Is Gestational COVID-19 a Risk Factor for Congenital Hearing Loss?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether COVID-19 during pregnancy is a risk factor for congenital hearing loss. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Hearing screening test results of 60,223 newborns between March 2020 and May 2021 were screened using the national database. Newborn babies of 570 pregnant women with positive COVID-19 PCR test during pregnancy who met the study criteria were included in the gestational COVID-19 group, and 570 healthy newborns born in the same period were included in the control group. INTERVENTION: Diagnostic. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Results of up to three automatic auditory brainstem response tests in the first 30 days of life were used for newborn hearing screening. RESULTS: When the gestational COVID-19 and control groups were compared in terms of demographic data, there was no statistically significant difference for any of the variables (maternal age, gestational age, birth weight, neonate gender, mode of delivery, p > 0.05 for all variables). Of the mothers in the gestational COVID-19 group, 62 (10.9%) had COVID-19 in the first trimester, 181 (31.8%) in the second trimester, and 327 (57.3%) in the third trimester. When the first and second test results of newborn hearing screening were compared between the groups, the number of babies with hearing loss was higher in the gestational COVID-19 group than in the control group (p = 0.025; odds ratio, 1.357; 95% confidence interval, 1.039-1.774; p = 0.006; odds ratio, 4.924; 95% confidence interval, 1.410-17.193, respectively). For the third test results, hearing loss was detected in only one baby in both groups (p = 0.284). When the first, second, and third test results for newborn hearing screening were compared according to the trimesters when COVID-19 positivity was identified, the difference between trimesters was not found to be statistically significant (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest study in the literature of the impact of COVID-19 on newborn hearing. The findings in the study suggest that gestational COVID-19 is not a risk factor for permanent congenital hearing loss. However, because the risk of detecting hearing loss is high in the first 15 days, we emphasize the importance of the third screening test.

The additive value of continuous positive airway pressure treatment on psychological symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: To screen psychological problems of patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) by utilizing the psychological symptom screening test Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and to evaluate the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. METHODS: The SCL-90-R and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) test were applied to 66 patients with Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI ≥ 30/h) using CPAP device and 20 healthy individuals; the test results were compared. RESULTS: The age of the patients ranged from 28 to 67 years, and the patient group comprised 54 males (81.8%) and 12 females (18.2%). The AHI scores ranged from 30.05 to 99.80, with a mean of 49.34 ± 21.40. Significant improvement was seen in 6 of the 11 SCL-90-R scores in CPAP-treated patients. CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that the SCL-90-R test may be appropriate for evaluating the response to CPAP treatment in OSAS patients and monitoring the psychosocial effects of treatment.

The Effectiveness of Medical Prophylactic Treatment on Vestibular Migraine and Its Effect on the Quality Of Life.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to determine the efficacy of propranolol treatment in patients with vestibular migraine by the Visual Analog Scale, Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Vertigo Symptom Scale, and Vestibular Disorders Activities of Daily Living Scale (VADL) and its effect on the quality of life. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 38 patients with vertigo/dizziness who underwent routine evaluation and vestibular examinations, were diagnosed with definitive vestibular migraine, and received the same medical treatment protocol (propranolol). The questionnaires and scales that were applied to the patients before and after treatment were evaluated. The results were evaluated with 95% confidence interval, and p<0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 47.55 (18-75) years, and 27 (71%) patients were female, and 11 (29%) were male. The mean total scores of the DHI before and after treatment were 50.21±22.39 (range: 8-92) and 9.31±9.86 (range: 0-58), respectively (p<0.001). The degree of disability after treatment was low in all patients (p<0.001). The total scores of the VADL before and after treatment were 186.63±79.65 (range: 32-280) and 55.52±51.89 (range: 28-273), respectively (p<0.001). There was no correlation between these two scales (p=0.235). CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate both the efficacy of propranolol treatment and its effects on the quality of life in vestibular migraine. The severity, frequency, and number of attacks and disability scores were reduced, and the quality of life was improved in patients with vestibular migraine with propranolol treatment.

Hemodynamic Changes in Paramedian Forehead Flap.

Paramedian forehead flap is a workhorse for nasal reconstruction. However, vascular complications may lead to flap failure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the blood flow objectively and determine the hemodynamic changes in paramedian forehead flap with respect to influential factors of age, gender, and smoking. Thirty patients who had paramedian forehead flap were followed up prospectively between 2010 and 2013. The blood flow was assessed by resistance index using Color Duplex-Doppler Ultrasonography. Resistance index was measured at the proximal and distal ends of each flap on the postoperative first day, first week, and second week. All data were analyzed using SPSS 15.0 for Windows. Fifteen patients were female and the mean of age was 60.9 years. Our results demonstrated statistically significant differences with gradual decreases in resistance to blood flow, when the resistance index values at the proximal and distal ends of paramedian forehead flap were compared (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001). Age, gender, and smoking did not have a negative impact on the resistance index values of paramedian forehead flap. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in which resistance in blood flow and hemodynamic changes of paramedian forehead flap were objectively determined using Color Duplex-Doppler Ultrasonography. The resistance index gradually decreases, although it is considerably high at the early postoperative interval. Age, gender, and smoking do not adversely influence the blood flow in a well-designed paramedian forehead flap.

Predictive and prognostic factors for patients with locoregionally advanced laryngeal carcinoma treated with surgical multimodality protocol.

The prognosis is suboptimal in patients with locoregionally advanced laryngeal carcinoma even after multimodality protocols. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential influential factors that have an impact on the development of locoregional recurrence, distant metastasis, and oncological outcomes in patients with locoregionally advanced laryngeal carcinoma who had surgical multimodality protocols. A sample size of 85 cases was determined based on a power of 90% and an effect size of α 2 = 0.05. A retrospective analysis of 357 patients with a diagnosis of laryngeal cancer between 2002 and 2015 was performed. Eighteen variables based on sociodemographic, clinical, histopathological and treatment data were analyzed. Medical records of 85 consecutive patients with locoregionally advanced laryngeal carcinoma who underwent surgical multimodality protocols were reviewed. Five-year overall, disease-specific, disease-free, locoregional recurrence-free and distant metastasis-free survival were 68.7, 78.0, 69.6, 68.9 and 69.2%, respectively. Extracapsular extension was an independent predictive factor for locoregional recurrence. Pathologic tumor volume was an independent predictive factor for distant metastasis. pT-stage was an independent prognostic factor for 5-year overall survival, disease-free survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival. High volume, pT4a laryngeal tumors with extracapsular extension are associated with a high risk of locoregional recurrence and distant metastasis; and have poor oncological outcomes in patients with locoregionally advanced laryngeal carcinoma treated with surgical multimodality protocols.