Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and HPV. Systematic review on overall management.

INTRODUCTION: Oral human papillomavirus infection amplifies the risk for oropharyngeal cancer. Human papillomavirus-associated cancers in otorhinolaryngology have typical characteristics. PATIENTS AND METHODS: To improve understanding of management, therapy and prognosis of patients with oropharyngeal human papillomavirus-associated cancers a systematic review of the literature was reported. Medline, The Cochrane Library, Embase and Scielo electronic databases were searched. The search included published articles up to December 2006. A wide search strategy was employed in order to avoid publication biases and to assess studies in which the main aspects concerning oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and human papillomavirus management are analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 120 articles were identified, of which 16 matched the inclusion criteria. DISCUSSION: Patients with human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancers have distinctive risk factors such as a high number of sex partners. They are typically younger, nonusers of tobacco and alcohol and have a better prognosis.

Phytoneering: a new way of therapy for rhinosinusitis.

A growing amount of scientific evidence suggests that herbal medicine may be helpful as an adjuvant treatment in rhinosinusitis. Herein, we systematically review and determine the role, efficacy and safety of phytotherapy in the treatment of acute and chronic rhinosinusitis and establish the qualities of herbal drugs as demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Eligible studies published in English or German from January 1990 until June 2014 were identified via electronic database searches. Keywords were: sinusitis, phytotherapy, phytomedicine and herbal drugs. Additional studies were obtained through the references of selected articles. Twenty-two articles met inclusion criteria. Overall, the publications indicated that herbal medicines can have mucolytic, antiviral, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and secretolytic effects in experimental animals. Phytotherapy has also been found to be efficacious in reducing the symptoms of acute and chronic rhinosinusitis in children and the adult population in vivo, demonstrating a high level of tolerability and safety. Herbal products developed using phytoneering techniques have shown improvements in performance compared with previous formulations. The current literature suggests that phytotherapy is an effective and safe form of ancillary treatment for rhinosinusitis. In particular, herbal drugs made with the technique of phytoneering have proven effective in acute rhinosinusitis.

Efficacy and safety of a medical device in reducing nasal obstruction in allergic children.

AIM: Despite the availability of a number of pharmacological options, relief of allergic rhinitis (AR) symptoms, especially nasal obstruction, is often limited and local and systemic adverse reactions are not infrequent. The main aim of the present pilot study was to provide subjective and objective evidence of the clinical efficacy in reducing symptoms and safety of a medical device-Grip stop DMG (lactoferrin, carboximetil ß-glucan, D-panthenol, dipotassiumglycyrrhizinate) in children affected by allergic rhinitis. METHODS: A prospective study with a pre- and post-design has been performed consecutively enrolling 50 pediatric both genders patients affected by persistent AR. Patients received 2 puffs into each nostril twice a day over the course of 4 weeks. The severity of AR symptoms was assessed subjectively as measured by a 0 to 5 Visual Analog Scale, and objectively through active anterior rhinomanometry (AAR) and by means of the evaluation of mucociliary transport time (MCTt). Differences in symptoms scores measured before and after the treatment were compared using Paired-Sample Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. Proportion of participants with adverse effects attributed to the treatment was computed. The relationship between the subjective score and the AAR and MCT measurements was also assessed. RESULTS: All considered symptoms, including nasal congestion, significantly improved after treatment (P<0.001), while only 1 patient suffered from moderate adverse effects. CONCLUSION: Results confirm efficacy and safety of this device used in the pediatric population. As previously reported in the scientific literature, also in our study, patient's perception of nasal symptoms corresponded with objective testing.

Wind-evoked evasive responses in flying cockroaches.

1) A standing cockroach (Periplaneta americana) responds to the air displacement made by an approaching predator, by turning away and running. The wind receptors on the cerci, two posterior sensory appendages, excite a group of ventral giant interneurons that mediate this response. While flying, these interneurons remain silent, owing to strong inhibition; however, the dorsal giant interneurons respond strongly to wind. Using behavioral and electromyographic analysis, we sought to determine whether flying cockroaches also turn away from air displacement like that produced by an approaching flying predator; and if so, whether the cerci and dorsal giant interneurons mediate this response. 2) When presented with a wind puff from the side, a flying cockroach carries out a variety of maneuvers that would cause a rapid turn away and perhaps a dive. These are not evoked if the cerci are ablated (Figs. 4, 5,6). 3) This evasive response appears to be mediated by a circuit separate from that mediating escape when the cockroach is standing (Fig. 7). 4) The dorsal giant interneurons respond during flight in a directional manner that is suited to mediate this behavior (Fig. 8). 5) Recordings of the wind produced by a moving model predator (Fig. 9), together with measurements of the behavioral latency of tethered cockroaches, suggest that the evasive response would begin just milliseconds before a predator actually arrives. However, as explained in the Discussion section, under natural conditions, the evasive response may well begin earlier, and could indeed be useful in escaping from predators. 6) If cockroaches had a wind-mediated yaw-correcting behavior, as locusts have, this could conflict with the wind-evoked escape. In fact, cockroaches show the opposite, yaw-enhancing response, mediated by the cerci, that does not present a conflict with escape (Figs. 10-14).