OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between nasal airway function and Eustachian tube (ET) functions and their impact on tympanoplasty in patients with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM). MATERIALS AND METHODS The study group (CSOM group) consisted of 33 patients scheduled to undergo tympanoplasty for CSOM. Two control groups were formed: a nasal septal deviation (NSD) group of 25 pati...

What does it mean for one mind to be a different version of another one, or a natural continuation of another one? Or put differently: when can two minds sensibly be considered versions of one another? This question occurs in relation to mind uploading, where one wants to be able to assess whether an approximate upload constitutes a genuine continuation of the uploaded mind or not. It also occu...

The human microbiome, especially in the intestinal tract has received increased attention in the past few years due to its importance in numerous biological processes. Recent advances in DNA sequencing technology and analysis now allow us to better determine global differences in the composition of the gut microbial population, and ask questions about its role in health and disease. Thus far, r...

Syphilis still remains a major health concern worldwide because of the possibility of serious medical and psychological consequences, long-term disability, and death. Neurosyphilis (NS) may occur at any stage of infection. Its clinical presentation has been changing over recent years including- psychiatric and neurocognitive symptoms. Several recent studies have described cases with these sympt...

Recent debate and cases involving elite athletes raised the question whether or not Cannabis sativa (cannabis) should be considered doping in sports. Results from a 2010 report in the United States (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2011) showed that cannabis is the most used illicit drug, with 17.4 million users smoking cannabis and 6.9 million users smoking cannabis o...

600 Estrogen alone and joint symptoms in the Women’s Health Initiative randomized trial Rowan T. Chlebowski, MD, PhD, Dominic J. Cirillo, MD, PhD, Charles B. Eaton, MD, Marcia L. Stefanick, PhD, Mary Pettinger, MS, Laura D. Carbone, MD, MS, Karen C. Johnson, MD, MPH, Michael S. Simon, MD, MPH, Nancy F. Woods, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Jean Wactawski-Wende, PhD In this study the influence of estrogen a...

For many patients, living donor liver transplantation represents their only hope of receiving a lifesaving graft. In certain (albeit rare) cases, a minor will be the only suitable donor. Living liver donation by minors has been reported in several countries. In the academic literature and professional guidelines, little attention is paid to the development of an ethical framework for this pract...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate how the ranking of IVF programs changes if high-order multiple pregnancies (HOMPs) are considered negative outcomes. DESIGN Retrospective analysis. SETTING The 2004 Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System. PATIENT(S) Two hundred seven programs that performed >50 IVF cycles were analyzed, and only patients <or=35 years of age were ...

Lifelong low-phenylalanine (Phe) dietary management is the foundation of care in phenylketonuria (PKU). However, strict monitoring of food intake places a burden on patients and their caregivers, and adherence to the required diet frequently decreases in later childhood and adolescence. Rarely, parents of children with PKU refuse to recognise the importance of treatment and follow-up for this c...

This paper illustrates how taking alternative mergers into consideration when analyzing the effects of a proposed merger may provide some information to the antitrust authorities. In particular, the use of revealed preference may allow the authorities to establish an expected upper limit on the efficiency gains obtained in a given merger that also increases the participants’ market power. Such ...