Nasal septal deviation (NSD) is a very common cause of recurrent and chronic nasal obstruction. Chronic nasal obstruction leads to increased upper respiratory tract resistance, and also upper respiratory tract resistance leads to chronic hypoxia and hypercarbic because of alveolar hypoventilation. Chronic hypoxia and hypercarbia show tendency for hypercoagulopathy.Mean platelet volume (MPV), the most commonly used measure of platelet size, is a potential marker of platelet reactivity. Large platelets that contain more dense granules are enzymatically and metabolically more active and have greater prothrombotic potential. In previous studies, increased MPV was demonstrated in hypertension, unstable angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, stroke, and obstructive sleep apnea.We aimed to determine whether MPV levels are elevated in patients with marked NSD (MNSD) compared with healthy controls. In addition, we tried to find out the effect of nasal septoplasty on MPV levels. We found that the MPV levels were significantly higher in the MNSD group than in the control healthy group, and also we found that MPV levels were significantly decreased in the MNSD group after septoplasty operation.In conclusion, in our knowledge, this is the first study investigating MPV levels in patients with MNSD. Increased platelet activation may be related to increase the cardiovascular risk in patients with MNSD. Our results suggest that MPV, a determinant of platelet activation, is elevated in patients with MNSD, and the increase in MPV levels of the cases with MNSD could be treated by septoplasty.

Mean platelet volume, a determinant of platelet activation, is elevated in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss. To our knowledge, this is the first report investigating mean platelet volume levels in such patients. Our findings indirectly support the hypothesis of vascular impairment as a pathogenetic factor in sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

OBJECTIVE:Our aim was to investigate the curative role of topical Hypericum perforatum (HP) in a rat model of tympanic membrane perforation in a histopathological manner. MATERIALS AND METHODS:This study was conducted on 30 female Sprague-Dawley rats. An HP extract was prepared as a suspension in pure olive oil. In all rats, the right and left tympanic membranes were perforated by a fine puncture under a microscope. Rats were randomly assigned to three groups. The HP extract was given as drops on a daily basis in Group 1, while olive oil alone was given on a daily basis in Group 2. In Group 3, the rats were allowed spontaneous recovery without any intervention. Three rats from each group were sacrificed on days 7, 14, and 21. Temporal bullae were removed for histopathological examination to evaluate fibroblast proliferation, leukocyte infiltration, neovascularization, and subepithelial thickness and to compare these among the groups. RESULTS:In histopathological examination of the rats from each group on days 7, 14, and 21, there were significant differences in leukocyte infiltration, fibroblast proliferation, and subepithelial thickness. No significant difference was observed in neovascularization among the groups. CONCLUSION:Compared with the spontaneous recovery group, HP was found to be more effective in a wound-healing model of the tympanic membrane. HP may be applied in clinical practice if it is shown to be safe with regard to ototoxicity. comfortable and practical treatment protocol. In attempts to find a way for a better solution of this problem, experimental wound models on the tympanic membrane of rats have been applied and the results published. Previous studies have revealed the positive and negative effects of various agents on the healing of tympanic membranes, including hyaluronic acid, epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, and platelet-rich plasma [10][11][12][13] . KEYWORDS:To the best of our knowledge, there are no data showing that HP has been used for healing tympanic membranes.Therefore, we aimed to assess the effect of HP olive oil extract on the wound-healing process in experimentally perforated tympanic membranes of rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS AnimalsThis study was conducted on 30 female Sprague-Dawley rats aged ≥6 weeks, weighing 200-300 g. The rats were fed with standard rat pellet and tap water ad libitum. Rats were housed in separate cages (five rats per cage) under standard conditions at a temperature of 21°C and maintaining a 12-hour dark-light cycle. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Experiment and Research (2013-13/ 112). Experimental ProcedureHypericum perforatum was harvested from rural areas of Adana Province in July and then dried. In the laboratory, 50 g of dry HP was weighed. The weighed HP was immersed in 500 cc of olive oil in glass jars and left in the sunshine over 4 weeks until the occurrence of a red coloration. There is also a traditional recipe for this: "the content of the jar should be exposed ...

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