On the definition of a concentration function relevant to the ROC curve

This work provides a definition of concentration curve alternative to the one presented on this journal by Schechtman and Schechtman (Metron 77:171–178, 2019). Our definition clarifies, at the population level, the relationship between concentration and the omnipresent ROC curve in diagnostic and classification problems

Concentration and ROC Curves, Revisited

This work is aimed at illustrating the strict relationship between a general definition of concentration function appeared quite some time ago on this journal and a widely used measure of the diagnostic strength of a family of binary classifiers indexed by a threshold parameter, the so-called ROC curve. The ROC curve is a common work tool in Statistics, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, appearing in many applications where a binary classification (diagnosis) procedure is of interest. Hence, it is worth remarking that diagnostic strength and concentration are two sides of the same coin: the higher the concentration of one probability measure with respect to another, the higher the diagnostic strength of the likelihood ratio classification rule

Endoscopic-assisted Cochlear Implantation in Children with malformed ears

Objective: Complex middle and inner ear malformations are considered an important limitation for cochlear implant (CI) with traditional microscopic techniques. The aim of the present study is to describe the results of the endoscopic-assisted CI procedure in children with malformed ears. Study design: Case series with chart review of consecutive patients. Setting: Two tertiary referral centers: University Hospital of Verona and University Hospital of Modena, Italy. Subjects and methods: In total, 25 children underwent endoscopic-assisted cochlear implantation between January 2013 and January 2018. The audiologic and neuroradiologic assessment showed profound hearing loss and malformation of the middle and inner ear in all children. A complete review of anatomic features, surgical results, and audiologic outcomes was performed. The surgical technique is described step-by-step, and the outcomes are detailed. Results: All patients (mean age, 3.6 years; range, 2.8-9 years) underwent a transattical/endoscopic-assisted CI procedure. All children showed varying degrees of auditory benefit, as measured by routine audiometry, speech perception tests, and Categories of Auditory Performance scores (mean, 6). No immediate or late postoperative complications were noted. Conclusion: The endoscopic-assisted approach proved to be successful in cochlear implantation. The direct visualization and magnification allow (1) exploration of the tympanic cavity; (2) confirmation of all anatomic features, with strict control of the course of the facial nerve, round window area, and inner ear; and (3) performance of the cochleostomy with adequate insertion of the array

Maxillary Sinusitis as a Complication of Zygomatic Implants Placement: A Narrative Review

Aims: The aim of this review is to consider maxillary sinusitis as a complication of zygomatic implants placements. Maxillary sinusitis a common complication but in the literature there are no reviews that focus only on this condition and its possible treatment. This review was carried out with to highlight the main findings of the literature on this topic and to improve knowledge in this field. Methods: The search strategy resulted in 155 papers. After selection of the inclusion criteria only 11 papers were examined. From the papers these, 12.3% patients presented maxillary sinusitis but only four studies evaluated sinusitis (both clinical and radiological evaluation). The most common treatment used by the authors were antibiotics alone or combined with functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Results: The literature shows an absence of precise and shared guidelines diagnosis and post-operative follow-up, and of the treatment of maxillary sinusitis following zygomatic implantology. It has not been determined if the surgical placement of ZIs is better than the other techniques for treatment of the onset of maxillary sinusitis in the post-operative period. Conclusion: To date there are no shared protocols for maxillary sinusitis treatment. In our experience, and according to the literature in the presence of risk factors such as age, comorbidities, smoking, nasal septal deviation or other anatomical variants, we suggested that FESS is performed at the same time as placement of zygomatic implants

Personal experience with the remote check telehealth in cochlear implant users: from COVID-19 emergency to routine service

Purpose: To critically illustrate the personal experience with using the “Remote Check” application which remotely monitors the hearing rehabilitation level of cochlear implant users at home and further allows clinicians to schedule in-clinic sessions according to the patients’ needs. Methods: 12-month prospective study. Eighty adult cochlear implant users (females n = 37, males n = 43; age range 20–77 years) with ≥ 36 months of cochlear implant experience and ≥ 12 months of stable auditory and speech recognition level volunteered for this 12-month long prospective study. For each patient, at the beginning of the study during the in-clinic session to assess the stable aided hearing thresholds and the cochlear implant integrity and patient’s usage, the “Remote Check” assessment baseline values were obtained. “Remote Check” outcomes were collected at different times in the subsequent at-home sessions, to identify the patients that had to reach the Center. Chi-square test has been used for statistical analysis of the comparison of the “Remote Check” outcomes and in-clinic session results. Results: “Remote Check” application outcomes demonstrated minimal or no differences between all sessions. The at-home Remote Check application reached the same clinical outcomes as the in-clinic sessions in 79 out 80 of participants (99%) with high statistical significance (p < 0.05). Conclusions: “Remote Check” application supported hearing monitoring in cochlear implant users that were not able to attend the in-clinic review during COVID-19 pandemic time. This study demonstrates that the application can be a useful routine tool also for clinical follow-up of cochlear implant users with stable aided hearing

Expanded Endoscopic Approach for Anterior Skull Base Tumors: Experience of a Multidisciplinary Skull Base Team

Abstract: The aim of this study is to describe the experience of a multidisciplinary skull base team with transnasal endoscopic surgery for anterior cranial base tumors. A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients who underwent an exclusive expanded transnasal approach to the anterior skull base in the period from December 2014 to November 2015. Data on patient demographics, tumor characteristics, surgical information, imaging, and postoperative complications were collected and analyzed. From a total of 120 patients with skull base diseases managed by the skull base team, 36 were admitted to this study. The overall complication rate in this series was 16.7%, gross total resection was achieved in 32 cases (88.9%) and postoperative CSF leakage occurred in 5 cases (13.9%). Our preliminary results confirm that an exclusive endoscopic transnasal approach to the anterior cranial base

A 10-year experience in preoperative ultrasound imaging for parotid glands’ benign neoformations

Salivary gland neoplasms represent less than 4% of all head and neck lesions, being 80% in the parotid gland and usually benign. Imaging plays a key role in the evaluation of parotid gland masses. Ultrasound is cheap, with an excellent resolution and a safe real time assessment making it an ideal first evaluation option. Conversely, MRI is considered a second-line pre-surgery exam used to determine the location, the extension and the signal features of a parotid lesion. Both US and MRI are poorly reliable for predicting histology, therefore a fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is usually needed. In our retrospective study, we examined 263 patients with parotid diseases and a FNAC positive for a benign neoplasm, who underwent surgery between 2010 and 2020, in the departments of Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial surgery in Verona. We compared a group of 126 patients preoperatively evaluated with ultrasound and a control group of 137 patients studied through third level imaging (usually MRI). In our case series, both third level imaging and US were used in equal measure, despite the lesion size. We found the recurrence rate to be almost the same between the two diagnostic methods and we saw that the patients studied through third level preoperative imaging had a higher complication rate and a worse facial nerve outcome. In our opinion, for patients with a FNAC positive for benign lesion the exclusive use of ultrasound imaging provides enough information to study the neoplasm while allowing for a faster and cheaper preoperative evaluation

Effect of feed restriction timing on live performance, breast myopathy occurrence, and muscle fiber degeneration in 2 broiler chicken genetic lines

During recent years, research on meat quality in poultry has aimed to evaluate the presence and consequences of breast myopathies as well as the factors which can affect their occurrence by modifying the growth rate. A total of 900 broiler chickens were reared until slaughter (48 D) to evaluate the effect of 2 genetic lines (A vs. B) and feeding plans (ad libitum [AL], early restricted [ER], from 13 to 23 D of age, and late restricted [LR], from 27 to 37 D of age; restriction rate: 80%) on performance, meat quality, and breast muscle myopathies. Calsequestrin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expressions, and muscle fiber degeneration (MFD) were recorded at 22, 36, and 48 D. Chickens in the AL treatment had greater final live (P < 0.01) and carcass weights and proportion of pectoralis major muscle (P = 0.04) compared to chickens in the LR treatment, whereas chickens in the ER treatment had intermediate final live (3,454 g) and carcass weights, and proportion of pectoralis major muscle (25.6%). Chickens of line A were heavier than chickens of line B (P < 0.001), and had a greater feed conversion rate. Chickens of line A also had a greater dressing out percentage (P < 0.001), but a lower proportion of pectoralis major muscle (P = 0.04), as well as a greater meat pH (P < 0.001), meat cooking losses (P < 0.01), and shear force of the pectoralis major muscle (P = 0.03). Calsequestrin and VEGF mRNA were significantly lower in ER and LR chickens compared to AL chickens after feed restriction and during refeeding (P < 0.05). MFD scores increased with chicken age (P < 0.001) and differed between genetic lines (P < 0.001). Neither feeding plan nor genetic line affected the occurrence of white striping or wooden breast condition

Estimating survival after salvage surgery for recurrent salivary gland cancers: Systematic review

Recurrent salivary gland carcinomas (RSCs) are poorly characterized and their clinical features and treatment options have not yet been fully described. The goal of this study was to analyze the therapeutic strategies and oncological outcomes of RSC patients through a literature review analysis. This systematic review was performed according to the PRISMA statements. Inclusion criteria for the systematic review were based on the population, intervention, comparison, and outcomes according to (PICO) framework. Two thousand seven hundred and four records were selected and 1817 recurrences were studied. Three hundred and sixty-five patients underwent salvage surgery (20.1%) and their 5-year mortality rate, overall survival and disease-free survival were 35%, 70%, and 42%, respectively. RSCs are aggressive neoplasms with a high rate of distant metastases (28.9%). Salvage surgery can be considered in patients with limited local and/or regional recurrences, even in case of single distant relapse, appearing within the first 3 years of follow-up