Objective Subglottic stenosis (SGS) is a serious, potentially life‐threatening disorder that is difficult to treat due to significant recurrence rates. While conventional treatment of SGS relies heavily on serial endoscopic dilation procedures, this study aims to characterize the efficacy of incorporating subglottic corticosteroid injections in increasing surgery‐free intervals (SFIs) for a cohort of patients at a university‐based medical system. Study Design Retrospective chart review. Methods All SGS patients who underwent endoscopic dilation and at least one adjuvant office‐based serial intralesional steroid injection (SILSI) were reviewed. Patients were excluded if they had synchronous airway lesions or stenosis outside of the subglottis. Charts were reviewed for demographic and treatment‐specific data. The SFI was calculated for patients both prior to the initiation of SILSI and after. Groups were compared via Mann–Whitney U test, with P < .05 as the threshold for significance. Results Thirteen patients met criteria, with mean age 50.1 ± 14.1 years and 7:6 female to male ratio. Eight of the thirteen (61.5%) had intubation‐related stenosis, while 4/13 were idiopathic and 1/13 was due to Wegener's granulomatosis. Mean follow‐up was 20.4 months. Patients underwent an average of 4.2 ± 2.2 postoperative injections, beginning 45.9 ± 19.0 days after surgery. The mean SFI prior to initiating SILSI was 288.6 ± 362.0 days; while after receiving SILSI, the mean interval was significantly longer (545.5 ± 152.7 days, P = .0041). Conclusions We demonstrate that office‐based corticosteroid injection for SGS was associated with a statistically significant improvement in the SFI and is a promising adjuvant approach. Future prospective studies should evaluate if the efficacy is reproducible on a large scale and if SILSI can and/or should be incorporated into the standard management paradigm for SGS treatment. Level of Evidence 4

Drug delivery is an important consideration in disease treatment. There are many opportunities for novel methods and technologies to hold promising roles in overcoming traditional obstacles. Delivery systems functionalised to boast synergistic antimicrobial effects, specific targeting, and enhanced bioavailability allow for improved therapeutic potential and better patient outcomes. Many of these delivery modalities find clinical practicality in the field of urology, specifically in the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and offer advantages over conventional methods. The aim of this review article is to discuss the current modalities of treatment for UTIs and the recent technological advancements for optimising drug delivery. We focus on challenges that persist in drug delivery during UTIs including barriers to antimicrobial penetration, drug resistance, biofilm formation and specific targeting limitations. With a discussion on how emerging methods combat these concerns, we present an overview of potential therapies with special emphasis on nanoparticle-based applications.

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Hearing loss (HL) is the most common neurosensory disorder affecting humans. The screening, prevention and treatment of HL require a better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms. Genetic predisposition is one of the most common factors that leads to HL. Most HL studies include few Spanish, Hispanic and Latino participants, leaving a critical gap in our understanding about the prevalence, impact, unmet health care needs, and genetic factors associated with hearing impairment among Spanish, Hispanic and Latino populations. The few studies which have been performed show that the gene variants commonly associated with HL in non-Spanish and non-Hispanic populations are infrequently responsible for hearing impairment in Spanish as well as Hispanic and Latino populations (hereafter referred to as Hispanic). To design effective screening tools to detect HL in Spanish and Hispanic populations, studies must be conducted to determine the gene variants that are most commonly associated with hearing impairment in this racial/ethnic group. In this review article, we summarize gene variants and loci associated with HL in Spanish and Hispanic populations. Identifying new genetic variants associated with HL in Spanish and Hispanic populations will pave the way to develop effective screening tools and therapeutic strategies for HL.

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The emergent field of nanoparticles has presented a wealth of opportunities for improving the treatment of human diseases. Recent advances have allowed for promising developments in drug delivery, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Modified delivery systems allow improved drug delivery over traditional pH, microbe, or receptor dependent models, while antibody association allows for more advanced imaging modalities. Nanoparticles have potential clinical application in the field of gastroenterology as they offer several advantages compared to the conventional treatment systems including target drug delivery, enhanced treatment efficacy, and reduced side effects. Areas covered: The aim of this review article is to summarize the recent advancements in developing nanoparticle technologies to treat gastrointestinal diseases. We have covered the application of nanoparticles in various gastrointestinal disorders including inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer. We also have discussed how the gut microbiota affects the nanoparticle based drug delivery in the gastrointestinal tract. Expert opinion: Nanoparticles based drug delivery offers a great platform for targeted drug delivery for gastrointestinal disorders. However, it is influenced by the presence of microbiota, drug interaction with nanoparticles, and cytotoxicity of nanoparticles. With the advancements in nanoparticle technology, it may be possible to overcome these barriers leading to efficient drug delivery for gastrointestinal disorders based on nanoparticle platform.

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