ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives@#It is important to identify variations of paranasal sinuses during sinus surgery. The Onodi cell (OC), a variant of the paranasal sinuses, is the most posterior ethmoid cell with a close relationship with the optic nerve (ON). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of OCs and analyze the relationship of OCs with ON in Koreans.Subjects and Method This retrospective study utilized CT images of 526 slides from 263 Korean adults. The prevalence of the OCs and the degree of indentation of the ON within the OC was determined using binary logistic regression analysis. @*Results@#The OCs were observed in 37.3% of 263 subjects and in 27.6% of 526 slides. The OCs are found more frequently in males than in females (p=0.01), and also more frequently in the right side than in the left side (p=0.001). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the ON protrusion in female was 0.339 times lower than in male and 1.052 times higher with the increased age. The ON protrusion within the OC in the postsellar type was 10.214 times higher than that in the presellar. @*Conclusion@#The OCs were observed in 37.3% of the Koreans. The protrusion of the ON within the OCs increased in male and in the postsellar type of the sphenoid sinus.
ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives@#Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is characterized by sudden onset of impaired hearing, and systemic steroid is the most widely accepted treatment option for it. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of stellate ganglion block (SGB) as a treatment option for SSNHL.Subjects and Method A total of 318 patients diagnosed with SSNHL were treated with systemic steroid and SGB (SGB group, 127 patients) or systemic steroid only (non-SGB group, 191 patients). Hearing improvement was defined as a hearing gain of more than slight improvement using Siegel’s criteria. @*Results@#The SGB group did not show any significant effects on hearing improvement compared with the non-SGB group (60% vs. 65%). However, some patients with profound hearing loss of more than 90 dB have recovered above average after the SGB treatment. Also, we used multiple regression analysis to ascertain which factors influenced hearing recovery, and found that the initial pure-tone audiometry thresholds at 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz were statistically associated with hearing recovery. @*Conclusion@#In conclusion, SGB did not show a clear therapeutic effect, but suggested the possibility of treatment for improving the inner ear circulation of patients with profound hearing loss.
ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives@#It is necessary to understand the variations of the paranasal sinuses (PNS) and other anatomical structures during an endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). The purpose of this study was to investigate any association between the degree of frontal sinus (FS) pneumatization and the development of the PNS structures. Subjects and Method We analyzed 311 PNS computed tomography (CT) scans (622 sinuses, including the left and right sides). We classified FS into type I (aplasia), type II (hypoplasia), and type III (control). We assessed and compared the middle turbinate pneumatization (MTP), superior turbinate pneumatization (STP), agger nasi cell (ANC), infraorbital cell (IOC), optic nerve (ON) type, and vidian nerve (VN) type with the pneumatization of the FS. We further studied for any association between the degree of pneumatization of the FS, maxillary sinus (MS), and sphenoid sinus (SS) and the lateral lamella length (LLL). @*Results@#MTP, ANC, and IOC rates according to the FS types were not significant (p>0.05). Both type II and III showed more frequent occurrences of STP than type I (p=0.005). The ON type III and IV were significantly frequent in the FS type III (p0.05). In the FS type II and III, the LLL was significantly greater than in type I (p<0.001). @*Conclusion@#Increased FS pneumatization shows greater indentation of ON and VN into the SS, as well as increased LLL. During ESS, it is important to recognize the possibility of structural damage of ON, VN, and LLL according to FS pneumatization.
ABSTRACT
Chronic inflammatory airway diseases, such as chronic rhinosinusitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma, are associated with excessive mucus production. Hence, the regulation of mucus production is important for the treatment of upper and lower airway diseases. Eupatilin is a pharmacologically active ingredient obtained from Artemisia asiatica Nakai (Asteraceae) and exerts potent anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and anti-tumor activities. In the present study, we investigated the effect of eupatilin on phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced MUC5AC and MUC5B expression in human airway epithelial cells. We found that eupatilin treatment significantly inhibited PMA-induced mucus secretion in PAS staining. In addition, qRT-PCR results showed that eupatilin dose-dependently decreased the mRNA expression of MUC5AC in human airway epithelial cells. Western blot and immunofluorescence assay also showed that PMA-induced protein expression of MUC5AC was inhibited by eupatilin treatment. Finally, we investigated MAPKs activity after stimulation with PMA using western blot analysis in human airway epithelial cells. The results showed that eupatilin downregulated the levels of phosphorylated p38, ERK, and JNK. In summary, the anti-inflammatory activities of eupatilin, characterized as the suppression of MUC5AC expression and secretion in human airway epithelial cells, were found to be associated with the inhibition of p38/ERK/JNK MAPKs signaling pathway of MUC5AC secretion.
ABSTRACT
Chronic inflammatory airway diseases, such as chronic rhinosinusitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma, are associated with excessive mucus production. Hence, the regulation of mucus production is important for the treatment of upper and lower airway diseases. Eupatilin is a pharmacologically active ingredient obtained from Artemisia asiatica Nakai (Asteraceae) and exerts potent anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and anti-tumor activities. In the present study, we investigated the effect of eupatilin on phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced MUC5AC and MUC5B expression in human airway epithelial cells. We found that eupatilin treatment significantly inhibited PMA-induced mucus secretion in PAS staining. In addition, qRT-PCR results showed that eupatilin dose-dependently decreased the mRNA expression of MUC5AC in human airway epithelial cells. Western blot and immunofluorescence assay also showed that PMA-induced protein expression of MUC5AC was inhibited by eupatilin treatment. Finally, we investigated MAPKs activity after stimulation with PMA using western blot analysis in human airway epithelial cells. The results showed that eupatilin downregulated the levels of phosphorylated p38, ERK, and JNK. In summary, the anti-inflammatory activities of eupatilin, characterized as the suppression of MUC5AC expression and secretion in human airway epithelial cells, were found to be associated with the inhibition of p38/ERK/JNK MAPKs signaling pathway of MUC5AC secretion.
ABSTRACT
Lipoma is one of the most common benign tumors in the human body. However, they are uncommon in the oral cavity. Oral lipomas can occur on the cheeks, tongue, lips, gums and rarely on the floor of the mouth. Clinical symptoms are usually asymptomatic yellow masses. Sometimes the tumor grows and can have difficulty speaking and mastication. The treatment of lipoma is surgical excision, and recurrence is rare. We present a case of oral lipoma in an unusal location on the floor of mouth which is rare in the literature.