The 100 Most-Cited Manuscripts in Hearing Implants: A Bibliometrics Analysis.

The aim of the study was to characterise the most frequently cited articles on the topic of hearing implants. A systematic search was carried out using the Thomson Reuters Web of Science Core Collection database. Eligibility criteria restricted the results to primary studies and reviews published from 1970 to 2022 in English dealing primarily with hearing implants. Data including the authors, year of publication, journal, country of origin, number of citations and average number of citations per year were extracted, as well as the impact factors and five-year impact factor of journals publishing the articles. The top 100 papers were published across 23 journals and were cited 23,139 times. The most-cited and influential article describes the first use of the continuous interleaved sampling (CIS) strategy utilised in all modern cochlear implants. More than half of the studies on the list were produced by authors from the United States, and the Ear and Hearing journal had both the greatest number of articles and the greatest number of total citations. To conclude, this research serves as a guide to the most influential articles on the topic of hearing implants, although bibliometric analyses mainly focus on citations. The most-cited article was an influential description of CIS.

Immune related biomarkers for cancer metastasis to the brain.

Brain metastasis accounts for a large number of cancer-related deaths. The host immune system, involved at each step of the metastatic cascade, plays an important role in both the initiation of the brain metastasis and their treatment responses to various modalities, through either local and or systemic effect. However, few reliable immune biomarkers have been identified in predicting the development and the treatment outcome in patients with cancer brain metastasis. Here, we provide a focused perspective of immune related biomarkers for cancer metastasis to the brain and a thorough discussion of the potential utilization of specific biomarkers such as tumor mutation burden (TMB), genetic markers, circulating and tumor-infiltrating immune cells, cytokines, in predicting the brain disease progression and regression after therapeutic intervention. We hope to inspire the field to extend the research and establish practical guidelines for developing and validating immune related biomarkers to provide personalized treatment and improve treatment outcomes in patients with metastatic brain cancers.

Reshaping the systemic tumor immune environment (STIE) and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) to enhance immunotherapy efficacy in solid tumors.

The development of combination immunotherapy based on the mediation of regulatory mechanisms of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) is promising. However, a deep understanding of tumor immunology must involve the systemic tumor immune environment (STIE) which was merely illustrated previously. Here, we aim to review recent advances in single-cell transcriptomics and spatial transcriptomics for the studies of STIE, TIME, and their interactions, which may reveal heterogeneity in immunotherapy responses as well as the dynamic changes essential for the treatment effect. We review the evidence from preclinical and clinical studies related to TIME, STIE, and their significance on overall survival, through different immunomodulatory pathways, such as metabolic and neuro-immunological pathways. We also evaluate the significance of the STIE, TIME, and their interactions as well as changes after local radiotherapy and systemic immunotherapy or combined immunotherapy. We focus our review on the evidence of lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, aiming to reshape STIE and TIME to enhance immunotherapy efficacy.

Reporting quality of surgical randomised controlled trials in head and neck cancer: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard for evaluating the efficacy of an intervention. However, previous research has shown that RCTs in several surgical specialities are poorly reported, making it difficult to ascertain if various biases have been appropriately minimised. This systematic review assesses the reporting quality of surgical head and neck cancer RCTs. METHODS: A literature search of PubMed and Embase was performed. Papers were included if they reported RCTs which assessed a surgical technique used to treat or diagnose head and neck cancer published during or after 2011. The CONSORT 2010 checklist was used to evaluate the reporting quality of these trials. RESULTS: 41 papers were included. The mean CONSORT score was 16.5/25 (66% adherence) and the scores ranged from 7.5 (30%) to 25. The most common omissions were full trial protocol (found in 14.6%), participant recruitment method (22%) and effect size with a precision estimate for all outcome measures (29.3%). The full design and implementation of the randomisation methods were reported in 6 (14.6%). Papers published in journals which endorsed CONSORT had significantly higher scores (p = 0.02) and the journal impact factor was significantly correlated with CONSORT score (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: We have identified several pieces of information that are underreported in surgical head and neck cancer RCTs. These omissions make understanding and comparing the methodologies and conclusions of RCTs more difficult. The endorsement of CONSORT by journals improved adherence, suggesting that wider adoption of the checklist may improve reporting.

Prognostic factors for outcomes of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss: protocol for the SeaSHeL national prospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: The mainstay of treatment for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) includes oral steroids, intratympanic steroid injections or a combination of both. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, in their recent hearing loss guidelines, highlighted the paucity of evidence assessing the comparative effectiveness of these treatments; and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment Programme has since released a commissioned call for a trial to identify the most effective route of administration of steroids as a first-line treatment for idiopathic SSNHL. For such trials to be run effectively, reliable information is needed on patients with SSNHL: where they present, numbers, demographics, treatment pathways, as well as outcomes. This study will collect these data in a nationwide cohort study of patients presenting with SSNHL across 97 National Health Service (NHS) trusts. The study will be delivered through ear, nose and throat (ENT) trainee networks, the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) Audiology Champions and the NIHR CRN. Importantly, this study will also provide a dataset to develop a prognostic model to predict recovery for patients with idiopathic SSNHL. The study objectives are to: (1) map the patient pathway and identify the characteristics of adult patients presenting to NHS ENT and hearing services with SSNHL, (2) develop a prognostic model to predict recovery for patients with idiopathic SSNHL and (3) establish the impact of idiopathic SSNHL on patients' quality of life (QoL). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Study design: national multicentre prospective cohort study across 97 NHS trusts. INCLUSION CRITERIA: adult patients presenting to NHS ENT and hearing services with SSNHL. OUTCOMES: change in auditory function; change in QoL score. ANALYSIS: multivariable prognostic model, using prespecified candidate predictors. Mean change in QoL scores will be calculated from initial presentation to follow-up. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Health Research Authority and NHS Research Ethics Committee approved the study. Publication will be on behalf of study sites and collaborators. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT04108598).

Complications of bone-conduction hearing implants (BCHI) implantation surgery.

PURPOSE: Bone-conduction Hearing Implants (BCHIs) are surgically implanted hearing devices. As the implantation surgery involves soft tissue dissection through periosteum and drilling of skull, complications related to the skin and soft tissue remain common despite several modifications of surgical techniques over the years. This study aims to evaluate a single centre's BCHI implantation complication rates over time, identify the effects of surgical modifications, and compare these to data from the literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective case review was performed on all patients who received BCHI implantation from 2013 to 2018. 11 complication rates over time were recorded. Changes to practice occurring during the study period were also recorded and their effects on complication rates were identified. A literature search was performed to identify the complication rates reported in the literature and compared with that of our cohort. RESULTS: 162 BCHI implantations were performed over the 5 years. 23 articles were included in the study after the literature review process. In our cohort, complications related to skin and soft tissue were most common, which was in line with that reported in the literature. Complication rates have overall decreased following the introduction of innovative practices, including adoption of minimally-invasive single-stage procedures and the training of specialist nurses. CONCLUSIONS: In this study we have highlighted the changes in complication rates of BCHI implantation over time at a single centre with reference to changes in clinical practice. Continued review of practice and on-going technological developments will facilitate continued reductions in complications of BCHI surgery.

The 100 most cited manuscripts in coronary artery bypass grafting.

INTRODUCTION: To gain a better understanding of the progression of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and its impact on clinical practice, bibliometric citation analysis can be performed. Bibliometric citation analysis is a method of determining the most influential papers on a topic based on several citations and impact factor. METHOD: A search of the Thomson Reuters Web of Science citation indexing database and research platform was completed using the terms "CABG," "Coronary artery bypass graft," "Coronary artery," "bypass," and/or "bypass grafting." The returned dataset was sorted by the number of citations. RESULTS: The search yielded a total of 11 560 papers which were ranked in order of citations. New England Journal of Medicine published the most papers in the top 100 and generated the most significant number of citations with 20 papers in total followed by Journal of the American College of Cardiology. It also has the highest impact factor and 5-year impact fact in 2007 of 79.26 and 67.513, respectively. CONCLUSION: The most cited manuscripts by Serruys et al described a randomised trial comparing percutaneous coronary intervention and CABG for treating severe coronary artery disease. This work provides the most influential references related to CABG and serves as a guide as to the area of focus in CABG.