The Expression and Regulation of Na+-K+-ATPase in Nasal Epithelial Cells of Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader The Expression and Regulation of Na<sup>+</sup>-K<sup>+</sup>-ATPase in Nasal Epithelial Cells of Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps Via O.R.L. Journal for oto-rhino-laryngology and its borderlands Objective: Na+-K+-ATPase (NKA) is essential in maintaining cell permeability, reserving potential energy, and preventing cellular edema. Nevertheless, how NKA expression is altered and regulated in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNPs) remain uncertain. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the expression and regulation of NKA in CRSwNP. Methods: NKA immunolabeling was assessed by the immunohistochemistry method, NKA prote in levels were detected with the Western blotting method, and mRNA levels of NKA and aquaporin-5 (AQP5) were assayed by real-time PCR in nasal tissues from CRSwNP and control subjects. The co-localization of NKA with inflammatory cells was evaluated by immunofluorescence staining. In addition, human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs) were cultured and stimulated using various stimulators to evaluate the regulation of NKA. Results: We found significantly decreased NKA positive cells, NKA protein levels, and mRNA levels of NKA and AQP5 in nasal tissues from CRSwNP patients compared to control subjects, especially in eosinophilic CRSwNP. Furthermore, NKA mRNA levels in HNECs were downregulated by staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), inflammatory cytokine (IFN)-γ, IL-4, IL-13, and IL-1β. Conclusion: NKA and AQP5 expressions were decreased in CRSwNP. NKA in HNECs could be suppressed by SEB, LPS, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-13, and IL-1β. Impairm ent of NKA may contribute to the genesis and development of CRSwNP via inducing AQP5 downregulation and edema. ORL View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Menopause and its Effect on Voice

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Menopause and its Effect on Voice Via Otolaryngology Indian Abstract This study was designed to study the impact of menopause on voice quality. Cross-sectional Observational study with a total of 100 subjects. All subjects underwent biochemical analysis which included thyroid function tests, estrogen levels, progesterone levels and underwent voice analysis using the VAUGHMI voice analyser software. 50 postmenopausal females as cases and 50 premenopausal females as controls were taken for the study. The females were of the age group 35–55 yrs in order to remove age as confounding factor. The primary outcome measure was Total score, calculated based on harshness, hoarseness and breathiness. The postmenopausal females had a poorer voice quality than the premenopausal females (Total score 1.62 vs 2.48, p < 0.001). There was a significant difference between the fundamental frequency and pitch and perturbation in frequency of the postmenopausal females as compared to premenopausal females. The difference in the pertu rbation in the intensity of the voice was not significant. No linear correlation could be established between the voice quality and oestrogen or progesterone levels but the intergroup variation of the two parameters was significant. The premenopausal females have better voice quality than postmenopausal females. The relationship between hormonal level and voice quality couldn't be established. Further studies are required to assess the relation of hormone levels & voice quality with the possibility of exploring voice cosmesis. Level of Evidence Level 3. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Does the wearing of masks change voice and speech parameters?

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Does the wearing of masks change voice and speech parameters? Via http://link.springer.com/journal/405,European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology,The European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021 Sep 22. doi: 10.1007/s00405-021-07086-9. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT PURPOSE: The authors aim to review available reports on the potential effects of masks on voice and speech parameters. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases through July 2021. Several targeted populations, mask scenarios and methodologies were approached. The assessed voice parameters were divided into self-reported, acoustic and aerodynamic. RESULTS: It was observed that the wearing of a face mask has been shown to induce several changes in voice parameters: (1) self-reported-significantly increased vocal effort and fatigue, increased vocal tract discomfort and increased values of voice handicap index (VHI) were observed; (2) acoustics-increased voice intensity, altered formants frequency (F2 and F3) with no changes in fundamental frequency, increased harmonics-to-noise ra tio (HNR) and increased mean spectral values in high-frequency levels (1000-8000 Hz), especially with KN95 mask; (3) aerodynamics-maximum phonatory time was assessed in only two reports, and showed no alterations. CONCLUSION: Despite the different populations, mask-type scenarios and methodologies described by each study, the results of this review outline the significant changes in voice characteristics with the use of face masks. Wearing a mask shows to increase the perception of vocal effort and an alteration of the vocal tract length and speech articulatory movements, leading to spectral sound changes, impaired communication and perception. Studies analyzing the effect of masks on voice aerodynamics are lacking. Further research is required to study the long-term effects of face masks on the potential development of voice pathology. PMID:34550454 | DOI:10.1007/s00405-021-07086-9 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Intensity patterns at the peaks of brain activity in fMRI and PET are highly correlated with neural models of spatial integration

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Intensity patterns at the peaks of brain activity in fMRI and PET are highly correlated with neural models of spatial integration Via Laryngologie Eur J Neurosci. 2021 Sep 22. doi: 10.1111/ejn.15469. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Spatial integration during the brain's cognitive activity prompts changes in energy used by different neuroglial populations. Nevertheless, the organization of such integration in 3D -brain activity remains undescribed from a quantitative standpoint. In response, we applied a cross-correlation between brain activity and integrative models, which yielded a deeper understanding of information integration in functional brain mapping. We analyzed four datasets obtained via fundamentally different neuroimaging techniques (fMRI and PET) and found that models of spatial integration with an increasing input to each step of integration were significantly more correlated with brain activity than models with a constant input to each step of integration. In addition, marking the voxels with the maximal correlation, we found exceptionally high inter-subject consistency wi th the initial brain activity at the peaks. Our method demonstrated for the first time that the network of peaks of brain activity is organized strictly according to the models of spatial integration independent of neuroimaging techniques. The highest correlation with models integrating an increasing at each step input suggests that brain activity reflects a network of integrative processes where the results of integration in some neuroglial populations serve as an input to other neuroglial populations. PMID:34550613 | DOI:10.1111/ejn.15469 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.