Objectives. Diabetic auditory neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes mellitus that has a major impact on patients' quality of life. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of rutin in treating diabetic auditory neuropathy in an experimental rat model. Methods. Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to the following groups: group 1, control; group 2, diabetic rats; and groups 3-5, rats treated with rutin (at doses of 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg, respectively). We used auditory brain stem response, stereology of the spiral ganglion, and measurements of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) to evaluate the effects of treatment. Results. Significant improvements in auditory neuropathy were observed in the rutin-treated groups in comparison with the diabetic group (P<0.05). Auditory threshold, wave latency, wave morphology, the volume and number of neurons in the spiral ganglion, and SOD and MDA activity showed improvements following treatment. Conclusion. Rutin shows promise as a treatment modality for diabetic auditory neuropathy, but more trials are warranted for its clinical application.

Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the 4-and 8-week recovery rate of anosmia and determine the factors associated with recovery in COVID-19 patients. Method: This retrospective study was conducted from December 2020 to March 2021. RT-PCR-proven COVID-19 adult patients (over 18 years of age) with a positive history of anosmia were included in this study. Anosmia was assessed based on the COVID-19 Anosmia Reporting Tool. The recovery rate of anosmia after 4 and 8 weeks were evaluated, and the relationship between the patients' recovery and their clinical and demographic data was assessed. Results: A total of 235 patients were included. Their mean age (±SD) was 43.95 ± 15.27 years. Anosmia recovery was reported in 207(88.51%) and 219 (93.19%) participants till 4 and 8 weeks. The mean recovery time was 19.42 ± 8.81 days. The result of logistic regression showed that smoking (P = .031; OR = 10.813), ageusia (P = .002; OR = 5.340), headache (P = .006; OR = 0.243), and nasal discharge (P < .001; OR = 0.080) were significantly associated with 4 weeks anosmia recovery.The only risk factor which was associated with a lower rate of 8 weeks anosmia recovery was presence of nasal discharge (OR = 0.106, P = .002). Conclusion:The only risk factor which was associated with a lower rate of 8 weeks anosmia recovery was presence of nasal discharge. Our result demonstrated that although smoking was associated with higher recovery rate till 4 weeks, it could not be considered as a protective factor after 8 weeks. More studies are recommended to investigate the relationship between anosmia and the associated factors by consideration of both short-and long-term recovery rates and assess the possible mechanisms that could justify this association.

BackgroundThe European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QOL Core Questionnaire 30 (EORTC QLQ-30) and the Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) are the two most widely used measures of cancer-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study aims to assess whether the two instruments measure the same constructs of HRQOL in patients with total laryngectomy.MethodsThe EORTC QLQ-30 and the FACT-G was completed by 132 patients with total laryngectomy. Convergent, discriminant, and construct validity of the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the FACT-G were assessed by Spearman’s correlation and explanatory factor analysis.ResultsThe results of factor analysis showed that the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the FACT-G measure different aspects of HRQOL. Moreover, both instruments showed excellent convergent and discriminant validity, except for nausea and vomiting symptom subscale in the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. The internal consistency was close or greater than 0.7 for all domains of both instruments except for functional wellbeing in FACT-G.ConclusionsThis study revealed that neither of the two instruments can be replaced by the other in the assessment of HRQOL in Iranian patients with total laryngectomy. Accordingly, clinicians should exactly define their research questions related to patient-reported outcomes before choosing which instrument to use.

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Objective Fibrosis and scar formation following laryngeal repairing is a major concern. This study evaluated the efficacy of applying amniotic membrane (AM) as a biologic dressing to reduce fibrosis and inflammation and promote cartilage repair. Study design Experimental animal study. Methods Nine male white Dutch rabbits were selected. A standard defect (5 mm) was created in right and left thyroid lamina. In the right side, two layers of AM were applied while the left side was kept intact for future comparison. Histologic examination with criteria of inflammation, fibrosis, and cartilage regeneration was performed 2, 4, and 6 weeks following AM application. All procedures were done according to animal ethics rules. Results Histologic and gross examination showed that AM application was able to reduce inflammation and fibrosis and improve cartilage regeneration significantly. Conclusion As a useful intervention, AM application can reduce inflammation and fibrosis and enhance cartilage regeneration, following laryngeal defect repair. Level of Evidence NA Laryngoscope, 131:E527–E533, 2021