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Noise tolerance in the presence of speech

Noise is a common issue reported by people in reference to speech understanding, both for normal and hearing-impaired people. This study investigated how noise loudness, annoyance, distraction and speech interference impact noise tolerance in normal hearing people while listening to...

An objective office-based method for diagnosing allergic rhinitis

There are several signs of allergic rhinitis which, helped with skin prick and blood tests, can diagnose the problem. However, an endoscopic, on-the-spot test may surmount clinical uncertainties and invasive testing to acquire the same goal. In this study, the...

Cochlear implant use in young children

There are clear and well-established links between those identified and fitted with amplification early and good spoken language outcomes, but how much does the time an appropriately fitted hearing instrument is used each day contribute to this? During the first...

Salivary pepsin – a simple test for LPR?

A diagnosis of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) can be made on the basis of characteristic symptoms and nasendoscopy findings. Objective tests exist for this condition; for example, 24-hour dual-channel pH-metry which is considered to be the gold standard. Such tests are,...

Surviving oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma – does subsite matter?

Human papilloma virus (HPV) status is a known prognostic factor in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). The eighth edition of American Joint Cancer Committee (AJCC) has modified the TNM staging to reflect this. However, subsite as an independent prognostic factor...

Significance of abnormal retropharyngeal nodes in head and neck cancer

Abnormal retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RLN) have prognostic relevance for patients with oral, oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, consensus on the evaluation and management of abnormal RLN in these patients is lacking. The authors of this paper provided...

Lingual tonsils and obstrucive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS)

Obstructive sleep apnoea can be due to narrowing of the retrolingual space by hypertrophic lingual tonsils. The authors studied 11 patients (five males and six females with a mean age of 44.3 years and a mean BMI of 28.6). All...

Association of diabetes mellitus type 2 with age-related changes in the larynx

Diabetes affects the body with changes in the neurological, muscular and vascular systems. It is therefore conceivable that the larynx, which is a musculoskeletal organ, can be adversely affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus. To explore this possibility, 174 Caucasian...

The case of the women and the words: intensive therapy can help many years post stroke

Aphasia, a language impairment impacting on a person’s ability to speak, understand, read and write, is most commonly caused by a stroke. Speech and language therapists are trained to work with people with aphasia, often aiming for restitution and rehabilitation...

Dr. Gyl’s Guide to a Successful Hearing Care Practice

This book covers a much-needed area in audiology to help support independent/small businesses set up their own clinics. The book covers a range of topics and talks through the rationale behind decisions vital in business. The author states that a...

Is a chest x-ray necessary in making urgent referrals for suspected head and neck cancer?

The article presents an audit on urgent referrals for suspected head and neck cancer in 2144 patients. Only 8.6% of cases proved positive for head and neck cancer. The Scottish Referral Guidelines were adhered only in 55.1% of cases. Interestingly,...

Attitudes towards leisure noise

Noise is a very common reason for hearing loss. The question is whether young adults realise the danger of developing a noise related hearing loss. The aim of this study was to evaluate the attitude towards leisure noise and noise...