Can auditory and vestibular findings differentiate vestibular migraine and meniere’s disease?

Background and Objectives: Besides evaluating the auditory and vestibular systems of patients with vestibular migraine (VM) and Meniere's disease (MD), this study aimed to examine the clinical overlaps between these two conditions by detailed evaluation of the patient's symptoms. Subjects and Methods: The ears of the patients with VM and MD were evaluated and patients' vestibular and auditory complaints were questioned particularly. Pure tone audiometry, vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) responses, and caloric test results were evaluated for objective measurements. Results: The VM group had better air-conduction and bone conduction threshold and speech reception threshold and speech discrimination score test values (p<0.05). Regarding the interaural N1-P1 asymmetry ratio, the cervical VEMP between the groups had significant differences (p=0.019). The MD group had more unilateral tinnitus and ear fullness complaints and canal paresis results (p<0.01). The VM group had more motion sickness complaints (p<0.01). Conclusions: If only ears with hearing loss are evaluated; there was no significant difference between VM and MD, but regardless of hearing level or only the patients with normal hearing were evaluated, the VM group had better hearing levels. It should be considered that patients with VM may have VM-independent hearing loss, and patient complaints should be sufficiently detailed to make an accurate distinction from MD.J Audiol Otol

Genel anestezinin işitsel beyinsapı cevap testine etkisi

Objective: The auditory brainstem response (ABR) test is usually applied during natural sleep, but it can also be conducted under anesthesia. This retrospective study aimed to compare the ABR findings of a general anesthesia group and a control group that underwent ABR test during natural sleep. Methods: The anesthesia group consisted of 42 (mean age 44.5±20.3 months) children, and the control group included 58 children (36.1±16.1 months). The results of the click ABR test of the two groups were compared in terms of amplitude, latency, interpeak latencies, and hearing thresholds. Results: The amplitudes of waves III and V were significantly decreased in the general anesthesia group compared with that in the control group. The ABR latencies of waves I and V and the interpeak latencies for I-V and III-V were prolonged in the anesthesia group compared with that in the control group. Moreover, the click threshold obtained in the anesthesia group was significantly higher than those of the control group. Conclusions: Clinicians and audiologists should advise families to know the effects of general anesthesia on ABR and be cautious in interpreting the results obtained in ABR test performed under anesthesia.Amaç: İşitsel beyinsapı cevap (ABR) testi genellikle doğal uyku sırasında uygulansa da anestezi altında da yapılabilir. Bu retrospektif çalışmanın amacı, genel anestezi grubu ile doğal uykuda ABR testi uygulanan kontrol grubunu ABR test bulguları açısından karşılaştırmaktır. Yöntemler: Anestezi grubu 42 (yaş ortalaması 44,5±20,3 ay) ve kontrol grubu 58 (yaş ortalaması 36,1±16,1 ay) çocuktan oluşmaktaydı. İki grubun klik ABR test sonuçları amplitüd, latans, dalgalar arası latans ve işitme eşikleri açısından karşılaştırıldı. Bulgular: Genel anestezi grubunda, III ve V. dalganın amplitüdü kontrol grubuna göre anlamlı olarak azaldı. Genel anestezi grubunda, I. ve V. dalgaların latansları, I-V ve III-V dalgalar arası latanslarında kontrol grubuna göre uzama gözlendi. Ayrıca genel anestezi grubunda elde edilen klik eşiği kontrol grubuna göre anlamlı olarak daha yüksek elde edildi. Sonuçlar: Klinisyenler ve odyologlar, ailelere genel anestezinin ABR üzerindeki etkilerini bilmesini tavsiye etmeli ve anestezi ABR ile elde edilen sonuçları yorumlarken dikkatli olmalıdır

The effect of vestibular stimulations on virtual reality based bodily self consciousness

Bilinç klasik olarak uyanıklık ve farkındalık biçiminde tarif edilir. Damasio, bilinçliliğin ortaya çıkabilmesi için bu değişimin yeterli olmadığını, temel bir elemanın eksik kaldığını, bunun da "self" olduğunu iddia etmektedir. Bilincin nörobiyolojik mekanizmalarını incelemeye yönelik nörobilimsel çabalara rağmen, öz-bilinç kavramı daha az ilgi görmüştür ve birçok bilim adamı tarafından sinirbilimsel deneylerle yaklaşılmaz olarak kabul edilmiştir. William James, Maurice Merleau-Ponty ve James Gibson gibi bilim insanları ve filozoflar bedensel algı ve bedensel deneyimle ilgili psikolojik, fizyolojik ve sinirsel mekanizmaların araştırılmasının, öz-bilinç anlayışı için çok önemli olabileceğini öne sürmüştür. Çalışmada; sağlıklı bireylerde bedensel benlik-bilincinin ortaya çıkmasında, merkezi ve periferik sistem mekanizmalarının yapay vestibular uyarımı ile katılımcıların sanal gerçeklik ortamındaki performansları, fNIRS sistemi ile beyin hemodinamik yanıtları incelenerek literatürdeki belirsizliklerin aydınlatılması amaçlanmıştır. Bu nedenle bu çalışmanın, sağ temporo-parietal bileşke ve iç kulaktaki periferik vestibüler organların vestibüler işlemleme özelliklerinin bedensel benlik-bilinci üzerindeki etkileri beynin hemodinamik aktiviteleri ile kıyaslanarak, vestibüler stimülasyonun merkezi ve periferik sistemlerinin tam beden sahipliği üzerine etkisini araştırılmıştır.Consciousness is classically described as alertness and awareness. Damasio claims that this change is not enough for consciousness to emerge, that a basic element is missing, which is the "self". Despite neuroscientific efforts to study the neurobiological mechanisms of consciousness, the concept of self-consciousness has received less attention and has been considered by many scientists to be unapproachable by neuroscientific experiments. Scientists and philosophers such as William James, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and James Gibson have suggested that the investigation of the psychological, physiological, and neural mechanisms involved in bodily perception and bodily experience may be crucial to understanding self-consciousness. In this study; in the emergence of bodily self-consciousness in healthy individuals, it is aimed to illuminate the uncertainties in the literature by examining the performances of the participants in the virtual reality environment with the electrical stimulation of the central and peripheral system mechanisms, and the brain hemodynamic responses with the fNIRS system. Therefore, the effect of this study on full-body ownership of the central and peripheral systems of vestibular stimulation was investigated by comparing the effects of vestibular processing properties of peripheral vestibular organs in the right temporo-parietal junction and inner ear on bodily self-consciousness with the hemodynamic activities of the brain

Significance of continuing audiovestibular practice during Covid-19 pandemic

Background: We aimed to evaluate the significance of continuing audiovestibular practice during the Covid-19 pandemic in the audiology clinic of the university hospital.Methods: The precautions, test procedures, and risk factors associated with the practice of audiology were evaluated. The number and diagnoses of the cases between 23 March and 23 May 2020 were also compared with the results of the same 2 months in 2019 in an attempt to evaluate the alterations in the audiology practice.Results: The audiology practice has continued during the pandemic, and numerous audiovestibular tests like newborn hearing screening, pure tone and speech audiometry, auditory brainstem response (ABR) test, bedside vestibular assessment, videomystagmography (VNG), caloric test, vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP), computerized dynamic posturography (CDP), video head impulse test (vHIT), intraoperative cochlear implant measurement, and postop cochlear implant fittings were performed. The number of tests has decreased significantly in the course of the pandemic (p < 0.01). No evidence of Covid-19 disease was detected in the audiology staff and patients. In general, no major risk was seen during testing under protective measures except for vestibular testing which induced vomiting and taking out the mask for lip reading during cochlear implant fitting in the elderly.Conclusion: It is possible to perform audiovestibular tests during the Covid-19 pandemic by wearing necessary protective equipment and disinfecting the potential surfaces. Vomiting during vestibular tests, uncovering the nose and mouth for lip reading, and small-sized test cabins are the main risk factors of contamination in the audiology clinics

Unusual foreign body in the larynx: a bee

PubMed ID: 26211866Foreign body lodgement in the larynx is a rare situation. Our review of the literature revealed no living foreign body in larynx except for laryngeal leeches and anisakiasis. In this article, we report a patient with unusual laryngeal foreign body lodgement: a bee which presented with sudden odynophagia and stinging sensation in throat. The bee was detected on the laryngeal mucosa in indirect laryngoscopic examination and removed immediately under general anesthesia in apneic period. In this case report, we describe the importance of detailed anamnesis and laryngeal examination even if the patient has no severe symptoms

fNIRS‐based evaluation of the impact of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection central auditory processing

Abstract Objectives Coronavirus disease‐2019 due to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection has been associated with neurological and neuropsychiatric illnesses as well as auditory system problems. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection on the central auditory system by assessing the hemodynamic activation changes using functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Methods Three participants who had SARS‐CoV‐2 infection (study group) and four participants who had no SARS‐CoV‐2 infection (control group) were included in the study. During the auditory oddball task in which two different frequencies of tonal stimulation were presented at 80 dB HL, the participants were asked to pay attention to the rare tonal stimulation and mentally count these target stimuli throughout the task. During this task, oxygenated hemodynamic response functions were evaluated with fNIRS. Results Significantly increased oxygenated hemodynamic responses were observed in both groups during the task (p < .05), which was significantly higher in the study group (p < .05). Significantly more HbO activation was observed in the vmPFC, superior temporal gyrus, and medial temporal gyrus in the study group compared to controls (p < .05). Significantly higher hemodynamic activation was observed in the right hemisphere in both groups, which was significantly higher in the study group (p < .05). Conclusion SARS‐CoV‐2 infections may impact on central auditory processing or auditory attention due to changes in oxyhemoglobin levels in the frontal and temporal brain regions. It seems that SARS‐CoV‐2 infection is associated with an additional load on neural activity, and difficulties in focusing in auditory attention, following speech and hearing in noise as well as increased effort to perceive auditory cues

İmmun sistemi baskılanmış olgularımızda infeksiyon ajanlarının antimikrobiyal preparatlara duyarlılıkları

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Association of vitamin D level and CYP27B1 gene polymorphism with multiple sclerosis in Turkish population

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. In this study, we investigated the possible association of vitamin D levels and rs703842 in the CYP27B1 gene with MS. Methodology: We used blood samples of 99 patients (65 female, 35 male) with an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-confirmed definitive diagnosis of MS and 99 controls (70 female, 29 male) between the ages of 18-55 years. We measured their vitamin D levels, isolated their DNA, and scanned rs703842 polymorphism in the CYP27B1 gene. Results: Rs703842 polymorphism in the CYP27B1 gene in humans was found as three different genotypes: CC, CT, and TT. Among them, CC genotype was found higher in the patient group and CT genotype was found higher in the control group. The statistical analysis showed that the probability of a C allele having an association with MS to be 1.5189 times of the probability of T allele. Also, the vitamin D levels in the patient group were detected lower than the control group. Conclusion: Low levels of vitamin D and low expression of CYP27B1 were found to have an association with MS. [JBCGenetics 2020; 3(1.000): 3-6

Bilateral ocular coloboma associated with nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate

The authors describe a 2-month-old boy with nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate. On examination, he had bilateral inferior iris colobomas, vitreous veils, optic disc and choroid colobomas. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed bilateral colobomatous microphthalmia, retrobulber cysts and thinned optic nerves. Every infant with cleft lip and palate should be examined by an ophthalmologist to detect possible associated ocular abnormalities

Assessment of balance after recovery from Covid-19 disease

Objective: To answer the question whether balance related systems have been affected in adults who recovered from Covid-19 disease. This is the first case-control study to assess balance objectively and quantitatively in Covid-19 disease.Methods: Thirty-seven patients who recovered from Covid-19 disease and 30 healthy controls were compared using Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Computerized Dynamic Posturography (CDP), Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials(VEMP) and Video Head Impulse Test (v-HIT).Results: On CDP, the composite and visual general scores of the patients were significantly lower than controls (p 0.05). Decreased P1/N1 amplitudes and elongated N1 latencies were found on c-VEMP testing (p 0.05).Conclusion: The Covid-19 disease can cause dizziness rather that incapacitating vertigo. Dizziness can be seen in almost one-fifth of the adult covid19 out-patients, which may be due to involvement of vestibular and visual systems,ortheir central connections. The squeals created in the balance related systems may be irreversible as they have persisted after the recovery of the patients. It is also plausible to anticipate more severe condition in the older patients who were treated in the intensive care units. In the long term follow up of the survivors, the need for balance rehabilitation programs should be remembered in order to minimize risks of falling down