Aim: To investigate the associations between hearing loss and prevalent and incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia and MCI or dementia (all cases). Methods: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of baseline and follow-up data were performed in a population-based cohort. The baseline sample of 2,599 adults aged ≥55 included 1,515 cognitively normal subjects who were followed up to 8 years. Hearing loss at baseline was determined by the whispered voice test, and MCI and dementia by Mini-Mental State Examination screening, Clinical Dementia Rating scale, neurocognitive tests, MRI, and panel consensus diagnosis. Results: Hearing impairment was associated with increased prevalence of dementia (odds ratio = 3.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-11.4, p = 0.027) but not MCI alone or all cases of MCI or dementia, adjusted for sex, age, ethnicity, education, central obesity, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking, alcohol, leisure time activity, cardiac diseases, and depressive symptoms. Among participants who were cognitively normal at baseline, those with hearing impairment were more likely to develop MCI or dementia (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.30, 95% CI 1.08-4.92, p = 0.032). Hearing loss was associated with elevated but statistically nonsignificant estimates of adjusted HR (1.85, 95% CI 0.78-4.40) for incident MCI alone. Conclusions: Hearing loss is independently associated with prevalent dementia and incident MCI or dementia.

Fracture of the clavicle is a common traumatic injury and comprises 4% of all fractures in adults. Amongst these, midshaft injuries account for the majority and medial fractures are uncommon (1). Whilst segmental fractures have been reported in the literature, concurrent lateral and medial injuries are very rare. These injuries are, therefore, susceptible to being missed, due to failure to look for a second injury after the initial diagnosis, and difficult X-ray interpretation around the area of the medial clavicle. The nature of segmental fractures can pose a difficult management problem for numerous reasons, and initial operative fixation is usually indicated. Early diagnosis is therefore imperative, and as such, clinical examination is essential even if an obvious mid or lateral shaft fracture is seen on X-ray. This unusual case of combined lateral and medial fractures was initially missed and the presentation and management is discussed.

Time between formation and closure of loop ileostomy following anterior resection of rectum is significantly delayed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Because of their high morbidity, defunctioning ileostomies should be closed as early as medically possible, especially if adjuvant chemotherapy is planned.

Surgical labyrinthectomy is effective for the elimination of vertigo in Ménière's disease patients. The major disadvantage in the past was loss of residual hearing. Cochlear implantation is now an option in these patients. The benefits of simultaneous labyrinthectomy with cochlear implantation include the prevention of implantation of a fibrosed or ossified cochlea, a decrease in the duration of deafness, and a single operative procedure.

Syndromic craniosynostosis is known to be associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which can often present in infancy. Although multifactorial, a predominant contributing factor is midface hypoplasia. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure has proven to be an effective treatment modality but may be poorly tolerated in certain cases. This study looks at the effectiveness of bypassing midface obstruction with a nasopharyngeal airway (NPA). Twenty-seven children with syndromic craniosynostosis with confirmed moderate to severe OSA were initially treated with an NPA. The mean age of NPA insertion was 12.3 months (range, 0.5-48 mo). Seventeen had severe OSA, and 10 had moderate OSA preinsertion. Post-NPA insertion, 26 of 27 children (96%) demonstrated an improvement in sleep severity scores, resulting in 3 with moderate OSA and 24 with mild OSA. There was a significant improvement in mean oxygen saturation, mean number of saturation dips greater than 4% per hour, percentage time spent less than 90% SpO2, and number of pulse rate rises per hour. There were no significant differences in mean pulse rate. The NPA was well tolerated by this patient group, with 24 of 26 children retaining it for at least 6 weeks. We believe that an NPA is therefore an effective first-line treatment modality in the management of OSA in children with syndromic craniosynostosis. It is well tolerated by the patient and may obviate the need for continuous positive airway pressure or tracheostomy.