The impact of atmospheric concentration of particulate matter ≤10 μm in diameter (PM10) continues to attract research attention. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of meteorological factors, including PM10 concentration, on epistaxis presentation in children and adults. We reviewed the data from 1557 days and 2273 cases of epistaxis between January 2015 and December 2019. Eligible patients were stratified by age into the children (age ≤17 years) and adult groups. The main outcome was the incidence and cumulative number of epistaxis presentations in hospital per day and month. Meteorological factors and PM10 concentration data were obtained from the Korea Meteorological Administration. Several meteorological factors were associated with epistaxis presentation in hospital; however, these associations differed between children and adults. Only PM10 concentration was consistently associated with daily epistaxis presentation in hospital among both children and adults. Additionally, PM10 concentration was associated with the daily cumulative number of epistaxis presentations in hospital in children and adults. Furthermore, the monthly mean PM10 concentration was significantly associated with the total number of epistaxis presentations in the corresponding month. PM10 concentration should be regarded as an important environmental factor that may affect epistaxis in both children and adults.

Background Research on gustatory dysfunction among older adults has been scarce relative to research on olfactory dysfunction, and the relationship between subjective and objective gustatory dysfunction has not been studied in detail. We aimed to evaluate whether subjective recognition of gustatory dysfunction correlates with objective diagnosis of gustatory dysfunction among older adults. Methods In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, we reviewed the medical records of 138 patients of ages ≥ 60 years for whom data were available on self-reported and objectively measured gustatory and olfactory function from January 2018 through April 2021 at a specialized smell/taste center of a single institution. We reviewed self-reported and measured outcomes of gustatory and olfactory function using patient data including clinical characteristics, including age, sex, smoking history, and medical history. Results We found that the subjective recognition of gustatory dysfunction does not correlate with the objective diagnosis of gustatory dysfunction based on the measured results of gustatory function tests. Subjective gustatory dysfunction, however, was correlated with subjective olfactory dysfunction. Among clinical and demographic characteristics, age and sex were significantly associated with measured gustatory function outcomes. Conclusion We suggest that subjective gustatory dysfunction underestimates objective dysfunction and recommend that older men with diminished olfactory function undergo gustatory function testing regardless of their self-reported gustatory function status.

Numerous studies have reported that patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) experience alterations in the sense of smell. Therefore, there is an increased need for a psychophysical evaluation tool for olfactory dysfunction in patients with COVID-19 without increasing the risk of virus spread. We applied a single-use sniffing-bead system, which consisted of small beads and a disposable plastic handpiece, to patients with COVID-19 presenting with olfactory dysfunction. The bead sets contained eight concentrations of 2-phenylethyl alcohol (PEA), which has been used in olfactory function tests for many years, and the lowest concentration at which the participant detected the PEA odor was recorded as the PEA threshold. The test was easily administered at the clinic during the consultation with the doctor without increasing the risk of virus spread. Based on the test results, anosmia was objectively confirmed in a patient with subjective anosmia, and another patient with subjective hyposmia was diagnosed with normosmia. Both patients started olfactory training after diagnosis. In conclusion, we present a system to psychophysically assess olfactory dysfunction in patients with COVID-19 using a universal odorant without the risk of virus spread, and suggest that this system might enable early diagnosis and management of patients with COVID-19.

Alloplastic implants used for dorsal augmentations can induce surgical and cosmetic complications. One of these cosmetic complications is when the implant is visible through the skin. In these cases, it is recommended to use an autologous soft tissue to reinforce the area between the skin and the implant. Recently, a patient visited our institute complaining of a previously inserted silastic implant being visible through the skin. Based on the implant, we hypothesized that the surrounding soft tissue might have formed 2 capsular layers, and the implant might have separated from the capsular. During the revision rhinoplasty, we peeled off the 2 capsular layers and used them to reinforce the area between the implant and skin without harvesting autologous tissue. This procedure had a satisfactory surgical outcome and a shorter operative time than harvesting autologous tissue. Here, we describe our experience and share lessons from this case.

Augmentation rhinoplasty using alloplastic materials is a relatively standard procedure in Asian patients. Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) is one of the commonly used alloplastic materials because it has a high biocompatibility and is easy to handle. Recently, a patient who had previously undergone augmentation rhinoplasty using ePTFE as the implant material visited our clinic. She had the implant material surgically removed after three years and visited our clinic with a nasal dorsal hump. The patient underwent revision rhinoplasty at our institution. Unexpectedly, we found some ePTFE material that was not identified on the preoperative X-rays. After removing the ePTFE material, the nasal dorsal hump was corrected, and we did not need to perform a nasal dorsal hump reduction.

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BackgroundOlfactory dysfunction has been reported to be involved in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis. However, gustatory dysfunction in PD has not been evaluated as in‐depth as olfactory dysfunction. We reviewed the previously published studies regarding gustatory function in PD patients and suggested the possibility that gustatory dysfunction may also be associated with PD.MethodsMEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, and PubMed databases were searched for studies evaluating gustatory function in PD patients. We used the standardized mean difference and a 95% confidence interval (CI) as the effect analysis index regarding the taste strip test. The relative risk and 95% CI were used as the effect analysis index for the questionnaires and propylthiouracil (PTU)/phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) perception test. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using forest plots, Cochran's Q, and the I2 statistic; heterogeneity was considered high when I2 was over 75%. Publication bias was assessed by funnel plots and the Egger bias test.ResultsWe identified 19 articles that reported the results of gustatory function tests in PD patients and healthy controls. Most of these studies used various gustatory tests, including taste strips, questionnaires, taste solutions, PTU/PTC perception tests, and electrogustometry, and reported significantly lower gustatory function in PD patients than in the controls. However, several articles reported contradictory results.ConclusionsBased on these studies, gustatory dysfunction is closely related to PD. However, the number of studies and enrolled subjects was small, and a unified gustatory function test was lacking. Therefore, further studies with larger populations and normalized gustatory function tests are needed.

Foreign bodies pose a diagnostic challenge to clinicians, and nasal foreign bodies have the potential to lead to significant morbidity. Although foreign bodies in the nasal cavity are a commonly encountered problem in pediatric patients, a foreign body in the nasal cavity not associated with a trauma history is rare in adults. We recently experienced a 35-year-old man who presented with a foreign body in his right nasal cavity and anterior tooth pain. He was not sure what the material was, and we were not able to confirm the material type preoperatively. However, we found that a very large and thick material was impacted and totally obstructed the right anterior nasal cavity. We surgically removed it as a bone block and confirmed postoperatively that the material was glass. This case provided several lessons, and we would like to share our experience.