Pediatric Ramsay Hunt Syndrome: Analysis of Three Cases

Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS) is a disorder characterized by herpetic eruptions on the auricle, facial paralysis, and vestibulocochlear dysfunction and is attributed to varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection in the geniculate ganglion. Although it is a common cause of acute peripheral facial paralysis, children are not usually affected. The diagnosis is based on history and physical findings. Treatment of RHS uses a combination of high-dose corticosteroids and acyclovir. This paper presents three cases diagnosed as RHS in the pediatric age group in association with the literature review. The aim of this paper is to emphasize the importance of careful examination and early initiation of therapy in suspected cases of RHS

Subjective Evaluation of Vocal Quality in Nasal Polyposis

Aim: Nose is a resonator organ in production of voice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of nasal obstruction caused by nasal polyposis on voice quality subjectively. Methods: Thirty-six patients diagnosed with nasal polyposis were included in the study. The 30-item voice handicap index 30 was used in order to evaluate subjective status of voice. Nasal endoscopy and computed tomography imaging of the paranasal sinuses were performed for each patient. Lund-Kennedy endoscopy scores and Lund-MacKay computed tomography scores were evaluated. Control group composed of 20 healthy subjects. Results: The mean voice handicap score in the patient group was 43.16 (SD 15.53) and it was 2.15 (SD 1.92) in control group. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups (p=0.001). The mean Lund-Kennedy and Lund-Mackay scores were 8.58 (SD 2.5) and 17 (SD 5.52), respectively. It was found that increased severity of nasal polyposis was the cause for decreased satisfaction with voice quality. Conclusion: Nasal obstruction caused by nasal polyposis affects voice quality adversely and as the severity of nasal polyposis increases, satisfaction with voice quality decreases

Pediatric Ramsay Hunt Syndrome: Analysis of Three Cases

Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS) is a disorder characterized by herpetic eruptions on the auricle, facial paralysis, and vestibulocochlear dysfunction and is attributed to varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection in the geniculate ganglion. Although it is a common cause of acute peripheral facial paralysis, children are not usually affected. The diagnosis is based on history and physical findings. Treatment of RHS uses a combination of high-dose corticosteroids and acyclovir. This paper presents three cases diagnosed as RHS in the pediatric age group in association with the literature review. The aim of this paper is to emphasize the importance of careful examination and early initiation of therapy in suspected cases of RHS

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce vascular tone and inflammation in human saphenous vein

Dietary intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), has been reported to have beneficial cardiovascular effects. However, little is known about the effect of EPA and DHA on human vascular tone. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of EPA and DHA on vascular tone of the human saphenous vein (SV) obtained from patients undergoing coronary bypass operation under normal and inflammatory conditions. Moreover, we aimed to investigate the effect of EPA and DHA on the release of inflammatory mediators from SV. Pretreatment of SV with EPA and DHA (100 mu M, 18 h) decreased the contractile response of SV to norepinephrine (NE) under normal and inflammatory conditions. Moreover, EPA and DHA pretreatment diminished increased Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) release from SV under inflammatory conditions. In conclusion, our results suggest that EPA and DHA pretreatment may be beneficial to counteract graft vasospasm and vascular inflammation in SV which are important factors in graft failure development. Therefore, dietary intake of EPA and DHA may have potential clinical applications in improving coronary bypass graft patency