Nasal mucociliary transport of chronic sinusitis in children

Nasal mucociliary function is one of the most important and indispensable mechanisms of the respiratory tract, providing protection against the atmospheric environment. We previously found mucociliary dysfunction in the noses of adult patients suffering from chronic sinusitis. In this study, using the saccharin method, we determined nasal mucociliary function in normal children and in children with chronic sinusitis. The mean (+/- SD) value of saccharin transit time in the nose was 28.2 +/- 19.9 minutes in patients with chronic sinusitis, this being significantly slower than that in the control group of children. The incidence of abnormally slow nasal mucociliary transport time (> 30 minutes) in patients was significantly higher than in controls of the same age. Mucociliary dysfunction may initiate a vicious cycle of self-mediated inflammation and may be important in recovery from chronic respiratory inflammation.     

Endonasal sinus surgery improves mucociliary transport in severe chronic sinusitis

OBJECTIVES: To explore the spiritual needs of the family caregiver and to provide suggestions for giving spiritual care to this caregiver. DATA SOURCES: A caregiver's personal experience and nursing texts. CONCLUSION: Providing care for a loved one with cancer can be stressful for the family caregiver; yet, it can also produce spiritual growth. By providing care for the caregiver, the oncology nurse is equipping this caregiver to address the spiritual needs of the patient. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Nurses can assist caregivers by offering actions that communicate love, support, acceptance, and faithfulness. Such measures can ease the pain and encourage spiritual wellness.     

A review of methods and instruments for assessing externalizing disorders: theoretical and practical considerations in rendering a diagnosis

This review addresses the most current and widely used methods of assessing childhood and adolescent externalizing disorders. Interviews, rating scales, and self-report instruments are described, and their strengths and weaknesses are discussed. Direct observational techniques in naturalistic and analogue settings are also reviewed. Throughout the article, commentary is offered regarding the psychometric adequacy and clinical validity of these instruments. It is suggested that, although the instruments presently used to assist in diagnosing externalizing disorders generally possess adequate reliability and representational validity, evidence of elaborative validity is lacking. Clinicians and researchers are encouraged to adopt a broader conceptualization of the diagnostic process, to question existing standards for establishing validity, and to consider alternative means of demonstrating diagnostic utility.     

Current diagnosis of chronic nonviral hepatitis

Apart from viruses, hepatotoxins, hereditary metabolic disorders, immunological factors and cholestasis may cause chronic hepatitis both clinically and histologically. As far as the etiology is concerned, a complete history can be very helpful. The clinical examination, however, is rarely diagnostic. Nevertheless, some clinical signs (e.g. ascites, splenomegaly, spider naevi) are suggestive of cirrhosis. The activities of gammaglutamyl transferase and ALT in the serum are augmented in most of the patients with chronic hepatitis independent of its etiology. Electrophoresis reveals disturbance of serum albumin and globulin ratios. "Basic' laboratory tests are supplemented by carefully selected additional investigations (e.g. immunological tests) according to the history and clinical data of the individual patient. Retrograde cholangiography is diagnostic in the majority of patients suffering from primary-sclerosing cholangitis. Liver histology, best obtained during laparoscopy, allows classification (and prognosis) of the underlying liver disease in many patients. Results of iron and copper determination in liver tissue are diagnostic in cases of congenital liver disease (hemochromatosis, M. Wilson).     

A comparison of different methods for assessing the features of eating disorders in patients with binge eating disorder.

The authors compared 3 methods for assessing the features of eating disorders in patients with binge eating disorder (BED). Participants were administered the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) interview and completed the EDE Questionnaire (EDE-Q) at baseline. Participants prospectively self-monitored their eating behaviors daily for 4 weeks and then completed another EDE-Q. The EDE and the EDE-Q were significantly correlated on frequencies of objective bulimic episodes (binge eating) and on the Dietary Restraint, Eating Concern, Weight Concern, and Shape Concern subscales. Mean differences in the EDE and EDE-Q frequencies of objective bulimic episodes were not significant, but scores on the 4 subscales differed significantly, with the EDE-Q yielding higher scores. At 4 weeks, the EDE-Q retrospective 28-day assessment was significantly correlated with the prospective daily self-monitoring records for frequency of objective bulimic episodes, and the mean difference between methods was not significant. The EDE-Q and self-monitoring findings for subjective bulimic episodes and objective overeating differed significantly. Thus, in patients with BED, the 3 assessment methods showed some acceptable convergence, most notably for objective bulimic episodes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Current aspects in the diagnosis and therapy of hypothyroidism]

Also at present hypothyroidism is frequently not recognised, especially its discrete forms of the course should be more included in differential-diagnostic considerations. Decisive is the clinical anamnestic suspicion which, after exhaustion of the laboratory-diagnostic possibilities, will justify the application of probatory therapy, even on a relatively large scale. This disease deserves secial regard, taking into consideration its beneficial and well practicable therapeutic influencibility and, on the other hand, its sever prognostic consequences to the subject in case of therapeutic neglect. The problems of therapy are not so much consisting in the occurrence of side-effects or in a non-optimal choice of drugs, but the more in a delayed onset, low dosage or interruption of the therapy.     

Current aspects in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic cystitis in women

Chronic cystitis (CC) in females is annually encountered now in 15,000-20,000 per 1,000,000. Etiological and pathogenetic factors in CC are closely related. Bacteriologically, CC is represented primarily by Enterobacter. The infection, as a rule, ascends the lower urinary tracts. The contributing factors are: weak local antibacterial mechanisms of the urogenital system, anatomical variants and anomalies of the urethra and introitus, sexual activity, impaired urodynamics of the lower urinary tracts. The diagnosis of chronic inflammation of the bladder is made mainly endoscopically, with obligatory endovesical multifocal biopsy of the bladder followed by histological examination. The treatment of CC includes antibacterial, general and local antiinflammatory therapy, measures to normalize urodynamics of the lower urinary tracts, correction of hygienic and sexual factors, immunostimulation. 16 nonresponders to conservative treatment of interstitial cystitis with progressive contraction of the bladder were subjected to supratrigonal or subtotal resection of the bladder with one-stage ileocystoplasty.     

Current methods in the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis of the lower limbs

The diagnosis of lower limb deep vein thrombosis requires to use of complementary diagnostic tests. For a long time phlebography has been the only reliable examination and is always regarded as the gold standard by many people. In recent years, non invasive diagnostic modalities have been developed. Most significantly scintigraphy, plethysmography, color Doppler ultrasound and MR imaging. MRI is as reliable as venography but, at the present time, it is time-consuming and far less available than the other modalities. Scintigraphy and plethysmography may be useful but are less accurate and yield a somewhat higher rate of false positive and negative examinations. Color Doppler ultrasound has proved its effectiveness and is currently recommended as the diagnostic modality of choice. Venography is still a significant diagnostic tool for questionable cases or for technically inadequate Doppler ultrasound examinations.     

Effect of human neutrophil elastase on tracheal mucociliary transport in anesthetized quails

The main principles of radiation therapy as well as the role of ratio Integral Dose/Total Dose in radiation treatment of malignant tumors in children are considered. Indications for radiation therapy of nephroblastomas and peculiarities of radiation treatment of haemangiomas are described. Expedience is proved of radiation of only the liver part affected by neuroblastoma. Tactics of radiation therapy of eosinophilic granuloma of bones in analyzed. Possibility of conservative therapy including radiation component in treatment of retinoblastoma in children is discussed.     

Current problems in the diagnosis and treatment of acute exogenous poisonings]

Information, toxicometry and detoxication are most important problems of clinical toxicology today because exchange of information perfect the skill of toxicologist in diagnosis and choice of treatment, whereas measurement of the toxic factor, blood poison concentrations enables systemic computer analysis of critical conditions caused by poisonings. Treatment of acute poisoning produces the highest effect if detoxication method is used including blood detoxication by sorption-dialysis methods and intestinal lavage in combination with physiohemotherapy. This approach provides a rapid elimination of poison from the body and effective correction of homeostasis.     

Current aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of prostatic cancer]

Prostate cancer is becoming the most frequent malignant disease in men. Its present-day diagnosis in based on the combination of digital rectal examination, detection of the prostate-specific antigen in blood serum and multifocal transrectal biopsy of the prostate under ultrasonic control. The elevation of the level of prostate-specific antigen correlates with spread of the process and extracapsular penetration of the tumor. Asymmetry of the prostate and hypoechogenic foci represent the main ultrasonic signs of adenocarcinoma of the prostate. When the histological findings speak about the absence of atypical cells, another complex examination with rebiopsy is indicated in 6 months. The principal radical method of treatment of prostate cancer is prostatectomy performed mainly for the T1-T2 stages. At the preoperative period the neoadjuvant androgen deprivation can be performed in order to lessen the tumour volume and risk of a positive surgical margin.     

Bayesian methods for assessing importance of effects.

In experimental data analysis when it comes to assessing the importance of effects of interest, 2 situations are commonly met. In Situation 1, asserting largeness is sought: "The effect is large in the population." In Situation 2, asserting smallness is sought: "The effect is small in the population." In both situations, as is well known, conventional significance testing is far from satisfactory. The claim of this article is that Bayesian inference is ideally suited to making adequate inferences. Specifically, Bayesian techniques based on "noninformative" priors provide intuitive interpretations and extensions of familiar significance tests. The use of Bayesian inference for assessing importance is discussed elementarily by comparing 2 treatments, then by addressing hypotheses in complex analysis of variance designs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Table for assessing visual acuity in children]

The effect of vegetable (peach kernel) oil on the somatic development and puberty of female rats was studied. The oil was injected (0.2 ml) once intramuscularly into the prepuberty (aged 35 days) or (at the age of 31-35 days) five times. The oil inhibited dose-dependently the somatic development of the rats before puberty. It inhibited the ovarian endocrine function, significantly delayed the initial (opening of the vagina) and terminal (ovulation) stages of puberty or suppressed it completely (in 30% of cases).     

Improvement in the laboratory methods of assessing the safety of the of the pertussis component of DPT vaccine adsorbed]

The mouse paw edema test and the tests for the determination of leukocytosis-stimulating and histamine-sensitizing activity are reproducible if standard samples are used and the properties under test are evaluated with reference to the characteristics of standard samples. The standard character of the weight gain test on mice is also enhanced if all conditions of the test are standardized. The most accurate information on the toxicity of the pertussis component of adsorbed DPT vaccine can be obtained if a single human dose (0.5 ml) is injected to mice and the toxicity of the vaccine is estimated from the weight gain registered in the test mice and the control animals. The use of standard samples in each test makes it possible to observe the conditions for controlling the toxicity of the tested preparations.     

An assessment of the immune status of the mucosal membranes in chronic rhinosinusitis

The authors studied immune status of upper respiratory tracts mucosa in patients with different forms of chronic rhinosinusitis (purulent, polypous, vasomotor) in comparison to control subjects. An original complex of laboratory diagnostic techniques is proposed which can assess functional condition of the defense barriers of the upper respiratory tract mucosa in chronic inflammation, estimate impairment of specific and nonspecific resistance. This facilitates choice of optimal scheme of pathogenetic therapy of chronic inflammation in the upper respiratory tracts.