Objectives To evaluate the associations between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy on SNHL. Data Sources Ovid Medline, Embase, and Scopus databases. Review Methods A systematic search was done for studies investigating relationships between OSA and SNHL in adults, with manual searches for additional references. The final update was done on December 22, 2021. The Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies was applied for quality assessments. Results The 20 included studies had a total of 34,442 participants (66% male; mean age, 46.6 years). The OSA group had a significantly worse mean hearing threshold level (HTL) than the control group for midfrequency ranges (500, 1000, 2000 Hz; mean difference, 4.00 dB; 95% CI, 2.40-5.61) and high-frequency ranges (4000, 8000 Hz; mean difference, 6.24 dB; 95% CI, 2.99-9.49). An association between OSA and SNHL was found. When compared with controls, patients with OSA had an odds ratio of 1.52 (95% CI, 1.12-2.06) for midfrequency hearing impairment and 1.19 (95% CI, 1.05-1.34) for high-frequency hearing impairment. However, we did not find significant improvements in midfrequency HTL after CPAP therapy. Conclusions HTL was significantly poorer among participants with OSA (especially in severe cases) than non-OSA controls. Studies on patients with OSA with SNHL treated with CPAP did not show significant improvements in midfrequency HTL. Further studies are warranted on these issues.

Background Non‐smokers, non‐drinkers, and non‐betel quid chewers (NSNDNBs) with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) have poor survival outcomes. Tumor microenvironment based on PD‐L1/CD8+ T cell infiltrated lymphocyte (TIL) proportion is proposed as a prognostic indicator. Methods Immunohistochemistry staining was performed on OSCC samples from 64 patients. The PD‐L1/CD8+ TILs were scored and stratified into four groups. Disease‐free survival (DFS) was analyzed using a Cox regression model. Results OSCC in NSNDNB patients was associated with female sex, T1‐2 classification, and PD‐L1 positivity. Low CD8+ TILs correlated with perineural invasion. High CD8+ TILs correlated with improved DFS. PD‐L1 positivity was not correlated with DFS. Type IV tumor microenvironment yielded the highest DFS (85%). Conclusion NSNDNB status relates to PD‐L1 expression regardless of CD8+ TILs infiltration. Type IV tumor microenvironment was associated with the best DFS. High CD8+ TILs resulted in better survival, while PD‐L1 positivity alone was not correlated to DFS.

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