An investigation of the use of the Kinect system as a measure of dynamic balance and forward reach in the elderly.

Objective: To investigate the reliability and correlations of Kinect-derived valuables of forward reach distance and velocity with the traditional functional reach distance, scores on posturography, and other measures of physical fitness.

Design: Observational study.

Setting: Community hospital.

Gender difference and laterality of sleep position.

Objective: A higher incidence in women (approximately 7:3) and a predominant involvement of the right ear (approximately 7:5) are interesting features of BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). It is speculated that these features are related to sleep position. The first aim of this study was to compare the frequency of position shifts during sleep between men and women.

Treatment of Peritonsillar Abscess in Immunosuppressed Patients.

Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is a common pathology in otolaryngology emergency. The treatment of PTA is usually bedside drainage or surgical removal of the tonsils (Quincy tonsillectomy) in combination with antibiotic treatment. However, patients with immune suppression might have a more difficult treatment course.

Multicenter research into the quality of life of patients with advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma with long-term survival associated with human papilloma virus.

The treatment of advanced-stage oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma may utilize various modes, including combining surgery with chemoradiotherapy (CTRT), or primary CTRT followed by rescue surgery. In previous literature it has been revealed how patients treated with combined modes report a low quality of life (QoL) and severe consequences following surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, in the short and in the long-term. The decrease in the QoL of patients treated with high-intensity multi-modal strategies highlights the necessity of modifying treatments, particularly for young HPV-positive patients, where an increased survival rate has already been reported.

Affected-ear-up 120° maneuver for treatment of lateral semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Although several researchers have tried various canalith repositioning procedures for lateral canalolithiasis, a standard treatment has not been established. We adopt 120° rotation, which is anatomically appropriate because the principle of cure may be the fixing of pathological debris to the dark cells of the utricle. The aims of this study were to clarify the efficacy rate of the affected-ear-up 120° maneuver and to elucidate the appearance rate of lying-down nystagmus in patients with lateral canalolithiasis.

Free-Circulating Methylated DNA in Blood for Diagnosis, Staging, Prognosis, and Monitoring of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients: An Observational Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Circulating cell-free DNA methylation testing in blood has recently received regulatory approval for screening of colorectal cancer. Its application in other clinical settings, including staging, prognosis, prediction, and recurrence monitoring is highly promising, and of particular interest in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) that represent a heterogeneous group of cancers with unsatisfactory treatment guidelines.

Methods: Short stature homeobox 2 () and septin 9 () DNA methylation in plasma from 649 prospectively enrolled patients (training study: 284 HNSCC/122 control patients; testing study: 141 HNSCC/102 control patients) was quantified before treatment and longitudinally during surveillance.

Gross Olfaction Before and After Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass.

Background: Obesity leads to olfaction alterations, and this can further impact food choices, appetite, and nutritional status. Bariatric procedures induce weight loss and change in taste and smell perception, but more information is needed, especially using objective olfaction tests.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted during 6 months, with candidates to laparoscopic gastric bypass at a single institution.

Kinetic oscillatory stimulation of nasal mucosa in non-allergic rhinitis: comparison of patient self-administration and caregiver administration regarding pain and treatment effect. A randomized clinical trial.

Conclusion: Patient self-administration of the Kinetic Oscillatory Stimulation (KOS)-catheter was a fully acceptable alternative to insertion of the catheter by physician with helmet fixation, in patients with non-allergic rhinitis (NAR). The approaches were equivalent regarding pain. The treatment effect in the patient self-administration group was not inferior.

PDCD1 (PD-1) promoter methylation predicts outcome in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients.

Background: Biomarkers that facilitate the prediction of disease recurrence in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) may enable physicians to personalize treatment. In the current study, DNA promoter methylation of programmed cell death 1 (PDCD1, PD-1) was evaluated as a prognostic biomarker in HNSCC patients.

Results: High PDCD1 methylation (mPDCD1) was associated with a significantly shorter overall survival after surgical resection in both the discovery (HR = 2.

Coincidence of Eagle Syndrome and Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis Presenting With Dysphagia as a Result of Compression of the Hypopharynx.

Coincidence of the Eagle syndrome and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis can very rarely result with compression of the hypopharynx. The authors here described a very rare case of hypopharyngeal airway compression secondary to cervical osteophytes in a patient with coincidence of Eagle syndrome and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis. Multidetector computed tomography accuracy showed compression to the hypopharyngeal air column by the Eagle syndrome and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis.

Incidence of sialolithiasis in Denmark: a nationwide population-based register study.

Sialolithiasis is a frequent disorder affecting the salivary glands. The incidence rate (IR) has been reported to be 2.9-5.

End-tidal CO relates to seasickness susceptibility: A study in Antarctic voyages.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between end-tidal CO (EtCO) and seasickness (motion sickness at sea) during an Antarctic voyage.

Methods: In this study, we measured EtCO and severity of seasickness using the subjective symptoms of motion sickness (SSMS). We sampled EtCO and SSMS every 3-4h for 3 days from the date of sail in 16 healthy subjects.

Visual pathway impairment by pituitary adenomas: quantitative diagnostics by diffusion tensor imaging.

OBJECTIVE Despite ample experience in surgical treatment of pituitary adenomas, little is known about objective indices that may reveal risk of visual impairment caused by tumor growth that leads to compression of the anterior visual pathways. This study aimed to explore diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) as a means for objective assessment of injury to the anterior visual pathways caused by pituitary adenomas. METHODS Twenty-three patients with pituitary adenomas, scheduled for transsphenoidal tumor resection, and 20 healthy control subjects were included in the study.

Onset time of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Conclusion: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is strongly related to sleep. This study proposes a micro-otoconia accumulation theory in which the pathological debris is an aggregate of micro-otoconia over a long time period, and which begins to slide by its own weight during sleep.

Objectives: To examine the onset time of idiopathic BPPV and to investigate its etiology.

Impact of region-of-interest method on quantitative analysis of DTI data in the optic tracts.

Background: To extract DTI parameters from a specific structure, a region of interest (ROI) must be defined. ROI selection in small structures is challenging; the final measurement results could be affected due to the significant impact of small geometrical errors. In this study the optic tracts were analyzed with the aim to assess differences in DTI parameters due to ROI method and to identify the most reliable method.

Evaluation of Patient Satisfaction After Nasal Septoplasty Operation Using Peak Nasal Inspratuar Flow and Nasal Obstruction Symptom Score Questionare.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of the peak nasal inflamatuar flow (PNIF) and Nasal Obstruction Symptom Score (NOSE) questionnaire in the diagnosis and follow-up of nasal septum deviation surgery.

Methods: Sixty patients diagnosed with nasal septum deviation were included in the study. Nasal Obstruction Symptom Score scales of patients, PNIF and is measured preoperatively and 14 days after surgery.

The Effect of Septoplasty on Voice Performance in Patients With Severe and Mild Nasal Septal Deviation.

Objective: The authors aimed to analyze the effect of septoplasty, performed in 2 groups with different grades of nasal septal deviation (NSD), on voice performance.

Methods: A total of 43 patients who had septoplasty due to NSD and were included in the study. The study groups were divided into 2 groups as groups A and B.

Comparison of Endolymphatic Duct Dimensions and Jugular Bulb Abnormalities Between Meniere Disease and a Normal Population.

Background: The pathogenesis of Meniere disease (MD) has not been fully understood. According to the widely accepted theory, imbalances due to overproduction and/or impaired absorption of endolymph may cause endolymphatic hydrops, which is the hallmark pathological finding in MD. Some developmental temporal bone abnormalities may impair endolymph circulation and absorption, and these abnormalities could be a part of MD pathophysiology.

Effect of Deviated Nasal Septum Type on Nasal Mucociliary Clearance, Olfactory Function, Quality of Life, and Efficiency of Nasal Surgery.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of deviated nasal septum (DNS) type on nasal mucociliary clearance, quality of life (QoL), olfactory function, and efficiency of nasal surgery (septoplasty with or without inferior turbinate reduction and partial middle turbinectomy).

Methods: Fifty patients (20 females and 30 males) with septal deviation were included in the study and were divided into 6 groups according to deviation type after examination by nasal endoscopy and paranasal computed tomography. The saccharin clearance test to evaluate the nasal mucociliary clearance time, Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center smell test for olfactory function, and sinonasal outcome test-22 (SNOT-22) for patient satisfaction were applied preoperatively and postoperatively at the sixth week after surgery.

Cystic isolated lymphoma of the base of the tongue: A case report.

Isolated lymphoma of the base of the tongue is a relatively rare condition. The clinical presentation may vary from a submucosal mass with a cystic appearance to an ulcerated lesion. In the present case, a cystic mass was identified in a patient admitted with a sore throat.

The effects of the time of intranasal splinting on bacterial colonization, postoperative complications, and patient discomfort after septoplasty operations.

Introduction: The main reason for nasal tampon placement after septoplasty is to prevent postoperative hemorrhage, while the secondary purpose is internal stabilization after operations involving the cartilaginous-bony skeleton of the nose. Silicone intranasal splints are as successful as other materials in controlling postoperative hemorrhages of septal origin. The possibility of leaving the splints intranasally for extended periods helps stabilize the septum in the midline.

Involvement of Staphylococcus aureus and Moraxella catarrhalis in Japanese cedar pollinosis.

Background And Objective: From mid February to the end of March, each year ∼30% of Japanese have Japanese cedar pollinosis. Moreover, 10-50% of patients with this pollinosis exhibit nasal manifestations in the preseason. These patients have a predominance of neutrophils but not eosinophils in nasal swabs and high carriage of Staphylococcus aureus.

Subjective and objective voice evaluation in Sjögren's syndrome.

Objective The aim of this study is to assess the subjective and objective aspects of voice in Sjögren's syndrome. Methods The study enrolled 10 women with Sjögren's syndrome and 12 healthy women. Maximum phonation time, fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonics ratio were determined during acoustic voice analysis.

Temporal Bone Localized Chondroblastoma.

Chondroblastoma is a highly destructive tumor originating from immature cartilage cells. Although chondroblastoma is defined as a benign tumor, it may exhibit malign tumor behaviors such as invasion or metastasis on neighboring structures. Magnetic resonance (MR) image is a solid mass lesion, which included heterogeneous hypointense in T2A and heterogeneous minimal hyperintense in T1A with destructive expansile characteristics and millimetric calcifications.