Hyperlipidemia and its relation with tinnitus: Cross-sectional approach.

Background: Tinnitus is a common auditory complaint among individuals characterized by ringing, buzzing, hissing, chirping, whistling, or other sounds in the ear. Following a low-fat/low-cholesterol diet can help reduce the blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which aids improvement in tinnitus symptoms. High cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the bloodstream play a significant role in the development of tinnitus, hearing loss, and vertigo. Aim: This paper aims to test the association between hyperlipidemia and tinnitus among outpatients in King Khalid University (KKU) ENT clinic. Patients and Methods: A retrospective review of the medical records of patients who attended the ENT clinic at KKU was performed. An otological examination including pure tone audiometry, personal habits, and lipid profile was conducted. Patients were contacted by phone if there were any missing data. Results: The study included 300 patients who were treated in the outpatient clinic during the study period. About 80% of the patients were of age >45 years and 60.3% were males. Half of the cases (150 cases) had tinnitus and 13% had hyperlipidemia. Patients with high lipid profile recorded doubled risk for tinnitus (P < 0.05). Other risk factors found to be significantly associated with tinnitus include vertigo, young age, and wearing an earpiece. Conclusions: In conclusion, there was a significant association between hyperlipidemia and the incidence of tinnitus even after adjusting for all other risk factors. More large-scale researches are needed to assess in detail the association between different lipid components such as low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and tinnitus epidemiology.

Contralateral sinus involvement of surgically treated unilateral allergic fungal rhinosinusitis.

Recurrence of allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) is well recognized. However, there is scarcity in the literature describing involvement of the non-diseased sinuses. We aimed to evaluate the recurrence forms of unilateral AFRS as well as to study the possible predictor factors of developing the disease in the contralateral side. Patients with exclusive unilateral AFRS from (2010 to 2015) were enrolled in multi-institutional case-control study. All patients were evaluated after endoscopic sinus surgery for recurrence. Patient's records were reviewed for demographics, medical treatment, and clinical, radiological, and surgical data. A total of 68 patients were identified. Delayed contralateral involvement after the initial surgery was found in 30.8% with mean duration of recurrence 16.9 months. A significant association was found with the presence of pre-operative contralateral symptoms and signs of inflammation (OR 3.49, 95% CI 1.19-10.22, p value 0.02). Post-operative use of budesonide irrigation was associated with less contralateral involvement (OR 0.11, 95% CI 0.01-0.87, p value 0.01). Association of other variables like: comorbidities, perioperative use of systemic steroid, radiological signs, extent of surgery, additional surgery to the contralateral side, and post-operative use of systemic steroids did not show statistical significance. Involvement of the contralateral sinuses in 30% of unilateral AFRS cases is considered significant. The non-diseased sinuses should be involved in the routine endoscopic examination and post-operative treatment. Further studies are necessary to investigate the possibility of prophylactic surgical intervention of the non-diseased sinuses.

The role of biomarkers and imaging in Parkinson's disease.

The diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) currently relies on the appearance of certain clinical features. However, these features appear only years after the loss of nigral dopaminergic neurons. The progression of PD may be measured using clinical rating scales that are subjective and that have a variable inter-rater consistency. There is a growing need for a biomarker that will allow for early detection of the disease as well as provide a measure of disease progression. In this article, we review different biomarkers, with a focus on functional imaging techniques, which while imperfect, currently provide the best approach to this problem. We also discuss the use of structural imaging and emerging progress in other biochemical and molecular markers. While there is no single biomarker that will satisfy all requirements, a combination is likely to be of great use in identifying those subjects most likely to benefit from neuroprotective therapies, as well as in monitoring the effects of any interventions.