Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39856184›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Intratympanic administration of dexamethasone attenuates radiation induced damage to middle ear mucosa.

Hyuk Chan Kwon, Sup Kim, Sheng Jin, Sun-Ae Shin, Jeong Han Lee, Min Jung Park, Soo Jeong Kim, Yong-Ho Park

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Hyuk Chan Kwon *Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 35015, South Korea.
Sup Kim *Department of Radiation Oncology, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 35015, South Korea.
Sheng JinDepartment of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 35015, South Korea.
Sun-Ae ShinBrain Research Institute, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, 282 Munwha-ro, Daesa-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon, 35015, South Korea.
Jeong Han LeeDepartment of Translational Neurosciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix, Phoenix AZ, 85004, USA.
Min Jung ParkBrain Research Institute, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, 282 Munwha-ro, Daesa-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon, 35015, South Korea.
Soo Jeong KimBrain Research Institute, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, 282 Munwha-ro, Daesa-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon, 35015, South Korea. ksj0506@cnu.ac.kr.
Yong-Ho ParkDepartment of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 35015, South Korea. parkyh@cnu.ac.kr.

Funding

Chungnam National University Hospital 2023-CF-009National Research Foundation of Korea NRF-2020R1I1A3052557National Research Foundation of Korea NRF-RS-2024-00334688National Research Foundation of Korea NRF-RS-2024-00406568
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Radiotherapy (RTx) is a highly effective treatment for head and neck cancer that can cause concurrent damage to surrounding healthy tissues. In cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), the auditory apparatus is inevitably exposed to radiation fields and sustains considerable damage, resulting in dysfunction. To date, little research has been conducted on the changes induced by RTx in the middle ear and the underlying mechanisms involved. Dexamethasone (DEX) is widely used in clinical practice because of its immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory properties. The present study investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of DEX delivered via intratympanic administration on RTx-induced damage to the middle ear and human middle ear epithelial (HMEE) cells. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were exposed to fractionated RTx (6.6 Gy/day for 5 days), and middle ear samples were collected at 1 and 4 months. Rats that received RTx presented a significant increase in the thickness of the submucosal layer in the middle ear and disorganization of the ciliated epithelium in the Eustachian tube (ET) mucosa. Importantly, intratympanic administration of DEX 30 min before RTx resulted in a lower degree of damage than that in the control group. Furthermore, DEX pretreatment downregulated the expression of cell death pathway markers in HMEE cells. Our collective results potentially support the use of DEX to reduce radiation-induced damage in the middle ear and may contribute to the development of future studies.

Indexed as

DexamethasoneEar, MiddleMucous MembraneAnimalsEpithelial CellsHumansInjection, IntratympanicMaleRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyDexamethasoneDexamethasoneEpithelial cellsEustachian tubeIntratympanic injectionMiddle earRadiotherapy

Identifiers

PMID39856184
PMCPMC11760350

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.