Background.We aim to provide useful evidence about the association of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) and its possibility of emerging as a cheap, reliable, and independent prognostic marker of ISSNHL.Methods.348 patients diagnosed with ISSNHL were included in our retrospective data analysis. Blood samples and the hearing assessments of the patients were carried out. Then, the patients were divided into 2 groups as “recovered” and “unrecovered” according to their response to the treatment.Results.Both mean NLR and PLR values of the ISSNHL patients were significantly higher than the control group (bothP<0.001). The NLR value was5.98±4.22in the unrecovered group and3.50±3.38in the recovered group (P<0.001). After adjustment in a binary logistic regression model, only NLR value was associated with the recovery of ISSNHL (P=0.001).Discussion.We demonstrated for the first time that NLR and PLR values were significantly high in ISSNHL patients. Also the NLR level might be taken into account as a novel potential marker to predict the patients’ prognosis in terms of recovery.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread rapidly and was declared a pandemic. In this situation, vaccination for COVID-19 is important and has been prompted in many countries. Rare serious adverse events including Guillain-Barré syndrome, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, and myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccinations have been reported. Otolaryngologic adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination were reported, including several cases of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). We report three patients with SSNHL within three days after COVID-19 vaccination and consider an association between them. Although there is no evidence of an association between vaccination and SSNHL, the adverse event of SSNHL after COVID-19 vaccination should be kept in mind because viral infection could be the etiology of SSNHL, which is an otologic emergency that requires prompt treatment with steroids.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative bacterium of clinical significance, produces elastase as a predominant exoprotease. Here, we screened a library of chemical compounds currently used for human medication and identified diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid (DTPA, pentetic acid) as an agent that suppresses the production of elastase. Elastase activity found in the prototypeP. aeruginosastrain PAO1 was significantly decreased when grown with a concentration as low as 20 μM DTPA. Supplementation with Zn²⁺or Mn²⁺ions restored the suppressive effect of DTPA, suggesting that the DTPA-mediated decrease in elastase activity is associated with ion-chelating activity. In DTPA-treated PAO1 cells, transcription of the elastase-encodinglasBgene and levels of thePseudomonasquinolone signal (PQS), a molecule that mediatesP. aeruginosaquorum sensing (QS), were significantly downregulated, reflecting the potential involvement of the PQS QS system in DTPA-mediated elastase suppression. Biofilm formation was also decreased by DTPA treatment. When A549 alveolar type II-like adenocarcinoma cells were infected with PAO1 cells in the presence of DTPA, A549 cell viability was substantially increased. Furthermore, the intranasal delivery of DTPA to PAO1-infected mice alleviated the pathogenic effects of PAO1 cells in the animals. Together, our results revealed a novel function for a known molecule that may help treatP. aeruginosaairway infection.

The associations between hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia with Bell’s palsy have been controversial and only a few studies have assessed risk factors for Bell’s palsy based on population-based data. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether sociodemographic factors such as sex, age, residence, household income, and metabolic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia were risk factors for Bell’s palsy using the National Health Insurance Service National Sample Cohort data of Korea. Patients who visited an outpatient clinic twice or more or had one or more admission and received steroid medication under the International Classification of Diseases diagnostic codes for Bell’s palsy from 2006 to 2015 were defined as patients with Bell’s palsy in this study. The associations between sociodemographic factors and metabolic diseases to Bell’s palsy were analyzed with univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models. There were 2708 patients with Bell’s palsy recorded from 2006 to 2015. Male sex, advanced age, residence in a location other than the capital and metropolitan cities, hypertension, and diabetes were significant risk factors for Bell’s palsy. This study is significant for patients and providers because we analyzed the relationships using a population-based database over a long-term follow-up period.