Influenza and the common cold are acute infectious diseases of the respiratory tract. Influenza is a severe disease that is highly infectious and can progress to life-threating diseases such as ...pneumonia or encephalitis when aggravated. Due to the fact that influenza infections and common colds spread easily via droplets and contact, public prevention measures, such as hand washing and facial masks, are recommended for influenza prophylaxis. Experimental studies have reported that tea catechins inhibited influenza viral adsorption and suppressed replication and neuraminidase activity. They were also effective against some cold viruses. In addition, tea catechins enhance immunity against viral infection. Although the antiviral activity of tea catechins has been demonstrated, the clinical evidence to support their utility remains inconclusive. Since the late 1990s, several epidemiological studies have suggested that the regular consumption of green tea decreases influenza infection rates and some cold symptoms, and that gargling with tea catechin may protect against the development of influenza infection. This review briefly summarizes the effect of tea catechins on influenza infection and the common cold with a focus on epidemiological/clinical studies, and clarifies the need for further studies to confirm their clinical efficacy.
Purpose
We compared the outcomes of laparoscopic surgery (LS) with those of open surgery (OS) for unilateral and bilateral pediatric inguinal hernia.
Methods
Using a nationwide claim-based database ...in Japan, we analyzed data from children younger than 15 years old, who underwent inguinal hernia repair between January 2005 and December 2017. Patient characteristics, incidence of reoperation, postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and duration of anesthesia were compared between LS and OS for unilateral and bilateral hernia.
Results
Among 5554 patients, 2057 underwent LS (unilateral 1095, bilateral 962) and 3497 underwent OS (unilateral 3177, bilateral 320). The incidence of recurrence was not significantly different between OS and LS (unilateral: OS 0.2% vs. LS 0.3%,
p
= 0.44, bilateral: OS 0.6% vs. LS 0.6%,
p
= 1.00). The incidence of metachronous hernias was significantly higher in the OS group than in the LS group (4.8% vs. 1.0%,
p
< 0.001). The surgical site infection rate was significantly lower after OS than after LS for unilateral surgeries (0.9% vs. 2.2%,
p
= 0.002). There was no difference between OS and LS in the length of hospital stay.
Conclusion
Both OS and LS had a low incidence of recurrence in children; however, the incidence of metachronous hernias was lower for LS, which may influence operative technique decisions.
Background
Although associations between antibiotic exposure in infants and asthma development are reported, few studies have examined the effects of prenatal exposure to antibiotics. We evaluated ...this association considering the antibiotic types using a large‐scale claim database in Japan.
Methods
This retrospective study using health insurance administrative claim data in Japan included children born between January 2005 and September 2014. We constructed 2 cohorts: initial cohort, with information on children's mothers, and sibling cohort, with at least one sibling. Cox proportional hazard regression and sibling‐matched cohort analyses were performed to determine the association between exposure to antibiotics in utero or the first year of life and asthma development until age 6.
Results
In the initial cohort, antibiotic exposure during the foetal period was associated with early asthma development (until age 3; HR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.08‐1.30). However, this association disappeared after 3 years. The association between antibiotic exposure in the first year of life and asthma was stronger in early (HR: 2.43, 95% CI: 2.20‐2.69) than later (HR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.11‐1.36) life. In the sibling cohort, we observed positive associations between foetal exposure and asthma by adjusting for familial factors (HR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.05‐1.72), which remained during the first year of life (HR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.27‐2.07).
Conclusions
Exposure to antibiotics during the first year of life was associated with childhood asthma even after adjusting for familial factors. However, a weak association was observed between prenatal antibiotic exposure and asthma development.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders worldwide. Its incidence is gradually increasing because of an aging demographic. Therefore, AD prevention and ...modification is important to improve the health status of older adults. Oxidative stress is a component of the pathological mechanisms underlying AD. It is caused by a disruption of the balance between reactive oxygen species and antioxidant molecules. This imbalance also causes neuroinflammation. Catechins, which are bioactive components of tea, have antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. Moreover, other potential properties related to AD prevention and modification have been reported in in vitro and in vivo studies. Several clinical studies have also been conducted to date. The current review summarizes recent updates and perspectives of the effects of catechins on AD based on the molecular mechanisms and related clinical studies.
Purpose
In chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), the superiority of the second-generation 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 receptor antagonist (5-HT
3
RA) over the first-generation 5-HT
3
RA is shown ...in the delayed emesis in cycle 1. We evaluate the antiemetic efficacy in real-world clinical practice that has not been sufficiently investigated in clinical trials.
Methods
We included patients who were diagnosed with gastric cancer between April 2012 and June 2017 from the medical claims databases and were treated with cisplatin (≥ 50 mg/m
2
) and standard antiemetic therapy (5-HT
3
RA + neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist NK1RA + dexamethasone). We compared the second-generation 5-HT
3
RA (2nd group) and the first-generation 5-HT
3
RA (1st group) groups to evaluate the additional antiemetic drug as the CINV event.
Results
In total, 3798 patients were extracted; 1440 and 2358 patients were included in the 1st and 2nd groups, respectively. The clinical and demographic characteristics did not differ between the groups. In the overall (days 1–6) in cycle 1, 51.7% and 44.3% of patients in the 1st and 2nd groups, respectively, had a CINV event. In the acute phase (days 1–2), 38.7% and 30.2% and in the delayed phase (days 3–6), 35.8% and 32.1% of patients in the 1st and 2nd groups, respectively, had a CINV event. Furthermore, the CINV event trend was the same as in cycles 1 to 5.
Conclusion
The proportion of CINV events in the 2nd group was smaller than that in the 1st group at any cycle. These findings may suggest consistent antiemetic efficacy of second-generation 5-HT
3
RA throughout the cycle.
Influenza viruses can spread easily from person to person, and annual influenza epidemics are serious public health issues worldwide. Non-pharmaceutical public health interventions could potentially ...be effective for combatting influenza epidemics, but combined interventions and/or interventions with greater effectiveness are needed. Experimental studies have reported that tea and its ingredients (especially catechins) have antiviral activities. Although several clinical studies have investigated the use of tea or its ingredients to prevent influenza infections, the effect of gargling these substances has remained uncertain.
We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies and prospective cohort studies to assess the effect of gargling with tea and its ingredients on the prevention of influenza infection. The published literature was searched using the Cochrane Library, PubMed/MEDLINE (1966 to September 2015), Web of Science (1981 to September 2015), and Ichu-shi Web (1983 to September 2015). The extracted studies were read by two reviewers independently, and their overall scientific quality was evaluated. Studies meeting our inclusion criteria were pooled using the Mantel-Haenszel method in a fixed effects model and were also analyzed in a random effects model. The qualities of the model fits were assessed using the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Bayesian information criterion (BIC).
The literature search and review identified 5 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis (total number of participants, 1890; mean age range, 16-83 years). The participants who gargled with tea or its ingredients showed a lower risk of influenza infection than did participants who gargled with placebo/water or who did not gargle (fixed effects model, Mantel-Haenszel method: relative risk RR = 0.70, 95 % confidence interval CI = 0.54-0.89; random effects model: RR = 0.71, 95 % CI = 0.56-0.91). The fixed effects model had a better quality of fit than the random effects model (fixed effects model: AIC = 6.04, BIC = 5.65; random effects model: AIC = 8.74, BIC = 7.52).
Gargling with tea and its ingredients may have a preventative effect for influenza infection. However, additional large-scale studies in different populations and a pooled analysis of these studies are needed to confirm the effect.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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