Exploring the impact of OSA on short-term survival in patients with AECOPD admitted to the ICU.

BACKGROUND: Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is characterized by a sudden worsening of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) symptoms, which significantly contributes to hospitalizations related to COPD symptoms. Previous research has mainly focused on the correlation between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and COPD. However, there were few studies that investigated the short-term mortality rate of AECOPD patients with or without OSA. METHODS: Data for our research was taken from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care Database IV. A total of 1332 patients were included in the study based on well-defined criteria for selection and exclusion. By analyzing the characteristics of AECOPD patients, we compared those with and without OSA. RESULTS: There were 1122 AECOPD patients without OSA, 210 patients with OSA. In comparison to those without OSA, patients with OSA exhibited lower 30-day and 90-day ICU mortality with unadjusted HR, as well as lower hospital mortality with unadjusted OR. However, after adjustments were made, there were no significant associations observed between OSA and short-term mortality, including 30-day ICU mortality, 90-day ICU mortality, ICU mortality, and hospital mortality in AECOPD patients. Subgroup analysis revealed that OSA may act as a risk factor for AECOPD patients with a BMI lower than 30 kg/m2. CONCLUSIONS: There is no impact on short-term survival in AECOPD patients with OSA under intensive care unit (ICU) management and nursing.

Microbiome and Th cytokines association in chronic rhinosinusitis with or without nasal polyp.

Objective: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), a common disease in otorhinolaryngology, seriously affects the life quality of patients. The existing therapy has certain limitations, and it is very urgent to deeply explore the pathogenesis and classification of CRS. Microbiome and inflammation are considered the causes of CRS, but the precise roles and the associations between these two factors in the pathogenesis of CRS remain controversial. Methods: Secretions were collected from the middle nasal canal, maxillary sinus and ethmoid sinus in CRS patients, then subjected to 16 S rRNA gene sequencing to profile microbiota community. Operational Taxonomic Units clustering and species annotation were adopted to obtain species diversity, prevalence rate and average relative abundance. Comparisons were performed at the level of microbial species and genus between CRS and control using NMDS, Anosim and MetaStat analysis. Th1 cytokines and Th2 cytokines were detected by ELISA. Spearman analysis were adopted to probe into the correlation between Th cytokines and microbial species in CRS. Results: Thirty-seven patients were enrolled, among them 22 with CRS and 15 were controls. The most abundant genera were Corynebacterium and Staphylococcus no matter in CRS patients or control. Corynebacterium propinquum was significant decreased in CRS patients no matter with nasal polyp or not. The abundances of Prevotella birria and Carnobacterium maltaromaticum were significantly different between CRSsNP and CRSwNP group. The levels of cytokines IL-2, TNF-α, IFN-É£, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 were all increased in CRS patients. The cytokines levels were associated with specific microbial species in nasal tissue. Conclusion: The changes of species richness and complexity in nasal microbiome were obvious in CRS patients with nasal polyps or not. The different cytokines levels and microbiome between CRS patients without nasal polyps and patients with nasal polyps suggest heterogeneity in pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis. Distinct microbiota and different cytokines were strongly linked in CRS. Level of Evidence: NA.

Primary external auditory canal cholesteatoma of 301 ears: a single-center study.

PURPOSE: Limited literature exists on primary external auditory canal (EAC) cholesteatoma (EACC). Here, we focus on the clinical features of this rare disease, especially the invasive patterns of lesion progression, through a large population study and present simple and practical staging. METHODS: In all, 276 patients (male 99; female 177; mean age 41.3 ± 21 years; ears 301) with primary EACC were retrospectively analyzed. Stage I indicated EACC without bony lesions, stage II indicated invasion confined within EAC, stage III indicated invasion beyond the EAC involving mastoid air cells or tympanic cavity, but within the temporal bone, and stage IV indicated invasion beyond the temporal bone. RESULTS: In all, 41, 219, 40, and 1 ear with Stage I, II, III, and IV lesions were found, respectively. Common clinical symptoms were hearing loss (237 ears, 78.7%), otalgia (221 ears, 73.4%), and otorrhea (85 ears, 28.2%). The mean air conduction and air-bone gaps were 45.4 ± 17.9 dB HL and 24.6 ± 15 dB HL, respectively. EACCs were found to invade in all directions of the EAC, with the inferior wall (224 ears, 74.4%) > posterior wall (207 ears, 68.8%) > anterior wall (186 ears, 61.8%) > superior wall (86 ears, 28.6%) invasion; multiwall invasions (207 ears) were common; however, inward invasions into the tympanic cavity were rare. CONCLUSION: Primary EACCs occurred mostly in women and often unilaterally invaded multiple bony walls in the lower half of the EAC. The present staging reflects the patterns and severity of lesion progression and may be beneficial in treatment planning.

[Hormone replacement therapy in perimenopausal women with chronic tinnitus].

Objective:To explore and analyze the effect and indication of hormone replacement therapy（HRT） in perimenopausal women with chronic tinnitus. Methods:The perimenopausal women with chronic tinnitus were divided into mild group and moderate to severe group according to Kupperman score of menopause, and then were divided into treatment group and untreated group according to whether they received MHT treatment or not. The serum 5-HT level, tinnitus handicap inventory （THI） and Pittsburgh sleep quality index （PSQI） were compared before and after treatment. Results:In moderate to severe perimenopausal tinnitus, the serum 5-HT level, THI and PSQI in the treatment group were statistically different before and after treatment（P<0.05）, and no significant difference was found in the untreated group. In mild perimenopausal tinnitus, there was no significant difference in 5-HT levels, THI and PSQI between the treated group and the untreated group before and after treatment. The 5-HT levels were correlated with THI. The lower the 5-HT level was, the more severe tinnitus was. Conclusion:HRT is helpful in the treatment of perimenopausal chronic tinnitus, especially in moderate to severe perimenopausal patients, and is recommended for clinical use.

Stem Cell-Based Therapeutic Approaches to Restore Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Mammals.

The hair cells that reside in the cochlear sensory epithelium are the fundamental sensory structures responsible for understanding the mechanical sound waves evoked in the environment. The intense damage to these sensory structures may result in permanent hearing loss. The present strategies to rehabilitate the hearing function include either hearing aids or cochlear implants that may recover the hearing capability of deaf patients to a limited extent. Therefore, much attention has been paid on developing regenerative therapies to regenerate/replace the lost hair cells to treat the damaged cochlear sensory epithelium. The stem cell therapy is a promising approach to develop the functional hair cells and neuronal cells from endogenous and exogenous stem cell pool to recover hearing loss. In this review, we specifically discuss the potential of different kinds of stem cells that hold the potential to restore sensorineural hearing loss in mammals and comprehensively explain the current therapeutic applications of stem cells in both the human and mouse inner ear to regenerate/replace the lost hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons.

Cholesteatoma debridement for primary external auditory canal cholesteatoma with non-extensive bone erosion.

Background: External auditory canal (EAC) cholesteatoma (EACC) is rare and its treatment for different lesions has not yet been standardized.Objective: This study aimed to explore the clinical features of EACC with bone erosion, and to assess the curative effect of initial complete cholesteatoma debridement (ICCD).Material and methods: Clinical characteristics and prognosis of 41 ears were analyzed retrospectively.Results: The bone erosion of the EAC was most commonly affected on the posterior wall (37 ears), next by the inferior wall (34 ears), the anterior wall (30 ears) and the superior wall (23 ears). Hearing loss (36 ears) was the most common symptom, followed by otalgia (33 ears), otorrhea (18 ears), tinnitus (11 ears) and pruritus (3 ears). The hearing impairment of mean air conduction and air-bone gaps were improved from 39.2 dB to 22.7 dB, and 23.5 dB to 7.1 dB after the ICCD procedure, respectively. Four ears presented recurrence during the follow-up time and accepted a revision-debridement.Conclusion and significance: The ICCD might be applicable in the treatment of patients in the early stages and with non-extensive bone defect; however, close and long-term surveillance is essential and serial debridement is probable.

Clinical analysis of pediatric primary external auditory canal cholesteatoma.

OBJECTIVE: Pediatric primary external auditory canal cholesteatoma (EACC) is a rare disease. The present study aimed to explore the clinical features and prognosis of this disease. METHODS: Clinical data of 41 ears with pediatric primary EACC were collected, and the clinical characteristics and prognosis were analyzed in this retrospective study. RESULTS: A total of 35 patients (median age of 13 years) were recruited in this study. Of these, 13 suffered on the left side and 16 on the other side, while 6 suffered on the bilateral ears. A total of 35 ears had hearing loss, 26 had otalgia, 15 had otorrhea, 12 had tinnitus, and 4 had pruritus. The median course of the disease was 1 month. The bone destruction of the external auditory canal (EAC) was located on the inferior wall of 20 ears, the posterior wall of 22 ears, the superior wall of 15 ears, and the anterior wall of 15 ears. According to Shin's stages, 24 ears were in stage I, 2 in stage II, 15 in stage III. A total of 40 ears underwent transcanal cholesteatoma removal (TCR) and 1 underwent both TCR and tympanoplasty. Finally, 33 ears were followed up postoperatively, and only 1 ear presented recurrence. CONCLUSION: The posterior wall of the EAC is the most commonly affected wall, and the involvement of multiple walls is common. Due to the remodeling of the EAC bone in pediatric patients, the high stage lesions can be treated by minimally invasive surgical debridement combined with a close follow-up postoperatively.

[The significance of keratinocyte in hyperproliferation of middle ear cholesteatoma].

OBJECTIVE: In order to investigate the interaction between the cytokines and keratinocyte and determine the role of cytokines in hyperproliferative of chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma, we observe the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) and its receptor (KGFR) in middle ear cholesteatoma. METHOD: We examined the expression of MMP9, VEGF, KGF, KGFR and Ki-67 by immunohistochemistry in 50 specimens from chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma and 15 specimens from the normal skin of external auditory meatus. Ki-67 as an evaluation of cholesteatoma proliferation markers were used to detect the keratinocyte proliferative activity. RESULT: (1) The expression of VEGF and MMP9 in cholesteatoma specimens was higher than normal skin, and the difference was statistically significant (t = 4.914, P < 0.01; t = 3.284, P < 0.01). (2) The expression of KGF and KGFR in middle ear tissues was higher than normal skin, and the difference was statistically significant (t = 4.814, P < 0.01; t = 3.104, P < 0.01); The expression of KGF and KGFR increased, and the expression of Ki-67 also correspondly increased in the cholesteatoma. (3) In the tissue MMP9 and VEGF were positive. Mean optical density increased as well. KGF expression also increased accordingly. CONCLUSION: MMP9, VEGF, KGF and KGFR proteins played an important role in hyperproliferation of cholesteatoma tissues. VEGF, MMP9 and KGF had a synergistic effect in hyperproliferation of cholesteatoma tissues.