European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
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Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol · Oct 2015
Multicenter StudySeasonal trends in tinnitus symptomatology: evidence from Internet search engine query data.
The primary aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the symptom of tinnitus demonstrates a seasonal pattern with worsening in the winter relative to the summer using Internet search engine query data. Normalized search volume for the term 'tinnitus' from January 2004 through December 2013 was retrieved from Google Trends. Seasonal effects were evaluated using cosinor regression models. ⋯ Secondary analyses demonstrated similarly significant seasonal effects for Germany (p < 0.00001), Canada (p < 0.00001), and Sweden (p = 0.0008), again with increased search volume in the winter relative to the summer. Our findings indicate that there are significant seasonal trends for Internet search queries for tinnitus, with a zenith in winter months. Further research is indicated to determine the biological mechanisms underlying these findings, as they may provide insights into the pathophysiology of this common and debilitating medical symptom.
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Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol · Oct 2015
Effects of sumatriptan nasal spray (Imigran) on isolated rat's tracheal smooth muscle.
Sumatriptan (Imigran) is a potent and highly selective 5-HT1 receptor agonist often used in treating acute migraine. Intranasal sumatriptan is well absorbed and is generally effective in relieving headache. However, the effects of Imigran given intratracheally have rarely been well explored. ⋯ Imigran could inhibit electrical field stimulation-induced spike contraction. It also had a minimal effect on the basal tension of trachea as the concentration increased. The study indicated high concentrations of Imigran could cause bronchodilation to reduce asthma attacks not only by blocking parasympathetic tone, but also by directly antagonizing the effect of cholinergic receptors.
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Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol · Oct 2015
Is there a gender-related susceptibility for cisplatin ototoxicity?
Ototoxicity is a well-known side effect of cisplatin. Some genetic and non-genetic risk factors were described for cisplatin ototoxicity. Although there are some studies which point out a sex-related difference for cisplatin nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity, sex-related differences for cisplatin ototoxicity have not been studied. ⋯ Histopathological evaluation revealed more serious damage in the spiral ganglion and brainstem tissues of female rats. Hearing of female rats deteriorated more than the hearing of male rats upon application of cisplatin. This difference in hearing can be attributed to the more severe damage seen in neuronal tissues such as spiral ganglion cells and brainstem neurons.