Changes in the oral and nasal microbiota in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea.

Background: Several clinical studies have demonstrated that pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with dysbiosis of airway mucosal microbiota. However, how oral and nasal microbial diversity, composition, and structure are altered in pediatric OSA has not been systemically explored. Methods: 30 polysomnography-confirmed OSA patients with adenoid hypertrophy, and 30 controls who did not have adenoid hypertrophy, were enrolled. Swabs from four surface oral tissue sites (tongue base, soft palate, both palatine tonsils, and adenoid) and one nasal swab from both anterior nares were collected. The 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) V3-V4 region was sequenced to identify the microbial communities. Results: The beta diversity and microbial profiles were significantly different between pediatric OSA patients and controls at the five upper airway sites. The abundances of Haemophilus, Fusobacterium, and Porphyromonas were higher at adenoid and tonsils sites of pediatric patients with OSA. Functional analysis revealed that the differential pathway between the pediatric OSA patients and controls involved glycerophospholipids and amino acid metabolism. Conclusions: In this study, the oral and nasal microbiome of pediatric OSA patients exhibited certain differences in composition compared with the controls. However, the microbiota data could be useful as a reference for studies on the upper airway microbiome.

Skin prick test using two different allergen prick reagents, a comparative study in Shanghai / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the results of skin prick test with allergens of Allergopharma company or ALK company in Shanghai area.@*METHOD@#The study included 9 233 patients diagnosed as allergic rhinitis. The patients were divided in to two groups (Allergopharma group and Alutard-SQ group) SPT was given from June, 2005 to Feb, 2013. The results of the positive rate using two reagents were analyzed and compared.@*RESULT@#There were no significant differences between the two groups in age and gender (P > 0.05). The total positive rate in Allergopharma group was 62.90%, and 59.68% in Alutard-SQ group. The positive rate in Allergopharma group was significantly higher than that in Alutard-SQ group (P < 0.01). Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f) and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p) were identified as the mostly responsible allergens. The positive rate of Der f in Allergopharma group and Alutard-SQ group was 55.23% and 45.57% respectively. The same rate were 54.83% and 47.89% of Der p. There were significant differences of the positive rate of two allergens in both groups (P < 0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#The total positive rate was different using different allergens for SPT among the patients diagnosed as allergic rhinitis of the same area. Dust mites were identified as main allergens. The positive rate was different when using different reagents, which needed more attention to make the decision of specific immune therapy.

Endoscopic diathermy of the sphenopalatine artery as the primary management for refractory epistaxis / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the methodology and efficacy of endoscopic sphenopalatine artery diathermy in management of refractory epistaxis.@*METHOD@#Twenty patients with severe intractable posterior epistaxis, who had underwent various procedures like nasal packing, electro- or chemical cautery or others and still exacerbated, were subjected to this study. Under general anesthesia, according to the endoscopic anatomy of the sphenopalatine foramen, the sphenopalatine artery was identified under the posterior tip of the middle turbinate. After the pedicle of the artery was delineated, a bipolar cauterized the artery and transected it.@*RESULT@#Twenty patients have been followed up for 5 to 20 months with an average of 10 months. No patients suffered recurrent epistaxis during the period. Only 1 patients in this series reported minor nasal adhesion.@*CONCLUSION@#Diathermy of sphenopalatine artery, as a purely endonasal procedure, is an effective and microinvasive means of achieving long-term control of refractory epistaxis. It has few complications associated with other forms of arterial ligation.