Abnormalities of the muscles of the soft palate and their impact on auditory function in patients operated on for cleft palate: a case-control study

Patients with cleft palate have a high incidence of otitis media (OM), which, even after palatal repair, can persist and lead to auditory dysfunction. We aimed to identify what predisposes such patients to develop OM and correlate it with auditory function. We designed a prospective case-control study of adults who had had their cleft palates repaired in childhood. We examined the anatomy of the eustachian tube and the paratubal muscles of the soft palate with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), assessed auditory function, and correlated the results to evaluate the impact of the pathological anatomy on the function of the middle ear. A total of 64 ears in 32 patients were evaluated (Group A, n = 16) (Group B, controls = 16). MRI showed a short eustachian tube with a shortened tensor attachment in Group A when compared with Group B. The pterygoid hamulus was found to be intact in both groups, but extensive perihamular fibrosis was seen in Group A. A total of 15 ears in Group A had loss of hearing (prevalence ratio (PR) 1.08), (13 mild loss, and 2 moderate loss), and impedance audiometry showed effusion of the middle ear in 12 ears in 16 patients, and dysfunction of the eustachian tube with high negative pressure in the middle ear in four ears in the 16 patients (PR 4.6). These could be positively correlated with the pathological anatomy using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Otitis media is persistent and can lead to conductive hearing loss in adults who have been operated on for cleft palate. This can be attributed to abnormalities in the development of the eustachian tube and the paratubal musculature.     

Media and Mental Health Literacy: Do Mediated Interventions Enhance Mental Health Awareness? Implications and Policy Recommendations

In the current digital era, public health campaigns using media has been very successful in giving knowledge and changes the attitudes of people. But till now scarce literature is available related to media campaigns about mental health. In this study Pre-Post Quasi Experimental Design using vignettes as a data collection measure were employed. The participants were categories in to experimental (n = 138) and control (n = 134) groups having 18–55 years of age to evaluate the efficiency of media mediated interventions using social media campaign in increasing Mental Health Literacy (MHL). The results from nonparametric chi-square test indicated that mental health literacy significantly increases at post assessment level in participants belonging to experimental group, while level of MHL remains same in control group participants. The current study was unique because it discussed the efficacy of social media mediated interventions, which creates awareness and infused information among general public regarding the underexplored and neglected area of mental health.     

A cross-national comparison of the Twitter feeds of popular alcohol brands in India and Australia

Aims: To evaluate (i) the types of techniques alcohol marketers utilise to facilitate user engagement with content on leading Indian and Australian Twitter alcohol brand pages and (ii) the extent to which users engage with this content in two diverse national contexts.

Methods: The 10 alcohol brands per country with the greatest Twitter presence were identified based on the number of ‘followers’. Number of tweets, photos, and videos were collected and the type of content noted for each brand between 1 January 2016 and 29 February 2016. The data were analysed via an inductive coding approach using NVivo10.

Results: In total, the brands had accumulated up to 150,386 followers (Indian: 110,032; Australian: 40,354). The techniques utilised were a mix of those that differed by country (e.g. India: sexually suggestive content versus Australia: posts related to the brand’s tradition or heritage) and generic approaches (e.g. alcohol sponsorship of sport, music, and fashion; offering consumption suggestions; organising competitions; giveaways; and use of memes).

Conclusions: The flexibility of Twitter, which complements traditional marketing, allows brands to adapt and deliver their online alcohol content in specific national contexts and to capitalise on the cultural meanings users invoke in their interactions with the brands.     

Predictive factors of positive online patient ratings of spine surgeons

BACKGROUND

Online physician rating websites are increasingly used by patients to evaluate their doctors. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate factors associated with better spine surgeon ratings.

Guidelines of the French Society of Otorhinolaryngology (SFORL): Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and pediatric ENT infections. Short version

ObjectivesTo present the guidelines of the French Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery concerning the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in pediatric ENT infections.MethodsBased on a critical analysis of the medical literature up to November 2016, a multidisciplinary workgroup of 11 practitioners wrote clinical practice guidelines. Levels of evidence were classified according to the GRADE (Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) system: GRADE A, B, C or “expert opinion”. The first version of the text was reworked by the workgroup following comments by the 22 members of the reading group.ResultsThe main recommendations are: NSAIDs are indicated at analgesic doses (e.g. 20–30 mg/kg/day for ibuprofen) in combination with paracetamol (acetaminophen) in uncomplicated pediatric ENT infections (acute otitis media, tonsillitis, upper respiratory infections, and maxillary sinusitis) if: o pain is of medium intensity (visual analogue scale (VAS) score 3–5 or “Evaluation Enfant Douleur” (EVENDOL) child pain score 4–7) and insufficiently relieved by first-line paracetamol (residual VAS ≥ 3 or EVENDOL ≥ 4); o pain is moderate to intense (VAS 5–7 or EVENDOL 7–10). When combined, paracetamol and ibuprofen are ideally taken simultaneously every 6 h. It is recommended: (1) o not to prescribe NSAIDs in severe or complicated pediatric ENT infections; (2) o to suspend NSAIDs treatment in case of unusual clinical presentation of the infection (duration or symptoms); (3) o not to prescribe NSAIDs for more than 72 h.     

疫情背景下社交媒体信息过载的影响及应对研究综述

信息过载指由于所接受的信息的数量过大、导致人们在一定时间内不能有效处理和使用信息的一种现象。疫情背景下，除了疫情本身可能会对个体心理产生影响外，长时间暴露于社交媒体中过量的、重复的、真假不一且来源多样的信息下同样有可能导致一系列不良的认知、情绪和行为后果。本研究对社交媒体信息过载的类型、影响、成因等相关研究进行了综述，并对可能的应对策略进行了总结。     

超声造影评估周围型肺癌化学治疗效果

正放射治疗(简称放疗)及化学治疗(简称化疗)是中晚期肺癌患者的主要治疗方法,治疗早期及时评估效果、调整治疗方案,有助于延长患者生存期并提高生活质量。超声能够比较治疗前后肿瘤大小变化,联合CEUS可清晰观察病灶内部血流情况,且简便易操作,在治疗各阶段均可复查~[1]。目前CEUS主要用于乳腺癌、宫颈癌等新辅助化疗评估,其对肺癌的疗效评估在国内报道尚少。本研究通过观察化疗前后肺癌CEUS改变,探讨CEUS监测肺癌化疗效果的可行性。1 资料与     

YouTube as a source of medical information on the novel coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) pandemic

ABSTRACT

Media coverage on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been extensive, yet large gaps remain in our understanding of the role of social media platforms during worldwide health crisis. The purpose of this study was to assess the most viewed YouTube videos on COVID-19 for medical content. We coded video characteristics, source, and medical content of the 113 most-widely viewed videos about COVID-19. Seventy-nine (69.9%) videos were classified as useful, and 10 (8.8%) videos were classified as misleading. Independent users were more likely to post misleading videos than useful videos (60.0% vs 21.5%, P?=?0.009). News agencies were more likely to post useful videos than misleading videos (72.2% vs 40.0%, P?=?0.039). Useful videos were more likely to present any information on prevalence or incidence (79.7% vs 20.0%, P?<?0.001), as well as information on outcomes or prognosis (84.8% vs 30.0%, P?<?0.001) compared to misleading videos. The World Health Organization contributed one useful video (1.3%), while no videos from the Center for Disease Control were included. Although YouTube generally is a useful source of medical information on the COVID-19 pandemic, increased efforts to disseminate accurate information from reputable sources is desired to help mitigate disease spread and decrease unnecessary panic in the general population.