1,721,037 research outputs found
Peak nasal inspiratory flow; normal range in adult population
No full textAIMS: Measurement of Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow (PNIF) seems to be a cheap,
simple, easily performed method to assess nasal patency. The purpose of this
study is to establish normative PNIF data for a healthy adult population and
provide charts relating PNIF normal values with age, height and sex in adults.
METHODS AND RESULTS: Repeated measurements of PNIF were performed in 170
volunteers. In total, 137 of these fulfilled the study criteria (66 females and
50 males) and all of them were non-smokers, non-asthmatic, without nose and
paranasal sinuses problems, with ages ranging from 16 to 84 years. Data were
statistically analysed and tables were produced relating PNIF to age, sex and
height. There was no interaction of sex with age or height. There was
considerable residual variability of PNIF between individuals not explained by
any of the variables studied.
CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that PNIF could be a useful method to study nasal
patency in both primary and secondary care to aid diagnosis of nasal disease. The
study provides normative data for a Caucasian population. Further variables need
to be explored to predict expected PNIF values more accurately
Does peak nasal inspiratory flow relate to peak expiratory flow?
No full textAIMS: Measurement of Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow (PNIF) seems to be a cheap and
easily performed method to assess nasal patency. As demonstrated in a previous
work, PNIF is influenced by SEX, AGE and HEIGHT. However there is a large degree
of between-patient variability in PNIF levels. The purpose of this analysis is to
determine whether the measurement of the pulmonary ventilatory capacity, by mean
of Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF), enables more precise determination of PNIF.
METHODS AND RESULTS: Repeated measurements of PNIF and PEF were performed in 112
volunteers. 100 of these fulfilled the study criteria (55 females and 45 males)
and all of them were non-smokers, non-asthmatic, without nose and paranasal
sinuses problems, with ages ranging from 15 to 71 years. Statistical analysis was
undertaken to determine whether a relationship existed between PNIF and age, sex
and height, but which also considered PEF. The data from both experiments were
analysed together. In both groups there is a clear tendency for PNIF to increase
with PEF. As clearly demonstrated in this work the value of PEF is informative in
predicting PNIF and that the larger the value of PEF, the larger the value of
PNIF.
CONCLUSIONS: PNIF is a useful method to study nasal patency in both primary and
secondary care to aid diagnosis of nasal disease, but low values of PNIF have to
be confirmed by a study of the PEF as PNIF low values may be an expression of low
ventilatory activity rather than an expression of nasal obstruction
Optimal management of allergic rhinitis
Full text linkAllergic rhinitis (AR), the most common chronic disease in childhood is often ignored, misdiagnosed and/or mistreated. Undertreated AR impairs quality of life, exacerbates asthma and is a major factor in asthma development. It can involve the nose itself, as well as the organs connected with the nose manifesting a variety of symptoms. Evidence-based guidelines for AR therapy improve disease control. Recently, paediatric AR guidelines have been published by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and are available online, as are a patient care pathway for children with AR and asthma from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Management involves diagnosis, followed by avoidance of relevant allergens, with additional pharmacotherapy needed for most sufferers. This ranges, according to severity, from saline sprays, through non-sedating antihistamines, oral or topical, with minimally bioavailable intranasal corticosteroids for moderate/severe disease, possibly plus additional antihistamine or antileukotriene. The concept of rhinitis control is emerging, but there is no universally accepted definition. Where pharmacotherapy fails, allergen-specific immunotherapy, which is uniquely able to alter long-term disease outcomes, should be considered. The subcutaneous form (subcutaneous immunotherapy) in children has been underused because of concerns regarding safety and acceptability of injections. Sublingual immunotherapy is both efficacious and safe for grass pollen allergy. Further studies on other allergens in children are needed. Patient, carer and practitioner education into AR and its treatment are a vital part of management
Allergens, germs and asthma
No full textObjective
To explore asthma pathogenesis using data from upper and lower airways.
Data Source
English-language papers on human asthma and nasal polyp subjects from 1990 onwards.
Study Selection
High-quality studies in established journals.
Results
The recognition of its inflammatory nature led to a quantum leap in the understanding and treatment of asthma, with lives saved by inhaled corticosteroids. Further work at genetic, molecular, histological and clinical levels has shown that asthma is polymorphic and rarely involves isolated Th2 bronchial inflammation.
Viral infections may act as an initiating event in children and adults, showing synergy with atopy. Chronic staphylococcal colonization of the mucosa may act as a promoter, as in atopic dermatitis. These two observations may be linked, with viruses providing an entry for bacteria into the mucosal epithelium.
Conclusions
Most asthma begins in the nose and involves allergy and infection: both viral and bacterial. The combination of atopy and infection suggests new possibilities for therapy
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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