Analysis of the Risk Factors Associated with Hearing Loss of Infants Admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A 13-Year Experience in a University Hospital in Korea.

Early detection of hearing loss in neonates is important for normal language development, especially for infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) because the infants in NICU have a higher incidence of hearing loss than healthy infants. However, the risk factors of hearing loss in infants admitted to the NICU have not been fully acknowledged, especially in Korea, although they may vary according to the circumstances of each country and hospital. In this study, the risk factors of hearing loss in NICU infants were analyzed by using the newborn hearing screening (NHS) and the diagnostic auditory brainstem response (ABR) test results from a 13-year period. A retrospective chart review was performed using a list of NICU infants who had performed NHS from 2004 to 2017 (n = 2404) in a university hospital in Korea. For the hearing loss group, the hearing threshold was defined as 35 dB nHL or more in the ABR test performed in infants with a 'refer' result in the NHS. A four multiple number of infants who had passed the NHS test and matched the age and gender of the hearing loss group were taken as the control group. Various patient factors and treatment factors were taken as hearing loss related variables and were analyzed and compared. From the 2404 infants involved, the prevalence of hearing loss was 1.8% (n = 43). A comparison between the hearing loss group (n = 43) and the control group (n = 172) revealed that history of sepsis, peak total bilirubin, duration of vancomycin use, days of phototherapy, and exposure to loop-inhibiting diuretics were significantly different, and can be verified as significant risk factors for hearing loss in NICU infants.

Transcriptomic analysis of tobacco-flavored E-cigarette and menthol-flavored E-cigarette exposure in the human middle ear.

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are the most widely used electronic nicotine delivery systems and are designed to imitate smoking and aid in smoking cessation. Although the number of e-cigarette users is increasing rapidly, especially among young adults and adolescents, the potential health impacts and biologic effects of e-cigarettes still need to be elucidated. Our previous study demonstrated the cytotoxic effects of electronic liquids (e-liquids) in a human middle ear epithelial cell (HMEEC-1) line, which were affected by the manufacturer and flavoring agents regardless of the presence of nicotine. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the gene expression profile and identify potential molecular modulator genes and pathways in HMEEC-1 exposed to two different e-liquids (tobacco- and menthol-flavored). HMEEC-1 was exposed to e-liquids, and RNA sequencing, functional analysis, and pathway analysis were conducted to identify the resultant transcriptomic changes. A total of 843 genes were differentially expressed following exposure to the tobacco-flavored e-liquid, among which 262 genes were upregulated and 581 were downregulated. Upon exposure to the menthol-flavored e-liquid, a total of 589 genes were differentially expressed, among which 228 genes were upregulated and 361 were downregulated. Among the signaling pathways associated with the differentially expressed genes mediated by tobacco-flavored e-liquid exposure, several key molecular genes were identified, including IL6 (interleukin 6), PTGS2 (prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2), CXCL8 (C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8), JUN (Jun proto-oncogene), FOS (Fos proto-oncogene), and TP53 (tumor protein 53). Under menthol-flavored e-liquid treatment, MMP9 (matrix metallopeptidase 9), PTGS2 (prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2), MYC (MYC proto-oncogene, bHLH transcription factor), HMOX1 (heme oxygenase 1), NOS3 (nitric oxide synthase 3), and CAV1 (caveolin 1) were predicted as key genes. In addition, we identified related cellular processes, including inflammatory responses, oxidative stress and carcinogenesis, under exposure to tobacco- and menthol-flavored e-liquids. We identified differentially expressed genes and related cellular processes and gene signaling pathways after e-cigarette exposure in human middle ear cells. These findings may provide useful evidence for understanding the effect of e-cigarette exposure.

Assessment of Volatile Sulfur Compounds in Adult and Pediatric Chronic Tonsillitis Patients Receiving Tonsillectomy.

OBJECTIVES: To study the volatile sulfur compound (VSC) concentration profile in chronic tonsillitis patients before and after tonsillectomy, and to evaluate the difference between adult and pediatric (children and adolescents) patients. METHODS: Thirty adult patients (older than 20 years old) and 30 pediatric patients (younger than 20 years old) who were assigned to get tonsillectomy due to chronic tonsillitis were enrolled in this prospective nonrandomized clinical study. The concentrations of the three main VSCs related to halitosis (hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and dimethyl sulfide) were assessed in each patient using a portable chromatograph (Oral ChromaTM) at 1 day before operation, postoperative 1 day, 1 week, and 2 weeks. RESULTS: Average concentration of hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and dimethyl sulfide preoperatively were 99.5 ppb, 24.6 ppb, and 9.45 ppb in adult patients, and 97.4 ppb, 26 ppb, and 10.5 ppb in pediatric patients, respectively. The concentrations of the three VSCs in both groups were highest in first day after surgery, and decreased signigicantly after 2 weeks compared to preoperative values (P<0.001). There was no significant difference of the concentration of the three VSCs between adult and pediatric patients in any time point. CONCLUSION: The concentrations of hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and dimethyl sulfide decreased significantly after tonsillectomy in chronic tonsillitis patients. The concentrations of the three VSCs were not significantly different between pediatric and adult patients before and after tonsillectomy.