The melanoma, having its origin in the melanocyte cells, is one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer in the world with one of the highest rates of brain metastasis. The incidence of cutaneous melanoma in the Mediterranean countries varies from three to five cases/ 100 000 people/year. Its prognosis is based on an early diagnosis. Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is an extremely rare tumor, accounting for 0.3-2% of all melanomas. The non-specific symptomatology is often delaying the presentation of the patient at the hospital and therefore the diagnosis. The SNMM is a highly aggressive tumor, and the presence of metastasis at the diagnosis usually implies a poor prognosis. The management of the melanomas requires a precise pre-therapeutic assessment and a multidisciplinary approach for the diagnosis, with surgical treatment or radiotherapy required in order to ensure a better a quality of life. In this paper, we retrospectively analyzed two cases of mucosal melanoma and one case of cutaneous melanoma of the nose.

Currently, allergic rhinitis (AR) is the most common allergic disease worldwide. AR is defined as immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated chronic inflammatory disease of the upper airways. It characterizes by symptoms like nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, nasal itching, and sneezing. The immune system and genetic susceptibility in the interaction with the environment lead to the development of AR. Many cytokines, chemokines and cells maintain allergic inflammation. Studies show that 10% to 30% of the adult population are affected, and that prevalence rates are increasing world widely. AR, nasal polyps (NP), as well as chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) are all associated with eosinophilic infiltration and large quantities of mast cells (MCs) within the mucosa. The diagnosis and management of chronic sinonasal diseases involves the analysis of eosinophilic infiltration, MCs, and their markers eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) and tryptase. Regarding nasal cancer, nasal allergies were found to exhibit a dual function: immune surveillance may help in the defense against malignant cells, but an opposite effect is observed in tissues with chronic stimulation and inflammation. In the present paper, we studied a group of 70 patients diagnosed with AR and NP, rhinosinusitis or nasal cancer, admitted to the Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Clinic of the Emergency City Hospital, Timişoara, Romania, between January 2016 and December 2020, and we identified 37 (53%) patients diagnosed with AR and NP, 25 (36%) patients diagnosed with AR and rhinosinusitis, and eight (11%) patients diagnosed with AR and nasal cancer. The average age of the patients was 53 years old. Every patient included in the study was histopathologically and immunohistochemically diagnosed.

We present the case of a 54-year old woman diagnosed with chronic suppurative otitis media, who was admitted to the ENT Department with four-week-old, sudden-onset, left-sided facial nerve paralysis, and ipsilateral otalgia and hemicrania. Physical examination revealed positive signs of acute postaural inflammation. The patient’s facial nerve paralysis was scored as VI, according to the House-Brackmann scale. A cranio-facial computer tomography examination revealed mastoid cavity opacification, mucosal hypertrophy, and signs of chronic osteitis, with minimal mucous accumulation. The patient underwent a radical modified mastoidectomy with type-I tympanoplasty to verify the presence of a cholesteatoma, and to remove the offending lesions. Post-operatively, patient evolution was favorable, and prognosis remained encouraging. The patient’s evolution will be followed by check-ups every three months to assess progress and benefits of the treatment.

Background Patients with sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) and heart failure (HF) have concomitant different comorbidities and increased risk of morbidity. Aim The aim of this study was to analyze differences between patients with SAS and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF; ejection fraction [EF]≥50%) – group 1 and those with SAS and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF; EF<50%) – group 2. Methods We evaluated 51 patients with SAS and HF in the sleep laboratory of Timisoara Victor Babes Hospital. We collected general data, sleep questionnaires, anthropometric measurements (neck circumference [NC], abdominal circumference [AC]), somnography for apnea–hypopnea index (AHI), oxygen desaturation index (ODI), echocardiographic data, comorbidities, and laboratory test. Results The study included 51 patients who were divided into two groups depending on EF, with the following characteristics: Group 1 (HFpEF): 26 patients, 19 males, seven females, age 61.54±9.1 years, body mass index (BMI) 37±6.4 kg/m2, NC 45.4±3.6 cm, AC 126.6±12.9 cm, AHI 48.3±22.6 events/hour, central apnea 5.6±11.4 events/hour, obstructive apnea 25.7±18.7 events/hour, ODI 41.2±21.2/hour and lowest SpO2 –72.1±14%. Group 2 (HFrEF): 25 patients, 18 males, seven females, age 63.6±8.8 years, BMI 37.9±7.5 kg/m2, NC 46±4.4 cm, AC 127.2±13.9 cm, AHI 46.4±21.7 events/hour, central apnea 4.6±8.3 events/hour, obstructive apnea 25.9±18.5 events/hour, ODI 44.8±27.1/hour and lowest SpO2 –70.6±12.1%. Differences between groups regarding anthropometric and somnographic measurements and lipidic profile were not statistically significant. Significant differences were observed regarding stroke (23% vs. 4%, p=0.04) in the group with HFpEF and regarding creatinine measurements (1.1±0.2 vs. 1.4±0.7, p=0.049), aortic insufficiency (11.5% vs. 36%, p=0.04) and tricuspid insufficiency (6.1% vs. 80%, p=0.01) in the group with HFrEF. Conclusions Patients with SAS and HFpEF have a higher risk of stroke. Patients with SAS and HFrEF have a significantly increased risk of developing a life-long chronic kidney disease and aortic and tricuspid insufficiency. These results may suggest pathogenic links between SAS and the mentioned comorbidities, and this may explain the higher mortality when this association is present.