How dangerous can a small fish be? A greater weever attack.

BACKGROUND: Thraconian fish (weever fish) are poisonous fish found mostly in the eastern Mediterranean region, but also in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and European coastal areas. Greater weever fish belong to the Trachinus draco family; these fish have spines on their dorsal fins and gill covers that secrete a high dose of dracotoxin venom. METHODS: This paper reports a 35-year-old female who presented with widespread body aches, respiratory distress and hoarseness following a greater weever attack. It discusses respiratory distress and other findings that occur after a greater weever attack in rare otolaryngological emergency cases. CONCLUSION: While greater weever fish are more likely to attack limbs such as arms and legs, patients stung on the neck who develop respiratory distress are considered an ENT emergency.

Impact of platelet-rich fibrin therapy in tympanoplasty type 1 surgery on graft survival and frequency-specific hearing outcomes: a retrospective analysis in patients with tympanic membrane perforation due to chronic otitis media.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of platelet-rich fibrin therapy in tympanoplasty type 1 surgery on graft survival and frequency-specific hearing outcomes. METHODS: Patients who underwent tympanoplasty type 1 surgery were randomised into temporal fascia graft alone (n = 55) and temporal fascia graft plus platelet-rich fibrin therapy (n = 36) groups. Graft survival and hearing outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: Graft survival rates were significantly higher in the temporal fascia graft plus platelet-rich fibrin therapy group than in the temporal fascia graft alone group at one (100.0 vs 85.5 per cent, p = 0.020), three (97.2 vs 80.0 per cent, p = 0.024) and six months post-operatively (94.4 vs 74.5 per cent, p = 0.031). The difference in hearing gain between groups was not significant. CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed that the use of a platelet-rich fibrin plus temporal fascia graft for type 1 tympanoplasty was associated with more favourable post-operative outcomes than the use of temporal fascia alone, both in terms of tympanic membrane healing and graft survival; hearing restoration outcomes were similar.

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome does not negatively affect oral and dental health.

OBJECTIVE: Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome can lead to unhealthy open-mouth breathing. We investigated the possible relationship between obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome and dental health. We also evaluated other clinical factors that may affect oral health. METHODS: We measured sleep using polysomnography and determined the apnoea-hypopnoea index for a total of 291 patients. We also recorded the demographic data, duration of snoring complaints, educational status and income levels for our patient cohort; finally, we calculated the decayed, missing and filled teeth index. RESULTS: Forty-one patients presented with primary snoring (control group) and 250 patients (study group) presented with mild, moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. We found no correlation between obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome severity and the decayed, missing and filled teeth index (p = 0.057). We also found no correlation between the apnoea-hypopnoea and decayed, missing and filled teeth indexes. Age and the duration of snoring complaints were positively correlated with the decayed, missing and filled teeth index while educational status and income levels were negatively correlated (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome does not negatively affect oral and dental health.