PURPOSE We compared cadherin 23 (Cdh23) mRNA and protein variants in the inner ear and retina of wild-type and mutant mice and primates to better understand the pleiotropic effects of Cdh23 mutations, and specifically to understand the absence of retinal degeneration in Cdh23 mutant mice. METHODS Semiquantitative real-time PCR was used to compare the level of expression of Cdh23 alternative t...

4-chlorobenzoyl-coenzyme A (4-CBA-CoA) dehalogenase catalyzes the hydrolytic dehalogenation of 4-CBA-CoA by attack of Asp145 on the C4 of the substrate benzoyl ring to form a Meisenheimer intermediate (EMc), followed by expulsion of chloride ion to form an arylated enzyme intermediate (EAr) and, finally, ester hydrolysis in EAr to form 4-hydroxybenzoyl-CoA (4-HBA-CoA). This study examines the c...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate and establish the use of tympanometry in conscious sheep to provide a means of objective assessment of tympanic membrane integrity, middle ear ventilation and functioning of the Eustachian tube (ET). DESIGN: After conditioning the sheep for four weeks, tympanometric measurements at 226 Hz were carried out weekly for 13 weeks. Before measurements, the external ear canal...

Dichotic listening was evaluated using monosyllabic word pairs that differed in lexical difficulty as defined by the Neighborhood Activation Model of spoken word recognition. Four combinations of lexically EASY and lexically HARD words were evaluated (same pair: EASY-EASY, HARD-HARD; or mixed pair: EASY-HARD, HARD-EASY) in young adult listeners with normal hearing and older adult listeners with...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of the virulence characteristics of specific pneumococcal proteins on the inner ear. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES A histologic comparison of inflammatory cell infiltration and pathologic changes in the round window membrane and inner ear. RESULTS Most of the animals inoculated with high-dose pneumolysin or wild-type bacteria showed severe pathologic changes of ...

recent developments in medicine have given us a better insight into a group of disorders known as autoimmune diseases. in particular, advances have occurred in our understanding of the autoimmune inner ear disease (aied). in this article, the authors review the different postulated theories in the pathogenesis of this disease. the clinical presentation, the available para-clinical diagnostic to...

Carcinoid tumor of the middle ear is a very rare benign neoplasm, which may be mistaken for a malignant tumor. We present two new cases together with a review of 28 previously reported cases. Nearly all patients had progressive hearing loss, most often of the conductive type. About half of the patients complained of tinnitus and fullness of the ear. The typical otoscopic picture was erythema or...

Glandular tumors involving the middle ear are rare and distinguishing between adenoma and adenocarcinoma remains difficult. A distinct subclass of these tumors demonstrates microscopic papillary architecture and has a propensity to erode the petrous bone and extend intracranially. The term "aggressive papillary middle ear tumor" has recently been proposed to describe this more invasive type of ...

BACKGROUND Cholesterol granuloma of the middle ear is extremely rare in comparison to cholesterol granuloma of the petrous apex but sometimes shows an aggressive course. CASE REPORT We report herein a case involving a large, aggressive cholesterol granuloma of the middle ear that eroded the middle cranial fossa. A 64-year-old woman presented with pain in the left ear and hearing loss. Cholest...