Hearing care in low-resourced and humanitarian settings: findings from a pilot study in South Sudan.

Objectives: This longitudinal experimental study aimed to profile audiometric hearing loss, explore the feasibility and efficacy of low-cost hearing devices, and examine their social and emotional impact on participants in South Sudan, a low-resource humanitarian setting.

Design: We performed pure tone hearing screenings on adults with self-reported hearing disability, randomly providing eligible participants with one of two inexpensive devices-Asana Pro 800, a non-customizable hearing device fit unilaterally, or the Super Ear SE9000, a hand-held amplifier with headphones given one per individual.

Study Sample: Between October 2022 and January 2023, 142 adults underwent hearing screening at the Juba Teaching Hospital ENT clinic, of whom 19 eligible individuals were provided with hearing devices.

Pitch perception in school-aged children: Pure tones, resolved and unresolved harmonics.

Pitch perception affects children's ability to perceive speech, appreciate music, and learn in noisy environments, such as their classrooms. Here, we investigated pitch perception for pure tones as well as resolved and unresolved complex tones with a fundamental frequency of 400 Hz in 8- to 11-year-old children and adults. Pitch perception in children was better for resolved relative to unresolved complex tones, consistent with adults.

Characterization of Optokinetic Nystagmus in Healthy Participants With a Novel Oculography Device.

Objective: To develop a proof-of-concept smart-phone-based eye-tracking algorithm to assess non-pathologic optokinetic (OKN) nystagmus in healthy participants. Current videonystagmography (VNG) is typically restricted to in-office use, and advances in portable vestibular diagnostics would yield immense public health benefits.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.

Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Endoscopic Sinus Surgery for Chronic Sinusitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CR) is a persistent inflammation of the nasal mucosa and paranasal sinuses. Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is a procedure that improves sinus drainage and ventilation. Despite advancements in ESS, additional corrective procedures post-ESS are often needed.

Congenital Sublingual Dermoid Cyst Mimicking a Recurrent Ranula in a Pediatric Patient: A Case Report.

In pediatrics, sublingual lesions are not a common disease. Due to the similarity in their clinical and radiological features, they present a diagnostic challenge. Despite the advancement in imaging techniques, the accurate preoperative diagnosis of sublingual lesions may fail.

Lingual Artery Identification for Ligation in Neck Dissection and Transoral Surgery for Oropharyngeal Tumors.

Objectives: Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and transoral laser microsurgery (TOLM) plus neck dissection are viable alternatives to radiotherapy as a treatment modality in select cases of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Many centers advocate for elective ligation of the feeding arteries at index neck dissection prior to TORS/TOLM to mitigate the risk of catastrophic perioperative hemorrhage. Although there are multiple cadaveric studies in the literature to identify the lingual artery at multiple points throughout its course, there are no studies on the intraoperative identification of the lingual artery for elective ligation prior to TORS/TOLM.

Machine-Learning Predictions of Cochlear Implant Functional Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

Objectives: Cochlear implant (CI) user functional outcomes are challenging to predict because of the variability in individual anatomy, neural health, CI device characteristics, and linguistic and listening experience. Machine learning (ML) techniques are uniquely poised for this predictive challenge because they can analyze nonlinear interactions using large amounts of multidimensional data. The objective of this article is to systematically review the literature regarding ML models that predict functional CI outcomes, defined as sound perception and production.

Cancer-specific utility instrument for health economic evaluations: A synopsis of the EORTC QLU-C10D user manual and current validity evidence.

The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Utility - Core 10 Dimensions (QLU-C10D) adds a preference-based scoring algorithm to the EORTC measurement portfolio. It is built on the most widely used health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measure in oncology, the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 30 (QLQ-C30), allowing for the calculation of both HRQoL profiles and health utilities. This is an important advancement for integrating cancer-specific values into health economic evaluations and decision making, offering greater content validity and statistical power than some generic measures.

Maternal urinary levels of PAH metabolites, umbilical cord blood telomere length and anthropometric indices in newborns.

The existing evidence indicating that prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is associated with a range of adverse outcomes, including alterations in anthropometric indices, underscores the need for further investigation into the underlying mechanisms. This study aims to examine the effects of prenatal PAH exposure on anthropometric indices and telomere length (TL), as well as to explore whether changes in TL can serve as a predictor of alterations in anthropometric measures. The study was conducted in Shenyang, China, with 2460 pregnant women participating between 2022 and 2023.

The epidemiology of alcohol involved facial injuries.

Purpose: Alcohol use has been shown to affect injury patterns and risk of trauma. This study aims to characterize the epidemiologic characteristics of alcohol involved facial injuries presenting to US emergency departments.

Methods: This study reports a cross-sectional analysis of patients with facial injuries within the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS).

"Tension Chyle Leak": A Life-Threatening Sequela of Thoracic Duct Injury Following Resection of BRAF-Mutated Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma.

Background: Airway obstruction secondary to chyle leak is an exceptionally rare phenomenon. Here, we describe this complication in a patient with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) undergoing consolidative surgery after BRAF-targeted therapy.

Methods: A 55-year-old man presented with a rapidly enlarging neck mass.

Understanding Parental Perspectives on Childhood Hearing Impairment and Timely Interventions.

Objectives: Hearing impairment during childhood is a widespread health issue. Prompt recognition and timely intervention are vital for the advancement of language skills. Insufficient parental knowledge can lead to a delay in diagnosing and treating a condition, which can have a negative impact on academic performance.

The role of VANGL2 in glioma oncogenesis and progression: insights into expression profiles and prognostic relevance.

Introduction: The Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling pathway is pivotal in regulating various biological processes such as early embryonic development, neural crest cell migration, and cancer invasion. Despite advances in understanding the role of Wnt/PCP pathway dysregulation in tumorigenesis, numerous unanswered questions remain. Our study focused on VANGL2, a core PCP gene, to elucidate its potential mechanistic involvement in cancer development.

Drug Induced Sleep Endoscopy-Directed Tongue Surgery to Treat Persistent Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: To systematically review the literature for articles evaluating outcomes of drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) directed tongue surgery in children with prior adenotonsillectomy and persistent or recurrent obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and to perform a meta-analysis on the polysomnographic (PSG) data.

Design: Systematic review and metanalysis in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement guidelines.

Outcome Measures: Primary, post-operative apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and lowest oxygen saturation (LSAT); Secondary, surgical response rate.

Improved Visualization of Oropharyngeal Tumors Using Simple Maneuvers During Flexible Endoscopy.

Objectives: To describe patient positioning maneuvers that optimize visualization of the oropharynx during flexible endoscopy.

Methods: An institutional database of videos obtained from 2021 to 2023 during flexible endoscopy of patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC) was reviewed. Patients seen outside the specialty head and neck clinic, those with tonsillar primary tumors, and those only with videos of fiberoptic swallowing evaluations were excluded.

Are More Adults Bleeding After Tonsillectomy Than in the Past?

Objective: Post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage (PTH) rates have increased in children over the last decade. This study aimed to determine whether PTH incidence in adults had also increased over the last 15 years.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Early Division of the Paramedian Forehead Flap: A Systematic Review and Retrospective Analysis.

Objective: To determine whether and when early division of the paramedian forehead flap may be safely performed.

Data Sources: PubMed (NLM), Scopus (Elsevier), and Embase (Elsevier).

Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, and Embase was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines.

Long-Lasting Auditory and Vestibular Recovery Following Gene Replacement Therapy in a Novel Usher Syndrome Type 1c Mouse Model.

Usher syndrome type 1C (USH1C) is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in the USH1C gene, which encodes harmonin, a key component of the mechanoelectrical transduction complex in auditory and vestibular hair cells. USH1C leads to deafness and vestibular dysfunction in humans. An Ush1c knockout (KO) mouse model displaying these characteristic deficits is generated in our laboratory.

Inconsistent Associations of Modified Frailty Index-5 With Adverse Head and Neck Reconstruction Outcomes.

Objectives: To investigate the consistency of associations between modified frailty index-5 (mFI-5) and postoperative adverse outcomes in head and neck cancer (HNC) reconstruction.

Methods: American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database from 2017 to 2022 was utilized to identify HNC patients undergoing locoregional or microvascular free tissue transfers. Kaplan-Meier estimates and multivariable Cox regression analyses were utilized to compare risk of infections, bleeding, readmissions, reoperations, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and mortality within the first postoperative month for each mFI-5 score with mFI-5 = 0 as reference.

Resolution of Iatrogenic Spinal Accessory Neuropathy Following Delayed Surgical Intervention.

We present an interesting case of a 74-year-old female who presented with spinal accessory neuropathy following an ipsilateral right-sided carotid endarterectomy 6 months after the initial injury. Subsequent surgical exploration revealed a surgical clip that had been placed directly across the spinal accessory nerve. Clip removal and neurolysis was subsequently performed, leaving the nerve intact.

Wnt signalling facilitates neuronal differentiation of cochlear Frizzled10-positive cells in mouse cochlea via glypican 6 modulation.

Degeneration of cochlear spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) leads to irreversible sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), as SGNs lack regenerative capacity. Although cochlear glial cells (GCs) have some neuronal differentiation potential, their specific identities remain unclear. This study identifies a distinct subpopulation, Frizzled10 positive (FZD10+) cells, as an important type of GC responsible for neuronal differentiation in mouse cochlea.

A pan-cancer analysis: predictive role of ZNF32 in cancer prognosis and immunotherapy response.

The zinc finger protein 32 (ZNF32) has been associated with high expression in various cancers, underscoring its significant function in both cancer biology and immune response. To further elucidate the biological role of ZNF32 and identify potential immunotherapy targets in cancer, we conducted an in-depth analysis of ZNF32. We comprehensively investigated the expression of ZNF32 across tumors using diverse databases, including TCGA, CCLE, TIMER2.

Poor Olfaction and Risk of Stroke in Older Adults: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Background: Poor olfaction may be associated with adverse cerebrovascular events, but empirical evidence is limited. We aimed to investigate the association of olfaction with the risk of stroke in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Methods: We included 5799 older adults with no history of stroke at baseline from 2011 to 2013 (75.

Multimodal large language models address clinical queries in laryngeal cancer surgery: a comparative evaluation of image interpretation across different models.

Background And Objectives: Recent advances in multimodal large language models (MLLMs) have shown promise in medical image interpretation, yet their utility in surgical contexts remains unexplored. This study evaluates six MLLMs' performance in interpreting diverse imaging modalities for laryngeal cancer surgery.

Methods: We analyzed 169 images (X-rays, CT scans, laryngoscopy, and pathology findings) from 50 patients using six state-of-the-art MLLMs.