Change in Serotonin Level in the Organism in Cases of Hypoxia

This study was performed on both volunteers and test animals subjected to different extreme effects, causing different types of hypoxia. It is found that at high initial values of blood serotonin, the organism is more resistant to hypoxia. In individuals in whom the serotonin level is increased after extreme impacts, the hypoxic state is less readily sustained. The results of this study are used for determining the individual reactivity of an organism to hypoxia and for selecting for hire persons who may be required to work in extreme conditions.     

Advances in sinus disease in pediatrics

Advances in sinus diseases in pediatrics during the 1980s have occurred in both diagnosis and treatment. Perhaps the most significant development in diagnosis has been the increased sophistication of computerized tomography. In treatment, the most significant advances have been in the better understanding of the bacteriology of pediatric sinusitis and the development of endoscopic sinus surgery.     

Diagnostic tools in pseudohypacusis in children

Pseudohypacusis is the term used for a non-organic or functional hearing loss. The mainstay of diagnosis is a lack of consistency in audiological testing. It is usually easier to diagnose in children than in adults, as children are less able to reproduce consistently erroneous results on repeated testing. Nevertheless, the diagnosis is often missed in children, probably due to a lack of awareness of the condition. In a previous study from our department, we highlighted the usefulness of speech audiometry in establishing the diagnosis. However, with the advent of otoacoustic emissions testing, we have changed the emphasis of our testing protocol. Using otoacoustic emissions, the diagnosis of pseudohypacusis can be established quickly and easily.     

Reconstructive surgery in laryngostenosis in children

Methods of laryngoplasty with usage of costal cartilage autotransplant and segmental laryngeal resection were applied in 33 patients with laryngostenosis of various etiology. Decannulation of the patients during the first 4 months after beginning of the treatment was made in 75% patients with one-stage laryngoplasty. A new method of stenting in reconstructive operations on the larynx is proposed. The endolumen technique of silicon stent fixation isolated from tracheostome cannula is thought an optimal method of stenting. Surgery is optimal early after verification of the diagnosis. Early operations make it possible to optimize prognosis of one-stage treatment as they reduce the number of complications after long-term carrying of tracheostomic cannula as well as provide better socio-psychological adaptation of the patients.     

Vertigo in women in menopausal period

The aim of the work was an evaluation of vestibular organ as well as static and dynamic balance condition in menopausal women. We have examined 107 women aged 46 to 55 years, 47 among them with complaints of vertigo (Group I), 30 women aged 45 to 50 years with symptoms of menopause diagnosed in Outpatient of Endocrinology Clinic (Group II) and 30 healthy women aged 45-54 (control Group). Blood concentration of sexual hormones (estradiol, LH, FSH, progesterone), sodium and potassium blood level, electronystagmography (ENG), optokinesis, eye tracking test, static and dynamic posturography and radiography of cervical part of vertebral column were applied in each case. The intensification of the symptoms was assessed according to Blatt-Kupperman scale. RESULTS: There were disturbances of central type in ENG in 70% of the patients from Group I, in 12.7% of the patients from the Group I there were disturbances typical for cervical and (12,7%) positional origin. There were moderate qualitative disturbances in ENG in 50% of the patients from the Group II. No peripheral vestibular lesion as well as no disturbances in optokinesis and eye tracking test were diagnosed in any woman form all the groups. There was significant elevation of stabilogram parameters in the Group I (in comparison to the control Group) in the tests without vision control (static balance) and in all the tests in dynamic posturography. There was significant increase of the velocity of sways to the right and left in the test with eyes closed in the Group II (dynamic posturography). Vertigo in women in menopausal period are not connected with the lesion of the peripheral part of vestibular organ, they are mostly of central origin. Simultaneous posturographic tests reveal worse central co-ordination in vestibular organ, especially after vision control cancellation.