Innovating Online Otolaryngology: The Development of the ENT Content Engagement and Quality Index for Audiovisual Material

Introduction The advent of social media platforms, notably TikTok, has significantly transformed the landscape of health information dissemination, offering both opportunities and challenges for public health communication. This study focuses on TikTok's influence on sinus health information, addressing the dual challenge of widespread engagement and the risk of misinformation in otolaryngology, or ENT (ear-nose-throat), information online. We introduce the ENT Content Engagement and Quality Index (ENT-CEQI), a pioneering tool designed to assess the quality and engagement of ENT-related content on TikTok, aiming to improve public understanding of sinus health. Materials and methods Our methodology involved a systematic analysis of sinus health-related content on TikTok. We collected data on the top 100 most popular videos using the hashtag #sinus at two different points in time, analyzing engagement metrics and content quality. The ENT-CEQI was developed to evaluate content, incorporating both quantitative engagement metrics (views, likes, comments, shares, favorites) and qualitative assessments (accuracy, clarity, relevance, practicality, engagement). The study employed statistical analyses, including trend analysis, correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), KMeans clustering, regression analysis, and the Kruskal-Wallis test, to understand the dynamics of content engagement and quality. Results Initial findings revealed significant disparities in engagement metrics and quality scores among different content creator categories, with physician-generated content showing the highest engagement and quality. The trend analysis indicated shifts in content popularity and quality over time, with a notable increase in views and likes for private company content. The PCA and clustering analyses identified distinct content clusters, offering insights into viewer engagement patterns. Regression analysis and the Kruskal-Wallis test, however, did not find significant predictors (p-value: 0.3916) of content quality or differences in likes across content types, suggesting complex factors influencing content engagement and quality perception. Discussion The study highlights TikTok's potential and pitfalls in disseminating sinus health information. The introduction of the ENT-CEQI represents a major step toward enhancing the evaluation of health content on social media, emphasizing the importance of accuracy, clarity, and relevance in public health communication. The analysis underscores the complexity of social media engagement and the need for robust tools to assess content quality. It also points to the critical role of healthcare professionals in engaging with the public through social media to combat misinformation. Conclusions TikTok serves as a potent platform for sinus health education, capable of reaching wide and diverse audiences. The ENT-CEQI emerges as a vital tool for assessing the quality and engagement of ENT-related content, guiding content creators toward producing more reliable and informative content. This study contributes to the understanding of social media's role in health communication, advocating for the strategic use of innovative tools such as the ENT-CEQI to enhance public health outcomes through improved online health education and misinformation management.

Corynebacterium accolens Has Antimicrobial Activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus Pathogens Isolated from the Sinonasal Niche of Chronic Rhinosinusitis Patients

Corynebacterium accolens is the predominant species of the healthy human nasal microbiota, and its relative abundance is decreased in the context of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial potential of C. accolens isolated from a healthy human nasal cavity against planktonic and biofilm growth of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) clinical isolates (CIs) from CRS patients. Nasal swabs from twenty non-CRS control subjects were screened for the presence of C. accolens using microbiological and molecular techniques. C. accolens CIs and their culture supernatants were tested for their antimicrobial activity against eight S. aureus and eight MRSA 4CIs and S. aureus ATCC25923. The anti-biofilm potential of C. accolens cell-free culture supernatants (CFCSs) on S. aureus biofilms was also assessed. Of the 20 nasal swabs, 10 C. accolens CIs were identified and confirmed with rpoB gene sequencing. All isolates showed variable antimicrobial activity against eight out of 8 S. aureus and seven out of eight MRSA CIs. Culture supernatants from all C. accolens CIs exhibited a significant dose-dependent antibacterial activity (p < 0.05) against five out of five representative S. aureus and MRSA CIs. This inhibition was abolished after proteinase K treatment. C. accolens supernatants induced a significant reduction in metabolic activity and biofilm biomass of S. aureus and MRSA CIs compared to untreated growth control (p < 0.05). C. accolens exhibited antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and MRSA CIs in both planktonic and biofilm forms and holds promise for the development of innovative probiotic therapies to promote sinus health.