Journal Reviews
Early hearing loss detection in low-resource school settings
This review summarises a narrative article examining why childhood hearing loss in low- and middle-income nations remains widely undiagnosed, and outlines strategies to improve detection. The authors highlight that although childhood hearing loss is highly prevalent and clinically significant, many...
Are you a man or a mouse?
Ok so the phrase is about bravery – however, this paper considers the differences in auditory cortex connectivity, cognition and emotion between humans and mice. The study began with 21 mice, but usable data were obtained from only 16. Notably,...
Can writing reveal the timeline for future dementia diagnoses?
Frontotemporal dementia is the term for a group of dementias affecting behaviour and language. Thirty percent of FTD cases are associated with autosomal dominant mutations. There are three main genes that account for the majority of these genetic FTD cases...
An analysis of laryngeal dysplasia cases in terms of progression to invasive cancer
In this retrospective study, authors assess the rate of dysplasia progression to invasive cancer in a cohort of 221 patients presenting with primary laryngeal dysplasia, followed over a period of over 13 years. Patient demographics and independent risk factors for...
Can laryngopharyngeal reflux initiate middle ear dysfunction?
The prevalence of laryngopharyngeal reflux disorder (LPRD) varies widely and can affect a third of the population, especially in middle ages and, more commonly, females are involved. There is not much in the literature about the association of this condition...
Bevacizumab, NF2, hearing and age
Introduction NF2-related schwannomatosis (NF2-SWN) is an autosomal dominant disorder leading to the development of schwannomas, meningiomas and spinal cord ependymomas. Younger age is a negative prognostic factor. Treatment includes observation, surgery, radiotherapy and medical therapy with bevacizumab (VEGF monoclonal antibody)....
The hidden enemy of microtia reconstruction: cholesteatoma
Although ear reconstruction for concha-type microtia is generally successful, its frequent association with congenital aural stenosis introduces a hidden risk of cholesteatoma due to disruption of epithelial migration. This negatively affects hearing and reconstructive outcomes. This single-centre retrospective case series...
Determinants influencing ageing within the vestibular system
The observation that ageing affects vestibular function is not new. However, using a whole population survey, the authors set out to evaluate quantitatively factors responsible for the age-related changes in vestibular function. As part of a national survey on health...
How are clinicians assessing suitability for voice feminisation surgery?
Voice is a key aspect of gender transition for many gender diverse individuals. Transfeminine people are offered hormone therapies, such as oestrogen to support their transition, however these do not impact laryngeal anatomy. This means that specific voice interventions are...
Conductive hearing loss – when and why to scan
Ossicular fixation or discontinuity can occur at any point along the ossicular chain and is estimated to cause conductive hearing loss (CHL) in approximately 55% of patients. Computed tomography (CT) imaging of the temporal bone identifies bony pathologies that contribute...
How to feel happier: kindness, gratitude and self-care
The number of students experiencing mental health difficulties has risen dramatically, sometimes attributed to the widespread intrusion of social media in our lives, increasing social pressures on performance, and recent other societal factors. This article describes a study undertaken with...
Swallowing assessments of the future: the role of artificial intelligence
The future’s bright, the future’s Orange AI… If you Google ‘how much is AI worth?’, the AI overview tells you “The global artificial intelligence (AI) market size is estimated at approximately $244 billion to $391 billion in 2025 and is...
