How advantageous is it to use computed tomography image-based artificial intelligence modelling in the differential diagnosis of chronic otitis media with and without cholesteatoma?

OBJECTIVE: Cholesteatoma (CHO) developing secondary to chronic otitis media (COM) can spread rapidly and cause important health problems such as hearing loss. Therefore, the presence of CHO should be diagnosed promptly with high accuracy and then treated surgically. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of artificial intelligence applications (AIA) in documenting the presence of CHO based on computed tomography (CT) images. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was performed on CT images of 100 CHO, 100 non-cholesteatoma (N-CHO) COM, and 100 control patients. Two AIA models including ResNet50 and MobileNetV2 were used for the classification of the images. RESULTS: Overall accuracy rate was 93.33% for the ResNet50 model and 86.67% for the MobilNetV2 model. Moreover, the diagnostic accuracy rates of these two models were 100% and 95% in the CHO group, 90% and 85% in the N-CHO group, and 90% and 80% in the control group, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the use of AIA in the diagnosis of CHO will improve the diagnostic accuracy rates and will also help physicians in terms of reducing their workload and facilitating the selection of the correct treatment strategy.

Protective effect of ethyl pyruvate on amikacin-induced ototoxicity in rats.

OBJECTIVE: Amikacin (AMK) is a widely used antibiotic, but its ototoxic side effects limit its use. This study investigated the effects of ethyl pyruvate (EP), known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, against AMK ototoxicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 32 Wistar albino rats (n: 8) were used in this study. To cause ototoxicity, AMK 600 mg/kg/day dose was applied intramuscularly for 14 days. EP was administered via ip at a dose of 50 mg/kg/day for 14 days. RESULTS: The Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR) and Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAE) tests were performed on the study's 0, 7, and 14 days. The results have shown that the hearing functions were significantly impaired with the AMK application. A significant improvement was observed in the AMK+EP group. While total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were found to be significantly higher in the AMK group compared to the control group, total antioxidant status (TAS) level was found to be significantly lower. In the AMK+EP group, on the other hand, deterioration in TOS, OSI, and MDA levels detected in the AMK group was not observed. No elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 were present in the EP+AMK group, which were detected in the AMK group. CONCLUSIONS: Hearing tests and biochemical results show that ethyl pyruvate has protective effects against amikacin ototoxicity due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

A new and reliable landmark in parotid surgery: tragomastoid groove (Akil Groove).

OBJECTIVE: Parotid surgery is a frequently performed surgery in otorhinolaryngology practice with many possible complications. Due to the high ratio of facial paralysis during parotid surgery, we defined a new landmark for identifying and protecting the facial nerve as early as possible during surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was designed as a prospective anatomical method. The important details and relationship of the tragomastoid groove to the facial nerve truncus were examined during surgery on 30 patients. In addition, the demographics of the patients, the type of surgery and the pathological results of surgeries were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean distance of the tragomastoid groove to the facial nerve truncus was 20.53±1.71 mm, the mean deepness of the tragomastoid groove was 1.91±0.26 mm, and the mean superficial part of the tragomastoid groove was 0.83±0.23 mm. The tragomastoid groove was situated either across from the facial nerve at the place where the facial nerve truncus exits the stylomastoid foramen or just inferior to the truncus in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The tragomastoid groove was defined for the first time in the literature as a reliable landmark for identifying the facial nerve truncus easily during parotid surgery.

Laryngectomy: what is the impact of the type of surgery on life quality and sexual function?

The purpose of this study is to compare total and partial larygectomy on private life functions and sexuality in patients with laryngeal cancer. The study included 31 partial laryngectomy patients (Group 1) and 51 total laryngectomy patients (Group 2) who were operated for laryngeal cancer. European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) head and neck cancer module (QLQ-H&N35) and Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) forms were filled in by interviewing face to face with patients. HNSW (swallowing), HNSE (senses), HNSP (speech), HNSO (social eating), HNSX (sexuality), HNTE (problems with teeth), HNOM (problems with opening mouth) and HNCO (coughing) scores of EORTC QLQ-H&N35 were significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1. However, according to Arizona test results, there were no significant difference between the two groups.

Triterpenoids of the roots of Lavandula stoechas ssp. stoechas.

The roots of Lavandula stoechas ssp. stoechas afforded eleven known triterpenes, two steroids and two aromatics, in addition to two new triterpenes, 18-hydroxy-27-norolean-12,14-dien-30-al-28-oic acid and 3 beta-hydroxy-1-oxo-olean-12-ene-30-al-28-oic acid. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses. The chloroform extract and some isolated compounds were evaluated for their growth inhibitory activity against several mammalian cell lines.