Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Heliyon 2020 Jul 2;6(7):e04362. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Department of Environmental Health, National University of Lesotho, P. O. Roma 180, Lesotho.

Health impact assessment (HIA) is internationally identified as a mechanism for ensuring that potential health impacts of project proposals are considered before project implementation. This study examined the inclusion of HIAs in environmental impact statement (EIS) and their translation into planning obligations of a dam project in Lesotho. A framework premised on the general systems theory, and integrating EIS contents, environmental management plans and monitoring obligations in post dam construction was used as the analytic lens. Read More

Tob Induc Dis 2020 1;18:56. Epub 2020 Jul 1.

Department of Special Procurement Ward, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.

Introduction: Current knowledge on the correlation between smoking and comorbidities associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is limited. This study evaluated the smoking history of OSA patients and analyzed the association between smoking and OSA comorbidities.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed in newly diagnosed OSA patients in our hospital, a tertiary medical center, from January 2016 to December 2019. Read More

Ann Dermatol Venereol 2020 Jul 3. Epub 2020 Jul 3.

Department of dermatology and internal medicine, Felix Guyon university hospital, Saint-Denis, Reunion.

Introduction: Diphtheria due to Corynebacteriumdiphtheriae (C. diphtheriae) has become rare in developed countries. In France only 10 cases of toxigenic diphtheria have been reported since 1989, in all cases causing pharyngitis and all emanating from endemic countries with exception of one contact case. Read More

Vestn Otorinolaringol 2020 ;85(3):36-42

Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russia (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.

Objective: The article demonstrates the experience of using laser fluorescence spectrometry (LFS) in the diagnosis of inflammatory diseases of pharynx, describes a method for recording spectra of pharyngeal tissues using the EnSpectr L405 hardware-software complex operating on the basis of laser radiation with a wavelength of 405 nm, and identifies characteristic features of spectral curves.

Patients And Methods: The authors presented the characteristics of the spectra from the surface of the pharynx tissue of healthy volunteers, patients with chronic tonsillitis and granular pharyngitis.

Results: The most informative parameters of the spectral curves were calculated, analyzing which it is possible to identify the morphometric, metabolic, functional features of the tissue of the tonsils and posterior pharyngeal wall in normal and pathological conditions. Read More

Sisli Etfal Hastan Tip Bul 2020 10;54(2):201-205. Epub 2020 Jun 10.

Department of Family Medicine, University of Health Sciences Turkey, Istanbul Sisli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.

Objectives: Unnecessary use of antibiotics is one of the causes of antibiotic resistance. Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) is recommended to prevent unnecessary use of antibiotics by providing bacteria/virus isolation in patients with tonsillopharyngitis. However, in patients with typical symptoms, false-negative test results may lead to doubt in doctors. Read More

Health Technol Assess 2020 Jun;24(31):1-232

Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.

Background: Sore throat is a common condition caused by an infection of the airway. Most cases are of a viral nature; however, a number of these infections may be caused by the group A bacterium. Most viral and bacterial sore throat infections resolve spontaneously within a few weeks. Read More

PeerJ 2020 17;8:e9342. Epub 2020 Jun 17.

Shaanxi Institute of Microbiology, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.

Endophytic fungi have been emerged as fruitful resources for producing structurally fascinating and biologically active secondary metabolites. However, endophytic fungi from medicinal plants of Qinling Mountains-the most important natural climatic boundary between the subtropical and warm temperate zones of China with an astonishingly high level of biodiversity-have rarely been explored as potential sources of novel fungal species and active secondary metabolites. In this study, a total of 371 fungal colonies were successfully isolated from 510 tissue segments of the medicinal Baker collected from Qinling Mountains, China. Read More

Allergy 2020 Jun 27. Epub 2020 Jun 27.

Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo.

CEN Case Rep 2020 Jun 26. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo, Kobe, Hyogo, 650-0017, Japan.

Alport syndrome (AS) is a progressive kidney disease. Male cases with X-linked AS (XLAS) are reported to develop end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) at the age of around 20-30 years. One risk factor for developing ESKD at a young age is a genotype of having truncating variants in the COL4A5 gene. Read More

eNeurologicalSci 2020 Sep 6;20:100246. Epub 2020 Jun 6.

Radiology Department, Al- Azhar University, Egypt.

Sydenham chorea (SC) is the most common acquired cause of chorea in children. (SC) is the neurological manifestation of rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is still reported in Saudi Arabia, although less frequently. Read More

J Infect Dis 2020 Jun 21. Epub 2020 Jun 21.

State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.

Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 vary from asymptomatic virus shedding, non-specific pharyngitis, to pneumonia with silent hypoxia and respiratory failure. Dendritic cells and macrophages are sentinel cells for innate and adaptive immunity that affect the pathogenesis of SARS and MERS. However, the interplay between SARS-CoV-2 and these cell types remains unknown. Read More

Geriatr Psychol Neuropsychiatr Vieil 2020 Jun;18(2):135-140

Département de gériatrie et Centre Mémoire Ressources Recherche, Centre de recherche sur l'autonomie et la longévité, Centre hospitalier universitaire, Angers, France, UPRES EA 4638, Université d'Angers, Angers, France, Robarts Research Institute, Department of Medical Biophysics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, the University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.

The COVID-19 pandemic is particularly severe in older adults. Our objective was to identify, from international literature, the most common symptoms met in older adults infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This systematic review of the literature was conducted using MEDLINE from December 1, 2019 to April 13, 2020. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2020 Jun 11;13(6). Epub 2020 Jun 11.

Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.

A 50-year-old woman with a history of kidney transplant presented with 2 days of abdominal pain after 6 months of recurrent streptococcal pharyngitis, fevers, weight loss and a new rash on her chest and back. Her examination was notable for a unilateral tonsillar exudate and 2-3 mm pink papules with a fine scale over her chest and back. CT of the abdomen and chest demonstrated several large lymph nodes, and laboratory investigation revealed new cytopenias and elevated transaminases. Read More

Am J Emerg Med 2020 Jun 6. Epub 2020 Jun 6.

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, 450 Clarkson Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.

Early reports of COVID-19 in pediatric populations emphasized a mild course of disease with severe cases disproportionately affecting infant and comorbid pediatric patients. After the peak of the epidemic in New York City, in late April to early May, cases of severe illness associated with COVID-19 were reported among mostly previously healthy children ages 5-19. Many of these cases feature a toxic shock-like syndrome or Kawasaki-like syndrome in the setting of SARS-CoV-2 positive diagnostic testing and the CDC has termed this presentation Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C). Read More

Am J Otolaryngol 2020 Jun 6;41(5):102573. Epub 2020 Jun 6.

Cohen Children's Medical Center, Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology, New Hyde Park, NY, USA; Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hempstead, NY, USA. Electronic address:

Objectives: There is limited data regarding the demographics and clinical features of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. This information is especially important as pneumonia is the single leading cause of death in children worldwide. This Systematic Review aims to elucidate a better understanding of the global impact of COVID-19 on the pediatric population. Read More

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020 Jun 9;117(25):14405-14411. Epub 2020 Jun 9.

National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892;

Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome is the most common periodic fever syndrome in children. The disease appears to cluster in families, but the pathogenesis is unknown. We queried two European-American cohorts and one Turkish cohort (total = 231) of individuals with PFAPA for common variants previously associated with two other oropharyngeal ulcerative disorders, Behçet's disease and recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Read More

Nutrients 2020 Jun 4;12(6). Epub 2020 Jun 4.

UConn Health, School of Dental Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030, USA.

Glutamine is a major dietary amino acid that is both a fuel and nitrogen donor for healing tissues damaged by chemotherapy and radiation. Evidence supports the benefit of oral (enteral) glutamine to reduce symptoms and improve and/or maintain quality of life of cancer patients. Benefits include not only better nutrition, but also decreased mucosal damage (mucositis, stomatitis, pharyngitis, esophagitis, and enteritis). Read More

Case Rep Hematol 2020 15;2020:8697493. Epub 2020 May 15.

Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Internal Medicine, Charleston, SC, USA.

A 28-year-old Caucasian male with Hashimoto's disease and vitiligo presented with two weeks of dizziness on exertion following pharyngitis which was treated with prednisone 40 mg by mouth once a day for five days. Initial workup revealed anemia, elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and low haptoglobin. He underwent workup for causes of hemolytic anemia which was remarkable for a peripheral blood smear with hypersegmented neutrophils and low vitamin B12 levels concerning for pernicious anemia. Read More

Mediators Inflamm 2020 15;2020:2929163. Epub 2020 May 15.

Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China.

Relieving Sore Throat Formula (RSTF) is a formula approved by the China Food and Drug Administration and has been used for the treatment of pharyngitis in clinic for many years. However, the potential pharmacological mechanism still remains unknown. We combined multiple methods including bioinformatics data digging, network pharmacology analysis, and pathway analysis to predict the potential target of RSTF. Read More

Rev Bras Anestesiol 2020 May 12. Epub 2020 May 12.

Aga Khan University Hospital, Department of Anesthesiology, Karachi, Pakistan.

Background And Objective: Sore throat is well recognized complaint after receiving general anesthesia. This study is conducted to compare the severity and frequency of postoperative sore throat in children undergoing elective surgery - following the use of Ambu laryngeal mask airway) or I-gel® - who are able to self-report postoperative sore throat.

Method: Seventy children, 6 to 16 years-old, undergoing elective surgery randomly allocated to either Ambu laryngeal mask (Ambu Group) or I-gel® (I-gel Group). Read More

Pediatr Infect Dis J 2020 Jun 3. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

From the Pediatric Department, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

Background: Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) predominantly affects indigenous Māori schoolchildren in Bay of Plenty region, and more so male Māori students, especially when socioeconomically deprived. We evaluated the effectiveness of strategies for reducing ARF with group A streptococcal pharyngitis treatment in 2011-18.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed outcomes of 3 open cohorts of Māori schoolchildren receiving different interventions: Eastern Bay rural Cohort 1, mean deprivation decile 9. Read More

Clin Pediatr (Phila) 2020 Jun 5:9922820927042. Epub 2020 Jun 5.

Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA.

Pharyngitis is commonly diagnosed in the emergency department (ED) and accounts for substantial antibiotic burden in pediatrics. This study describes ED patterns of group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis diagnosis and antibiotic prescribing patterns. This was a secondary data analysis of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Read More

J Sex Res 2020 Jun 5:1-8. Epub 2020 Jun 5.

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Mainz.

Stigmatization by health care professionals leads to decreased help-seeking behaviors in those being stigmatized. Prejudicial attitudes are especially pronounced concerning sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which is crucial in light of rising prevalence rates of STIs in recent years. We aimed to examine stigmatization against patients with sexually versus non-sexually transmitted infections among medical students in Germany. Read More

Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2020 Jun 4;19(1):26. Epub 2020 Jun 4.

Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.

This review article shows that coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are widely responsible for laryngological diseases. General characteristics of CoNS infections are shown in the introduction, and the pathogenicity in terms of virulence determinants, biofilm formation and genetic regulation mechanisms of these bacteria is presented in the first part of the paper to better display the virulence potential of staphylococci. The PubMed search keywords were as follows: CoNS and: nares infections, nasal polyps, rhinosinusitis, necrosing sinusitis, periprosthetic joint infection, pharyngitis, osteomyelitis of skull and neck bones, tonsillitis and recurrent tonsillitis. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020 06 4;6:CD012431. Epub 2020 Jun 4.

Department of General Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases, AP-HP, Hôpital Necker, Paris, France.

Background: Sore throat is a common condition caused by viruses or bacteria, and is a leading cause of antibiotic prescription in primary care. The most common bacterial species is group A streptococcus ('strep throat'). Between 50% to 70% of pharyngitis cases are treated with antibiotics, despite the majority of cases being viral in origin. Read More

Pak J Med Sci 2020 May-Jun;36(4):642-646

Masuma Anwar, MBBS. Department of Pediatrics, Shifa International Hospital Ltd, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the outcome of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) in healthy children.

Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 314 children aged 3-36 months in the paediatric outpatient clinic and emergency department with symptoms of URTI (fever, cough, rhinorrhoea) for ≤5 days. Patient's demographics, clinical features, laboratory data and outcome were recorded. Read More

JCI Insight 2020 Jun 4;5(11). Epub 2020 Jun 4.

Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.

Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus; GAS) causes 600 million cases of pharyngitis annually worldwide. There is no licensed human GAS vaccine despite a century of research. Although the human oropharynx is the primary site of GAS infection, the pathogenic genes and molecular processes used to colonize, cause disease, and persist in the upper respiratory tract are poorly understood. Read More

BMJ Open 2020 Jun 1;10(6):e036703. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Objectives: To assess variation in antibiotic prescribing practices among village doctors in a rural region of Shandong province, China.

Design, Setting And Participants: Almost all outpatient encounters at village clinics result in a prescription being issued. Prescriptions were collected over a 2. Read More

Aten Primaria 2020 May 29. Epub 2020 May 29.

Section of General Practice and Research Unit for General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; University Institute in Primary Care Research Jordi Gol, Via Roma Health Centre, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address:

Objective: This study was aimed at evaluating the appropriateness of use and interpretation of rapid antigen detection testing (RADT) and antibiotic prescribing for acute pharyngitis six years after a multifaceted intervention.

Design: Before-and-after audit-based study.

Location: Primary care centres in eight autonomous Communities. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 May;99(21):e20389

Hematology Unit, Medical Specialty Center, Bangkok Hospital Hat Yai, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand.

Rationale: Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is a severe pustular cutaneous adverse drug reaction. Sterile, non-follicular pustules overlying the erythematous skin characterize this reaction.

Patient Concerns: A 30-year-old Asian women presented with sterile, non-follicular lesions with pus-fluid levels on her back 2 days after taking clindamycin. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 May;99(21):e20221

Pathology Department, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China.

Rationale: Behcets disease (BD) is a type of chronic systemic vasculitis that typically manifests as a mucocutaneous disease with orogenital ulcers, skin damage, and uveitis. The clinical diagnosis is often difficult because of the diversity of organs that may be involved and lack of specific pathological diagnosis.

Patient Concerns: A 26-year-old woman presented as a nearly 2-week history of hoarseness with throat pain. Read More

Front Immunol 2020 14;11:877. Epub 2020 May 14.

Pediatric Rheumatology Unit of Western Switzerland, Pediatric Department, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.

The inflammasome has been recognized as one of the key components of innate immunity. Gain-of-function mutations in the exon 3 of gene have been implicated in inflammatory diseases suggesting the presence of functionally important sites in this region. Q703K (c. Read More

J Infect Chemother 2020 Aug 21;26(8):854-857. Epub 2020 May 21.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Kyoto City Hospital, Kyoto, Japan.

Here, we describe two mild SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia cases. One was imported from Wuhan, and the other was locally transmitted in Japan without recent travel to China. In both cases, lower respiratory tract symptoms were observed first, and high fever progressed in about one week. Read More

Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2020 May 26:3489420929717. Epub 2020 May 26.

Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, New Orleans, LA, USA.

Objective: To examine the use of intramuscular corticosteroid (IMCS) injections for treatment of acute upper respiratory infections (URI) and the influence on healthcare utilization.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used patient encounter data from a large multicenter regional health care system between 2013 and 2017. Adult patients diagnosed with acute URI (acute pharyngitis, acute sinusitis, acute otitis media, and URI not otherwise specified) during ambulatory encounters were included. Read More

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2020 May 25. Epub 2020 May 25.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Plastic Head and Neck Surgery, Kliniken Maria Hilf, Viersener Str. 450, 41063, Mönchengladbach, Germany.

Purpose: To evaluate, whether the regional variability of tonsil surgery in terms of the 16 Federal States of Germany was mirrored by a comparable variability of bleeding complications in male and female patients.

Methods: A longitudinal population-based inpatient cohort study was performed including all patients who had undergone tonsil surgery between 2005 and 2018. The database was provided by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany and included all inpatient cases after tonsillectomy (with or without adenoidectomy), tonsillotomy, abscess-tonsillectomy and secondary tonsillectomy. Read More

J Antimicrob Chemother 2020 May 25. Epub 2020 May 25.

Université de Paris, Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center - CRESS, INSERM, Obstetrical, Perinatal and Pediatric Epidemiology research team, F-75004 Paris, France.

Objectives: To assess recent community antibiotic prescribing for French children and identify areas of potential improvement.

Methods: We analysed 221 768 paediatric (<15 years) visits in a national sample of 680 French GPs and 70 community paediatricians (IQVIA's EPPM database), from March 2015 to February 2017, excluding well-child visits. We calculated antibiotic prescription rates per 100 visits, separately for GPs and paediatricians. Read More

J Ethnopharmacol 2020 Sep 19;259:112956. Epub 2020 May 19.

Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Drug Evaluation and Clinical Research, Research Center for Clinical Pharmacy, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 79# Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, PR China. Electronic address:

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Physalin B is one of the main active withanolide existed in Physalis alkekengi L. var. franchetii (Mast. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2020 Jun;26(6):1113-1121

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis is a key initiator of acute rheumatic fever (ARF). In New Zealand, ARF cases occur more frequently among persons of certain ethnic and socioeconomic groups. We compared GAS pharyngitis estimates (1,257,058 throat swab samples) with ARF incidence (792 hospitalizations) in Auckland during 2010-2016. Read More

Virulence 2020 12;11(1):482-485

Infectious Diseases Department, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.

Since its outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei Province China, 2019-coronavirus infected disease (COVID-19) had been widely spread all over the world, the control of which calls for a better understanding of its epidemiology and clinical characteristics. We included 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in First Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University from 23 January 2020 to 11 February 2020, which were retrospectively analyzed for epidemiological, demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological features. All the patients were confirmed by nucleic acid detection, the average age of whom was 45. Read More

Health Serv Res 2020 May 21. Epub 2020 May 21.

RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.

Objective: To evaluate episode-based payments for upper respiratory tract infections (URI) and perinatal care in Arkansas's Medicaid population.

Study Setting: Upper respiratory infection and perinatal episodes among Medicaid-covered individuals in Arkansas and comparison states from fiscal year (FY) 2011 to 2014.

Study Design: Cross-sectional observational analysis using a difference-in-difference design to examine outcomes associated with URI and perinatal episodes of care (EOC) from 2011 to 2014. Read More

Hawaii J Health Soc Welf 2020 May;79(5):149-152

Department of Pediatrics, John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, HI (BL-C, JM, RL, LN, DK).

Acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN) is a disorder of inflammation in the glomeruli and vasculature of the kidneys that is caused by immune-complex formation after Streptococcus pyogenes infection. Most patients with APSGN present with macroscopic hematuria, edema, and hypertension, however presentation can vary from no symptoms to severe proteinuria, or even acute renal failure. This study sought to estimate the incidence of APSGN among children in Hawai'i, to identify populations at increased risk for APSGN, and to recognize risk factors correlated with the length of hospitalization by subtype of APSGN (eg, pyoderma-associated, pharyngitis-associated). Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2020 ;2136:303-308

Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences and Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biomolecular Discovery, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) often exists as an asymptomatic colonizer of the upper respiratory tract in humans. Unsurprisingly, a high proportion of symptomatic infections caused by GAS include pharyngitis. While not usually life-threatening, these infections cause significant morbidity and economic burden/loss of productivity, and can have downstream life-threatening autoimmune consequences. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2020 ;2136:243-254

Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.

The ability to induce hemolysis, the rupturing of erythrocytes with the consequent release of their intracellular contents, is a phenotypic hallmark of a number of microbial toxins. Streptococcus pyogenes or Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a human pathogen responsible for a wide range of diseases from mild pharyngitis to severe conditions such as toxic shock syndrome. GAS produces a powerful hemolytic toxin called streptolysin S (SLS). Read More

Clin Pract Cases Emerg Med 2020 May 27;4(2):234-240. Epub 2020 Apr 27.

Reynold's Memorial Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, Glen Dale, West Virginia.

Introduction: Emergency physicians are trained to treat a variety of ailments in the emergency department (ED), some of which are emergent, while others are not. A common complaint seen in the ED is a sore throat. While most sore throats are easily diagnosed and treated, less common causes are often not considered in the differential diagnoses. Read More

Clin Pediatr (Phila) 2020 May 19:9922820920936. Epub 2020 May 19.

University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.

Rapid turnaround real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has recently become available as a point-of-care test for group A (GAS) in children presenting with pharyngitis. Our aim in this pilot study was to determine if GAS can be detected in the saliva of children with sore throat using swabs inoculated by children sucking on them as they would a lollipop. Twenty children with positive rapid antigen detection tests for GAS from pharyngeal swabs were enrolled. Read More

Am Fam Physician 2020 May;101(10):608-617

McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

In 2019, regular surveillance of 110 English-language research journals identified 254 studies that met the criteria to become POEMs (patient-oriented evidence that matters). Physician members of the Canadian Medical Association rated these POEMs for their relevance to patients in their practices. This article summarizes the clinical questions and bottom-line answers from the top 20 POEMs of 2019. Read More

IDCases 2020 5;20:e00785. Epub 2020 May 5.

University of Maryland Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease. 22 South Greene St, Baltimore MD 21201, United States.

gynecological infections generally occur in association with childbirth, intra-uterine devices, and other invasive gynecologic procedures, but rarely cause spontaneous pelvic inflammatory disease. We describe a case of a healthy young woman with spontaneous pelvic inflammatory disease, bacteremia, and shock, and summarize an additional 13 cases found in the literature. The majority were bacteremic and a significant number were also hypotensive. Read More