Thyroid nodules have been identified incidentally in significant proportion of patients parallel to the increase in use of imaging techniques for the diagnosis of diseases. The main point in the evaluation of nodules is to make appropriate diagnosis to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions, and determine which nodule is applicable for the surgery. Management of the patients with thyroid nodules has been presented and discussed briefly in this review.
Objective In this study, we investigated the chemical senses (namely, olfaction), the 4 basic tastes, and umami taste in patients who underwent anterior palatoplasty (AP) for primary snoring. Study Design Prospective clinical study. Setting Multicenter, tertiary care hospitals. Subjects and Methods The age range of the 28 participants was 22 to 47 years, and all had been diagnosed with primary snoring by polysomnography. Orthonasal and retronasal olfactory testing was performed using the respective “Sniffin’ Sticks.” Tests for the 4 basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter) and umami were performed before and 6 months after AP. Results The changes between the preoperative and postoperative results for the 4 basic tastes, which were applied to the anterior tongue region, were not significant. Retronasal olfactory function improved significantly 6 months after AP ( P =. 007). After AP, umami scores for the soft palate but not those of the anterior and posterior tongue decreased significantly ( P =. 001). Conclusion Patients scheduled for AP should be properly informed about potential postoperative taste and flavor changes. They should also be warned of a possible loss of appetite due to a postoperative decrease in the umami taste sensation of the soft palate.
Purpose: Our aim was to investigate the seasonal changes of serum-specific IgE (sIgE) levels against aero-allergens in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR).
Methods: This retrospective study was made by evaluating the medical files of 397 patients aged between 20 and 54 who received the diagnosis of AR in our outpatient clinic. sIgE levels against 20 aeroallergens were measured with using enzyme-immunoassay.
Results: The mean age of the patients was 37.8 ± 8.7. The patients were referred mostly in spring and in the month of March (21.4%). There was no significant difference in the frequency of hospital referrals between summer, fall, and winter seasons (p=0.86). Of the patients, 23.2% were hypersensitive to one allergen and 76.8% to more than one allergen. The most frequently found sIgE was that against dog epithelium as seen in 61% of the patients.
Conclusion: Since our patients were hypersensitive to more than one allergen, the increase in the number of allergens inducing hypersensitivity resulted in the elevation of all sIgE levels. It is thought that in allergic diseases the induction of antibodies to one allergen is followed by the formation of antibodies against other sensitizing allergens as a response of the immune system.