The cutest little baby face: a hormonal link to sensitivity to cuteness in infant faces.

We used computer image manipulation to develop a test of perception of subtle gradations in cuteness between infant faces. We found that young women (19-26 years old) were more sensitive to differences in infant cuteness than were men (19-26 and 53-60 years old). Women aged 45 to 51 years performed at the level of the young women, whereas cuteness sensitivity in women aged 53 to 60 years was not different from that of men (19-26 and 53-60 years old). Because average age at menopause is 51 years in Britain, these findings suggest the possible involvement of reproductive hormones in cuteness sensitivity. Therefore, we compared cuteness discrimination in pre- and postmenopausal women matched for age and in women taking and not taking oral contraceptives (progestogen and estrogen). Premenopausal women and young women taking oral contraceptives (which raise hormone levels artificially) were more sensitive to variations of cuteness than their respective comparison groups. We suggest that cuteness sensitivity is modulated by female reproductive hormones.

The Great Ormond Street Hospital paediatric cochlear implant programme 1992-2004. A review of surgical complications.

The authors present a review of surgical complications following cochlear implantation at Great Ormond Street Hospital, since inception of the programme in 1992 until June 2004. Complications are defined as major (resulting in re-operation, explantation, re-implantation or which resulted in permanent serious morbidity or mortality) or minor (where the implant was not threatened). A comparison of surgical complication rates is made both with an earlier study in the same institution and also with other cochlear implantation centres worldwide. The decrease in surgical complication rates is discussed along with the difficulties inherent in cochlear implantation in the paediatric population with coexisting medical complaints.

Degloving of the inferior turbinates: pilot study to assess the effectiveness of a new technique in turbinate reduction.

A pilot study to assess the safety and efficacy of 'degloving' of the inferior turbinate is described. This prospective study reports on the effectiveness of the technique in 37 patients with nasal obstruction due to inferior turbinate hypertrophy. Both objective and subjective measurements of nasal patency were made pre-operatively, and repeated at six weeks, six months and two years post-operatively using nasal inspiratory peak flow rates, saccharin clearance time and an end referenced visual analogue scale to record nasal symptoms. There was a significant improvement in the peak inspiratory flow at six weeks (96.4 to 151.2 l/min) and at six months (148.4 l/min), which was sustained at two years (117.1 l/min, p<0.001). There was an overall improvement in patient satisfaction with nasal symptoms (23.4 to 76.7, 76.8 and 66.8 at six weeks, six months and two years, p<0.001) and a decrease in the sensation of nasal obstruction (71.9 to 21.5, 32.9 and 29.8, p<0.001), which was also sustained. Rhinorrhoea was reduced, and sense of smell increased across the group, but the improvements did not reach statistical significance. The results for postnasal drip and saccharin clearance did not show a significant change over the period of the study. There were no haemorrhagic complications in the group studied. This pilot study demonstrates a new surgical technique for reduction of the inferior turbinates, that yields significant improvement in nasal obstruction, an acceptably low complication rate and is well tolerated by patients. A randomized controlled trial is being planned.