Background
One of the mechanisms evoked to explain the increasing prevalences of asthma and allergy, in particular among children, is the ‘Western lifestyle’ or ‘hygiene’ hypothesis. As early ...childhood infections are assumed to hold a protective effect on the development of asthma and allergies, the use of antibiotics at that sensitive age may lead to an increased risk of asthma and allergy.
Objective
The aim of this study is to investigate the association between the use of antibiotics in the first year of life and the subsequent development of asthma and allergic disorders.
Methods
In a population‐based sample of 7‐and‐8‐year‐old children questionnaire and skin prick test data were collected from 1206 and 675 subjects, respectively. Prevalence rates of asthma, allergic disorders and skin test positivity were compared between children with and without early life use of antibiotics, taking into account other possible risk factors including early respiratory infections. The effect of genetic predisposition was investigated by stratified analyses of children with and without parental hay fever.
Results
The use of antibiotics during the first year of life was significantly associated with asthma (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.0–3.1), hay fever (OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.3–3.8) and eczema (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 1.0–1.8). No significant relationship was found with skin test positivity (OR = 1.1, 95% CI 0.7–1.7). After stratification for the presence of parental hay fever, children without parental hay fever did not show any significant associations between antibiotics use and asthma or allergy, whereas in children with parental hay fever the use of antibiotics was significantly related with asthma (OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.1–5.1), hay fever (OR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.5–5.1) and eczema (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.0–2.6), and of borderline statistical significance with skin test positivity (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 0.9–3.0).
Conclusion
Early childhood use of antibiotics is associated with an increased risk of developing asthma and allergic disorders in children who are predisposed to atopic immune responses. These findings support recent immunological understanding of the maturation of the immune system.
Zenker’s diverticulum: Rotterdam experience Visser, L. J.; Hardillo, J. A. U.; Monserez, D. A. ...
European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology,
09/2016, Letnik:
273, Številka:
9
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Different surgical techniques exist for the treatment of Zenker’s diverticulum (ZD), of which minimally invasive techniques have become the standard. We reviewed our experience with management and ...treatment of ZD and sought to determine what type of treatment is most effective and efficient. We selected patients who underwent treatment for ZD between January 2004 and January 2014 at our tertiary referral center. All procedures were performed by ENT surgeons. The medical records were reviewed for pre- and intraoperative characteristics and follow-up. Of our 94 patients (58 male, 36 female), 75 underwent endoscopic cricopharyngeal myotomy (42 stapler, 33 laser) and 6 received treatment via transcervical approach. 13 interventions were aborted. Mean operating time was 49.0 min for stapler, 68.3 for laser and 124.0 for the transcervical approach. Its respective median post-operative admission durations were 2.0, 3.0 and 3.0 days. After the first treatment, of the 75 endoscopic procedures, 45 patients (23 stapler, 22 laser) had complete symptom resolution. In the transcervical group 4 (67 %) patients were symptom free and one patient died of complications. In the endoscopically treated patients, ten complications occurred, of which 8 G1 and 2 G2 (Clavien Dindo classification). In the transcervical group 2 complications occurred, 1 G3b and 1 G5. Both endoscopic techniques provide efficient management of Zenker’s diverticulum with the stapler-assisted modality providing a shorter surgery duration and hospital admission. Although there is no significant difference in terms of complications or recurrence rates for both endoscopic techniques, it seems that stapler patients are at higher risk of having a re-intervention and of having more severe complications.
One of the mechanisms evoked to explain the increasing prevalences of asthma and allergy, in particular among children, is the 'Western lifestyle' or 'hygiene' hypothesis. As early childhood ...infections are assumed to hold a protective effect on the development of asthma and allergies, the use of antibiotics at that sensitive age may lead to an increased risk of asthma and allergy.
The aim of this study is to investigate the association between the use of antibiotics in the first year of life and the subsequent development of asthma and allergic disorders.
In a population-based sample of 7-and-8-year-old children questionnaire and skin prick test data were collected from 1206 and 675 subjects, respectively. Prevalence rates of asthma, allergic disorders and skin test positivity were compared between children with and without early life use of antibiotics, taking into account other possible risk factors including early respiratory infections. The effect of genetic predisposition was investigated by stratified analyses of children with and without parental hay fever.
The use of antibiotics during the first year of life was significantly associated with asthma (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.0-3.1), hay fever (OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.3-3.8) and eczema (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.8). No significant relationship was found with skin test positivity (OR = 1.1, 95% CI 0.7-1.7). After stratification for the presence of parental hay fever, children without parental hay fever did not show any significant associations between antibiotics use and asthma or allergy, whereas in children with parental hay fever the use of antibiotics was significantly related with asthma (OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.1-5.1), hay fever (OR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.5-5.1) and eczema (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.0-2.6), and of borderline statistical significance with skin test positivity (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 0.9-3.0).
Early childhood use of antibiotics is associated with an increased risk of developing asthma and allergic disorders in children who are predisposed to atopic immune responses. These findings support recent immunological understanding of the maturation of the immune system.
Perceptual musical functions were investigated in patients suffering from unilateral cerebrovascular cortical lesions. Using MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) technique, a standardized ...short test battery was established that covers local (analytical) as well as global perceptual mechanisms. These represent the principal cognitive strategies in melodic and temporal musical information processing (local, interval and rhythm; global, contour and metre). Of the participating brain-damaged patients, a total of 69% presented with post-lesional impairments in music perception. Left-hemisphere-damaged patients showed significant deficits in the discrimination of local as well as global structures in both melodic and temporal information processing. Right-hemisphere-damaged patients also revealed an overall impairment of music perception, reaching significance in the temporal conditions. Detailed analysis outlined a hierarchical organization, with an initial right-hemisphere recognition of contour and metre followed by identification of interval and rhythm via left-hemisphere subsystems. Patterns of dissociated and associated melodic and temporal deficits indicate autonomous, yet partially integrated neural subsystems underlying the processing of melodic and temporal stimuli. In conclusion, these data contradict a strong hemispheric specificity for music perception, but indicate cross-hemisphere, fragmented neural substrates underlying local and global musical information processing in the melodic and temporal dimensions. Due to the diverse profiles of neuropsychological deficits revealed in earlier investigations as well as in this study, individual aspects of musicality and musical behaviour very likely contribute to the definite formation of these widely distributed neural networks.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) features central and peripheral paresis owing to the degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons. Here, we asked whether motor preparation and inhibition are ...also affected. Thirteen ALS patients and thirteen matched controls participated in an event-related brain potentials (ERP) experiment in which a cue stimulus indicated whether the following target stimulus was to be responded to by the left or the right hand by a speeded button press. In 25% of the trials a stop-signal followed the target stimulus (onset asynchrony 150ms) indicating that participants had to abort the already initiated motor response. ERPs indicated deficits of the ALS patients in the preparation and inhibition of motor responses: The lateralized readiness potential indicating motor preparation had a grossly reduced amplitude. A right frontal negative component following about 200ms after the stop-signal and known to indicate inhibitory processes was diminished in amplitude and prolonged in latency in ALS. Finally, a later negative component associated with error processing was also reduced in amplitude in ALS. These electrophysiological changes were accompanied by behavioral deficits in the patient group (less efficient stopping of movements, no reaction time adaptation after stop trials). In conclusion, ALS patients showed deficits in both, movement initiation and inhibition, with the latter associated with prefrontal dysfunction.
The Southern Galactic Plane Survey: The Test Region McClure-Griffiths, N. M; Green, A. J; Dickey, John M ...
Astrophysical journal/The Astrophysical journal,
04/2001, Letnik:
551, Številka:
1
Journal Article
We report on VLBI as well as Very Large Array radio observations of the Type I b/c supernova 2009bb. The high radio luminosity of this supernova seems to require relativistic outflow, implying that ...the early radio emission was 'engine-driven,' that is, driven by collimated outflow from a compact object, even though no gamma-ray emission was seen. The radio light curve shows a general decline, with a 'bump' near t = 52 d, seen most prominently at 5 GHz. The light-curve bump could be either engine-driven or it might represent the turn-on of the normal radio emission from a supernova, driven by interaction with the circumstellar material rather than by the engine. We undertook VLBI observations to resolve SN 2009bb's relativistic outflow. Our observations constrain the angular outer radius at an age of 85 d to be <0.64 mas, corresponding to <4 X 1017 cm and an average apparent expansion speed of <1.74 c. This result is consistent with the moderately relativistic ejecta speeds implied by the radio luminosity and spectrum.
The radio sources in the galaxy cluster A3667 have been imaged using the Australia Telescope Compact Array at both 13 and 20 cm. The most striking source is a large region (at least 2.6 Mpc in ...extent) of mostly diffuse emission that is located to the north-west, well outside the central core of the cluster. Taking into account the X-ray and optical data, we suggest that turbulence in the outer region of the cluster, associated with a cluster merger, reaccelerates remnant relativistic particles, leading to the observed large region of radio emission. New MOST data which indicate similar diffuse emission to the south-east support this conclusion. 1In this paper we choose not to draw a distinction between halo and relic sources, but use the term ‘halo’ to refer generically to either class of diffuse cluster source.
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