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Abstract Objective This study aims to evaluate the association between autoimmune thyroiditis and Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL). Methods Hundred and five patients with SSNHL were enrolled. Audiometric tests, serum thyroid autoantibodies (TPOAb, TgAb) were studied. Based on the thyroid autoantibody results, patients were divided into two groups: thyroid autoantibody‐positive and negative. The relationship between thyroid autoimmunity and audiological characteristics was analyzed. Results Twenty‐six patients (24.8%) of the SSNHL had thyroid autoantibody elevated. The pure tone average (PTA) of patients with and without thyroid autoantibody is 60 ± 38.51 and 54.99 ± 33.87 dBHL, respectively. The PTA was significantly improved in both groups after treatment (p

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of eustachian tube optical coherence tomography (ET-OCT) for imaging the pharyngeal region of the eustachian tube (ET). Ten subjects with ear complaints underwent ET-OCT guided by nasal endoscopy, and ET-OCT examination was performed on both sides of each subject's ETs. The process and resulting images were analysed. Ten subjects ranging from 21 to 73 years old (45 ± 14.77) were enrolled in this study. Eighteen ET-OCT imaging examinations were completed. The mean duration of each examination was 2.80 ± 1.62 min (ranging from 2 to 7 min). There were no adverse events or complications. In some subjects, the ET-OCT images clearly presented the microstructures of the ET wall, including the lumen, mucosa, submucosa, cartilage and plica. However, in some subjects, it showed different characteristics, such as an unclear hierarchy and secretions in the lumen. ET-OCT may help to distinguish the structural composition of the ET and elucidate related pathophysiological mechanisms. It is a valuable imaging tool suited for the ET, with potential diagnostic value in determining the morphology of the lumen, intraluminal mucosa and submucosal tissue in the pharyngeal region of the ET.

All-trans-retinoic acid binds with about 10-fold less affinity to the cytoplasmic retinoic acid binding protein CRABP-II, then to the purified heterocomplexes and CRABP-I, which have comparable binding affinities to All-trans-retinoic acid. Research into the interaction of retinoic acid with the heterocomplexes of retinoid X receptors (RXRs) and nuclear retinoic acid receptors (RARs). Endogenous retinoic acid distribution between nuclear receptors and CRABPs could be perturbed by some retinoids to affect retinoid signaling. The dimerization interface between the ligand binding domains of RXR and RAR can be analyzed further using the purified recombinant complex model system.