Objective A study was carried out to evaluate the relationship between anosmia and hospital admission in coronavirus disease 2019 patients. Methods The clinical data of 1534 patients with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 virus were analysed. The study was conducted with medical records of 1197 patients (78 per cent). The basic characteristics of patients and symptoms related to otolaryngology practice were examined. The patients were divided into two groups according to their follow up: an out-patient group and an in-patient group. Results The majority of patients presented with anosmia (44.2 per cent), dysgeusia (43.9 per cent) and fever (38.7 per cent). Anosmia was observed in 462 patients (47 per cent) in the out-patient group, and in only 67 patients (31.2 per cent) in the in-patient group. Younger age (odds ratio = 1.05, 95 per cent confidence interval = 1.03–1.06) and the presence of anosmia (odds ratio = 2.04, 95 per cent confidence interval = 1.39–3) were significantly related to out-patient treatment. Conclusion Anosmia could be a symptom in the clinical presentation of the coronavirus disease 2019 infection.

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Objective: To evaluate the otolaryngology-specific symptoms that occur after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine and its possible side effects in patients who had Covid-19 infection in the last 6 months before the vaccination. Patients and Methods: The study comprised 3383 health care workers who were vaccinated against Covid 19. After excluding, the study was conducted with 1710 (51%) participants who agreed to answer the study questions. The participants were divided into 2 groups according to the history of Covid-19 positivity in the last 6 months before vaccination. The presence of symptoms related to otolaryngology practice, including cough, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, sore throat, hearing loss, dizziness, loss of smell, loss of taste, ear pressure, and facial paralysis was recorded. Results: The mean age of the study population was 35.79 ± 10.2 (19-71) years and 1454 (85%) of the patients had a history of Covid-19 infection in the last 6 months. Regarding otolaryngology-related symptoms, the most common complaints were rhinorrhea (4.4%), sore throat (3.2%), and nasal congestion (2.9%). The presence of smell and taste loss, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, sore throat, and hearing loss was significantly more common in patients with a history of Covid-19 infection. Conclusions: The patients with a history of Covid-19 disease might have otolaryngology-specific symptoms more commonly than those without a history of Covid-19 disease in the last 6 months before vaccination.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of DNA repair genes alter protein function and modulate DNA repair efficiency in various cancers. The X-ray repair cross-complementing group (XRCC) is responsible for the repair of DNA base damage and single-strand breaks. The aim of our study was to investigate the association of XRCC1 Arg399Gln and XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphisms with the susceptibility to develop oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in Turkish subjects. One hundred eleven patients with OSCC and 148 healthy controls were recruited for the study. Genetic analysis was performed using polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR/RFLP). We found that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln Gln/Gln genotype and Gln allele were risk factors for OSCC. Also, Arg/Arg genotype and Arg allele had protective effects against OSCC. Relative to XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism, carrying homozygote variants (Thr/Thr and Met/Met) was related with elevated OSCC risk. However, the heterozygote genotype and Thr allele variants were shown to be protective against OSCC. We suggest that XRCC1 Arg399Gln Gln/Gln genotype, Gln allele, and homozygote variants of XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism may be a risk factor for predisposition of OSCC in Turkish. In addition, XRCC3 Thr241Met genotype could be associated with tumor size and level of daily smoking.

Objectives The genetics of sensorineural hearing loss is characterized by a high degree of heterogeneity. Despite this heterogeneity, DNA variants found within SLC26A4 have been reported to be the second most common contributor after those of GJB2 in many populations. Methods Whole exome sequencing and/or Sanger sequencing of SLC26A4 in 117 individuals with sensorineural hearing loss with or without inner ear anomalies but not with goiter from Turkey, Iran, and Mexico were performed. Results We identified 27 unique SLC26A4 variants in 31 probands. The variants c.1673A>G (p.N558S), c.1708-1G>A, c.1952C>T (p.P651L), and c.2090-1G>A have not been previously reported. The p.N558S variant was detected in two unrelated Mexican families. Conclusion A range of SLC26A4 variants without a common recurrent mutation underlies SLC26A4-related hearing loss in Turkey, Iran, and Mexico.

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Rhinoplasty is a common surgical procedure. Bleeding prevention is a crucial part of the surgery. We aimed to evaluate the different dose regimens of tranexamic acid (TXA) in reducing intraoperative blood loss among patients undergoing rhinoplasty.This prospective randomized study was performed in patients scheduled for rhinoplasty surgery between March 2019 and March 2020. The patients were divided into 3 groups containing 30 patients in each group. The patients in Group 1 received the first dose of 1 g intravenous (IV) TXA 10 minutes before the surgery, and the second dose was administered at the end of the operation. The patients in Group 2 received only a single dose of 1 g of IV TXA 10 minutes before the surgery. The patients in Group 3 did not receive medication. Demographic data were obtained through a review of patient's medical records. Preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin levels, postoperative transfusion, and complications rate were compared between the study groups.No significant differences were observed between the study groups in terms of age, gender, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists scores, and the level of preoperative Hb values (P > 0.05). The mean total blood loss was lower in Group 1 than the other groups, but the difference was not statistically significant (P ¼ 0.464).The administration of single-dose IV TXA or intermittent IV doses of TXA could decrease total blood loss in rhinoplasty, but the statistical and clinical relevance was not significant.

Objective: The aim of this study is to research the correlation between pharyngeal mucosal suture techniques and pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) development after total laryngectomy. We also aimed to investigate other risk factor for fistula development. Methods: Medical charts of 85 patients who had total laryngectomy during August 2016 and February 2020 were reviewed. Sixteen patients were excluded due to exclusion criteria. Patients were grouped according to pharyngeal mucosal suture technique. Group 1 had modified continuous Connell suture and group 2 had interrupted submucosal suture for mucosal closure of pharynx. Demographic, medical, and surgical records reviewed for comparison. Results: Overall PCF rate was 28%;PCF rates were 16% (5/31) in group 1 and 39% (15/38) in group 2. This difference was significant (Pearson χ2 P = .033). There was no difference between groups due to age, gender, smoking history, tumor stage preoperative albumin levels, preoperative hemoglobin levels, radiotherapy status, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and diabetes mellitus history of patients, previous tracheostomy, neck dissection. But correlation analysis revealed that PCF formation significantly related with suture technique ( P = .032), preoperative albumin level <3.5 g/dL ( P = .028), preoperative hemoglobin level <12.5 g/dL ( P = .041), and previous radiotherapy status ( P = .012) of the patients. We also showed that suture technique is an independent predictive factor for PCF formation when other factors were controlled by univariate analysis. Conclusion: The suture technique used for pharyngeal mucosal closure, preoperative albumin level <3.5 g/dL, preoperative hemoglobin levels<12.5 g/dL, and previous radiotherapy to the head and neck are risk factors for PCF development. Modified continuous Connell suture is a good option for pharyngeal closure.