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Background microRNAs (miRNAs) are potentially involved in many physiopathological processes, including regulation of cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis and cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the genes encoding miRNAs can alter their expression and may influence cancer risks. This case-control study explored the relationship between three microRNA polymorphisms (miR-27a, miR-196a2 and miR -146a) and breast cancer (BC). Methods A total of 353 breast cancer cases and 353 controls were genotyped for miR-27a (rs895819), miR-196a2 (rs11614913) and miR -146a (rs2910164). The miR-27a and miR-146a variants were discriminated using a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism method, while miR-196a2 were analysed by tetra-primers amplification refractory mutation system PCR. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to estimate associations. Results The CC homozygous genotype of miR-146a (rs2910164) was seen in 45(12.7%) patients with breast cancer and 18(5.1%) controls (OR 4.09 [95%CI 2.19-7.67] p < 0.001). The minor allele G of miR-27a was associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer (OR 0.24 [95% CI 0.14-0.42] p < 0.001). The miR-196a2 (rs11614913) was not related to breast cancer (p > 0.05). Conclusion Our data indicate that miR-146a (rs2910164) and miR-27a (rs895819) variants contribute to breast cancer. Further studies in larger populations including other genetic and environmental factors are required to achieve a definitive conclusion.

Objective We aimed to simultaneously compare all available medical treatments for Bell's palsy using both direct and indirect data. Methods The literature was searched from January 1, 1990, until March 1, 2020, with no language restrictions. Randomized clinical trials comparing pharmacological interventions were included in the current network meta‐analysis. We estimated summary risk ratios (RRs), 95% credible interval (CrI), and the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) using network meta‐analyses with random effects in a Bayesian framework. The primary outcomes were complete recovery in short‐term (≤3 months) and intermediate/long‐term (>3 months) after randomization. The secondary outcome was synkinesis. Results In total, 21 trials comprising 2,839 participants were retrieved. In terms of good recovery, corticosteroids plus antivirals were the most effective treatment compared to placebo, with RRs ranging between 1.25 (95% CrI: 1.10, 1.43) for the short‐term and 1.26 (95% CrI: 1.11, 1.45) for the intermediate/long‐term recovery. For synkinesis, only corticosteroids plus antivirals (RR 0.35; 95% CrI: 0.19, 0.65) were associated with fewer synkinesis rates than placebo. The certainty of the evidence for good recovery and synkinesis was very low‐low and moderate‐high, respectively. Conclusions This network meta‐analysis showed that combined therapy remains the best regimen for a good recovery outcome and the only efficacious regimen for synkinesis. More research is needed to confirm these findings. Laryngoscope, 131:1615–1625, 2021

Background: Over the past decade, following the discovery that developing brain of immature animals was affected by anesthetic agents, the safety of general anesthesia (GA) in early life has been questioned. Objectives: We investigated the association between anesthesia exposure in children and ADHD development. Methods: This case-control study was conducted at pediatric psychology clinic of our institution and a pediatric neurology private clinic during 2019. Firstly the responsible resident of anesthesiology separated new ADHD cases. Then a questionnaire was filled out through an almost 10 minute’s telephone interview. Finally, frequency distribution of GA was compared between ADHD cases and controls. Results: Finally, the data from 210 children were analyzed. Among 105 ADHD cases, 19% had a history of a procedure requiring GA while it was 3.8% in control group. Comparing the two groups a significant difference was observed regarding the age of receiving GA (P = 0.004), gender (P < 0.001), the history of receiving GA (P = 0.001) and the number of anesthesia exposures (P = 0.001). According to logistic regression analysis, male gender (P = 0.001) OR 3.11 (95CI = 1.63 - 5.93) and age (P = 0.003) OR 0.92 (95CI = 0.87 - 0.97) were significant predictors of early exposure to GA and ADHD development. Conclusions: It was revealed that early exposure to GA might be a risk factor for later developing ADHD. Boys might be more sensitive to the long term adverse effects of anesthetic agents than girls. Further prospective well-planned studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Primary snoring (PS) is one of the sleep breathing disorders with suboptimal results of treatment. It is recommended that Oropharyngeal exercises can be a therapeutic choice for the patients with mild to moderate degrees of PS. We assessed the effects of oropharyngeal-lingual (OPL) exercises on patients with primary snoring (PS) referred to Amiralmomenin University Hospital, Rasht, Iran in 2012. Fifty-three patients with PS underwent the sets of OPL exercises for 3 months, 5 days a week, and 30 min a day under the supervision of a speech therapist. Severity of the snoring was assessed by use of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Snoring Scale Score (SSS) criteria before and after the exercises, and data were analyzed using SPSS version 17. Mean SSS before the study was 7.01 ± 1.72, while it was 3.09 ± 2.7 after the study; and the mean VAS scores were 8.54 ± 1.89 and 4.69 ± 2.94 before and after the study, respectively (P = 0.0001). There was a significant relationship between having conflicts with roommates (P = 0.0001), duration of snoring occurrence (P = 0.0001), severity of snoring (P = 0.0001) before and after the intervention. In conclusion, doing the OPL exercises significantly decreases the severity of PS.