Sensorineural hearing impairment is a common sensory deficit in children and more than 50% of these cases are caused by genetic etiologies, that is, hereditary hearing impairment (HHI). Recent advances in genomic medicine have revolutionized the diagnostics of, and counseling for, HHI, including preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), thus providing parents-to-be with better reproductive choices. Over the past decade, we have performed PGD using the amplification refractory mutation system quantitative polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-qPCR) technique in 11 couples with a history of HHI, namely eight with GJB2 variants, one with OTOF variants, one with SLC26A4 variants, and one with an MITF variant. We demonstrated that PGD can be successfully applied to HHI of different inheritance modes, namely autosomal dominant or recessive, and phenotypes, namely syndromic or non-syndromic HHI. However, certain ethical concerns warrant scrutiny before PGD can be widely applied to at-risk couples with a history of HHI.

Presence of pathological eye movements may affect the recordings of oVEMP. Thus, the oVEMP test is recommended to perform after acute vertiginous episode to exclude the influence of pathological eye movements on the oVEMP recordings.

Background: The world’s age-related health concerns continue to rise. Audio-vestibular disorders, such as hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo, are common complaints in the elderly and are associated with social and public health burdens. Various preventative measures can ease their impact, including healthy food consumption, nutritional supplementation, and lifestyle modification. We aim to provide a comprehensive summary of current possible strategies for preventing the age-related audio-vestibular dysfunction. Methods: A PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane review databases search was conducted to identify the relationship between diet, lifestyle, and audio-vestibular dysfunction. “Diet,” “nutritional supplement,” “lifestyle,” “exercise,” “physical activity,” “tinnitus,” “vertigo” and “age-related hearing loss” were used as keywords. Results: Audio-vestibular dysfunction develops and progresses as a result of age-related inflammation and oxidative stress. Diets with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects have been proposed to alleviate this illness. A high-fat diet may induce oxidative stress and low protein intake is associated with hearing discomfort in the elderly. Increased carbohydrate and sugar intake positively correlate with the incidence of audio-vestibular dysfunction, whereas a Mediterranean-style diet can protect against the disease. Antioxidants in the form of vitamins A, C, and E; physical activity; good sleep quality; smoking cessation; moderate alcohol consumption; and avoiding noise exposure are also beneficial. Conclusions: Adequate diet or nutritional interventions with lifestyle modification may protect against developing audio-vestibular dysfunction in elderly individuals.

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Background: Obesity is associated with malignant tumor development and may affect cancer outcomes.This study is to assess the relationship between the visceral fat-subcutaneous fat ratio (V/S ratio) and overall survival (OS) in cervical cancer patients.Methods: We studied the data of patients with stage I-III cervical cancer who received definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) from 2010 to 2013 at a single institution. Their visceral and subcutaneous fat areas were delineated from simulated CT images obtained at the L4 level before radiotherapy. A V/S ratio threshold of 0.55 was set for defining visceral obesity; a V/S threshold of ≥0.55 was considered to indicate visceral obesity.Results: A total of 25 women were included for analysis. The 5-year survival rate was 60% in all patients.The 5-year survival rate was 82.5% in patients with a V/S ratio of <55% and 30.3% in those with a V/S ratio of ≥55%. The association between OS and the V/S ratio was statistically significant (P=0.021).Conclusions: Patients without visceral obesity had a higher OS than did those with visceral obesity.