The outcome was related to the stage of disease, suggesting that the Pittsburgh staging system is useful also in patients with non-squamous cell carcinoma. Patients with early cancer benefited from a less aggressive surgical approach, while survival was poor in patients with advanced cancer with incompletely resected tumors despite adjuvant radiotherapy.

In a double-blind randomized placebo trial, the effect of the powdered rhizome of ginger (Zingiber officinale) was tested on seasickness. Eighty naval cadets, unaccustomed to sailing in heavy seas reported during voyages on the high seas, symptoms of seasickness every hour for 4 consecutive hours after ingestion of 1 g of the drug or placebo. Ginger root reduced the tendency to vomiting and cold sweating significantly better than placebo did (p less than 0.05). With regard to vomiting, a modified Protection Index (PI) = 72% was calculated. Remarkably fewer symptoms of nausea and vertigo were reported after ginger root ingestion, but the difference was not statistically significant. For all symptom categories, PI = 38% was calculated.

Objective To investigate the impact of postoperative paresis on disease-specific quality of life (DSQoL) after thyroidectomy in patients with benign nodular thyroid disease. Study Design Observational study. Setting University hospital. Subjects and Methods Patients were evaluated before and 3 weeks and 6 months after surgery in an individual prospective cohort study using videolaryngostroboscopy (VLS), voice range profile, voice handicap index (VHI), multidimensional voice program, maximum phonation time (MPT), and auditory perceptual evaluation. Changes in DSQoL were assessed by the Thyroid-specific Patient-Reported Outcome measure. Cohen’s effect size was used to evaluate changes. Results Sixty-two patients were included, 55 of whom completed all examinations. Three weeks after surgery, a blinded VLS examination showed signs of paresis of either the recurrent laryngeal nerve or the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (RLN/EBSLN) in 13 patients (24%). A paresis corresponded to a 12 ± 28 point increase in VHI ( P = .002) and was associated with a significant 4.3 ± 7.5 semitone decrease in the maximum fundamental frequency ( P < .001) and a 5.3 ± 8.2 dB reduction in maximum intensity. Further, it was associated with a 4.5 ± 11.2 second reduction in MPT ( P = .001) and an increase of 0.40 ± 1.19 in grade, 0.42 ± 1.41 in roughness, and 0.36 ± 1.11 in breathiness. Signs of postoperative RLN/EBSLN paresis correlated with an 11.0-point ( P = .02) poorer improvement in goiter symptoms at both 3 weeks and 6 months after surgery. Conclusion Signs of RLN/EBSLN paresis after thyroidectomy were associated with less pronounced improvement in goiter symptoms in patients with thyroid nodular disease. However, thyroidectomy was associated with an overall improved DSQoL by 6 months after surgery.

Osteopetrosis is a rare metabolic disorder, characterized by an abnormal accumulation of bone mass probably caused by diminished bone resorption. Symptoms are directly and indirectly derived from the increased amount of bone. A family study was made, starting with a proband presenting with symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia. The pedigree indicated an autosomal dominant inheritance through three generations, comprising four affected subjects, of whom two were free of symptoms.

The effect of powdered ginger root (Zingiber officinale) upon vertigo and nystagmus following caloric stimulation of the vestibular system was studied in 8 healthy volunteers in a double-blind crossover placebo trial. The results reported are based upon 48 vertigo scores and 48 electronystagmograms. Ginger root reduced the induced vertigo significantly better than did placebo. There was no statistically significant action upon the duration or the maximum slow phase velocity of nystagmus.