The Efficacy and Safety of Eberconazole Nitrate 1% and Mometasone Furoate 0.1% w/w Cream in Subjects with Inflamed Cutaneous Mycoses.

BACKGROUND: Topical antifungal agents along with the steroids may provide not only rapid symptomatic relief but also clearance of disease causing fungi in inflamed cutaneous mycoses (ICM). AIM: To assess the efficacy and safety of fixed dose combination (FDC) of Eberconazole nitrate 1% and Mometasone furoate 0.1% w/w cream, in subjects with ICM. METHODS: This was a multi-centric, non-comparative study conducted in 155 eligible adult Indian subjects with ICM. They were treated with study medication for 21 days (D21) and followed up on day 35 (D35). Efficacy (by Investigator's Static Global Assessment-ISGA, symptom severity scores) and safety were assessed to evaluate the therapeutic response. RESULTS: Of 155 subjects, 129 completed the study. Lesions healed completely in 77.52% and improved markedly in 22.48% patients by D21. There was a statistically significant reduction (p<0.001) in total symptom score (TSS) and mean severity scores of erythema, scaling and pruritus on days 7 and 21 compared to baseline. There was no treatment failure. Only 11 patients remained culture positive on D21 compared to 68 at baseline. Physicians evaluated the drug as 'Good' in 72% and 'Excellent' in 28% of subjects; adverse events were reported in 27.74% subjects and none was severe. There was a decrease in serum cortisol level in 4.52% (7/155) subjects and was considered clinically significant in three subjects. On D35, 18.55% and 24.20% subjects had greater ISGA score and TSS respectively, compared to D21. CONCLUSION: Tested FDC demonstrated efficacy and was well tolerated by study population. It offers an effective and safe therapeutic option for the management of ICM.

Mediastinal lymph nodes and pulmonary nodules in children: MDCT findings in a cohort of healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVE: Existing data are very limited on incidentally detected pulmonary nodules or mediastinal lymph nodes in healthy children who undergo chest MDCT. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence, distribution, and average dimensions of these occasional findings in a cohort of otherwise healthy patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two radiologists reviewed in consensus the scans of patients referred for chest MDCT during the preoperative workup for pectus carinatum or pectus excavatum treatments. Exclusion criteria included the presence of any documented malignancy (by date of MDCT or during the 2 years after the examination), history of recent infections, or trauma. Patients' records were assessed after 2 years for the development of any malignancy. RESULTS: A total of 99 individuals (63 boys, 36 girls; mean age, 13.5 years; range, 4-18 years) who fulfilled the study criteria were evaluated. The presence of at least one pulmonary nodule was observed in 75% of the patients, with a mean diameter of 2.8 mm. Of a total number of 225 pulmonary nodules, only 24 (10.7%) were calcified. Mediastinal lymph nodes were also identified in 81% of the cases, with a maximum diameter of 7 mm (smallest axis). CONCLUSION: The presence of pulmonary nodules or mediastinal lymph nodes on the basis of preoperative chest MDCT scans in healthy children is frequent. Given that 95% of the nodules and 100% of the lymph nodes measured less than 6 mm and 7 mm, respectively, we conclude that incidental findings under these limits are very unlikely to be pathologic.

MR imaging evaluation of the normal appendix in children and adolescents.

PURPOSE: To evaluate asymptomatic children and adolescents to determine the rate of detection of the normal appendix at unenhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was approved by the medical ethics committees of the authors' institutions, and informed consent was obtained from participants' parents or guardians. Forty asymptomatic volunteers underwent MR imaging to detect the appendix. Mean age (+/- standard deviation) for the 18 boys was 12.8 years +/- 2.4 (range, 9-17 years) and for the 22 girls was 12.7 years +/- 2.7 (range, 8-17 years). The MR imaging protocol consisted of axial T1-weighted fast spin-echo (SE), axial and coronal T2-weighted fast SE, and axial T2-weighted fat-saturated fast SE sequences. Two observers interpreted results independently, and kappa coefficients were calculated to evaluate agreement. The rate of detection was defined as the percentage of times that the appendix was visualized with at least one sequence. Body mass index was recorded for all participants. RESULTS: The normal appendix was detected by one observer in 19 cases (48%) and by the other in 20 cases (50%). The rate of appendix detection after observers reached a consensus was 48% (95% confidence interval: 32%, 64%). Interobserver agreement for appendix detection was good for most sequences analyzed. The greatest rate of normal appendix detection was found with the axial T2-weighted fast SE sequence (48%). CONCLUSION: The rate of normal appendix detection in children and adolescents at unenhanced MR imaging was 48%, which is similar to computed tomographic but lower than ultrasonographic detection rates.

Tomografia computadorizada sem contraste na avaliação de pacientes com cólica renal / Unenhanced computed tomography in patients with renal colic

Este artigo faz uma revisão sobre o papel da tomografia computadorizada (TC) sem contraste em pacientes que apresentam cólica renal e ressalta as vantagens apresentads por esse método, o qual é considerado atualmente o exame-padrão ouro para diagnosticar nefrolitíase. Para tal, primeiramente, é feita uma breve revisão sobre esta entidade clínica e sobre os diferentes métodos de imagem utilizados em sua confirmação diagnóstica.