bleeding episodes is not well known.

Efficacy of the red blood cell distribution width for predicting the prognosis of Bell palsy: a pilot study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between RDW values and the prognosis of patients with Bell palsy in an effort to find a prognostic biomarker that predicts recovery from Bell palsy. We measured RDW and evaluated facial movement in 61 patients with Bell palsy aged 50 years and less. All patients were treated with a steroid plus an antiviral agent.

Outcomes of endoscopic endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy for intractable lacrimal dacryostenosis and associated factors.

Aim: To examine the effects of patient age, canalicular obstruction, mode of anesthesia, and duration of nasolacrimal intubation on the outcomes of endoscopic endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR).

Methods: Totally 56 eyes of 46 patients with prolonged epiphora underwent minimally invasive endoscopic endonasal DCR. A successful surgical outcome was defined as a significant improvement in symptoms, adequate water passage from the puncta to the nasal cavity, and patency of the DCR ostium.

Red blood cell distribution width predicts prognosis in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Conclusion: Red cell distribution width (RDW) can predict outcome in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). Further studies are required to clarify the potential pathophysiological explanations for these findings.

Objectives: RDW is one of the parameters reported in a complete blood count, and is elevated in direct proportion to variation in red cell size (anisocytosis).

Investigation of the ototoxicity of gadoteridol (ProHance) and gadodiamide (Omniscan) in mice.

Conclusion: In the mouse, when a tympanic perforation is present, gadoteridol does not seem to cause ototoxicity. Gadodiamide may cause mild ototoxicity other than toxicity to the outer hair cells of the cochlea.

Objectives: Endolymphatic hydrops have been visualized through intra-tympanic injection of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) and three-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (3-D FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging.

Soybean β-Conglycinin Prevents Age-Related Hearing Impairment.

Obesity-related complications are associated with the development of age-related hearing impairment. β-Conglycinin (β-CG), one of the main storage proteins in soy, offers multiple health benefits, including anti-obesity and anti-atherosclerotic effects. Here, to elucidate the potential therapeutic application of β-CG, we investigated the effect of β-CG on age-related hearing impairment.