Single-cell transcriptomic atlas reveals increased regeneration in diseased human inner ear balance organs.

Mammalian inner ear hair cell loss leads to permanent hearing and balance dysfunction. In contrast to the cochlea, vestibular hair cells of the murine utricle have some regenerative capacity. Whether human utricular hair cells regenerate in vivo remains unknown.

Association Between Retinal Pathology and Hearing in Older Adults.

We investigated the association between retinal microvascular changes and hearing loss based on the hypothesis that both may result from shared microvascular pathology. Data from 536 older adults from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 2005 to 2006 including sociodemographic and health characteristics, pure-tone hearing thresholds, and retinal pathologies were collected and analyzed. Associations between retinal and hearing pathologies were modeled with multivariable-adjusted linear regressions.

Local spatial navigation or "steering" in patients with vestibular loss in a virtual reality environment.

Background: Patients with vestibular loss have reduced wayfinding ability, but the association between vestibular loss and impaired steering spatial navigation is unclear.

Objective: To evaluate whether vestibular loss is associated with reduced steering navigation performance in a virtual reality (VR) environment containing obstacles.

Methods: 17 ambulatory adults with vestibular loss were age/sex-matched to healthy controls.

Acoustic Noise Levels in High-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanners.

7-Tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging may allow for higher resolution images but may produce greater acoustic noise than 1.5- and 3-T scanners. We sought to characterize the intensity of acoustic noise from 7- versus 3-T scanners.

Natural History of Cystic Vestibular Schwannomas.

Objective: To determine the natural history of cystic vestibular schwannomas (VS).

Study Design: Retrospective cohort.

Setting: Single tertiary academic hospital.

Repair of surviving hair cells in the damaged mouse utricle.

Sensory hair cells (HCs) in the utricle are mechanoreceptors required to detect linear acceleration. After damage, the mammalian utricle partially restores the HC population and organ function, although regenerated HCs are primarily type II and immature. Whether native, surviving HCs can repair and contribute to this recovery is unclear.

Assessment of auditory and vestibular damage in a mouse model after single and triple blast exposures.

The use of explosive devices in war and terrorism has increased exposure to concussive blasts among both military personnel and civilians, which can cause permanent hearing and balance deficits that adversely affect survivors' quality of life. Significant knowledge gaps on the underlying etiology of blast-induced hearing loss and balance disorders remain, especially with regard to the effect of blast exposure on the vestibular system, the impact of multiple blast exposures, and long-term recovery. To address this, we investigated the effects of blast exposure on the inner ear using a mouse model in conjunction with a high-fidelity blast simulator.

Canalplasty for Exostosis Removal Comparing Microscopic Versus Endoscopic Ear Surgery Techniques.

Objective: To compare an endoscopic versus microscopic approach to removal of exostoses and osteomas in canalplasty procedures.

Study Design: Retrospective case review.

Setting: Private and tertiary referral centers.

Modeling drug response using network-based personalized treatment prediction (NetPTP) with applications to inflammatory bowel disease.

For many prevalent complex diseases, treatment regimens are frequently ineffective. For example, despite multiple available immunomodulators and immunosuppressants, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains difficult to treat. Heterogeneity in the disease across patients makes it challenging to select the optimal treatment regimens, and some patients do not respond to any of the existing treatment choices.

Congenital Hearing Loss Is Associated With a High Incidence of Central Nervous System Abnormalities.

Objective(s): To assess the incidence of central nervous system abnormalities in pediatric subjects with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL).

Methods: One hundred forty-three pediatric subjects evaluated for SNHL at a single academic center from 2007 to 2014 were included and divided into eight diagnosis groups based on etiology of SNHL. One hundred forty-three age- and gender-matched control subjects with no known brain-related pathology or history of hearing loss were included as healthy controls for comparison.

Ambient Pressure Tympanometry Wave Patterns in Patients With Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence.

Superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD) is a treatable condition, but current diagnostic modalities have numerous limitations. Clinicians would benefit from an additional tool for diagnostic workup that is both rapid and widely available. To assess the utility of ambient pressure tympanometry (APT) in the diagnostic workup of SSCD by determining the sensitivity and specificity of APT for SSCD in comparison to other diagnostic modalities.

Rhythmic Wave Patterns on Ambient Pressure Tympanometry in Patients With Objective Tinnitus-associated Pathologies.

Objective: To introduce the concept of ambient pressure tympanometry (APT) and its association with pathologies that may present with objective tinnitus.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Atoh1 Directs Regeneration and Functional Recovery of the Mature Mouse Vestibular System.

Utricular hair cells (HCs) are mechanoreceptors required for vestibular function. After damage, regeneration of mammalian utricular HCs is limited and regenerated HCs appear immature. Thus, loss of vestibular function is presumed irreversible.

Uncoordinated maturation of developing and regenerating postnatal mammalian vestibular hair cells.

Sensory hair cells are mechanoreceptors required for hearing and balance functions. From embryonic development, hair cells acquire apical stereociliary bundles for mechanosensation, basolateral ion channels that shape receptor potential, and synaptic contacts for conveying information centrally. These key maturation steps are sequential and presumed coupled; however, whether hair cells emerging postnatally mature similarly is unknown.

Molecular therapy for genetic and degenerative vestibular disorders.

Purpose Of Review: The primary purpose of this review is to summarize current literature in the field of vestibular regeneration with a focus on recent developments in molecular and gene therapies.

Recent Findings: Since the discovery of limited vestibular hair cell regeneration in mammals in the 1990s, many elegant studies have improved our knowledge of mechanisms of development and regeneration of the vestibular system. A better understanding of the developmental pathways of the vestibular organs has fueled various biological strategies to enhance regeneration, including novel techniques in deriving vestibular hair cells from embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells.

Presence of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms Affects the First Time Treatment Efficacy and Recurrence of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.

Objectives: To investigate the possible effects of anxiety and/or depression symptoms on the treatment outcomes and recurrence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).

Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted at a single institution. 142 consecutive patients diagnosed with idiopathic BPPV at the Department of Otology in Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University between October 2016 and July 2017 were retrospectively reviewed.

Ondansetron Does Not Reduce Withdrawal in Patients With Physical Dependence on Chronic Opioid Therapy.

Objectives: Individuals taking opioids for an extended period of time may become physically dependent, and will therefore experience opioid withdrawal should they stop taking the medication. Previous work in animal and human models has shown that the serotonin (5-HT3) receptor may be implicated in opioid withdrawal. In this study, we investigated if ondansetron, a 5-HT3-receptor antagonist, could reduce the symptoms of opioid withdrawal after chronic opioid exposure in humans.

Technological advances shed light on left ventricular cardiac disturbances in cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF), the most common autosomal recessive lethal disease in Caucasians, causes chronic pulmonary disease and can lead to cor pulmonale with right ventricular dysfunction. The presence of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in cardiac myocardia has prompted debate regarding possible defective ion channel-induced cardiomyopathy. Clinical heart disease in CF is considered rare and is restricted to case reports.

Sensory hair cell development and regeneration: similarities and differences.

Sensory hair cells are mechanoreceptors of the auditory and vestibular systems and are crucial for hearing and balance. In adult mammals, auditory hair cells are unable to regenerate, and damage to these cells results in permanent hearing loss. By contrast, hair cells in the chick cochlea and the zebrafish lateral line are able to regenerate, prompting studies into the signaling pathways, morphogen gradients and transcription factors that regulate hair cell development and regeneration in various species.