Seiichi Shinden

Influence of depressive symptoms, state anxiety, and pure-tone thresholds on the tinnitus handicap inventory in Japan

Abstract Objective: To assess factors that contribute to Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) scores in Japan. Design: Case series with chart review. Study sample: Two hundred and eighty-five tinnitus patients at tertiary referral center, who completed the Japanese version of the THI, the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results: In multiple regression analysis, the SDS score contributed the most to the THI score. The state section of the STAI score and pure tone average (PTA) at four high frequencies also contributed significantly, but to lesser degrees. The other following factors were not statistically significant: age, gender, time from the onset of tinnitus to the first clinical visit, PTA at three mid frequencies, and trait section of the STAI score. This model may account for approximately 45% of THI score variability. Conclusions: The THI scores may be influenced by depressive symptoms, state anxiety, and pure tone thresholds in Japan. Sumario Objetivo: Evaluar los factores que contribuyen a la puntuación del Inventario de Impedimento por el Acúfeno (THI) en Japón. Diseño: Serie de casos con revisión del expediente. Muestra: Doscientos ochenta y cinco pacientes en un tercer nivel de referencia que completaron la versión japonesa del THI, la escala de auto-evaluación de la depresión (SDS), y el Inventario de Rasgos del Estado de Ansiedad (STAI). Resultados: En un análisis de regresión múltiple, el puntaje de SDS tuvo la mayor contribución en el puntaje del THI. La sección de estado del STAI y el promedio de los tonos puros (PTA) en cuatro frecuencias altas también contribuyó significativamente, pero en un grado menor. Los factores siguientes no fueron significativos: edad, género, tiempo desde el inicio del acúfeno hasta la primera visita clínica, el PTA en tres frecuencias medias y la sección de rasgos en el STAI. Este modelo puede contribuir hasta aproximadamente 45% en la variabilidad del puntaje del THI. Conclusiones: el puntaje de THI en Japón, puede estar influido por síntomas depresivos, estado de ansiedad y los umbrales de los tonos puros.

Effects of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor on Treating Tinnitus in Patients Stratified for Presence of Depression or Anxiety

We evaluated the effects of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, paroxetine, on treating tinnitus.Tinnitus patients stratified for the presence of depression and anxiety were studied retrospectively. Fifty-six patients were observed for more than 6 months. They were initially treated with paroxetine only at a dose of 10 mg/day for 2–4 weeks; thereafter, the dose was increased to 20 mg/day. Tinnitus distress was evaluated with the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and with visual analog scales (VASs) for tinnitus loudness and annoyance. Depression and anxiety were measured with the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and the trait section of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The patients were grouped according to their SDS and STAI scores, and each variable was compared at baseline and the 6-month follow-up. Changes among these variables were also examined to determine whether reduced tinnitus distress was related to the improvement of depression or anxiety. Patients with both depression and anxiety showed better results (decrease in THI, VASs, SDS and STAI scores) than patients with anxiety alone, or patients without depression and anxiety. In patients with depression and anxiety, changes in tinnitus variables and changes in depression and anxiety scores were strongly correlated. In other patients, however, changes in tinnitus variables and changes in depression and anxiety scores were not correlated. These results suggest that paroxetine is effective in treating distressed tinnitus patients with depression and anxiety by reducing their tinnitus severity as well as their depression and anxiety.

Palliative radiotherapy for lingual metastasis of renal cell carcinoma

The report is of a 50-year-old man with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who had rapidly progressing metastasis to the tongue at 10 months after the left radical nephrectomy. The metastatic lingual tumor was not resectable, therefore treated with radiation (50 Gy). The tumor disappeared macroscopically after the radiation therapy, but enlarged again 4 months later. The patient died of respiratory failure due to multiple lung metastases 12 months after the appearance of the lingual metastasis. Radiation therapy is an acceptable palliative strategy for advanced lingual metastasis of RCC.

Spindle cell carcinoma of the palatine tonsil : report of a diagnostic pitfall and literature review

Spindle cell carcinomas of the tonsil are very rare tumors. We present an additional case that occurred in a 58-year-old woman. She presented with a tumor of the right tonsil. Histologic sections of tonsillar biopsies suggested that this tumor was a squamous cell carcinoma. She underwent a transoral resection of the right oropharynx. The final diagnosis was spindle cell carcinoma. We emphasize the difficulties in diagnosing this type of tumor and discuss therapeutic approaches to this rare tumor, which shows little response to radiotherapy; the literature is reviewed. We offer this case study in an effort to increase awareness of this rare malignancy.

Tracheoesophageal diversion versus total laryngectomy for intractable aspiration

This study evaluates the outcome and surgical stress associated with surgery for intractable aspiration. A retrospective review was conducted to compare the results between tracheoesophageal diversion and total laryngectomy. The operative time, intra-operative bleeding, time until drain removal, feeding conditions and surgical complications were compared between the two groups. Of the 19 patients, 31.6 per cent underwent tracheoesophageal diversion and 68.4 per cent received total laryngectomy. The operative time and drain insertion periods were statistically shorter in the tracheoesophageal diversion group, while the amount of intra-operative blood loss was smaller in the tracheoesophageal diversion group. The complication rate and the feeding conditions before and after surgery for the two groups did not show any statistically significant difference. Tracheoesophageal diversion was thus found to be a simple, safe, and reliable therapeutic modality for the control of intractable aspiration. Moreover, it induced less surgical stress than total laryngectomy.

Pre-therapeutic nutritional assessment for predicting severe adverse events in patients with head and neck cancer treated by radiotherapy

BACKGROUND & AIMS Malnutrition is common in patients with head and neck cancer (HNSCC). It may be related to severe adverse toxicity as a result of radiotherapy. The aim was to investigate nutritional screening factors for severe adverse events. METHODS A retrospective chart review of 101 patients who underwent radiotherapy from 2009 to 2013 was performed. The relationships among severe adverse events and pretreatment nutritional parameters, including static variables (serum albumin, total protein, total lymphocyte counts, body mass index), dynamic variables (retinol-binding protein, transferrin, pre-albumin), and nutritional screening tools (Onoderas Prognostic Nutrition Index [O-PNI]; Nutrition Risk Index; Controlling Nutritional Status [CONUT] score; Nutritional Risk Screening 2002) were evaluated in addition to patient and treatment factors. RESULTS According to the static parameters, approximately 30% of patients were malnourished before treatment. Twenty-four patients exhibited severe adverse events. On univariate analysis, combined chemotherapy, advanced staging, O-PNI <40, and CONUT score ≥5 were significant predictors of severe adverse events. Multivariate analysis revealed that O-PNI <40 and combined chemotherapy independently predict severe adverse events. CONCLUSIONS O-PNI is considered a useful nutritional factor for predicting severe adverse events in HNSCC patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy and facilitates the planning of aggressive nutritional interventions prior to treatment.

Pharmacological Inhibition of Cochlear Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Induces Secondary Inflammation in the Lateral Wall: A Potential Therapeutic Target for Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Cochlear lateral wall has recently been reported as a common site of inflammation, yet precise molecular mechanisms of the inflammatory responses remain elucidated. The present study examined the inflammatory responses in the lateral wall following acute mitochondrial dysfunction induced by a mitochondrial toxin, 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP). Reverse-transcription (RT)-PCR revealed increases in the expression of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6. Immunohistochemistry showed an increase in the number of activated cochlear macrophages in the lateral wall, which were in close proximity to IL-6-expressing cells. A genome-wide DNA microarray analysis of the lateral wall revealed that 35% and 60% of the genes showing >2-fold upregulation at 1 d and 3 d post-3-NP administration, respectively, were inflammatory genes, including CC- and CXC-type chemokine genes. High expression of CCL-1, 2, and 3 at 1 d, and of CCL-1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, CCR-2 and 5, and CX3CR1 at 3 d post-3-NP administration, coupled with no change in the level of CX3CL1 expression suggested that macrophages and monocytes may be involved in the inflammatory response to 3-NP-mediated injury. Quantitative (q)RT-PCR showed a transient induction of IL-1β and IL-6 expression within 24 h of 3-NP-mediated injury, followed by sustained expression of the chemoattractants, CCL-2, 4 and 5, up until 7 d after injury. The expression of CCL-2 and IL-6 was higher in animals showing permanent hearing impairment than in those showing temporary hearing impairment, suggesting that these inflammatory responses may be detrimental to hearing recovery. The present findings suggest that acute mitochondrial dysfunction induces secondary inflammatory responses in the lateral wall of the cochlear and that the IL-6/CCL-2 inflammatory pathway is involved in monocyte activation. Therefore, these secondary inflammatory responses may be a potential post-insult therapeutic target for treatments aimed at preventing the damage caused by acute mitochondrial dysfunction in the cochlear lateral wall.

Pretreatment Hematologic Findings as Novel Predictive Markers for Facial Palsy Prognosis

Objective To examine the relationship between prognosis of 2 different facial palsies and pretreatment hematologic laboratory values. Study Design Multicenter case series with chart review. Setting Three tertiary care hospitals. Subjects and Methods We examined the clinical records of 468 facial palsy patients who were treated with an antiviral drug in combination with either oral or intravenous corticosteroids in participating hospitals between 2010 and 2014. Patients were divided into a Bell’s palsy group or a Hunt’s palsy group. We used the Yanagihara facial nerve grading system to grade the severity of facial palsy. “Recovery” from facial palsy was defined as achieving a Yanagihara score ≥36 points within 6 months of onset and having no accompanying facial contracture or synkinesis. We collected information about pretreatment hematologic findings, demographic data, and electrophysiologic test results of the Bell and Hunt group patients who recovered and those who did not. We then compared these data across the 2 palsy groups. Results In the Bell’s palsy group, recovered and unrecovered patients differed significantly in age, sex, electroneuronography score, stapedial muscle reflex, neutrophil rate, lymphocyte rate, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and initial Yanagihara score. In the Hunt’s palsy group, recovered and unrecovered patients differed in age, electroneuronography score, stapedial muscle reflex, monocyte rate, platelet count, mean corpuscular volume, and initial Yanagihara score. Conclusions Pretreatment hematologic findings, which reflect the severity of inflammation and bone marrow dysfunction caused by a virus infection, are useful for predicting the prognosis of facial palsy.

The effects of cochlear implantation in Japanese single-sided deafness patients: five case reports

Abstract Conclusion Cochlear implantation (CI) for Japanese single-sided deafness patients resulted in improved speech perception, increased sound localization accuracy, and reduced tinnitus handicap. Objectives This study reports results for five adult SSD cases with CI, focusing on the benefits they obtained in terms of speech recognition, sound localization, and tinnitus handicap. Methods Five Japanese patients meeting the eligibility criteria were included in this study. All patients were implanted with a fully inserted MED-EL Concerto FLEX28® implant (MED-EL, Innsbruck, Austria). Speech perception outcomes in noise, as well as sound localization and tinnitus disturbance, were assessed pre-surgically and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after CI activation. Results The Japanese monosyllable test score in noise improved gradually after implantation. In some cases, speech perception ability appeared unstable, particularly in the first 1–6 months after implantation. The sound localization ability showed marked improvement in all cases, with the disturbance to daily life caused by tinnitus also decreasing in all cases from the early post-operative period.

A psychometric validation of the Japanese versions of new questionnaires on tinnitus (THI-12, TRS, TRSw, TSS, and TSSw)

Abstract Conclusion: The Japanese version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory-12 (THI-12), Tinnitus Rating Scale (TRS), TRS 1-week version (TRSw), Tinnitus Severity Scale (TSS), and TSS 1-week version (TSSw), which were developed in this study, showed high reliability and validity, suggesting their usefulness in clinical practice. Based on the THI severity grades, we propose that the severity grades of THI-12 (draft) are categorized into four groups: 0–4 points, 5–9 points, 10–14 points, and 15–24 points. Objectives: We developed Japanese versions of new questionnaires for evaluating the level of psychological distress and difficulty in activities of daily living due to tinnitus, and performed their psychometric validation to determine the reliability and validity. The THI-12 is an assessment consisting of 12 items, each of which is rated on a 3-point scale that was created by reducing the number of questions from the 25 items of the THI. The TRS, TRSw, TSS, and TSSw, which were self-evaluation questionnaires of tinnitus on an 11-grade integer Likert scale from 0 to10 points, were used as additional instruments to assess tinnitus severity and distress. Methods: The subjects were healthy adults, and patients with subjective tinnitus who were examined at the Otolaryngology Department of Keio University Hospital, Osaka City University Hospital, or Nagoya City University Hospital with a chief complaint of tinnitus between September 2010 and January 2011. In all, 38 healthy adult subjects and 113 patients with subjective tinnitus were included. We examined the reproducibility and the internal consistency for reliability. We also examined the relationship with the available scales (THI and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS) and group divergence for validity. Results: The psychometric validation showed high reliability and validity of the THI-12, TRS, TRSw, TSS, and TSSw.