OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Dexamethasone is widely used in the treatment of various inner ear diseases. However, knowledge about its direct impact on glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression is still limited. STUDY DESIGN Prospective animal study in male guinea pigs. METHODS A therapeutic concentration of dexamethasone (8 mg/mL) or a physiological concentration of NaCl (0.9% solution) were intrat...

Although sensory neural hearing loss stemming from hypercholesterolemia has received attention in recent years, no information is available about inner ear injuries resulting from this condition. In this study, we prepared guinea pig models at hypercholesterolemia and observed the inner ear with a transmission electron microscope, and also investigated the effect of vitamin E (Vit. E) on these ...

Cochlear implants electrically stimulate spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in order to provide speech cues to severe-profoundly deaf patients. In normal hearing cochleae the SGNs depend on endogenous neurotrophins secreted by sensory cells in the organ of Corti for survival. SGNs gradually degenerate following deafness and consequently there is considerable interest in developing clinically releva...

The adenylate cyclase activity was analyzed in fetal, early postnatal and adult inner ears of the CBA/CBA mouse and also in approximately one month old inner ears from Shaker -1 and Shaker -2 mice. A comparison was made with the maturation of potassium levels in endolymph as investigated with the X-ray energy dispersive technique. Adenylate cyclase activity in the developing normal inner ear sh...

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare organ doses delivered to patients in wrist and petrous bone examinations using a multislice spiral computed tomography (CT) and a C-arm cone-beam CT equipped with a flat-panel detector (XperCT). For this purpose, doses to the target organ, i.e. wrist or petrous bone, together with those to the most radiosensitive nearby organs, i.e. thyroid and ...

In the inner ear, fast excitatory synaptic transmission is mediated by ionotropic glutamate receptors, including AMPA, kainate, and NMDA receptors. The recently identified delta1 and delta2 glutamate receptors share low homology with the other three types, and no clear response or ligand binding has been obtained from cells transfected with delta alone or in combination with other ionotropic re...

Neurodegenerative causes of blindness and deafness possess a major challenge in their clinical management as proper treatment guidelines have not yet been found. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been established as a promising therapy against neurodegenerative disorders including hearing and visual loss. Unfortunately, the blood-retinal barrier and blood-cochlear barrier, which have...

BACKGROUND To send meaningful information to the brain, an inner ear cochlear implant (CI) must become closely coupled to as large and healthy a population of remaining spiral ganglion neurons (SGN) as possible. Inner ear gangliogenesis depends on macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a directionally attractant neurotrophic cytokine made by both Schwann and supporting cells (Bank et al....

Transduction of sound in the inner ear demands tight control over delivery of oxygen and glucose. However, the mechanisms underlying the control of regional blood flow are not yet fully understood. In this study, we report a novel local control mechanism that regulates cochlear blood flow to the stria vascularis, a high energy-consuming region of the inner ear. We found that extracellular lacta...

Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of various malignancies. However, its maximum dose is often limited by severe ototoxicity. Cisplatin ototoxicity may require the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the inner ear by activating enzymes specific to the cochlea. Molecular hydrogen was recently established as an antioxidant that selectively reduces ROS, ...