1,720,998 research outputs found
Nasal obstruction as a key symptom in allergic rhinitis: efficacy and safety of a medical device in children.
No full textBACKGROUND
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a global health problem that has increased rapidly in prevalence over the past few decades. Nasal congestion, which represents a cardinal symptom of AR, appears to be difficult to treat and, especially for pediatric population, therapies that are both well tolerated and effective in relieving nasal congestion are needed. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the safety and clinical effectiveness of the medical device (lactoferrin, carboximetil β-glucan, D-panthenol, dipotassium glycyrrhizinate) in reducing the allergic rhinitis symptoms.
METHODS
A multicenter prospective study with a pre-post design was performed consecutively enrolling 100 pediatric patients of both genders affected by persistent AR. Patients received 2 puffs into each nostril 2 times a day over the course of 4 weeks. The severity of AR symptoms, as measured by VAS score, was assessed before and after treatment. The main outcomes were improvement in each symptom score and in overall symptom burden (as measured by average symptom scores). Differences in symptoms scores measured before and after treatment were compared using paired-sample Wilcoxon signed rank test. The proportion of participants with adverse effects attributed to the treatment was also computed.
RESULTS
All considered symptoms, including nasal congestion, significantly improve after treatment (p<0.001), while only 9 patients suffered adverse effects (itch, burning sensation, dryness).
CONCLUSION
These results confirm the efficacy and safety of this medical device in pediatric population.
Copyright © 2012 Polish Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Society. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z.o.o. All rights reserved
EFFICACY OF CEFPODOXIME IN THE PROPHYLAXIS OF RECURRENT PHARYNGOTONSILLITIS
No full textBackground: Recurrent acute pharyngotonsillitis remains a common illness in children and young adults and can lead to serious complications if not treated. cefpodoxime proxetil is a second-generation oral cephalosporin, which shows potent antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and high stability in the presence of beta-lactamases. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of second-generation cephalosporins in the prophylaxis of recurrent pharyngotonsillitis in children. Methods: A total of 180 children aged between 4 and 14 years with recurrent pharyngotonsillitis were randomized to receive either cefpodoxime proxetil (100mg twice a day, 6 days a month for 6 months) or placebo (at the same dosage). Results and conclusions: Our results show that treatment with cefpodoxime proxetil may be effective in reducing symptoms of recurrent pharyngotonsillitis and preventing recurrences without causing side effects or developing bacterial resistance
High resolution magnifying endoscopy: a new diagnostic tool also for laryngeal examination?
No full textAim of this report is to introduce the use of a new high resolution magnifying endoscope in the endoscopic examination of the upper aerodigestive tract and discuss the usefulness of this tool in the diagnosis of laryngeal lesions. A total of 26 patients presenting various laryngeal disorders were examined by means of an electronic videoendoscope and a high resolution magnifying endoscope. The images obtained were examined and compared. High resolution high magnification endoscopic examination allowed a better description of the laryngeal lesions (colour, extension and thickness of the lesion, irregularities in surface and borders) with easy characterisation of aspect of neighbouring laryngeal mucosa especially in pre-malignant lesions. Furthermore, the optical magnifying zoom does not require a close approach to the laryngeal mucosa, therefore, local anaesthesia is not required. In conclusion, the high resolution magnified images obtained with this new tool provide important information on the characteristics of the laryngeal structures. This new endoscopic technology, as already occurred in gastric, oesophageal and colorectal disorders, could also be improved by using chromo-endoscopy and other vital stain techniques in order to provide useful information concerning pre-neoplastic lesions of the larynx
Foreign bodies in the airways: A meta-analysis of published papers.
No full textBackground
Very recently, some attempts have been made to start a systematic collection of foreign bodies (FB) in view of using them to characterize the risk of chocking in terms of size, shape and
consistency of the FB. However, most of the epidemiologic evidence on foreign bodies in children comes from single-center retrospective studies, without any systematic geographical and temporal coverage.
This paper is aimed at providing an estimate of the distribution of foreign body’s injuries in children
according to gender, age, type of FB, site of obstruction, clinical presentation, diagnostic/therapeutic
procedures, complications, as emerging from a meta-analytic review of published papers.
Methods
A free text search on PubMed database ((foreign bodies) OR (foreign body)) AND ((aspiration)
OR (airways) OR (tracheobronchial) OR (nasal) OR (inhalation) OR (obstruction) OR (choking) OR
(inhaled) OR (aspirations) OR (nose) OR (throat) OR (asphyxiation)) AND ((children) OR (child)) finalized to identify all English written articles referring to foreign body inhalation over a 30 years period (1978–2008) was performed. The target of the analysis has been defined as the proportion of injuries as reported in the studies, stratified according to children demographic characteristics, type of FB, site of obstruction.
The pooled proportions of FB were calculated using the DerSimonian and Laird approach.
Results
1699 papers were retrieved and 1063 were judged pertinent; 214 English written case series were identified, among them 174 articles were available and have been included in the analysis. Airway foreign body most commonly occurs in young children, almost 20% of children who have inhaled foreign bodies being between 0 and 3 years of age. Organic FB, particularly nuts, are the most documented objects while, among inorganic FBs, the greatest pooled proportion has been recorded for magnets,
which can be particularly destructive in each location. Non specific symptoms or a complete absence of symptoms are not unusual, justifying mistaken or delayed diagnosis. Acute and chronic complications
seem to occur in almost 15% of patients.
Conclusions
Even if an enormous heterogeneity among primary studies seems to exist and even if the absence of variables standardized definitions across case series, including class age definition and symptoms and signs descriptions, seriously impairs studies comparability, our results testify the
relevant morbidity associated with foreign body inhalation in children, stressing the importance of preventive measures
Sodium enoxaparin treatment of sensorineural hearing loss: An immune-mediated response?
No full textThe authors propose the existence of a new entity of autoimmune sensorineural hearing loss on the basis of diagnostic study and treatment experience with a series of 30 patients. Immunological mechanisms play an important role in the pathogenesis and natural course of various inner-ear diseases. Patients may present clinically with symptoms resembling Ménière's disease or even with sudden deafness. Currently, no widely used standard protocol for treatment of this autoimmune sensorineural hearing loss exists. Prompted by such observations, we implemented a protocol using a particular kind of heparin - sodium enoxaparin-with a low molecular weight. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups; to those in the first group, enoxaparin was administered subcutaneously at a dose of 2,000 IU twice daily for 10 days; the patients in the second group were treated with placebo. At the beginning and at the end of the therapy period, the patients were evaluated by instrumental examinations. Specifically excluded were patients with abnormal known coagulation. On discharge, all patients treated with enoxaparin presented both a subjective and objective decrease in symptoms. No patient experienced side effects from this treatment. The results indicate that administration of sodium enoxaparin abates sensorineural hearing loss in patients with autoimmune diseases. The clinical response to therapy can confirm diagnosis
Damage to Ciliated Epithelium in Chronic Rhinosinusitis: What Is the Role of Bacterial Biofilms?
No full text
Proteomic statherin study of saliva in human precancerous and cancerous lesions of the oral cavity and larynx
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