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J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2022 May 25;9(6). Epub 2022 May 25.

Department of Internal Medicine II, Division of Cardiology, Paracelsus Medical University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.

(1) Background: Myocarditis following group A streptococcal pharyngitis and tonsillitis is a relatively rare medical condition. The aim of this systematic review was to identify specific ECG changes, laboratory parameters and signs, and symptoms associated with this disease. (2) Methods: A systematic literature review was performed in concordance with the current PRISMA guidelines, including the databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, CDSR, CENTRAL, CCAs, EBM Reviews, and LILACS. Read More

JAMA 2022 06;327(22):2231-2237

Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.

Importance: Acute infectious conjunctivitis is characterized by ocular redness and discharge, and is a common clinical entity. Evidence-based tools to aid the clinical diagnosis of viral vs bacterial conjunctivitis are lacking and may contribute to overprescribing of topical antibiotics.

Objective: To determine the relative prevalence of viral vs bacterial conjunctivitis in adults and children, and to determine which symptoms or signs are suggestive of a viral vs bacterial etiology. Read More

PLoS One 2022 9;17(6):e0264298. Epub 2022 Jun 9.

Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.

The association between COVID-19 symptoms and antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 is poorly characterized. We analyzed antibody levels in individuals with known SARS-CoV-2 infection to identify potential antibody-symptom associations. Convalescent plasma from 216 SARS-CoV-2 RNA+ individuals with symptomatology information were tested for the presence of IgG to the spike S1 subunit (Euroimmun ELISA), IgG to receptor binding domain (RBD, CoronaCHEK rapid test), and for IgG, IgA, and IgM to nucleocapsid (N, Bio-Rad ELISA). Read More

Immun Inflamm Dis 2022 Jun;10(6):e632

Department of Biostatistics and Cancer Registration, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, P. R. China.

Background: To analyze the epidemic characteristics of the human rhinovirus (HRV) outbreaks in Guangzhou, China, in 2020.

Methods: Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze the HRV-related outbreaks in Guangzhou, 2020.

Results: Seventeen outbreaks were reported in 2020 during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Guangzhou, a total of 465 patients (290 males and 175 females) were enrolled, with a median age of 10. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2022 05 2;5(5):e2214153. Epub 2022 May 2.

Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.

Importance: Nonguideline antibiotic prescribing for the treatment of pediatric infections is common, but the consequences of inappropriate antibiotics are not well described.

Objective: To evaluate the comparative safety and health care expenditures of inappropriate vs appropriate oral antibiotic prescriptions for common outpatient pediatric infections.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study included children aged 6 months to 17 years diagnosed with a bacterial infection (suppurative otitis media [OM], pharyngitis, sinusitis) or viral infection (influenza, viral upper respiratory infection [URI], bronchiolitis, bronchitis, nonsuppurative OM) as an outpatient from April 1, 2016, to September 30, 2018, in the IBM MarketScan Commercial Database. Read More

Vestn Otorinolaringol 2022 ;87(2):22-28

Otisipharm JSC, Moscow, Russia.

Sore throat is one of the most frequent complaints with which patients seek medical help from an otorhinolaryngologist, therapist and pediatrician.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a combined topical drug with flurbiprofen and cetylpyridinium chloride in patients with sore throat caused by upper respiratory tract infections.

Material And Methods: A prospective multicenter open randomized comparative study in parallel groups included 266 adult patients with an established diagnosis of acute pharyngitis or acute tonsillitis aged 18 to 60 years with the main complaint of sore throat caused by viral infections of the upper respiratory tract. Read More

Cureus 2022 Mar 18;14(3):e23306. Epub 2022 Mar 18.

Emergency Medicine, Allegheny Health Network, Saint Vincent Hospital, Erie, USA.

Acute pharyngitis is a common complaint in emergency department (ED), urgent care, and primary care settings. Most cases are due to bacterial or viral infections easily treated with antibiotics or supportive care. However, serious pathologies in the pharyngitis differential include Ludwig's angina, peritonsillar abscess, retropharyngeal abscess, and bacterial tracheitis. Read More

Microbiol Immunol 2022 Jun 27;66(6):277-291. Epub 2022 May 27.

Centre for Molecular Biology, Central University of Jammu, Samba, Jammu and Kashmir (UT), India.

Respiratory diseases are responsible for a greater mortality rate around the world. Viral or bacterial infections in the respiratory tract have been identified as major causative agents for death and disability among the population. Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) cause severe respiratory ailments starting from coldlike symptoms, eventually affecting the lungs and other viscera, and are mainly categorized into two types depending on the affected area: upper RTIs and lower RTIs. Read More

BMJ Open 2022 04 22;12(4):e059942. Epub 2022 Apr 22.

Department of Internal Medicine, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.

Objectives: Rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remain among the major heart problems among children in Nepal. Although these conditions are preventable and treatable, the lack of proper knowledge and resources to diagnose and manage these conditions in rural health centres is a key concern. This study assessed the impact of educational sessions to improve the knowledge of healthcare workers in the early recognition, diagnosis, and management of RF and RHD in rural far-western Nepal. Read More

Int J Infect Dis 2022 Jul 13;120:77-82. Epub 2022 Apr 13.

Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; Division of Infectious Diseases II and Immunology, Department of Medical Sciences and Infectious Diseases, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.

Background: Immunological treatments (immune checkpoint inhibitors [ICIs], chimeric antigen receptor T [CAR-T] cells, bispecific T-cell engagers [BiTEs]) have deeply changed the treatment of several cancers. However, the impact of these treatments on the risk of developing infections has not been completely ascertained yet.

Methods: We reviewed all the registration studies of currently approved ICIs, CAR-T cells, and BiTEs to collect all the reported infections. Read More

Am J Otolaryngol 2022 May-Jun;43(3):103458. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Izmir, Turkey.

Objectives: COVID-19 has seriously altered physicians' approach to patients and diseases, with a tendency to postpone elective procedures. Tonsillectomy, alone or with adenoidectomy, is one of the most common surgeries performed by otolaryngologists. Although they are generally accepted as elective surgeries, they significantly improve the quality of life, and postponing these surgeries for a long time can have deteriorative effects on the patients. Read More

Nutrients 2022 Jan 24;14(3). Epub 2022 Jan 24.

Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, Canada.

Pharyngitis is an inflammation of the pharynx caused by viral, bacterial, or non-infectious factors. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory efficacy of carvacrol was assessed using an in vitro model of streptococcal pharyngitis using human tonsil epithelial cells (HTonEpiCs) induced with cell wall antigens. HTonEpiCs were stimulated by a mixture of lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and peptidoglycan (PGN) for 4 h followed by exposure to carvacrol for 20 h. Read More

J Intern Med 2022 Jul 6;292(1):154-161. Epub 2022 Mar 6.

Department of ENT Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Objective: The objective of this study is to present a novel clinical manifestation of infection with the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus affecting mainly young, vaccinated, and healthy adults. We describe a new group of COVID-19 patients seeking emergency care with symptoms similar to the life-threatening condition epiglottitis. Here, we present a case series and discuss management. Read More

Benef Microbes 2022 Feb 11;13(1):83-94. Epub 2022 Feb 11.

Belano medical AG, Neuendorfstraße 19, 16761 Hennigsdorf, Germany.

, a group A streptococcus, is the major bacterial pathogen responsible for acute bacterial infection of the human oropharynx and the causative agent of scarlet fever. Estimates of the global burden of related diseases revealed 616 million cases of pharyngitis, and at least 517,000 deaths due to severe invasive diseases and sequelae. Here we describe DSM25988 that was identified among hundreds of strains (referring to all organisms that were classified as until 2020) showing ability to prevent adhesion of to Detroit 562 cells, and to exhibit a masking and co-aggregating effect on . Read More

J Patient Cent Res Rev 2022 17;9(1):64-69. Epub 2022 Jan 17.

Advocate Aurora Health, Downers Grove, IL.

A recent disease prevalence study of the largest documented Down syndrome (DS) cohort in the United States strongly suggested significant disparity in general infectious disease conditions among individuals with DS versus those without DS. In this follow-up retrospective analysis, we explored these differences in greater detail by calculating prevalence of 52 infectious diseases, across 28 years of data among 6078 individuals with DS and 30,326 age- and sex-matched controls, abstracted from electronic medical records within a large Midwestern health system. We found that the DS cohort had higher prevalence of pneumonias (including aspiration, viral, bacterial, pneumococcal, and unspecified/atypical); otitis externa; and the skin infections impetigo, abscess, and cellulitis. Read More

Nature 2022 02;602(7896):191-192

BMJ Open 2021 12 24;11(12):e057772. Epub 2021 Dec 24.

Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, UK

Objectives: In response to increasing incidence of scarlet fever and wider outbreaks of group A streptococcal infections in London, we aimed to characterise the epidemiology, symptoms, management and consequences of scarlet fever, and to identify factors associated with delayed diagnosis.

Design And Setting: Cross-sectional community-based study of children with scarlet fever notified to London's three Health Protection Teams, 2018-2019.

Participants: From 2575 directly invited notified cases plus invitations via parental networks at 410 schools/nurseries with notified outbreaks of confirmed/probable scarlet fever, we received 477 responses (19% of those directly invited), of which 412 met the case definition. Read More

Emerg Med J 2022 Jan;39(1):36-76

ENT Department, Royal Sussex County Hospital NHS Trust, Brighton, UK.

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2021 12 9;12:CD000023. Epub 2021 Dec 9.

Institute for Evidence-Based Healthcare, Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia.

Background: Sore throat is a common reason for people to present for medical care and to be prescribed antibiotics. Overuse of antibiotics in primary medicine is a concern, hence it is important to establish their efficacy in treating sore throat and preventing secondary complications.  OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of antibiotics for reducing symptoms of sore throat for child and adult patients. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2021 11 29;106(2):623-625. Epub 2021 Nov 29.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the most common cause of infectious mononucleosis (IM) and IM is a clinical syndrome typically characterized by fever, pharyngitis, and cervical lymph node enlargement. We describe the case of a 19-year-old man with IM complicated by splenic infarction. The patient visited our hospital because of upper abdominal pain without a fever and sore throat. Read More

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2022 May 22;279(5):2671-2678. Epub 2021 Nov 22.

Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Doncaster, UK.

Purpose: To report changes in adult hospital admission rates for acute ENT infections following the introduction of COVID-19-related physical interventions such as hand washing, use of face masks and social distancing of 2-m in the United Kingdom.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study comparing adult admissions with acute tonsillitis, peritonsillar abscess, epiglottitis, glandular fever, peri-orbital cellulitis, acute otitis media, acute mastoiditis, retropharyngeal abscess and parapharyngeal abscess in the 1-year period after the introduction of COVID-related physical interventions (2020-2021) with a 1-year period before this (2019-2020) in three UK secondary care ENT departments.

Results: In total, there were significantly fewer admissions for ENT infections (n = 1073, 57. Read More

JAMA 2021 Dec;326(21):2195-2196

Department of Medicine, AMITA Health St Joseph Hospital, Chicago, Illinois.

Clin Otolaryngol 2022 03 6;47(2):328-330. Epub 2021 Dec 6.

Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, International University of Health and Welfare, Narita, Chiba, Japan.

Cureus 2021 Oct 1;13(10):e18431. Epub 2021 Oct 1.

Pharmacology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, IND.

Introduction Antimicrobial resistance is a serious problem to solve for the public health authorities at the global level, particularly in developing countries like India. One of the possible reasons for antimicrobial resistance could be the inappropriate or overuse of antibiotics. The Indian government started the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance to promote rational use of antibiotics in our country. Read More

Cardiol J 2021 Oct 13. Epub 2021 Oct 13.

Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland, Medyków, 40-752 Katowice, Poland.

Colchicine is an effective anti-inflammatory agent used to treat gout, coronary artery disease, viral pericarditis, and familial Mediterranean fever. It has been found to act by preventing the polymerization of the protein called tubulin, thus inhibiting inflammasome activation, proinflammatory chemokines, and cellular adhesion molecules. Accumulating evidence suggests that some patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) suffer from "cytokine storm" syndrome. Read More

J Laryngol Otol 2022 Mar 4;136(3):243-247. Epub 2021 Oct 4.

Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, Ontario, Canada.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus in paediatric tonsils in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.

Materials And Methods: Patients aged 0-18 years undergoing tonsillectomy were recruited. Two specimens (left and right tonsils) were collected from each participant. Read More

Pediatr Investig 2021 Sep 22;5(3):188-194. Epub 2021 Sep 22.

Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children Ministry of Education Research Unit of Critical Infection in Children Chinese Academy of Medical Science Department of Infectious Diseases Beijing Children's Hospital Capital Medical University National Center for Children's Health Beijing China.

Importance: The clinical characteristics of infectious mononucleosis (IM) in Chinese children have not been evaluated in multicenter studies, and the effectiveness of antiviral treatment are controversial.

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of Chinese children with IM and current status of antiviral therapy for affected patients.

Methods: Hospitalized patients with IM were enrolled between 2018 and 2020 in five children's hospitals in China. Read More

PLoS Med 2021 09 28;18(9):e1003777. Epub 2021 Sep 28.

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.

Background: Rapid detection, isolation, and contact tracing of community COVID-19 cases are essential measures to limit the community spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We aimed to identify a parsimonious set of symptoms that jointly predict COVID-19 and investigated whether predictive symptoms differ between the B.1. Read More

Vestn Otorinolaringol 2021 ;86(4):79-85

L.I. Sverzhevsky Otorhinolaryngology Scientific Research Clinical Institute Moscow Health Department, Moscow, Russia.

Infectious mononucleosis (IM) is an acute viral infection that usually occurs with fever, acute tonsillitis, affects lymph nodes, liver, spleen, and with specific changes in the hemogram. One of the most frequent symptoms of the disease is sore throat which leads people to otorhinolaryngologist. Several pathogens may be the cause of IM, but Epstein-Barr virus(EBV) plays a key role. Read More

J Res Health Sci 2021 May 26;21(2):e00512. Epub 2021 May 26.

S. D. Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Background: This study aimed to analyze the demographic and epidemiological features of identified COVID-19 cases in Kazakhstan.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study.

Methods: This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze COVID-19 cases (n=5116) collected from March 13 to June 6, 2020, in Kazakhstan. Read More