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Why do some people get their smell back so quickly after a COVID infection whilst others don’t?

Of course, we are all too familiar with the effect that COVID-19 infection has on our sense of taste and smell, but why do most patients get better whilst, for many, the misery lingers on and on? This paper looks...

Don’t be too apologetic: disclosing communication difficulties

People who stutter are frequently considered less intelligent or less confident, and are often discriminated against. These negative perceptions have been found to differ slightly across different cultural groups. For Hebrew speakers in Israel, having a stutter can have a...

Clinical pathological features associated with malignant change in oral leukoplakias

This is a retrospective study from Sweden where 234 patients, diagnosed between 2003 and 2013 with a median nine-year follow-up, were reviewed. Of these 234 patients, 11.5% developed oral squamous cell carcinoma. Non-homogenous leukoplakia showed a 15-times higher transformation rate...

What is voice?

Voice is an area of clinical practice in speech and language therapy where there remains much debate, not only around the aetiology and classifications of voice disorders, but around the treatment of them. In general, it is accepted that ‘voice...

Doing it for the men: diversifying the speech and language therapy profession

It is known that many health professions are dominated by females, particularly the allied health professions, such as speech and language therapy. This is more pronounced in the US than in the UK, Australia and other countries. The authors of...

Does the season affect the diagnosis of vestibular disorders?

There are mixed results in the literature regarding seasonal variation in the presentation of various peripheral vestibular disorders. In this large population study involving over 20,000 patients recruited from 116 ENT practices across Germany, the authors analysed the demographic characteristics...

Gastro-oesophageal reflux and cricopharyngeal dysfunction – how do they link?

It has been hypothesised that cricopharyngeal muscle hypertrophy develops as a response to chronic gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. The cricopharyngeus muscle is an important component and contributor to the upper oesophageal sphincter that creates a barrier between the pharynx and oesophagus....

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...

An unrecognised anatomical variant which may help frontal sinus surgery

Anatomic variants in the frontal sinus have significant implications in endoscopic sinus surgery. In this illustrative study, the authors describe a newly-observed anatomical variant – a mucosa lined prism‑shaped space between the most superior part of the nasal septum and...

Obstructive sleep apnoea: Does maxillomandibular advancement work?

This is a paper from the Netherlands reviewing 62 patients who underwent maxillomandibular advancement for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea. The authors observed a 71% success rate with mean apnoea hypopnea index (AHI) reduction of 69%. There was no...

How does the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) correlate with demographics and symptoms of patients?

The DHI is widely used to assess the self-perceived emotional, functional and physical disability in subjects with dizziness and balance problems. By studying the data of 568 patients retrospectively, the authors sought to determine the gender and age differences in...