Eustachian tube is a bony and fibrocartilagenous tube extending from the antero-inferior part of middle ear cleft to lateral wall of the nasopharynx. Its main functions are ventilation of middle ear to equalize the middle ear pressure with atmospheric pressure and mucociliary clearance. The functioning of eustachian tube has a direct impact on normal middle ear function. As a corollary, dysfunction of eustachian tube inevitably leads to retraction of the tympanic membrane initially and sterile effusion and subsequent conductive deafness later. Secretory otitis media today is the most common cause of conductive deafness in children with an intact ear drum.

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Background and objectiveTracheotomy is a surgical technique performed in the anterior neck in various circumstances, such as prolonged endotracheal intubation, acute or persistent upper airway blockage, for bronchopulmonary toilet, or in certain otolaryngologic surgical procedures. In this study, we aimed to compare conventional and Bjork flap tracheotomy in terms of operative duration, as well as intraoperative, immediate postoperative, and delayed postoperative complications. Materials and methodsA prospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital. The selected patients undergoing tracheotomies were randomly classified into two groups: conventional (n=30) and Bjork flap (n=30). ResultsOur findings indicated no statistically significant difference (p≥0.05) in terms of demographic profile (age and gender) between conventional (mean age: 52.3 ±12.79 years, male-to-female ratio: 25:5) and Bjork flap (mean age: 56.4 ±12.24 years, male-to-female ratio: 24:6) groups. A similar trend was observed in patients with respect to the duration of time required to establish access to the airway in both groups (7.8 ±1.73 and 7.7 ±1.87 minutes respectively, p≥0.05). However, a marked difference (p≤0.05) was observed in visual analog scale (VAS) scores between conventional and Bjork flap patients for ease of tube change (5.8 ±1.02-7.2 ±1.13 and 2.4 ±0.51-2.9 ±0.12) and stomal care (5.6 ±1.14-7.0 ±1.12 and 2.0 ±0.16-2.6 ±0.11) on the second and seventh day respectively. The Bjork flap-treated tracheotomy patients showed significantly favorable outcomes (p≤0.

Background and Objectives: Tinnitus, or ear ringing, involves impulsive and spontaneous activity in the auditory neurons. Its prevalence is high in the elderly, but 10%–15% of adults suffer from tinnitus, affecting their quality of life. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of <i>Ginkgo biloba</i> administered singly and in combination with antioxidants in tinnitus patients.Subjects and Methods: Patients were randomly allocated to Placebo (T0, n=22), Treatment 1 (T1, n=24), and Treatment 2 (T2, n=23) groups. The patients were educated on the study’s methodology and were instructed to visit at 0, 4, 8, 12, and 14 weeks. The placebo group received starch capsule supplements. Conversely, the treatment groups received <i>Ginkgo biloba</i> (60 mg twice a day) singly and in combination with antioxidants. We enrolled 69 patients aged 40–70 years (41 men, 28 women). The Tinnitus Handicap Index (THI), Visual Analogue Score (VAS), and Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Scores were determined pre- and post-treatment at each visit.Results: Supplementation of <i>Ginkgo biloba</i>, along with antioxidants, provided marked improvement (<i>p</i><0.05) in post-treatment THI and VAS scores in the T2 group compared to those in the T1 and T0 groups. The greatest (<i>p</i><0.05) percent difference was observed in the pre- and post-treatment THI (-36%) and VAS scores (-22.6%) of T2 patients. Likewise, the SF-36 scores improved significantly (<i>p</i><0.05) in the T2 group in varied parameters.Conclusions: <i>Ginkgo biloba</i>, along with antioxidants, can be a promising therapy for tinnitus patients, providing marked improvement in THI, VAS, and SF-36 scores.