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ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to evaluate human surgical specimens for cholesteatoma-associated changes in amphiregulin expression and determine potential relations to clinical disease variables. Amphiregulin, an epidermal growth factor receptor ligand, has functions in normal epithelial proliferation and aberrant neoplastic cell growth and is proinflammatory (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, fibrosis) and active in hyperproliferative cutaneous conditions including psoriasis and wound healing. These known amphiregulin activities and the characteristic epithelial expansion and bone erosion of cholesteatoma pathophysiology prompted testing of the hypothesis that amphiregulin expression levels are altered in cholesteatoma and correlate to the disease state.
Prospective experimental study, cross-sectional analysis.
Relative changes in amphiregulin gene expression were quantitated by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses of cholesteatoma epithelium compared to uninvolved control tissues from patients' postauricular and external auditory canal regions. Western immunoblot assays were performed for qualitative evaluation of amphiregulin protein expression. The t test and Fisher exact test were used for analysis.
A statistically significant increase in amphiregulin gene expression was associated with cholesteatoma specimens compared to uninvolved postauricular skin (PAS) and external auditory canal (EAC) skin, P = .004 and P = .002, respectively. From comparisons of 60 sets of skin pairs, the mean ratio of amphiregulin RNA expression for cholesteatoma/PAS is 4.94 (standard error of the mean [SEM] = 1.53, n = 30) and for cholesteatoma/EAC is 7.70 (SEM = 1.57, n = 30).
Amphiregulin is overexpressed in epithelial tissues of human cholesteatoma. Significant relationships were identified between increased amphiregulin expression levels and the extent of cholesteatoma migration and bone erosion. Our study results indicate amphiregulin is a potential biomarker of early cholesteatoma disease processes.
The Laryngoscope 08/2010; 120(11):2258-63. · 1.75 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To assess the short-term effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation therapy in reducing fall risk in an at-risk population.
Retrospective chart review of 70 patients older than 50 years of age at risk for falls treated at a tertiary vestibular therapy center. Fall risk was assessed by the Berg balance test.
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy resulted in a statistically significant improvement in Berg balance test scores (pretherapy, 36.8, to posttherapy, 46.4). Referring diagnosis, age, and gender had no impact on outcome.
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy significantly reduces the risk of falls in elderly at-risk patients with improvement measured at the termination of therapy.
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy plays an important preventive role in reducing falls in at-risk elderly patients, with beneficial effects seen at termination of therapy.
Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 10/2005; 133(3):323-5. · 1.72 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The objective was to determine whether the inclusion of vibration and additional treatment cycles has an effect on short- and long-term success rates in the treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo with the canalith repositioning maneuver.
Prospective randomized study of patients treated at a tertiary vestibular rehabilitation center.
Variables identified for statistical analysis included patient age, gender, vibration used, and canalith repositioning cycles. Analysis using Student t test, chi2 test, Kaplan-Meier curves with log rank test, and Cox proportional hazards regression was performed.
One hundred two patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo treated over a 1-year period (August 2001-August 2002) were randomly assigned to receive the canalith repositioning maneuver with or without vibration. Average duration of follow-up was 9.44 months. The single treatment success rate was 93.1%. To relieve symptoms, 29.4% of patients required more than one canalith repositioning cycle. The relapse rate was 30.5%. Thirty-nine patients were assigned to the canalith repositioning group with vibration, and 63 to the canalith repositioning group without vibration. There was no statistical difference in age, gender, initial success rates, or relapse rates between the canalith repositioning groups with and without vibration. On average, patients required 1.38 canalith repositioning cycles for successful treatment. Vibration did not affect the number of canalith repositioning cycles required to convert the Dix-Hallpike test result to normal. The need for additional canalith repositioning cycles had no statistical effect on initial treatment success or relapse rates.
Vibration provided no additional benefit in initial treatment success or in reducing long-term relapse rates when included in the canalith repositioning maneuver. Many patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo require more than one canalith repositioning cycle at the time of initial treatment to relieve symptoms, but this does not indicate a higher likelihood for recurrence. No variable predicted a higher rate of recurrence.
The Laryngoscope 07/2004; 114(6):1011-4. · 1.75 Impact Factor
