Mazita Ami

Relation of Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission With Tinnitus

Objective: To investigate cochlear outer hair cell function based on distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) in patients with tinnitus.

Obstructive sleep apnea among express bus drivers in Malaysia: Important indicators for screening

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been identified as one of the significant risk factors for motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). In the interest of public safety, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of OSA and its associated factors among express bus drivers in Malaysia. Identifying factors or conditions related with OSA is very important because they can be used as indicators to subject a person to a confirmatory diagnosis using polysomnography testing. Methods: Two hundred eighty-nine randomly selected express bus drivers from 5 express bus companies participated in the study. Information on demography, medical history, clinical symptoms, and signs of OSA were collected by a designated medical officer and the diagnosis of OSA was done based on the Apnea Hypopnoea Index (AHI) from polysomnography testing. Results: Based on AHI, 128 (44.3%) subjects were diagnosed as having OSA with 83 (28.7%), 26 (9.0%), and 26 (6.6%) classified as mild, moderate, and severe OSA, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis results showed that age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–1.09), snoring (OR = 3.54, 95% CI 1.91–6.57), body mass index (BMI; OR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.09–1.25), hypertension (OR = 1.87, 95% CI 1.02–3.40), and neck circumference (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.18–1.46) were significantly associated with OSA status. Conclusions: The results supported the need for identifying the risk group for OSA among express bus drivers and the need to diagnose them early for an early intervention.

Effect of Growth Factor Supplementation on the Hair Cell Specific Markers of Cells Harvested from Basilar Membrane.

OBJECTIVE Loss of auditory hair cells is a major cause of deafness. The presence of auditory progenitor cells in the inner ear raises the hope for mammalian inner ear cell regeneration. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of growth factor supplementations, namely a combination of epidermal growth factor (EGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF), and beta (β)-fibroblast growth factor (βFGF), on the expression of hair cell-specific markers by cells harvested from the cochlear membrane. This would provide an insight into the capability of these cells to differentiate into hair cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS EGF, IGF, and βFGF were supplemented into the culture medium. The cells were evaluated by morphology, growth kinetic, gene expression, and protein expression. RESULTS The cultured cells of mouse basilar membrane were spindle shaped. Growth factors-enriched medium promotes a significantly higher proliferative activity than the basic culture medium but did not alter the cell morphology. Growth factors-enriched medium did not show any significant differences in the protein expression of the hair cell-specific markers myosin VIIa and calretinin and the stem-cell marker nestin. Gene expression analysis showed that the expression of the hair cell-specific genes myosin VIIa and calretinin as well as the stem cell genes nestin, Rex1, and Sox2 was reduced after the cells were passaged in the growth factor-supplemented medium. Cells in the basic medium expressed a significantly higher level of hair cell-specific genes at certain passages. CONCLUSION Growth factor supplementation could not maintain the expression of hair cell-specific markers by cells obtained from the cochlear membrane.

The Lower Cheek Flap Combined with Neurosurgical Approach for Infratemporal Fossa Tumour

Infratemporal fossa tumours are usually extensions of tumours from surrounding structures. Tumours extending into this region pose a surgical challenge due to its difficult access and various important structures contained within. We treated two such cases in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center (UKMMC) where the tumour involved both the intracranial and the infratemporal fossa. We describe our experience using the lower cheek flap as described by Balm et al1 to excise the tumour in the infratemporal region combined with neurosurgical approach.