ENT features
The doctor – pharmaceutical company relationship
‘Which drug rep is taking us out tonight?’ We have heard this phrase uttered at conferences since meetings began, but as Dylan said ‘those times they are a changing’ thanks to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and...
A small company’s perspective
In this article, we hear from Alan McNulty, Director from Sheffmed, an SME (Small – Medium Enterprise), who have supplied surgical instruments, consumables and video systems to ENT clinicians for over 12 years. Alan outlines some of the choices and...
Industry interaction with the ENT speciality
I was enormously grateful for the chance to articulate my personal thoughts on ‘the industry interaction with the ENT clinical community’. To set a context, the term ‘industry’ refers to medical technology manufacturers and suppliers, in addition to pharmaceutical companies....
NHS collaboration and partnership with the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries
Historically the relationship between industry and the NHS has been a cautious one. Both sides have typically worked with only partially disclosed agendas, under a pervading fear of finding themselves on the wrong end of a win-lose negotiation. Things have...
Training in the use of medical devices – how should it be done?
Adequate training in novel medical devices is imperative, not only to ensure patient safety, but also to give clinicians the confidence to use the device in question. In this article, Andrea Gillies explains the philosophy of one of the equipment...
The British Laryngological Association and Industry
In 2011 British laryngologists Martin Birchall and Guri Sandhu, assisted by ENT SpR Chad Al Yagachi, organised the first highly successful three-day international ‘Cutting-Edge Laryngology for the 21st Century’ conference at the Royal College of Surgeons in London. The Kenes...
Acupuncture for tonsillectomy pain in children
The challenge: tonsillectomy pain Tonsillectomy is a uniform surgical insult which results in a 10-day recovery for children. Severe pain can occur which can give rise to poor oral fluid intake, dehydration and potentially the need for intravenous fluid resuscitation....
Hearing and balance clinical trials network (HEARING CTN)
About the HEARING CTN The HEARING CTN is a new UK research network focused on promoting research collaboration and supporting high quality research studies, with the aim of improving the evidence supporting the diagnosis and management of hearing loss and...
The structure and function of DNA
DNA structure and replication Genetic information within multicellular organisms, including man, is stored in molecules of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which reside within the chromosomes of each cell nucleus. A DNA molecule consists of two very long chains, or strands, of...
Genetic discovery using animal models: presbyacusis
By their very nature, late-onset hereditary disorders offer a large window of opportunity for therapeutic intervention. However, before we can begin to think about strategies we need knowledge of the genetics and pathology underlying the condition. In this article we...
Discovery in the genetics of complex disease: Otitis media
Otitis media (OM), a common disease of childhood, is considered to be a complex trait with multiple genetic and environmental factors expected to contribute to a child’s risk of developing recurrent acute OM (rAOM; ≥3 episodes in 6 months or...
Cancer genetics and signalling pathways in ENT – a review and discussion of how this can be applied to rare tumours
Introduction Cancer cases continue to increase worldwide, and head and neck cancer is a major global health issue, with an estimated global burden of over 630,000 new cases and over 350,000 deaths per year [1]. The term ‘head and neck...
