Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a relatively young technique principally devised for managing apneas in the tongue base area. This study summarizes and presents our personal experience with TORS for OSA treatment, with the aim to provide information regarding its safety, efficacy, and postoperative complications. A retrospective study was conducted on patients undergoing TORS with lingual tonsillectomy through the Da Vinci robot. The effectiveness of the surgical procedure was assessed employing the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and overnight polysomnography with the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI). A total of 57 patients were included. Eighteen patients (31.6%) had undergone previous surgery. The mean time of TORS procedure was 30 min. Base of tongue (BOT) management was associated with other procedures in all patients: pharyngoplasty (94%), tonsillectomy (66%), and septoplasty (58%). At 6 months follow-up visit, there was a significant improvement in AHI values (from 38.62 ± 20.36 to 24.33 ± 19.68) and ESS values (from 14.25 ± 3.97 to 8.25 ± 3.3). The surgical success rate was achieved in 35.5% of patients. The most frequent major complication was bleeding, with the need for operative intervention in three cases (5.3%). The most common minor complications were mild dehydration and pain. TORS for OSA treatment appears to be an effective and safe procedure for adequately selected patients looking for an alternative therapy to CPAP.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Fulvic acids are active principles in humic substances allowing big absorption of mineral ions from soil through vegetables. They are formed by large organic molecules having several reactive sites. Tested in mice and rats with radioactive labeled ions (45 Ca 2+ , 32 PO 4 3-, 59 Fe 3+ and 131 I-) in drinking water, it has been found that for even concentrations of mineral ions (μg/ml), more than double of them are filtered from stomach to blood serum when calcium and phosphate ions are escorted by fulvic acids, while iron and iodine ions are completely fixed by both blood (red cells) and thyroid gland respectively, also in larger than double proportion. This paper presents the associated effect of fulvic acids ingestion by rats and mice, substantially increasing their T (total) and G immunoglobulins (IgT, IgG) production, which explains the empirical and preliminary, yet not less spectacular results than those obtained by tests in preventing epidemic viral infections in cattle and poultry, and as an effective agent in treating human viral infections such as herpes Zoster, hepatitis and HIV. As a conclusion, these scarce and partial results suggest necessity to initiate a large, and quite reliable medical protocol, not available at the present time.