The Role of Vestibular Function Tests in Patients with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Who Have Subclinical Vestibular Dysfunction / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The evaluation of vestibular function is very important for patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) as it is a well-known prognostic factor. The purpose of this study was to evaluate subclinical vestibular dysfunction (SVD) and its association with prognosis in sudden SNHL patients with and without dizziness using the vestibular function tests. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Seventy eight patients who had been diagnosed with unilateral sudden SNHL were examined by dividing them into three groups according to their clinical findings such as vestibular function and subjective symptoms: 1) normal, 2) SVD and 3) dizziness. Vestibular dysfunction and hearing recovery rates were also assessed. RESULTS: Patients with SVD accounted for 62.5% of patients even though they did not complain subjective dizziness. The extent of vestibular dysfunction in the dizziness group was greater than that in the SVD group (p=0.05). The hearing recovery rates for normal, SVD and dizziness group were 72% (13/18), 57% (17/30) and 48% (12/25), respectively. The incidence and extent of vestibular dysfunction was greater in patients with severe hearing loss than in those with moderate to severe loss. A significant correlation was noted between hearing recovery rate and vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) testing. Normal and abnormal VEMP data were associated with good and poor recovery (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The evaluation of vestibular function is important in sudden SNHL patients with dizziness; however, SVD also explains a significant proportion of sudden SNHL in the absence of dizziness. Notably, VEMP is useful tools for evaluating prognosis of sudden SNHL.

Expression of ssrA in non-pathogen-induced adaptation in the oral cavity through signal exchange with oral pathogens

INTRODUCTION: This study was conducted to evaluate ssrA expression resulting from adaptation of Escherichia coli (E. coli) to oral pathogens through signal exchange. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human cell lines Hep2 and HT29, wild-type E. coli (WT K-12), ssrA knock-out E. coli (Delta K-12), and Scleropages aureus (S. aureus) were used. A single culture consisting of Hep2, HT29, WT K-12, and Delta K-12, and mixed cultures consisting of Hep2 and WT K-12, Hep2 and Delta K-12, WT K-12 and S. aureus , Delta K-12 and S. aureus , and Hep2, WT K-12, and S. aureus were prepared. For HT29, a mixed culture was prepared with WT K-12 and with WT K-12 and S. aureus. Total RNA was extracted from each culture with the resulting expression of ssrA, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappaB), and p53 was evaluated by Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: The expression of ssrA in a single culture of WT K-12 was lower than that observed in the mixed culture of WT K-12 with S. aureus. Greater ssrA expression was observed in the mixed culture of WT K-12 with Hep2 than in the single culture of WT K-12. The expression of NF-kappaB was higher in the mixed culture of Hep2 with Delta K-12 than that in the mixed culture of Hep2 with WT K-12, and was lowest in the single culture of Hep2. The expression of ssrA was higher in the mixed culture of WT K-12 with Hep2 and S. aureus than in the mixed culture of WT K-12 with Hep2. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that ssrA plays an important role in the mechanism of E. coli adaptation to a new environment.

A Case of Schwannoma of the Nasal Septum / 대한이비인후과학회지

Schwannoma is a benign tumor originating from the peripheral nerve sheath that can arise on any myelinated nerve. A 32-year-old woman visited our clinic presenting with unilateral nasal obstruction. Based on the physical examination and CT scan, we initially diagnosed the disease as vascular origin tumor. Endoscopic excision was done after preoperative angiogram with embolization. Biopsy results revealed schwannoma originating from the nasal septum. Nasal septal schwannoma is extremely rare, and we herein report such a case with a review of literatures.

The Effect of New Bone Formation of Onlay Bone Graft Using Various Graft Materials with a Titanium Cap on the Rabbit Calvarium

0.05).SUMMARY: This result suggests that autogenous bone is the best choice for new bone formation, but when autogenous bone graft is in limited availability, alloplastic and xenogenic bone graft also can be an alternative bone graft material to use with a suitably guided membrane.

The Effect of Resorbable Membrane on Bone Regeneration in Calvarial Defects of Rats

A Case of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma in Parotid Gland / 대한이비인후과학회지

The salivary gland most frequently involved with secondary cancer is the parotid gland. Metastases are responsible for 21-42% of malignant parotid tumors. Malignant melanoma and squamous cell cancer are the two most common tumors to metastasizing to the parotid gland. Renal cell carcinoma takes up 85% of primary malignant renal tumors. It rarely metastasizes to the head and neck area. When metastasis to head and neck area occurs, it involves the gingiva, tongue, palate, parotid gland, uvlua, mandible, and lip. When tumorous areas arefound in the salivary gland consisting of clear cells, it is important to carry out differential diagnosis of various primary tumors with clear cells and metastatic renal cell carcinoma. In this paper, we report on a case of renal cell carcinoma which had metastasized to the parotid gland after a radical nephrectomy.

A Case of Orbital Emphysema after Nose Blowing / 대한이비인후과학회지

Orbital emphysema is an abnormal condition in which air is present within the orbit. It commonly occurs during or immediately after facial, nasal, or orbital trauma; however, in a few cases, the orbital emphysema occurs spontaneously without the presence of recent trauma. Subsequently, air can enter the soft tissue of orbit as a result of nose blowing, coughing or sneezing. Although sequelae are generally self limiting and resolve spontaneously, they are important because of potential complications such as loss of vision due to pressure effect. The following is a case report of a patient who developed unilateral orbital emphysema after nose blowing.

Detection of MAGE and SSX Gene Expressions by RT-nested PCR Using Common Primers in Head and Neck Cancer

OBJECTIVES: The melanoma antigen gene (MAGE) and synovial sarcoma on X chromosome (SSX) gene families are silent in most normal adult tissues, but are expressed in a variety of malignant lesions. Therefore, detection of MAGE and SSX transcription may be useful for the diagnosis of head and neck cancers. The aim of this study is to detect MAGE and SSX gene transcripts of head and neck cancers using the MAGE 1-6 assay and the SSX 1-9 assay. METHODS: The transcripts of MAGE 1-6 and SSX 1-9 genes were detected by the MAGE 1-6 assay and the SSX 1-9 assay respectively, in cancer cell lines, cancer tissue, and induced sputum specimens from head and neck cancer patients. RESULTS: The transcripts of MAGE 1-6 and SSX 1-9 genes were detected in 82.8% and 75.9% of head and neck cancer tissues (N=29) respectively, and 96.6% of cancer tissues expressed at least one of MAGE 1-6 or SSX 1-9 genes. In the induced sputum of head and neck cancer patients (N=18), the transcripts of MAGE 1-6 and SSX 1-9 genes were detected in 72.2% and 77.8%, respectively, and 94.4% of the sputum specimens were positive for either the MAGE 1-6 or the SSX 1-9 assay. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the combination of MAGE 1-6 and SSX 1-9 assays may be useful in the diagnosis of head and neck cancer.