Isolated inner ear decompression sickness (DCS) is recognised in deep diving involving breathing of helium-oxygen mixtures, particularly where breathing gas is switched to a nitrogen-rich mixture during decompression. The biophysical basis for this selective vulnerability of the inner ear to DCS has not been established. A compartmental model of inert gas kinetics in the human inner ear was con...

Case 3 is a rare congenital abnormality of the inner ear which usually presents as recurrent meningitis. This abnormality is now well documented.4 It should be suspected as a cause of recurrent meningitis in a child who has a sensorineural deafness. The presence of fluid behind the tympanic membrane should make one suspicious and the diagnosis can be confirmed by tomograms of the inner ear. The...

BACKGROUND Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) displayed strong activities in anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal studies and were reportedly efficient in treating otitis media. Information on distribution of AgNPs in different compartments of the ear is lacking. OBJECTIVE To detect distribution of Ag NPs in the middle and inner ear and transportation pathways after transtympanic injection....

Introduction:Visualization of inner ear structures is a valuable strategy for researchers and clinicians working on hearing pathologies. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a high-resolution imaging technology which may be used for the visualization of tissues. In this experimental study we aimed to evaluate inner ear anatomy in well-prepared human labyrinthine bones.Materials and Methods:Thr...

tory canal. The external auditory canal then channels the vibration toward the eardrum, or tympanic membrane (TM). This in turn causes the eardrum to vibrate, which sets into motion the mechanical structures of the middle ear. The middle ear ossicles, or middle ear bones. These 3 tiny bones are attached to the TM and move as it moves. They transmit the sound waves further along the auditory cha...

MicroRNA-200 family members are expressed in the developing mouse inner ear and in zebrafish (Danio rerio) olfactory epithelia, taste buds, and neuromasts, and have also been shown to be associated with differentiation of olfactory and taste buds. However, the role of the miR-200 family in the inner ear of zebrafish had not been studied. We investigated the expression and function of the miR-20...

Autophagy is a conserved catabolic process that results in the lysosomal degradation of cell components. During development, autophagy is associated with tissue and organ remodeling, and under physiological conditions it is tightly regulated as it plays a housekeeping role in removing misfolded proteins and damaged organelles. The vertebrate inner ear is a complex sensory organ responsible for ...

Two hundred and two operations on patients with a congenital ear malformation are presented. Special emphasis is placed on those patients seen in the past three years. The goal of surgery is normal, or near normal, hearing in the operated ear. The surgical approach is direct to the middle ear, and the mastoid air cell system is not opened. Temporalis fascia is used for the new tympanic membrane...