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Volume 1, December
 
 

J. Otorhinolaryngol. Hear. Balance Med., Volume 1, Issue 1 (June 2018) – 7 articles

Cover Story (view full-size image): This image was supplied by our Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Weijia Kong and one of our Editorial Board Members, Dr. Yu Sun. It is a normal corti organ from a mouse. This image was taken by Dr. Sen Chen at the Institute of Otorhinolaryngology, Tongji Medical College, Wuhan, China, in 2018. The cytoskeleton of organ of Corti were labeled with monoclonal rabbit anti-acetylized a-tubulin antibody (red) and phalloidin (green). The images were obtained usng a laser scanning confocal microscope, and this three-dimensional reconstruction image was produced with NIS-Element software.
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11 pages, 542 KiB  
Review
Role of Autophagy in Auditory System Development and Survival
by Zuhong He, Qiaojun Fang, Muhammad Waqas, Xia Wu, Cheng Cheng, Li He, Yu Sun, Weijia Kong and Renjie Chai
J. Otorhinolaryngol. Hear. Balance Med. 2018, 1(1), 7; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ohbm1010007 - 16 Apr 2018
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5952
Abstract
Autophagy is a natural catabolic process of the cell that dismantles the useless or dysfunctional components. Autophagy allows the systematic and the lysosomal-mediated deterioration of cellular organelles. During the embryonic development, autophagy plays a critical role by remodeling the tissue and organs of [...] Read more.
Autophagy is a natural catabolic process of the cell that dismantles the useless or dysfunctional components. Autophagy allows the systematic and the lysosomal-mediated deterioration of cellular organelles. During the embryonic development, autophagy plays a critical role by remodeling the tissue and organs of the body, and the deletion of some of the autophagy related genes results in the defective embryonic development. Inner ear is the most sophisticated organ of the body responsible for the sound perception. In mammalian inner ear, autophagy protects the hair cells (HCs) from drug and noise induced damage. In this review, we particularly discuss how autophagy implicates during the auditory system development in mammals and presents its role in age-related hearing loss. Moreover, we discuss the protecting effects of autophagy after noise and drug induced auditory trauma. Full article
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9 pages, 586 KiB  
Article
Silent Vestibulopathy in Asymmetric Hearing Loss Can Be a Sign of a Cerebellopontine Angle Tumor
by Woongsang Sunwoo, Yung Jin Jeon, Han Gyeol Park, Yoonjae Song, Jae-Jin Song, Byung Yoon Choi and Ja-Won Koo
J. Otorhinolaryngol. Hear. Balance Med. 2018, 1(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/ohbm1010006 - 16 Feb 2018
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5714
Abstract
The presence of an ipsilateral cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumor should be ruled out in patients with asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss (ASNHL). Although many patients with CPA tumors have ipsilateral vestibular hypofunction, some of them do not experience dizziness even with ipsilateral vestibular hypofunction. [...] Read more.
The presence of an ipsilateral cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumor should be ruled out in patients with asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss (ASNHL). Although many patients with CPA tumors have ipsilateral vestibular hypofunction, some of them do not experience dizziness even with ipsilateral vestibular hypofunction. We analyzed the incidence of CPA tumors among patients with ASNHL without subjective dizziness based on the presence of vestibulopathy. We hypothesized that a patient with silent unilateral vestibular hypofunction (UVH) is more likely to be diagnosed with a CPA tumor. Among 157 subjects who underwent MRI for ASNHL, those who did not have “subjective dizziness” were selected. All subjects underwent hearing and vestibular function tests. UVH was diagnosed if canal paresis ≥ 25%, positive head-shake nystagmus, or gain of head-impulse test < 0.8 were detected. The diameters of the CPA tumors were measured along the petrosal ridge on the axial plane of MRI. Among the enrolled subjects, 44 (28.02%) were diagnosed with a CPA tumor. The 37 patients (84.1%) with a CPA tumor had silent UVH, while only 33 of the 113 patients (29.2%) without a CPA tumor had silent UVH (chi-square test, odds ratio = 12.8, p < 0.001). Silent UVH in patients with ASNHL may be a sign of a CPA tumor. Full article
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488 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Relationship between the Intelligibility and Quality of Algorithmically-Modified Speech for Normal Hearing Listeners
by Yan Tang, Christopher Arnold and Trevor J. Cox
J. Otorhinolaryngol. Hear. Balance Med. 2018, 1(1), 5; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ohbm1010005 - 08 Dec 2017
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5340
Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between the intelligibility and quality of modified speech in noise and in quiet. Speech signals were processed by seven algorithms designed to increase speech intelligibility in noise without altering speech intensity. In three noise maskers, including both stationary [...] Read more.
This study investigates the relationship between the intelligibility and quality of modified speech in noise and in quiet. Speech signals were processed by seven algorithms designed to increase speech intelligibility in noise without altering speech intensity. In three noise maskers, including both stationary and fluctuating noise at two signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), listeners identified keywords from unmodified or modified sentences. The intelligibility performance of each type of speech was measured as the listeners’ word recognition rate in each condition, while the quality was rated as a mean opinion score. In quiet, only the perceptual quality of each type of speech was assessed. The results suggest that when listening in noise, modification performance on improving intelligibility is more important than its potential negative impact on speech quality. However, when listening in quiet or at SNRs in which intelligibility is no longer an issue to listeners, the impact to speech quality due to modification becomes a concern. Full article
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1714 KiB  
Article
Head and Neck Paraganglioma: Medical Assessment, Management, and Literature Update
by Nathan Hayward and Vincent Cousins
J. Otorhinolaryngol. Hear. Balance Med. 2018, 1(1), 4; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ohbm1010004 - 08 Dec 2017
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 9172
Abstract
Head and neck paraganglioma (HNPGL) are rare, highly vascular; typically slow growing and mostly benign neoplasms arising from paraganglia cells. HNPGL cause morbidity via mass effect on adjacent structures (particularly the cranial nerves), invasion of the skull base and, rarely, catecholamine secretion with [...] Read more.
Head and neck paraganglioma (HNPGL) are rare, highly vascular; typically slow growing and mostly benign neoplasms arising from paraganglia cells. HNPGL cause morbidity via mass effect on adjacent structures (particularly the cranial nerves), invasion of the skull base and, rarely, catecholamine secretion with associated systemic effects. The last decade has seen significant progress in the understanding of HNPGL genetics, with pertinent implications for diagnostic assessment and management of patients and their relatives. The implicated genes code for three of the five subunits of mitochondrial enzyme succinate dehydrogenase (SDH); recent literature reports that approximately one third of all HNPGL are associated with SDH mutations—a prevalence significantly greater than traditionally thought. There are distinct phenotypical syndromes associated with mutations in each individual SDH subunit (SDHD, SDHB, SDHC, and SDHAF2). This article focuses on the clinical features of HNPGL, the implications of HNPGL genetics, and the current evidence relating to optimal identification, investigation, and management options in HNPGL, which are supported by reference to a personal series of 60 cases. HNPGL require a systematic and thorough assessment to appropriately guide management decisions, and a suggested algorithm is presented in this article. Recent developments are particularly pertinent to surgeons of multiple disciplines, including otolaryngology, neurosurgery, vascular, and general surgery. Full article
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689 KiB  
Review
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Hearing Loss
by Yanfei Wang, Xiangguo Liu and Zhigang Xu
J. Otorhinolaryngol. Hear. Balance Med. 2018, 1(1), 3; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ohbm1010003 - 01 Nov 2017
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 6544
Abstract
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays important roles in coordinating protein biosynthesis and secretion in the cell. Accumulation of misfolded and/or unfolded proteins in the ER causes ER stress and the so-called unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR alleviates ER stress through blocking protein [...] Read more.
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays important roles in coordinating protein biosynthesis and secretion in the cell. Accumulation of misfolded and/or unfolded proteins in the ER causes ER stress and the so-called unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR alleviates ER stress through blocking protein synthesis and activating expression of chaperone genes, whereas prolonged UPR could induce cell death. Recent research has showed that ER stress and UPR are involved in hearing loss. Accordingly, animal experiments showed that chemical chaperones or ER stress inducers alleviate environment-related hearing loss, whereas ER stress inhibitor has been used to treat certain types of hereditary deafness. Further investigations are needed to fully understand the detailed mechanisms of how ER stress contributes to the loss of auditory function, which will help us to eventually develop ER-stress-related treatment of various types of deafness. Full article
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3577 KiB  
Article
Effects of Retinoid Treatment on Cochlear Development, Connexin Expression and Hearing Thresholds in Mice
by Yeunjung Kim and Xi Lin
J. Otorhinolaryngol. Hear. Balance Med. 2018, 1(1), 2; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ohbm1010002 - 23 Oct 2017
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4774
Abstract
Mutations in GJB2, gene coding for connexin 26 (Cx26), and GJB6, gene coding for connexin 30 (Cx30), are the most common genetic defects causing non-syndromic hereditary hearing loss. We previously reported that overexpression of Cx26 completely rescues the hearing in a mouse model [...] Read more.
Mutations in GJB2, gene coding for connexin 26 (Cx26), and GJB6, gene coding for connexin 30 (Cx30), are the most common genetic defects causing non-syndromic hereditary hearing loss. We previously reported that overexpression of Cx26 completely rescues the hearing in a mouse model of human GJB6 null mutations. The results suggest that therapeutic agents up-regulating the expression of Cx26 may potentially be a novel treatment for non-syndromic hereditary deafness caused by Cx30 null mutations. Retinoids are a family of vitamin A derivatives that exert broad and profound effects on cochlear protein expression including connexins. They are readily available and already utilized as therapeutic agents for recurrent otitis media and hearing loss due to noise exposure. In this study, we characterized the expression of Cx26 and Cx30 in the postnatal inner ear by different retinoids including retinyl palmitate (RP), the main source of vitamin A in over-the-counter (OTC) supplements, retinyl acetate (RAc) which is an isomer of RP, and all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), the most active retinoid derivative. The results revealed ATRA significantly increased cochlear Cx26 expression and improved hearing in Cx30 knockout (KO) mice by 10 dB suggesting its potential benefits as a therapeutic agent. In contrast, RP selectively reduced cochlear Cx30 expression and did not improve hearing thresholds at the dosages we tested. Full article
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185 KiB  
Editorial
Welcome to Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, Hearing and Balance Medicine
by Wei-Jia Kong, Richard Salvi and Jochen Schacht
J. Otorhinolaryngol. Hear. Balance Med. 2018, 1(1), 1; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ohbm1010001 - 28 Feb 2017
Viewed by 5355
Abstract
To date, much progress has been achieved in the field of Otorhinolaryngology—Head and Neck surgery, as well as hearing and balance science and medicine.[...] Full article
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