Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVE: Various otolaryngology associations provide Internet-based patient education material (IPEM) to the general public. However, this information may be written above the fourth- to sixth-grade reading level recommended by the American Medical Association (AMA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). The purpose of this study was to assess the readability of otolaryngology-related IPEMs on various otolaryngology association websites and to determine whether they are above the recommended reading level for patient education materials. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Analysis of patient education materials from 9 major otolaryngology association websites. METHODS: The readability of 262 otolaryngology-related IPEMs was assessed with 8 numerical and 2 graphical readability tools. Averages were evaluated against national recommendations and between each source using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post hoc Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) analysis. Mean readability scores for each otolaryngology association website were compared. RESULTS: Mean website readability scores using Flesch Reading Ease test, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Coleman-Liau Index, SMOG grading, Gunning Fog Index, New Dale-Chall Readability Formula, FORCAST Formula, New Fog Count Test, Raygor Readability Estimate, and the Fry Readability Graph ranged from 20.0 to 57.8, 9.7 to 17.1, 10.7 to 15.9, 11.6 to 18.2, 10.9 to 15.0, 8.6 to 16.0, 10.4 to 12.1, 8.5 to 11.8, 10.5 to 17.0, and 10.0 to 17.0, respectively. ANOVA results indicate a significant difference (P < .05) between the websites for each individual assessment. CONCLUSION: The IPEMs found on all otolaryngology association websites exceed the recommended fourth- to sixth-grade reading level.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a consensus statement on the appropriate use of computed tomography (CT) for paranasal sinus disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A modified Delphi method was used to refine expert opinion and reach consensus by the panel. RESULTS: After 3 full Delphi rounds, 33 items reached consensus and 16 statements were dropped because of not reaching consensus or redundancy. The statements that reached consensus were grouped into 4 categories: pediatric sinusitis, medical management, surgical planning, and complication of sinusitis or sinonasal tumor. The panel unanimously agreed with 13 of the 33 statements. In addition, at least 75% of the panel strongly agreed with 14 of 33 statements across all of the categories. CONCLUSIONS: For children, careful consideration should be taken when performing CT imaging but is needed in the setting of treatment failures and complications, either of the pathological process itself or as a result of iatrogenic (surgical) complications. For adults, imaging is necessary in surgical planning, for treatment of medical and surgical complications, and in all aspects of the complete management of patients with sinonasal and skull base pathology.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: While continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is commonly used for obstructive sleep apnea treatment, its effect on middle ear pressure is unknown. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of CPAP on middle ear pressure and describe the correlation between CPAP levels and middle ear pressures. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of normal tympanometry values and a prospective cohort evaluation of subjects' tympanometric values while using CPAP at distinct pressure levels. METHODS: A total of 3,066 tympanograms were evaluated to determine the normal range of middle ear pressures. Ten subjects with no known history of eustachian tube dysfunction or obstructive sleep apnea had standard tympanometry measurements while wearing a CPAP device. Measurements were taken at baseline and with CPAP air pressures of 0, 5, 10, and 15 cm H(2)O. RESULTS: The percentage of normal control patients with middle ear pressures above 40 daPa was 0.03%. In the study population, prior to a swallowing maneuver to open the eustachian tube, average middle ear pressures were 21.67 daPa, 22.63 daPa, 20.42, daPa, and 21.58 daPa with CPAP pressures of 0, 5, 10, and 15 cm H(2) 0, respectively. After swallowing, average middle ear air pressures were 18.83 daPa, 46.75 daPa, 82.17 daPa, and 129.17 daPa with CPAP pressures of 0, 5, 10, and 15 cm H(2)0, respectively. The postswallow Pearson correlation coefficient correlating CPAP and middle ear pressures was 0.783 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Middle ear air pressure is directly proportional to CPAP air pressure in subjects with normal eustachian tube function. Middle ear pressure reaches supraphysiologic levels at even minimal CPAP levels. Although further investigation is necessary, there may be otologic implications for patients who are chronically CPAP dependent. These findings may also influence the perioperative practice of otologic and skull base surgeons.

Many guidelines for reporting hearing results use the threshold at 3 kilohertz (kHz), a frequency not measured routinely. This study assessed the validity of estimating the missing 3-kHz threshold by averaging the measured thresholds at 2 and 4 kHz. The estimated threshold was compared to the measured threshold at 3 kHz individually and when used in the pure-tone average (PTA) of 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 kHz in audiometric data from 2170 patients. The difference between the estimated and measured thresholds for 3 kHz was within +/- 5 dB in 72% of audiograms, +/- 10 dB in 91%, and within +/- 20 dB in 99% (correlation coefficient r = 0.965). The difference between the PTA threshold using the estimated threshold compared with using the measured threshold at 3 kHz was within +/- 5 dB in 99% of audiograms (r = 0.997). The estimated threshold accurately approximates the measured threshold at 3 kHz, especially when incorporated into the PTA.

The lack of an adequate standardized method for reporting level of hearing function in clinical trials has hampered the ability of investigators to draw comparisons across studies. Variability in data reported and presentation format inhibits meta-analysis and makes it impossible to accumulate the large patient cohorts needed for statistically significant inference. Recognizing its importance to the field and after a widely inclusive discussion, the Hearing Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery endorsed a new minimal standard for reporting hearing results in clinical trials, consisting of a scattergram relating average pure-tone threshold to word recognition score. Investigators remain free to publish their hearing data in any format they believe is interesting and informative, as long as they include the minimal data set to facilitate interstudy comparability.

Recent studies highlight the importance of BRAF alterations resulting in mitogen activated protein kinase (MAK/ERK) pathway activation in low-grade CNS tumors. We studied 106 low-grade CNS neoplasms in a cohort of primarily pediatric patients to identify the prevalence and clinicopathologic significance of these alterations. Polymerase chain reaction testing identified KIAA1549:BRAF fusions in 51 (48%) tumors overall, including 42 (60%) pilocytic astrocytomas, 4 (17%) unclassifiable low-grade gliomas, 4 (36%) low-grade glioneuronal/neuroepithelial tumors, 0 (of 5) pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas, 0 (of 4) diffuse astrocytomas (World Health Organization grade II), and 1 (of 3, 33%) pilomyxoid astrocytoma. KIAA1549:BRAF gene fusions confirmed by sequencing included the previously reported ones involving exons 1-16/9-18 (49%), 1-15/9-18 (35%), and 1-16/11-18 (8%) and 2 fusions with novel breakpoints: 1-15/11-18 (6%) and 1-17/10-18 (1%). DNA sequencing identified BRAF mutations in 8% of tumors. BRAF mutations were absent. KIAA1549:BRAF fusions were significantly more frequent in infratentorial (57%) and optic pathway (59%) tumors versus supratentorial (19%) tumors (p = 0.001). We did not identify significantly improved progression-free survival in tumors with fusions. In summary, KIAA1549:BRAF fusions predominate in pilocytic astrocytomas but are also present in some low-grade unclassifiable gliomas and glioneuronal tumors. The prognostic and therapeutic significance of this alteration is unclear and merits further study.

Background: Diagnosis and management of squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN) involves a multidisciplinary approach. Navigation at a public hospital can be difficult and lead to delays. In a previous study, we reported English-speaking and employed patients having longer provider delays (Lai 2011). In July 2010, we instituted the use of patient navigators, bimonthly management conferences, and improved inter-disciplinary communication in order to improve the patient experience. Aims: 1. Study differences in "provider delay" (time between first contact with health care provider and positive biopsy) between patients in cohort A (diagnosed between 1/2007 and 6/2010) and cohort "B" (diagnosed between 7/2010 and 6/ 2011). 2. Study differences in "treatment delay" (time between biopsy and initiation of treatment) between the two cohorts. 3. Determine what factors influence delays in both cohorts. Methods: The delays of the two cohorts were compared using the student t-test. Independent t-test and chi-square tests were used to examine associations between delays and the following characteristics: language, employment, presence of partner, gender, ethnicity, age, cancer sub-site, staging, number of co-morbidities, tobacco use, and alcohol use. The likelihood ratio test was used for multivariate analysis. Results: 133 patients in cohort A and 20 patients in cohort B were evaluable. Both provider and treatment delays in cohort B (50.5 and 39.3 days, respectively) were shorter than cohort A (60.2 and 41.6 days), but this was not statistically significant. The standard deviations of both delays were lower in cohort B, pointing towards a greater consistency in this group. In cohort A, provider delay was significantly shorter (p-value=0.003) for non-English speakers than English speakers on univariate and multivariate analysis. Other trends were not observed. Conclusions: Simple interventions can reduce provider and treatment delays. Our observations suggest that these interventions can mitigate t!

Cortical inhibitory circuits are formed by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-secreting interneurons, a cell population that originates far from the cerebral cortex in the embryonic ventral forebrain. Given their distant developmental origins, it is intriguing how the number of cortical interneurons is ultimately determined. One possibility, suggested by the neurotrophic hypothesis, is that cortical interneurons are overproduced, and then after their migration into cortex the excess interneurons are eliminated through a competition for extrinsically derived trophic signals. Here we characterize the developmental cell death of mouse cortical interneurons in vivo, in vitro and after transplantation. We found that 40% of developing cortical interneurons were eliminated through Bax (Bcl-2-associated X)-dependent apoptosis during postnatal life. When cultured in vitro or transplanted into the cortex, interneuron precursors died at a cellular age similar to that at which endogenous interneurons died during normal development. Over transplant sizes that varied 200-fold, a constant fraction of the transplanted population underwent cell death. The death of transplanted neurons was not affected by the cell-autonomous disruption of TrkB (tropomyosin kinase receptor B), the main neurotrophin receptor expressed by neurons of the central nervous system. Transplantation expanded the cortical interneuron population by up to 35%, but the frequency of inhibitory synaptic events did not scale with the number of transplanted interneurons. Taken together, our findings indicate that interneuron cell death is determined intrinsically, either cell-autonomously or through a population-autonomous competition for survival signals derived from other interneurons.

The pediatric dentist plays a crucial role in the treatment and management of infants born with cleft deformities of the lip, alveolus, and palate. At New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City, 70% of infants with cleft lip/cleft palate (CLCP) are detected on prenatal ultrasound analysis. Thus, the role of the pediatric dentist can start as early as prenatal counseling. Nasoalveolar molding (NAM) is delivered during the first 3 to 5 months of life. During this stage of treatment, the pediatric dentist establishes the foundation of the "cleft dental" home and initiates the first stage of anticipatory guidance. Consequently, parents are educated and motivated to initiate oral hygiene care upon eruption of the first primary teeth. The purpose of this paper was to describe the role of the pediatric dentist in performing nasoalveolar molding and also describe its indications, appliance design, fabrication, biomechanics, complications, and patient management.