Katarzyna Pawlak-Osińska

Episodes of repeated sudden deafness following pregnancies

Sex hormones influence and provoke changes in hearing levels. Sudden deafness is rarely observed in pregnant women. The effective treatment of sudden deafness in pregnant women is a challenging problem. We present a case of repeatable, completely regressed sudden deafness in a woman during her first and second pregnancies.

Poszukiwanie patologii słuchowo-przedsionkowej w celiakii☆☆☆☆

Summary The aim of the study was looking for the vestibular or/and auditory pathology in patients with celiac disease. The group of 30 cases aged 6–18 (mean: 9,2) were tested. The results were compared with 30 healthy persons aged 6–18. The tonal audiometry, distorsion product otoacoustic emission, brain stem auditory evoked potentials, electronystagmography and vestibular evoked myogenic potentials were performed. There were no pathological findings on the base of audiological tests (till upper brain stem) in celiac disease. In electronystagmography gaze nystagmus, disordered eye-tracking test and optokinetic nystagmus were observed the most frequently. Gluten-free diet and time of the disease did not influence the results. The electrical conduction through the auditory and vestibular pathways were analyzed as well. No disturbances were noted in celiac disease. The results confirm the hypothesis that neurological signs – vestibular in our study – appeared early, were connected with the histopathological changes of jejunum and remained despite of correct treatment of the disease.

Wartość testu Halamagyi-Curthoysa w diagnostyce neurootologicznej

Summary The aim of the study The goal of the study was to state the usefulness of the Halmagyi-Curthoys’ test in the patients with unilateral vestibular weakness. The influence of the heaviness of the canal paresis, spontaneous nystagmus and compensation on the test results was observed. Material and methods The investigation was performed in 68 patients with unilateral vestibular weakness of the various origin. Halmagyi-Curthoys’ test was done using passive way. Results In healthy subjects the test results were negative. In patients: 47% demonstrated positive test, 44,1% negative proof, in 8,9% test was difficult to estimate. Conclusions The obtained results pointed out that Halmagyi-Curthoys test is useful as orientation, preliminary examination, generally in cases with deep canal paresis (according to Dix- Hallpikes classification).

The Oxidant–Antioxidant Equilibrium and Inflammatory Process Indicators after an Exercise Test on the AlterG Antigravity Treadmill in Young Amateur Female Athletes

The AlterG antigravity treadmill allows running with a considerable weight reduction. Physical exercise practiced on this treadmill is an innovative method supporting the treatment of injuries in sports and rehabilitation of patients. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of a 30 min run on the AlterG treadmill with 80% body weight reduction comparing the effect to the similar effort on the classic treadmill on the redox equilibrium and the activity of selected lysosomal enzymes and a serine protease inhibitor in the blood of amateur minor female volleyball players. Venous blood samples were taken before the exercise and 30 minutes and 24 hours after its completion. The obtained results were analysed using Tukeys test and Pearsons linear correlations were calculated. 24 h after the running test on classic treadmill, the erythrocytic superoxide dismutase activity was higher than before and 30 min after it, as well as compared to the run on AlterG treadmill (p < 0.001). The erythrocytic-conjugated diene concentration 24 h after the exercise on the classic treadmill was meaningly higher compared to that after the exercise on the AlterG treadmill (p < 0.001). The cathepsin D activity was significantly lower after the exercise in AlterG conditions compared to the baseline value and that measured after the exercise on classic treadmill (p < 0.001). It seems that the exercise on the AlterG treadmill keeps the oxidant–antioxidant equilibrium and stabilizes lysosomal membranes in young, physically active women in contrast to the exercise on the classic treadmill. This trial is registered with CTRI/2018/01/011344.

Assessment of the State of the Natural Antioxidant Barrier of a Body in Patients Complaining about the Presence of Tinnitus

Background Tinnitus is defined as a phantom auditory perception, i.e., sound experience despite the lack of acoustic stimuli in the environment. The aim of this study was to assess the state of the natural antioxidant barrier of a body in patients complaining about the presence of tinnitus. Material and Methods The study included a total of 51 patients aged from 20 to 62 years with diagnosed idiopathic tinnitus and 19 healthy subjects as a control group. All patients underwent the audiometric tone test, speech audiometry, distortion otoacoustic emission product testing, study of evoked auditory potentials of short latency, and biochemical analysis of venous blood concerning values of activity or concentration of glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, S-transferase, glutathione reductase superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, and ceruloplasmin as the selected parameters of oxidative stress. Results Disorders of the auditory pathway were not only limited to the cochlea but also covered its further episodes. Mean values of activity or concentration of the selected parameters of oxidative stress in the study and control groups showed reduced effectiveness of the bodys natural antioxidant barrier. Discussion Patients complaining about the presence of tinnitus showed reduced effectiveness of the bodys natural antioxidant barrier compared to the control group. Conclusions The main indication to undertake further research on the functioning of the antioxidant barrier in people suffering from ailments in the form of tinnitus is to determine a suitable therapy aimed at improving the quality of life of these patients, which might be the administration of antioxidant medications.

Chondrosarcoma of the maxilla: a case report and review of current literature

Chondrosarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal tumour that is the second most common bone tumour after osteosarcoma. Its diagnosis is among the most difficult ones in tumour pathology. Here, we report a very unique case of chondrosarcoma in maxillary sinus. A 45-year-old woman presented with a tumour on the left side of the maxillary sinus. CT and MRI imaging showed an abnormal mass destructing surrounding tissues. The final diagnosis of chondrosarcoma could not be made for a long time due to lack of correlation between clinical and microscopic examinations. The patient underwent left subtotal maxillectomy via Weber-Ferguson incision, bilateral ethmoidectomy, sphenoidectomy, and right upper turbinectomy, and excision of nasal septum, left frontal sinus, and left exenteration of orbit. Histological changes in the small biopsy specimen may be not sufficient for definitive diagnosis. Our case shows that radiography combined with histopathology is necessary to make the final diagnosis. The presented case revealed that chondrosarcoma can be a heterogeneous tumour. Collecting tissue samples from different locations is essential for improving diagnosis and reducing diagnostic error. Combining clinical data even with uncertain microscopic examination may be a solution in borderline and complicated cases.

The role of Rho-kinase and calcium ions in constriction triggered by ET-1

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is one of the key factors regulating tension of smooth muscles in blood vessels. It is believed that ET-1 plays an important role in pathogenesis of hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases; therefore, research in order to limit ET-1-mediated action is still in progress. The main objective of this paper was to evaluate the role of Rho-kinase in the ET-1-induced constriction of arteries. The analysis also included significance of intra- and extracellular pool of calcium ions in constriction triggered by ET-1. The studies were performed on perfused Wistar rat tail arteries. Concentration response curve (CRC) was determined for ET-1 in the presence of increased concentrations of Rho-kinase inhibitor (Y-27632) and IP3-receptor antagonist (2APB), both in reference to constriction triggered by solely ET-1. Afterwards, the influence of calcium ions present in the perfusion fluid was evaluated in terms of the effect triggered by 2APB and occurring in arteries constricted by ET-1. ET-1, in concentration dependent manner, leads to increase in perfusion pressure. Y-27632 and 2APB lead to shift of the concentration response curve for ET-1 to the right with simultaneously lowered maximum effect. There was no difference in reaction of the artery constricted by ET-1 and treated with 2APB in solution containing calcium and in calcium-free solution. Vasoconstrictive action of endothelin is not significantly dependent on the inflow of extracellular calcium, but it is proportional to inflow of Ca2+ related to activation of IP3 receptors and to Rho-kinase activity.

Neuroprotective Activity of Sitagliptin via Reduction of Neuroinflammation beyond the Incretin Effect: Focus on Alzheimer’s Disease

Sitagliptin is a member of a class of drugs that inhibit dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP-4). It increases the levels of the active form of incretins such as GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) or GIP (gastric inhibitory polypeptide) and by their means positively affects glucose metabolism. It is successfully applied in the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2. The most recent scientific reports suggest beneficial effect of sitagliptin on diseases in which neuron damage occurs. Result of experimental studies may indicate a reducing influence of sitagliptin on inflammatory response within encephalon area. Sitagliptin decreased the levels of proinflammatory factors: TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α), IL-6 (interleukin-6), IL-17 (interleukin-17), and CD-163 (cluster of differentiation 163), and contributed to an increase in levels of anti-inflammatory factors: IL-10 (interleukin-10) and TGF-β (transforming growth factor β). Moreover, sitagliptin demonstrated antioxidative and antiapoptotic properties by modifying glutamate and glutathione levels within the region of hippocampus in mice. It has been observed that sitagliptin decreases accumulation of β-amyloid within encephalon structures in experimental models of Alzheimers dementia. This effect may be connected with SDF-1α (stromal cell-derived factor 1α) concentration. Administration of sitagliptin caused a significant improvement in MMSE (Mini–Mental State Examination) tests used for assessment of dementias. The paper presents potential mechanisms of sitagliptin activity in conditions connected with neuroinflammation with special emphasis on Alzheimers disease.

An Analysis of the Association between Epilepsy-Related Genes and Vertigo in the Polish Population

Considering the possibility of a common genetic background of vertigo and epilepsy, we genotyped an affected group of individuals with vertigo and an unaffected group, by studying 26 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 14 genes which were previously reported to be of particular importance for epilepsy. Significant differences were found between the patients and the control group (χ2 = 38.3, df = 3, p = 1.6 × 10–7) for the frequencies of haplotypes consist ing of 2 SNPs located in chromosome 11 (rs1939012 and rs1783901 within genes MMP8 and SCN3B, respectively). The haplotype rs1939012:C-rs1783901:A, consisting of the minor-frequency alleles was found to be associated with a higher risk of vertigo (OR = 5.0143, 95% CI = 1.6991–14.7980, p = 0.0035). In contrast, the haplotype rs1939012:T-rs1783901:A showed a significant association with a decreased risk of the disease (OR = 0.0597, 95% CI = 0.0136–0.2620, p = 0.0002). Our results suggest that the SNPs rs1939012 and rs1783901 may play a potential role of gene regulation and/or epistasis in a complex etiology of vertigo.

Objawy neurootologiczne w zespole Brunsa

Summary The aim of the study was to present clinical neurootological symptoms in the case of early stage of the fourth ventricle tumor diagnosed finally on the base of MRI. Visual-oculomotor, vestibular-oculomotor, vestibulo-spinal and other electrophysiological signs of the vestibular damage of the brainstem were: paresis of the sixth nerve unilaterally, prolonged latency of III–V waves on brain stem audiological responses (BERA), asymmetry of the fusion limit of optokinetic nystagmus, bilateral areflexia of the caloric and kinetic labyrinth reaction, abnormal Unterbergers test in craniocorpography, the presence of gaze nystagmus. The study stressed the value of the widen and careful neurootological examination in such cases.The aim of the study was to present clinical neurootological symptoms in the case of early stage of the fourth ventricle tumor diagnosed finally on the base of MRI. Visual-oculomotor, vestibular-oculomotor, vestibulo-spinal and other electrophysiological signs of the vestibular damage of the brainstem were: paresis of the sixth nerve unilaterally, prolonged latency of III-V waves on brain stem audiological responses (BERA), asymmetry of the fusion limit of optokinetic nystagmus, bilateral areflexia of the caloric and kinetic labyrinth reaction, abnormal Unterbergers test in craniocorpography, the presence of gaze nystagmus. The study stressed the value of the widen and careful neurootological examination in such cases.