Different cutoffs of the reflux finding score for diagnosing laryngopharyngeal reflux disease should be used for different genders.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the differences in Reflux Finding Score (RFS) between the genders and determine the suitable RFS threshold for diagnosing laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) in each gender. METHODS: Asymptomatic volunteers and patients with LPRD, confirmed with an oropharyngeal Dx-pH monitoring system, were included. All study subjects underwent transnasal flexible fiber-optic video laryngoscopy. Reliability was assessed with intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Bland-Altman plots. The RFS cutoffs for determining the presence and absence of LPRD between the two genders were examined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: One hundred seven asymptomatic volunteers and fifty-five LPRD patients were recruited. The mean RFS for LPRD subjects (9.4 ± 3.2) was significantly higher than that for control subjects (7.1 ± 2.6; p < 0.001). The mean RFS for asymptomatic females (6.1 ± 2.7) was significantly lower than that for males (7.7 ± 2.5; p < 0.001). The mean RFS for female subjects with LPRD (7.8 ± 2.6) was lower than that for males (11.0 ± 2.8; p < 0.001). According to ROC analysis, the best cutoffs were 9.0 for males and 6.0 for females. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant difference in the RFS cutoff between the genders. For male subjects, we recommend a cutoff of 9.0 for diagnosing LPRD, and for female subjects, we recommend a cutoff of 6.0.

Size-Dependent Biodistribution of lodinated Oil Nanoemulsions Observed by Dual-Modal Imaging in Rats.

Sizes of nanoscale contrast agents play an important role in targeting specific organs and distribution in organisms. lodinated oil nanoemulsions with uniform size distribution and containing indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescent dye (25 nm, 60 nm, 100 nm) were synthesized by stirring, combined with ultrasonic emulsification technique. Rats were intravenously injected with the iodinated oil nanoemulsions with different sizes, used as contrast agents, and investigated with enhanced computed tomography (CT) and fluorescence imaging. Through experiments, the distribution and metabolism of the contrast agents in rat's bodies were studied, and their influence on enhanced CT imaging of different organs was compared. The results demonstrated that target accumulating organs for the iodinated oil nanoemulsions were liver and spleen, with obvious dosage-dependence. Large sized nanoemulsion preferred to accumulate into spleen, and liver, and the phagocytosis was getting weaker with the decrease of the nanoemulsion size. The CT imaging of the inferior vena cava was rapidly enhanced and reached the highest point after administration of the nanoemulsion. The nanoemulsion gradually gathered and metabolized in the spleen and liver, resulting in rapidly decreased CT imaging, with weak rebound, of the inferior vena cava.