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Talking to the animals

People with communication difficulties have an increased risk of mood and anxiety disorders. This often means that speech and language therapists must actively engage in counselling as part of their intervention. It is not surprising, therefore, that the active components...

Operate, Operate, Operate! A young surgeon in the 1970s

The book is a memoir of Douglas MacMillan’s experiences as a young surgeon in the 1970s. MacMillan describes his journey from medical school to training and becoming a consultant ENT surgeon. He shares stories about his challenges as a young...

PACT or Partners of Aphasic Clients Conversation Training

There is an increasing recognition that families and caregivers of patients require special training to manage their wards. PACT or Partners of aphasic patients Conversation Training is an initiative which aims to improve awareness of methods of communicating with aphasic...

Should we do oesophagoscopy during panendoscopy?

Panendoscopy entails a complete evaluation of the upper aerodigestive tract, and consists of oral inspection, direct laryngoscopy, bronchoscopy, oesophagoscopy, or some combination of these procedures. Despite many advances in imaging over the years, a skilled surgeon’s eyes remain superior in...

SpeechEasy® for stuttering

In this article, the authors describe their experiences with an altered auditory feedback (AAF) device: SpeechEasy® during a random clinical trial. AAF has been reported in other laboratory studies to reduce stuttering events without influencing the rate, intensity or frequency...

Facial filler danger zones

Non-surgical facial rejuvenation techniques are increasing and are now undertaken by plastic, maxillofacial and ENT surgeons as well as non-surgeon technicians in the private sector. Although the technique of using fillers is less invasive than surgical options, it is not...

Quality of life measurement tools in children with speech and language difficulties

The authors of this paper reviewed various quality of life measurement tools which are used to assess the effects of speech and language difficulties in children and adolescents. Measuring quality of life outcomes in children with these difficulties is not...

Role of the insula and orbitofrontal cortex in tinnitus related distress

It is estimated that 5% of the population suffer from chronic tinnitus with 17% of those suffering emotional distress. The authors attempted to study the neural correlates of tinnitus-related distress using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during an Emotional Stroop...

Lack of early vocabulary growth in bilateral cochlear implant children

Studies indicate that children with unilateral implantation may have delayed vocabulary development for long periods of time even after implantation. This Finnish study attempted to find out whether bilateral cochlear implantation was associated with earlier vocabulary development. The authors analysed...

Is epistaxis affected by the weather?

In this Bosnian study, the authors attempted to determine if air pressure, temperature and humidity had any effect on idiopathic epistaxis. The study took place over a three-year period and included 300 patients. A comparison was performed of meteorological data...

Perception of verticality during attacks of Ménière’s

Ménière’s disease (MD) affects the cochlea and all peripheral vestibular receptors. The perception of verticality, a function of the utricle, is evaluated by the subjective visual vertical (SVV) test. The authors studied SVV in two groups of MD patients: a)...