1,721,121 research outputs found
Inner Ear Regenerative Medicine: Stem Cells or Genetic Engineering for Repairing Cochlear DFamage?
No full textOne of the greatest challenges in the treatment of inner ear disorders is to find a cure for hearing damage secondary to the loss of cochlear hair cells or spiral ganglion neurons. It has been estimated, according to WHO data, that 250 million people in the world are affected by a disabling auditory impairment (about 28 million in the USA alone), and congenital deafness affects 1 in 1000 children
Tissue engineering and cartilage regeneration for auricular reconstruction.
No full textOBJECTIVE:
This paper will provide (a) a review on current status of auricular reconstruction (b) particularly focusing on the current data about pinna reconstruction using stem cells in combination with tissue engineering.
METHODS:
The paper is divided into two sections. The first section presents a brief overview of the current status of auricular reconstruction. In the second section, the authors review the aspects and the current status of stem cells and tissue engineering researches related to cartilage regeneration.
CONCLUSIONS:
Total auricular reconstruction represents one of the greatest challenges for the ENT and Facial Plastic surgeon. The matter of auricular cartilage reconstruction is complex, and progresses in material designs as well as in stem cells field are essential. Even if this bio-technology field is promising, the progresses still are not adequate as patient expectations remain high
The diagnosis of autoimmune inner ear disease: Evidence and critical pitfalls
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to review the current diagnostic work-up for patients with suspected Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease (AIED). AIED is a rare disease accounting for less than 1% of all cases of hearing impairment or dizziness, characterized by a rapidly progressive, often fluctuating, bilateral SNHL over a period of weeks to months. While specific tests for autoimmunity to the inner ear would be valuable, at the time of writing, there are none that are both commercially available and proven to be useful. Thus far, most of the identified antigens lack a clear association with localized inner ear pathology and the diagnosis of AIED is based either on clinical criteria and/or on a positive response to steroids. For clinical practice, we recommend an antigen-non-specific test battery including blood test for autoimmune disorders and for conditions that resemble autoimmune disorders. Nevertheless, if financial resources are limited, a very restricted work-up study may have a similar efficiency
Inner ear embryogenesis and regeneration
No full textSensory hair cells (HC) of the inner ear are susceptible to damage from a variety of sources including ageing, genetic defects, noise or chemotherapeutic drugs. As the adult mammalian cochlea lacks regenerative capacity, the consequence of this damage in humans is permanent and results in hearing loss. Since the discovery that hair cells can regenerate in birds, a wide range of studies have been designed in order to understand this process. At the same time efforts have been made to identify the steps in mammalian hair cell development. The aim of this paper is to re-examine recent research on mammalian HC development and avian HC regeneration, as this process could help in understanding possible future directions and targets of mammalian inner ear regeneratio
Protection against cisplatin ototoxicity ina a Sprague-Dawley rat animal model
No full textCisplatin (CDDP) is an anti-neoplastic drug extensively used in cases of head and neck cancer. Cisplatin induces numerous untoward side-effects including ototoxicity. In this study, cisplatin ototoxicity in Sprague-Dawley rat animal model has been evaluated and the oto-protection provided by the systemic administration of the antioxidant drug D-methionine has been tested. A total of 12 Sprague-Dawley rats were used: 8 were treated intra-peritoneally with D-methionine (300 mg/kg) and cisplatin (16 mg/kg, slow 30 min-infusion), 4 only with cisplatin. The hearing threshold of the animals was evaluated by electrophysiological procedures as Otoacoustic Emissions and Auditory Brainstem Responses. The effects of protection were evaluated after 72 hours. The data from the Otoacoustic Emissions (in the 4.0-12 kHz band) and Auditory Brainstem Responses recordings suggested that D-methionine can partially protect from Cisplatin ototoxicity
Transnasal endoscopic approach for the treatment of medial orbital wall fractures
No full textThe aim of this study is to report a case series of blowout fractures of the medial orbital wall that were treated endoscopically. Isolated fractures of the medial orbital wall are uncommon and can be asymptomatic. Various surgical methods for repairing medial orbital wall fractures have been described. The standard approach for the treatment of medial orbital wall fractures is the transcutaneous approach or the transconjunctival with retrocaruncular approach. In the last years, the attention on the use of minimally invasive techniques such as transnasal endoscopic approach is growing. This was a retrospective study of six cases completely managed endoscopically. In the presented case series, the endoscopic endonasal approach represented a safe and effective procedure for the reduction of medial wall orbital fractures
Subcutaneous sarcoidosis: a rare involvment of the paralaterl nasal region
No full textA case of subcutaneous sarcoidosis involving the paralateral nasal region is described and a brief review of the literature is made. Subcutaneous sarcoidosis without systemic disease is a rare entity and has seldom been reported on the trunk and face. Diagnosis is always difficult as it can only be confirmed by histological studies
Gastroesophageal reflux and its possible role in the pathogenesis of upper aerodigestive tract disorders.
No full textAssociations have been reported between gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and a variety of upper and lower respiratory tract conditions. Respiratory conditions and GER are common and would be expected to coexist in many patients. Whether there is a relationship between GER and these conditions, its nature still remain controversial, the data available are frequently conflicting and furthermore the direct association between symptoms and reflux is often difficult to establish. For this reason, the majority of clinicians still treat extraesophageal manifestations of GER empirically as esophageal pH testing is not routinely used in the ear, nose and throat (ENT) practice. Purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between GER and these conditions both in adults and children, through a PubMed database systematic review
Unusual foreign body in the upper cervical oesophagus: case report
No full textThe vast majority of oesophageal foreign bodies pass through the gastrointestinal tract without causing complications: only in
a few cases is endoscopic or surgical treatment required. A very unusual oesophageal foreign body is described herein, namely
a clam shell, treated in a multidisciplinary setting and successfully removed using rigid endoscopy. The peculiarity of this case
concerns the shape and location of the foreign body, the age of the patient and the absence of specific adult risk factors
PROTECTIVE EFFECTS IN VIVO OF DEXAMETHASONE AGAINST CISPLATIN-INDUCED TOXICITY
No full textIn mammals, inner hair cells have lost their regenerative abilities. Thus, when they are damaged, acoustic signal transduction from hair cells to the spiral ganglion is irreversibly compromised and profound sensorineural hearing loss occurs. Ototoxicity and inner hair cell damage are relevant side effects of cisplatin, a widely employed chemotherapeutic drug. The aim of this study is to evaluate the in vivo otoprotective effects of dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory drug, administered before intraperitoneal treatment with cisplatin in Wistar rats. Dexamethasone and cisplatin treatment were tested either alone or in combination. Both cochleas and kidneys were explanted from each group after dexamethasone, cisplatin or dexamethasone-cisplatin treatments, and processed for histological analyses. The preliminary morphological analysis by haematoxylin-eosin staining on cochlea and kidney tissues showed some protective effects of dexamethasone against cisplatin toxicity. For each group, one cochlea per animal was processed for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to visualize hair cell morphology in the organ of Corti. As expected, cisplatin treatment induced hair cell loss and marked disorganization of the stereocilia, while pre-treatment by dexamethasone before cisplatin administration significantly reduced the ototoxic effects: hair cell structure was mostly maintained. However, the treatment by dexamethasone alone had some morphological effects on stereocilia, which appeared shorter in comparison to untreated animals. Based on these results, preliminary immunofluorescence experiments were performed with myosin 7A, anti-glucocorticoid receptor antibodies and apoptotic markers (cytochrome c and p53). The overall results supported the protective effects of dexamethasone against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity
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