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Objective: In this study, we aimed to compare the hearing thresholds and outer hair cell functions of patients with psoriasis vulgaris (PV) with healthy individuals and to investigate the ototoxic effects of acitretin treatment (AT) in patients with PV. Materials and Methods: This study included 23 patients with PV who required treatment with acitretin as well as 23 healthy individuals. Conventional and extended high-frequency pure-tone audiometry and transient-evoked otoacoustic emission tests were performed at regular intervals during the 24 weeks of acitretin treatment. Results: During the acitretin treatment for the PV group, the hearing thresholds of 4,000 Hz (right ear, p=0.004) presented a significant difference that did not have a worsening effect. The signal-to-noise ratios of TEOAE did not show a significant difference. At 24 weeks of AT, the changes in the hearing thresholds (4,000 Hz) and TEOAE signal-to-noise ratios did not indicate any worsening owing to acitretin. According to the ASHA criteria, there was no significant evidence of ototoxicity related to acitretin. According to the TUNE ototoxicity grading system, it was seen that at 24 weeks of AT, all the patients with psoriasis were scored as grade 0 (no hearing loss). Conclusion: This study showed that acitretin does not have an ototoxic effect when it is used to treat PV in the recommended treatment doses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate clinical musical perception, analyze the relationship between speech recognition and music perception, and investigate the effects of a three-month musical perception activities on these parameters in adult cochlear implant (CI) users with postlingual hearing loss. Methods: Free-field hearing and speech tests in a quiet environment, the Turkish matrix test, and the Turkish version of the clinical assessment of musical perception test were performed on 18 adult unilateral CI users before and after the three-month music training. Results were compared with those of 18 healthy controls. Results: Prior to the musical perception activities, word recognition scores, Turkish matrix test results, and 500, 1000, and 6000 Hz free-field hearing thresholds were significantly correlated with the clinical assessment of musical perception test scores in the CI group (p<0.047). Timbre recognition scores (p=0.019) had improved significantly in the CI group after the three-month musical perception activities. On the other hand, timbre recognition scores had significantly affected the Turkish matrix test results (R2adjusted=0.56). Conclusion: Our study showed that speech perception in noise and clinical musical perception measurements affected each other in CI users. The inclusion of musical perception activities to support an auditory rehabilitation program may contribute to increased speech recognition skills in noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the histopathologic effect of Nigella Sativa oil (NSO) on cisplatin (Cis) induced oral mucositis (OM) in rats. Methods: Twenty-four rats were divided into four equal groups. The animals in Group 1 and Group 2 were given 5 mg/kg intraperitoneal (ip) Cis systemically on the 1st, 3rd and 5th days of the study. Additionally, 15 mL NSO were given to the rats in Group 2, with gavage feeding on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. The animals in Group 3 were given per oral 15 ml NSO on days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. As the control group, Group 4 received a total of 15 mL 0.9% saline solution divided into 5 doses on days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 by oral gavage. On the 14th day, animals were euthanized and buccal mucosa from both sides, including submucosal tissues, were excised and taken to histopathological examination. Results: The mean mucosal thicknesses of the groups were 224.58 µm, 276.1 µm, 323.33 µm, and 331.33 µm, respectively for Groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 (p<0.05). When the degree of mucosal inflammation was examined, the most intense inflammation was detected in Group 1 and the least intense inflammation was in Group 4 p<0.01). The degree of inflammation in Group 2 and Group 3 were similar to Group 4 (p>0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, NSO, for which anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties have been shown in previous studies, may also be effective in preventing Cis-induced OM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: It is known that there is a relationship between hearing loss, which is an important cause of disability, psychological symptoms, and low quality of life. The aim of this study is to evaluate the anxiety, depression levels, and quality of life analysis of adults with postlingual hearing loss and who have undergone cochlear implants and to compare them with the data of subjects who have never had a hearing loss. METHODS: The prospective controlled clinical study included 53 subjects who had cochlear implants and 52 healthy controls in terms of hearing. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Short Form 36 were filled by all subjects to investigate their depression, anxiety, and quality of life levels. RESULTS: The mean age of subjects was 42.88 ± 18.04, and 44% (23) were women. There was no significant difference between the study and control groups in terms of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores. Short Form 36 physical role (P = .018) and SF-36 general health (P = .014) in quality of life assessment sub-scores were statistically significantly higher in the study group than in the control group. When the correlation between the time elapsed after surgery and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores and Short Form 36 scores was evaluated, no significance was observed. CONCLUSION: The fact that the patients evaluated after cochlear implant surgery had similar depression and anxiety levels and quality of life as the controls, and even physical role and being significantly better in general health compared to the controls reveal the importance of regaining the hearing ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a very common multifactorial disease in childhood. Because its symptoms are insidious and therefore diagnosis is often delayed, OME causes conductive hearing loss and adversely affects academic performance. Despite all the advancements, OME still remains a major health problem all over the world. Research on the prevalence of OME consist only of studies carried out in several different countries, in different seasons and focused on different etiologic factors. The aim of our study was to contribute to the literature with a study on the prevalence of OME in the 4-7 age group through a survey inquiring about the many associated factors along with otoscopic examination, tympanometric examination and acoustic reflex test and by also considering the possible influence of the altitude and the latitude of the study centers. The study was conducted in the same season in countries located on different geographical latitudes and at different altitudes. Methods: The study was planned with the participation of centers from 18 cities in 16 countries spanning the Balkans and the Caspian Basin. The target age group was 4-7 years. After receiving the ethics committee approvals, children of the families who have filled-out and signed the informed consent form and completed the questionnaire were included in the study. The results of the survey, which included the possible factors deemed to be involved in the etiology of OME, were evaluated together with otoscopic examination, tympanometry and acoustic reflex results. Results: Of the 18 planned centers, 10 received the legal permission and launched the study. In these 10 centers, a total of 4,768 children were evaluated together with their examination findings, and tympanometry and survey results. Although OME prevalence based on oto-scopic examination varied among the centers, in overall, bilateral prevalence was 12%, unilateral was 10.36% and total was 20.08%. When this overall prevalence, which is based only on the otoscopic diagnosis results, are analyzed together with the results of Type B tympanometry, overall prevalence decreased to 13.74%. And when the presence of negative acoustic reflex was also considered the overall prevalence was found 5.58%. Major factors that were found to have statistically significant effect on OME prevalence were identified as: mother's education at high school or a lower level (p=0.016), child's age of less than 7 years (p=0.006), history of one or more URTI incidences in the past one year (p=0.001), smoking father (p=0.011), stay-at-home or blue-collar-worker mother (p=0.013), vaccinations (p=0.002), history of allergies (p=0.001), presence of allergic symptom (p=0.019), and history of asthma (p=0.044). Conclusion: This unique multi-center study that was conducted in a wide geography from the Balkans to the Caspian Basin has provided access to important information about the prevalence and factors affecting OME. Clinical examination and tympanometry may give different results. Therefore, all components should be considered for diagnosis. Focusing on the factors that increase the incidence of OME and addressing the preventable factors like smoking, education, combat with allergies may reduce the incidence of this public health issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the content and the diversity of the tympanic effusion (TE) bacteriome and the adenoid specimens bacteriome in pediatric otitis media with effusion (OME) patients. Methods: After receiving approval from the ethics committee, samples were collected from children with adenoid vegetation and OME. The new generation sequence analysis was performed. Seventeen adenoids and 42 tympanic effusion samples taken from 25 children with OME were evaluated. Microbiome analysis was performed with Ion 16S rRNA metagenomics kit. Results: In total 22 different bacterial species were identified in the analyzed samples. Bacteriomes in the adenoid and TE samples showed differences in terms of prevalence and density. While the TE microbiome predominantly showed Alloicoccus otitis (44%), Turicella otitidis (6%), and Staphylococcus auricularis (3%), adenoid samples contained significantly higher levels of Rothia mucilaginosa (39%), Rothia dentocariosa (11%), Staphylococcus aureus (5%), Veillonella rogosae (2%), Granulicatella elegans (2%), Granulicatella adiacens (2%), Eikenella corrodens (1%) and Prevotella nanceiensis (1%). Conclusion: Whereas Alloicoccus otitis was predominant in TE bacteriome, presence of other bacteria at lower levels suggests that OME could be a polymicrobial process. Despite the similarities, the significant difference in the density of some of the predominant species in the TE bacteriome and the adenoid bacteriome raises questions about the theory that OME in children is caused by adenoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: This study used the data from patients with congenital sensorineural hearing loss (CSNHL) and those with normal hearing to measure and compare the length of the cochlea with high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). MATERIALS and METHODS: HRCT images of patients who were diagnosed with CSNHL and were candidates for cochlear implantation were evaluated retrospectively. Sixty-three ears of 33 patients were included in the study. The control group comprised 66 ears of 33 individuals. The measurements were conducted by an experienced radiologist, using three-dimensional curved multiplanar reconstruction. All the measurements were performed thrice, and the average was calculated. RESULTS: The data were distributed normally. The lengths of the cochlear components for the CSNHL and control groups were as follows: basal turn 21.66±1.01 (21.30-22.02) and 22.57±0.68 (22.32-22.81) mm, middle turn 11.58±0.69 (11.34-11.83) and 12.39±0.46 (12.23-12.56) mm, and apical turn 6.45±0.92 (6.12-6.77) and 7.12±0.65 (6.89-7.35) mm, respectively. The mean cochlear lateral wall (LW) length was significantly shorter in the CSNHL patients [39.71±1.32 (39.25-40.18) mm] than in the controls [42.09±1.17 (41.67-42.51) mm], (p<0.001). The intra-rater reliability was 0.878 (confidence interval 95%: 0.841-0.908 p<0.001). The cut-off value was 40.81 mm (sensitivity: 0.91, specificity: 0.94, and accuracy: 0.90). CONCLUSION: There were microanatomic dissimilarities between the length of the cochlea in subjects from the CSNHL group and those from the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the potential protective effect of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) against cis-diamminedichloroplatinum or cisplatin (CDDP)-induced ototoxicity. MATERIALS and METHODS: Twenty-four Wistar albino rats were randomly and equally divided into four groups. Groups 1 and 2 were given a total of 15 mg/kg CDDP intraperitoneally, which was divided equally into three doses on days 1, 3, and 5. Group 2 was treated via gavage feeding with 15 ml NSO that was divided into five doses on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Groups 3 and 4 received only 15 ml of NSO and 15 ml of 0.9% saline solution, respectively, which were orally administered and divided into five doses on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Baseline high-frequency (8, 12, 16, and 32 kHz) auditory brainstem response (ABR) measurements were collected in all the groups before the medical administrations and were repeated on the 14th day before sacrifice. Afterward, a histopathological evaluation of the cochlea was performed. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the histopathological changes between group 1 and the other groups (p<0.01). Changes in the spiral ganglion cells, the stria vascularis, and the external ciliated cells were significantly different between groups 1 and 2 (p=0.019, 0.039, and 0.045, respectively). The ABR results revealed significant differences in the 16 and 32 kHz measurements between groups 1 and 2 (p=0.013 and p<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: According to the results, NSO may have a protective effect on cochlear function against the disruptive effects of CDDP in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is known that there is a relationship between hearing loss, which is an important cause of disability, psychological symptoms, and low quality of life. The aim of this study is to evaluate the anxiety, depression levels, and quality of life analysis of adults with postlingual hearing loss and who have undergone cochlear implants and to compare them with the data of subjects who have never had a hearing loss., Methods: The prospective controlled clinical study included 53 subjects who had cochlear implants and 52 healthy controls in terms of hearing. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Short Form 36 were filled by all subjects to investigate their depression, anxiety, and quality of life levels., Results: The mean age of subjects was 42.88 ± 18.04, and 44% (23) were women. There was no significant difference between the study and control groups in terms of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores. Short Form 36 physical role (P = .018) and SF-36 general health (P = .014) in quality of life assessment sub-scores were statistically significantly higher in the study group than in the control group. When the correlation between the time elapsed after surgery and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores and Short Form 36 scores was evaluated, no significance was observed., Conclusion: The fact that the patients evaluated after cochlear implant surgery had similar depression and anxiety levels and quality of life as the controls, and even physical role and being significantly better in general health compared to the controls reveal the importance of regaining the hearing ability.