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Pituitary tumour associated headaches

This longitudinal cohort study presents data with significant clinical implications for patients with headaches and the clinicians and surgeons who treat them. For the study, patients completed a self-administered survey on headache characteristics on initial presentation and after surgery of...

Hearing protectors and speech perception

This study tested 31 subjects using hearing protectors by maintaining a constant intensity level for the speech signal while varying background noise levels. The goal was to use this test to detect speech perceptual abilities under different hearing protectors –...

Alcohol and the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR)

I was drawn to this paper initially for slightly unscientific reasons but in fact it proved a worthwhile read. It describes the effect of alcohol consumption on the VOR of eight healthy subjects as measured using video head impulse testing...

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....

Radiological diagnosis of mastoiditis in patients screened for acoustic neuroma

Magnetic resonance imaging is the ‘gold standard’ for screening patients suspected to have acoustic neuroma. Various abnormalities are picked up through this investigation, one of which, not uncommonly reported, is mastoiditis. This requires referral to otolaryngology and further evaluation. In...

The right to choose: the how-to of practicable supports

Providing all practicable supports to enable a person to participate in decision-making is one of the five key principles of the English and Welsh Mental Capacity Act 2005. This article (set in the Canadian legal framework, which has many similarities...

Complications associated with microlaryngoscopy surgery

Microlaryngoscopy procedures are often considered to be routine procedures at the straightforward end of the ENT operative spectrum. Complications associated with this surgery are thought to be infrequent and primarily related to the possibility of dental trauma and adverse voice...

Molecular and genetic nature of skull base tumours drives management

This article reviews the molecular basis and paradigm shift in the diagnosis and management of skull base tumours. It is now known that the phenotype of meningiomas is influenced by their genotype. Endolymphatic sac tumours are observed in up to...

The future of biologics?

This paper takes a deep dive into how eosinophilia affects the responsiveness of the host to the two monoclonal antibodies mepolizumab and bendralizumab, both of which are active against IL5. We know that eosinophils are attracted and trapped into the...

Motor learning: better knowing how, not how well

Motor learning is described as the ability to perform a motor skill due to practice and/or experience. Research on interventions to enhance limb motor skills can be influenced through the amount, distribution, variability and schedule of practice as well as...

Bell’s palsy incidence in Korean population

Bell’s palsy is an acute idiopathic paresis or paralysis of the peripheral facial nerve. It is the most common cause of facial nerve palsy with a reported incidence ranging from 11.5–55.3 per 100,000. The aetiology remains unclear. Several studies have...