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Association between dysphagia and sarcopenia: implications for assessment of older people

The onset of swallowing difficulties with progressive age is reported to occur in 13-35% of the elderly population. Sarcopenia is characterised by a decrease in muscle mass, strength and function. Sarcopenic dysphagia is a relatively new term. Its prevalence is...

Till death do us part: the role of the speech and language therapists in palliative care

Increasingly, speech and language therapists are being involved in end-of-life and palliative care. This study reports on a three-phase project to explore this in the context of the Australian healthcare system. In phase one, the authors described a scoping review...

St Blaise - patron saint of the throat

In a previous article, we looked at some interesting legends surrounding patron saints of the ear and hearing [1]. As we celebrate the Feast Day of St Blaise of Sebastia on 3 February, we hear some fascinating tales and myths...

Swallowing outcomes following partial laryngectomy: objective assessment and pre-operative predictive factors

Partial laryngectomy constitutes one of the treatments for early stage glottic carcinoma (i.e. T1N0 and T2N0) in specialised centres. Over the years, several partial laryngectomy and reconstruction techniques have been described in the literature. The choice of technique depends on...

Encounter

Nick Jones’s poetry debut - a short (16 poems) collection - is a revelation. He traverses time and place with ease, evoking childhood memories and ephemeral moments, suffusing the ordinary and the mundane with an almost sacred sense of epiphany...

Detecting hearing loss in the military: are the current methods adequate?

A team at the University of Southampton have been funded by the Ministry of Defence to investigate how to improve the assessment of auditory fitness for duty in the UK Armed Forces. Matt Blyth talks us through the current methods...

The costs of applying to ENT specialty training

Training doctors is costly. In the UK, medical school costs an estimated £230,000 made up of £163,000 in government grants and £65,000 in student loans [1]. Repayment of the student loan begins once the graduate earns above a certain threshold,...

The big ask – maintaining the entrepreneurial spirit in academic facial plastic surgery in the USA

en·tre·pre·neur, noun a person who organises and operates a business and who has qualities of leadership, initiative and innovation. In the United States, facial plastic surgery (FPS) services are divided among private and academic practices. The vast majority of academic...

Cochlear implantation in asymmetric hearing loss

Criteria for cochlear implantation (CI) is a constant topic of debate. The UK traditionally had relatively restrictive guidance, although this has been greatly improved by more recent guidance released in 2019. Nevertheless, because of the lack of evidence for cost-effectiveness,...

Wound moisture sensing in traumatic wounds

Wounds can be small and unpleasant, or may be large and life-threatening. The skin is a physical and an immunological barrier to infection, and any defect in the integrity of the skin may enable bacterial or fungal invasion. The successful...

A new criterion for diagnosing chronic tonsillitis?

It is essential to establish the diagnosis of recurrent tonsillitis in patients undergoing tonsillectomy. This is based mainly on history which itself can be inaccurate and is supported by clinical findings which are not truly specific. There seems to be...

The era of lateral flow tests in ENT

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light the versatility of lateral flow tests (LFTs), with heavy endorsement from healthcare professionals and a greater awareness among the general public.