The COVID-19 outbreak has spread extensively around the world. Loss of smell and taste have emerged as main predictors for COVID-19. The objective of our study is to develop a comprehensive machine learning (ML) modelling framework to assess the predictive value of smell and taste disorders, along with other symptoms, in COVID-19 infection. A multicenter case-control study was performed, in which suspected cases for COVID-19, who were tested by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), informed about the presence and severity of their symptoms using visual analog scales (VAS). ML algorithms were applied to the collected data to predict a COVID-19 diagnosis using a 50-fold cross-validation scheme by randomly splitting the patients in training (75%) and testing datasets (25%). A total of 777 patients were included. Loss of smell and taste were found to be the symptoms with higher odds ratios of 6.21 and 2.42 for COVID-19 positivity. The ML algorithms applied reached an average accuracy of 80%, a sensitivity of 82%, and a specificity of 78% when using VAS to predict a COVID-19 diagnosis. This study concludes that smell and taste disorders are accurate predictors, with ML algorithms constituting helpful tools for COVID-19 diagnostic prediction.

Background: Although smell and taste disorders are highly prevalent symptoms of COVID-19 infection, the predictive factors leading to long-lasting chemosensory dysfunction are still poorly understood. Methods: 102 out of 421 (24.2%) mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients completed a second questionnaire about the evolution of their symptoms one year after the infection using visual analog scales (VAS). A subgroup of 69 patients also underwent psychophysical evaluation of olfactory function through UPSIT. Results: The prevalence of chemosensory dysfunction decreased from 82.4% to 45.1% after 12 months, with 46.1% of patients reporting a complete recovery. Patients older than 40 years (OR = 0.20; 95% CI: [0.07, 0.56]) and with a duration of loss of smell longer than four weeks saw a lower odds ratio for recovery (OR = 0.27; 95% CI: [0.10, 0.76]). In addition, 28 patients (35.9%) reported suffering from parosmia, which was associated with moderate to severe taste dysfunction at the baseline (OR = 7.80; 95% CI: [1.70, 35.8]). Among the 69 subjects who underwent the UPSIT, 57 (82.6%) presented some degree of smell dysfunction, showing a moderate correlation with self-reported VAS (r = −0.36, p = 0.0027). Conclusion: A clinically relevant number of subjects reported persistent chemosensory dysfunction and parosmia one year after COVID-19 infection, with a moderate correlation with psychophysical olfactory tests.

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is an inflammatory disease of the nose and paranasal sinuses characterized by the presence of nasal polyps. The symptoms produced by the presence of nasal polyps such as nasal obstruction, nasal discharge, facial pain, headache, and loss of smell cause a worsening in the quality of life of patients. The source of the nasal polyps remains unclear, although it seems to be due to a chronic inflammation process in the sinonasal mucosa. Fibroblasts, the main cells in connective tissue, are intimately involved in the inflammation processes of various diseases; to this end, we carried out a systematic review to evaluate their inflammatory role in nasal polyps. Thus, we evaluated the main cytokines produced by nasal polyp-derived fibroblasts (NPDF) to assess their involvement in the production of nasal polyps and their involvement in different inflammatory pathways. The results of the review highlight the inflammatory role of NPDF through the secretion of various cytokines involved in the T1, T2, and T3 inflammatory pathways, as well as the ability of NPDF to be stimulated by a multitude of substances. With these findings, the fibroblast is positioned as a new potential therapeutic target in the treatment of CRSwNP.

(1) Background: Surgical criteria for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) remain unresolved. This study addresses these discrepancies by comparing the clinical outcomes of expanded–functional endoscopic sinus surgeries (E–FESS) with more-limited FESS (L-FESS). (2) Methods: A database was analyzed retrospectively to compare surgical outcomes in CRSwNP patients who underwent E-FESS versus those subjected to L-FESS. Quality of life, endoscopic and radiological outcomes were compared at the baseline and two years after surgery. The clinical status of the responder was defined when a minimal clinically important difference of 12 points in SNOT-22 change was achieved. (3) Results: A total of 274 patients met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed; 111 underwent E-FESS and 163 were subjected to L-FESS. Both groups exhibited significant clinical improvements, although a greater magnitude of change in SNOT-22 (14.8 ± 4.8, p = 0.002) was shown after E-FESS. Higher significant improvements for endoscopic and radiological scores and lower surgical revision rates were also noted in the E-FESS group. (4) Conclusions: E-FESS provides better clinical outcomes and reduced revision surgery rates when compared to L-FESS in CRSwNP patients two years after surgery, irrespective of any comorbidity. Further randomized prospective studies are needed to comprehensively contrast these results.

Objective To perform a systematic review to determine if isolated nasal surgery has any impact on subjective or objective parameters in adult obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. Materials and Methods From December 2022 to March 2023, we conducted a search on the PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Two independent investigators performed a study selection according to the established criteria, as well as data collection, including the study design, the subjective and objective parameters addressed, the type of intervention, and the outcomes, considering the methodological quality and risk of bias. Results In total, 25 studies met the selection criteria, and they showed that there is a significant improvement in sleep quality, sleepiness, nasal resistance, and snoring after isolated nasal surgery. Still, there is no relevant modification of other polysomnographic parameters. It also reduces the required titration pressures of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and increases the duration of its use. Conclusion Isolated nasal surgery is not a primary treatment for OSA. Still, it improves the subjective parameters and can lead to CPAP therapy success by enhancing its effectiveness and long-term compliance.

Introduction: The worldwide incidence rate of laryngeal cancer is declining. However, the 5-year survival for these patients has decreased in recent years from 66% to 63%. This may be due to changes in the treatment of the disease. The present study aimed to evaluate the survival rate of patients with LC according to the stage of the disease and the treatment applied. For this purpose, surgical versus organ preservation protocols (OPP) based on chemoradiotherapy were evaluated. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a tertiary hospital. The study included adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of primary LC. Patients with LC and systemic metastases and those with synchronous tumors at diagnosis were excluded. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the association between exposure to LC treatment and the time to event (death). Overall survival (OS), cause-specific survival (CSS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were calculated. Results: Patients with advanced tumors (stages III and IV) had almost three times the risk of LC death than those in the initial tumor stages (I and II) [HR CCS = 2.89 (95%CI 1.30–6.39)]; [HR OS = 2.01 (95%CI 1.35–2.98)]. Patients who underwent surgical treatment had a higher chance of survival than those who were treated according to OPP [HR = 0.62; 95%CI (0.38–1.02)] in CSS, 0.74 [95%CI (0.50–1.90)] in OS, and 0.61 [95%CI (0.40–0.91)] in DFS. Discussion: OPP changed the management of patients with advanced stages of LC, establishing CRT as an alternative to surgery. Our data did not reveal clinically relevant differences in OS between patients treated with OPP and those who underwent surgery; however, we reported differences in the DFS rate after five years of follow-up in favor of the surgery-treated group of patients. Conclusion: Surgical treatment improves CSS and DFS at five years in patients with initial LC with respect to radiation therapy alone. Furthermore, surgical treatment associated with complementary radiation therapy offers better CSS and DFS in patients with advanced LC.