Background Vestibular compensation is disrupted in patients with chronic vestibular syndrome. Vestibular rehabilitation is an exercise therapy that optimizes the process of vestibular compensation. This study aimed to evaluate virtual reality (VR) vestibular rehabilitation in 20 patients with vertigo due to peripheral vestibular dysfunction at a single center. Our study aim was to initially assess the impact of using virtual reality technology in vestibular rehabilitation. Material/Methods The subjects were 20 patients with unilateral vestibular hypofunction (UVH), as confirmed by videonystagmography. These were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 underwent vestibular rehabilitation using virtual reality and Group 2 was treated by conventional therapy. A VSS-SF questionnaire and the VAS scale were used to assess the effects and levels of patient satisfaction with therapy. Results Both groups demonstrated significantly ( P <0.001) lower values on the VSS-SF scales and VAS scales when assessed after treatment as compared to before treatment. Those undergoing conventional therapy reported significantly more severe symptoms on the VAS scale than did Group 1 at their second and third therapy visits. Indeed, Group 1 patients that underwent rehabilitation with the virtual reality component awarded significantly higher ( P =0.015) levels of subjective satisfaction when compared to Group 2. Conclusions We found that virtual reality vestibular rehabilitation in patients with vertigo due to peripheral vestibular dysfunction was as effective as conventional rehabilitation, with significantly increased levels of patient satisfaction.

Background: Otitis media with effusion (OME) can cause serious complications such as hearing impairment or development delays. The aim of the study was to assess the microbiological profile of organisms responsible for OME and to determine if a biofilm formation can be observed. Methods: Ninety-nine samples from 76 patients aged from 6 months to 12 years were collected for microbiological and molecular studies. Results: In microbiological studies, pathogenic bacteria Haemophilus influenzae (38.89%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (33.33%), and Staphylococcus aureus MSSA (27.78%), as well as opportunistic bacteria Staphylococcus spp. (74.14%), Diphtheroids (20.69%), Streptococcus viridans (3.45%), and Neisseria spp. (1.72%) were found. The average degree of hearing loss in the group of children with positive bacterial culture was 35.9 dB, while in the group with negative bacterial culture it was 25.9 dB (p = 0.0008). The type of cultured bacteria had a significant impact on the degree of hearing impairment in children (p = 0.0192). In total, 37.5% of Staphylococcus spp. strains were able to form biofilm. Conclusions: Staphylococcus spp. in OME may form biofilms, which can explain the chronic character of the disease. Pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria may be involved in the etiopathogenesis of OME. The degree of hearing loss was significantly higher in patients from which the positive bacterial cultures were obtained.

Introduction: The quality of life issue began to be earnestly studied in the second half of the 20th century. It had originally been used as a criterion for measuring levels of human development in the USA and Western Europe. At first, only objective parameters were assessed, such as material goods; however, later, subjective and non-material parameters were added, such as health, freedom, and happiness. Over time, more and more attention has been paid to the subjective parameters regarding any quality of life assessment. Adenoids are physiological clusters of lymphoid tissue included in Waldeyer’s ring, which play an important role in shaping and directing the child’s local and systemic lines of defence. Adenoid hypertrophy occurs due to a variety of factors, such as recurring or chronic infections of the upper respiratory tract. Study aim: To assess health status in children with adenoid system hypertrophy compared with a group of healthy children. Materials and methods: The study group consisted of children suffering from adenoid hypertrophy, this being the most common chronic disease of the upper respiratory tract. The control group was composed of children attending nursery school (kindergarten), primary school, middle school, and high school. The study was performed by using the Child Health Questionnaire—Parent Form 50 CHQ-PF-50 (CHQ-PF50), which is a general purpose research tool based on psychometric testing when assessing physical and mental well-being in children aged 5 to 18 years. Results: There were 101 filled out questionnaires for the test group (54 girls and 47 boys), mean age 8.62 years (ranging 5–17), whilst 102 questionnaires for the controls (50 girls and 52 boys), mean age 10.58 years (ranging 5–18). Insignificant differences were found between social functioning resulting from behaviour or emotional state (REB), pain and discomfort (BP), and family cohesion (FC). Conclusions: Children suffering from adenoid hypertrophy demonstrate the largest decreases in wellbeing in the following areas: behaviour, general perception of health, and mental health.

Introduction: Quality of life (QoL) can be simply defined as an area of human life that directly affects people which they consider to be important. This can be defined in greater detail as ‘an individual perception of an individual’s life position within a cultural context, value system and in relation to their tasks, expectations and standards determined by environmental conditions’. The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) more specifically focuses on how the QoL affects health (including both medical and non-medical issues). Limitations in well-being will, by association, also occur in those children suffering with sinus diseases. Study aim: To compare the quality of life in children–adolescents suffering from some of the most commonly occurring childhood diseases of chronic rhinitis and sinusitis on a group of healthy children–adolescents. Test materials and methods: Subjects were children–adolescents with at least one of the aforementioned conditions afflicting the upper respiratory tract. Admission criteria were: ages 5 to 18 years in the presence of a chronic disease such as chronic rhinitis and paranasal sinusitis. The Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form 50 CHQ-PF-50 (CHQ-PF50) was used, which is a general-purpose research instrument based on psychometric testing designed for assessing physical and mental well-being in children–adolescents aged 5 to 18 years. Results: Wellbeing significantly deteriorated in sick children within the following areas: current health status of the child (STAND), physical fitness (PF), social functioning resulting from behaviour or emotional state (REB), the impact of physical health on limitations in social functioning (RP), pain and discomfort (BP), behaviour (BE), mental health (MH), self-esteem (SE), general health perception (GH), influence of the child’s health condition on parental emotions (PE), limitations on parental leisure time due to the child’s health (PT) and restrictions on joint family activities (FA). Conclusions: The greatest impairment to well-being in children with chronic rhinitis and paranasal sinusitis was on the impact of the child’s health status on parents’ emotions, pain and discomfort and general perception of health. This study confirms that parents of healthy children attach great importance to their health and health-related quality of life.

Background: From the 1950s, the quality of life criterion came to be studied in earnest, originally forming a part of measurement of human development in Western Europe and the USA. The present study aims to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQL) between children with nasal septum deviation and healthy children controls. Materials and Methods: Subjects were children suffering from nasal septum deviation, one of the commonest chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Controls were randomly recruited from kindergarten, primary and secondary schools (junior high school & high school). All schools and subjects were randomly selected. The CHQ-PF50 questionnaire was used and outcome scores were calculated by an algorithm for the 13 tested HRQL variables. Results: Means for all outcome scores in the test subjects (i.e., children with deviated nasal septums) varied between 3.65–89.27 with a standard deviation between 0.83–25.66 and a median between 3.4–100 (n = 101). Those for the controls (n = 102) were 3.78–97.11, 0.86–14.21 and 4.40–100, respectively. Test subjects showed significant scoring declines in Physical Fitness, Role/Social–Emotional/Behavioral, Role/Social–Physical, Mental Health, Self-esteem, General Health Perceptions, Parental Impact Emotional and Time and Family Limitations in Activities. Conclusions: 1. The well-being of children with nasal septum deviation was found to be chiefly limited by their physical fitness, effects of physical condition on social behavior/interaction and how health is perceived. 2. Parents considered their children’s health to be paramount, as demonstrated by assessing the HRQL.