We evaluated the efficacy of combination therapy with steroid and hyperbaric oxygenation for the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). This study was designed as a prospective study with multi-institutional collaboration, including Sasebo Kyosai Hospital and Hamanomachi Hospital. The PSL group (control, n=115) was treated with intravenous prednisolone alone at Hamanomachi Hospital, whereas patients in the HBO group (n=75) concurrently received hyperbaric oxygen therapy in conjunction with intravenous prednisolone. We evaluated the outcome of therapy efficacy using a grading system established by The Research Committee on Acute Profound Deafness, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Japan. Side effects occurred in 18 cases (24%), which included ottis media with effusion and abdominal discomfort, however, those events were all considered to be acceptable. The hearing improvement rate, defined as the proportion of patients with a fare, good or complete recovery, was significantly higher in the HBO group than in the PSL group (89.3%vs76.5%, p=0.019), whereas both the cured rate and good recovery rate were not statistically different between the two groups. In addition, the threshold of low-frequency sounds significantly improved in the HBO group, compared with the PSL group (96.3 dB vs 75.3 dB, p=0.02).We could not confirm the efficacy of HBO therapy in those cases with a poor prognosis, such as in elderly patients, those with complications of vertigo and patients in whom the start of treatment was delayed.

In accordance with the treatment algorithm in "Clinical Practice Guideline for Acute Rhinosinusitis 2010", the severity of rhinosinusitis was determined in adult patients. The efficacy and safety was evaluated after administrating sitafloxacin (STFX) to the moderate-to-severe patients. Therapeutic response was determined based on severity scores at the end of treatment. As a result, 100% of the patients (47/47) had "very effective" or "effective" to treatment, showing a high improvement rate. The attending doctor evaluated that 91.5% of the patients (43/47) were cured. Bacterial disappearance rate after treatment was 100% (45/45 strains), but microbial substitution was noted in one case. No noticeable adverse reaction was observed in the patients of the present study. These results suggest that STFX may be a potentially useful drug in adult patients with moderate-to-severe acute rhinosinusitis.

As leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) are effective for nasal obstruction related to allergic rhinitis,they are routinely used, but ineffective in some cases. In this study, we administered a Th2 cytokine inhibitor,suplatast tosilate (ST), to perennial allergic rhinitis patients non-responsive to LTRAs, and examined its effects on nasal obstruction by recording the nasal cavity on video. An LTRA or ST was administered to 397 patients with allergic rhinitis complaining of nasal obstruction as a primary symptom between May 2013 and May 2014. Of these, 45 were diagnosed with perennial allergic rhinitis and regarded as non-responders to LTRAs；ST was administered. Of the 30 patients who could be analyzed, the efficacy of ST was confirmed in 17 (56.7％).In13 of these, its effects were achieved within 1 month. With respect to the severity of swelling of the inferior concha mucosa, the response rates in patients with marked (+++), moderate (++), and slight (+) swelling were 85.7％ (6/7), 56.3％ (9/16),and 28.6％ (2/7), respectively；ST was more effective in severe-status patients. Even responders temporarily showed deterioration due to acute upper airway inflammation. ST may be useful for the treatment of allergic rhinitis-related nasal obstruction in non-responders to LTRAs.

Polyglycolic acid sheet is an absorbable material which can be used, in combination with fibrin glue, to reinforce a variety of tissues. It has been used, together with fibrin glue, to strengthen tissue defects or suturing in thoracic surgery and gastroenterological surgery. Its application in head and neck surgery was reported by Asato et al. who called this technique“mucosal defect covered with fibrin glue and polyglycolic acid sheet (MCFP)”. The present study included patients who underwent oral surgery (oral tumor resection) using the polyglycolic acid sheet combined with sprayed fibrin glue technique at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kagoshima Medical Center from April 2010 to April 2015. In our hospital MCFP is used in applicable cases. However, a small number of patients who were treated using the MCFP technique suffered severe post-operative bleeding. We therefore examined post-operative bleeding after MCFP. As in the previous reports, the MCFP technique was found to be useful for the prevention of bleeding, except in patients with palate tumors near the large palate hole.