To date, no widely accepted criteria exist to quantify the severity of Menière's disease (MD) by using vestibular tests. This study aimed to compare association of hearing loss and vertigo severity with association of accurate assessments of vestibular function and the vertigo severity. The severity of vertigo was documented by a comprehensive medical history with number of vertigo attacks in the past 6 months and a Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) questionnaire. The involvement of vestibular organs was verified by audio-vestibular tests in 80 definite MD patients. Correlations between DHI scores, number of vertigo attacks in the past 6 months, audio-vestibular function, and the number of involved vestibular end organs were evaluated. We show that there are no significant differences in either severity of vertigo or laboratory results across the degree of hearing loss. Furthermore, the number of involved vestibular end organs was significantly correlated with vestibulo-ocular reflex gain in anterior and posterior canal video head impulse test (vHIT), interaural asymmetry ratio in vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs), and number of vertigo attacks in the past 6 months and DHI score. The vestibulo-ocular reflex gain in the rotatory chair test (RCT) was significantly correlated with the DHI Physical scores and number of involved vestibular end organs at 0.08 Hz. These results indicate that hearing loss is a poor indicator of vertigo severity in MD whereas the number of involved vestibular end organs may serve as an objective measure for MD progress. A battery of vestibular tests targeting different sensor organs is a complementary method for evaluating inner ear deficits and may aid in "grading" the severity of MD.

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Background: Chemotherapy resistance was an important tumor metastasis mechanism. Methods: Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and plate colony formation assay were applied to examine the proliferation of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Immunofluorescent staining and Western blotting were carried out to show the expression of related proteins. Wound healing, migration, and invasion assays were used to examine the mobility, migration, and invasion of LSCC. Results: Downregulated Aurora kinase A (AURKA) increased chemotherapy sensitivity and reduced the ability of mobility, migration, and invasion of Hep2 cells, while upregulated AURKA possessed opposite results. Hep2/5-Fu cells possessed dormancylike properties and upregulated AURKA in Hep2/5-Fu cells (Hep2/5-Fu/AURKA cells) revived dormant state. Furthermore, Erk1/2 was restrained in Hep2/5-Fu cells and activated in Hep2/5-Fu/AURKA cells. Moreover, Erk1/2 accelerated the ability of mobility, migration, and invasion in Hep2/5-Fu/AURKA cells. Conclusion: AURKA activated dormant state to induce chemotherapy resistance and promoted metastasis of LSCC through Erk1/2 pathway.Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), arisen from the larynx epithelium, is one of the most common cancer worldwide. 1 Despite the improvement of current chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy, the 5-year survival rate of LSCC is only approximately 60%. 2 The main death cause of LSCC is metastasis and relapse. 3 Therefore，elucidating molecular mechanisms to design novel strategies is very essential for improving survival of LSCC.Chemotherapy is usually used in the neoadjuvant, adjuvant, or primary treatment options of advanced LSCC. 4 The common chemotherapeutic drugs use for the treatment of LSCC which includes Fluorouracil (5-Fu), placetatin, taxel, gemzar and cisplatin. Among them, 5-Fu has been used for the treatment of head and neck, gastric, breast, and colorectal cancers. 5 Despite the fact that the effect of these chemotherapeutic drugs is prominent, chemotherapy resistance of cancers is the main cause of relapse and mortality. 6,7 Thus, it is essential to research new targets to improve the chemotherapy effect of LSCC.Aurora kinase A (AURKA) is a homolog of aurora/ Ipl1-related kinase which is located at chromosome 20q13.2. 8 More and more researchers had proved AURKA, an oncogene, contributed to plenty of malignant cancers, including head and neck, bladder, ovarian, colon, breast, and pancreatic cancers. 3,[9][10][11][12][13] In our previous study, AURKA was overexpressed in LSCC and associated with regional lymph node metastasis and late clinical stage. 3 Moreover, AURKA might activate dormant state to promote the metastasis of Li-yun Yang and Ya-min Shan contributed equally to this article.