Abstract: (1) Background: Currently, there is no clinically used liquid biomarker in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. One reason could be the limited shedding of tumor material in early disease stages. Molecular diagnostics assessing both blood and especially saliva could potentially improve the accuracy of biomarkers. In this prospective study, two markers, tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease-1 (TIMP-1) and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), were analyzed in HNSCC patients. The purpose of the study was to evaluate differences between saliva and serum as sample material. Further, their prognostic and predictive value and usefulness for early detection was assessed. (2) Methods: A total of 73 HNSCC patients were prospectively monitored by collecting blood and saliva before, during, and after therapy, as well as in the follow-up period between 2018 and 2021. In total, 212 serum and 194 saliva samples were collected. A control group consisting of 40 subjects (15 patients with local infections in the head and neck area and 25 without infections) were examined as well. The collected samples were evaluated for the two proteins by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). (3) RESULTS: The TIMP-1 concentration correlated significantly in blood and saliva, whereas the Hsp70 concentration did not. Saliva TIMP-1 was significantly higher in tumor patients compared to the control group (p = 0.013). High pretreatment TIMP-1 saliva levels were associated with significantly poorer disease-free survival (DFS) (p = 0.02). A high saliva TIMP-1/Hsp70 ratio was significantly associated with poorer DFS (HR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.04-1.88; p = 0.026) and a high TIMP-1 serum concentration was significantly associated with poorer PFS (HR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.2, 2.8; p = 0.003) and poorer overall survival (OS) (HR: 2.9; 95% CI: 1.4, 5.9; p = 0.003) in the Cox proportional hazards model. The saliva TIMP-1 to Hsp70 ratio was significantly higher at the time of recurrence (p = 0.015). Conclusion: TIMP-1 in serum is a promising prognostic marker for HNSCC. Saliva TIMP-1 and the saliva TIMP-1 to Hsp70 ratio provides additional information on the disease-free survival

Abstract: There is currently no standardized method for reporting audiological, surgical and subjective outcome measures in clinical trials with active middle ear implants (AMEIs). It is often difficult to compare studies due to data incompatibility and to perform meta-analyses across different centres is almost impossible. A committee of ENT and audiological experts from Germany, Austria and Switzerland decided to address this issue by developing new minimal standards for reporting the outcomes of AMEI clinical trials. The consensus presented here aims to provide a recommendation to enable better inter-study comparability

Abstract: Background Worldwide approximately 360 million people suffer from hearing impairment, 328 million of whom are adults. Up to now there has been no systematic evaluation of any representative epidemiological data on the prevalence of hearing loss among adults in Germany. The present paper is intended to investigate this within the framework of a systematic review. Methods A systematic literature search was carried out in electronic databases as well as by means of hand-searching. Studies published after 1975 and indicating the prevalence or incidence of hearing impairment among German adults were included. Study selection, data extraction and additional quality assessments were made by two independent reviewers. Results By means of a systematic literature search it was possible to identify 6 sources, which provided solely cross-sectional data, whereby the reported data are based on a study population of between some hundred and 10 million people living in Germany. The prevalences ascertained showed a broad range of between 16% and 25% and varied according to age, study setting, definition of hearing loss and method of data capture. At present there are no utilizable data on the extent of the use of hearing aids. Discussion The present review demonstrates clearly that evidence-based information relating to Germany can only be made on the basis of a clear definition of hearing loss within the framework of an up-to-date and representative epidemiological study carried out with appropriate methodology. In view of the high prevalence of illnesses causing hearing impairment and of the risks to health associated with untreated hearing impairment as well as of socio-economic costs, such an epidemiological study is of great social significance