Cough: neurophysiology, methods of research, pharmacological therapy and phonoaudiology.

Introduction:  The cough is the more common respiratory symptom in children and adults.

Objective:  To present a revision on the neurophysiology and the methods for study of the consequence of the cough, as well as the pharmacotherapy and phonoaudiology therapy of the cough, based on the works published between 2005 and 2010 and indexed in the bases Medline, Lilacs and Library Cochrane under them to keywords "cough" or "anti-cough". Synthesis of the data: The consequence of the cough involves activation of receiving multiples becomes vacant in the aerial ways and of neural projections of the nucleus of the solitary treatment for other structures of the central nervous system.

Pharyngotonsillitis in children: view from a sample of pediatricians and otorhinolaryngologists.

Unlabelled: Acute pharyngotonsillitis is a common upper airway infection in children.

Aim: To analyze opinions and practices of pediatricians and otorhinolaryngologists from Sao Paulo State, Brazil, concerning diagnosis, treatment and prevention of pharyngotonsillitis and their complications in children.

Methods: We randomly selected 1,370 pediatricians and 1,000 otolaryngologists from Sao Paulo State, Brazil.

Patents of drugs extracted from Brazilian medicinal plants.

Background: Plants synthesise a vast repertoire of chemicals with various biological activities. Brazilian enormous botanical diversity facilitates the development of novel ethical drugs for the treatment of diseases in humans.

Objective: To present therapeutic patent applications comprising Brazilian native plants published in the 2003-2008 period in light of legal aspects of patentability of biodiversity and public health concerns.

Mobile phones: influence on auditory and vestibular systems.

Unlabelled: Telecommunications systems emit radiofrequency, which is an invisible electromagnetic radiation. Mobile phones operate with microwaves (450900 MHz in the analog service, and 1,82,2 GHz in the digital service) very close to the users ear. The skin, inner ear, cochlear nerve and the temporal lobe surface absorb the radiofrequency energy.

Pharmaceutical excipients and the information on drug labels.

Aim: to evaluate the presence of preservatives, dyes, sweeteners and flavouring substances in 73 pharmaceutical preparations of 35 medicines for oral administration, according to drug labeling information about the excipients.

Methods: 35 medications were selected, both over-the-counter and prescription drugs, marketed in Brazil. The sample included: analgesic/antipyretic, antimicrobial, mucoregulatory, cough and cold, decongestant, antihistamine, bronchodilator, corticosteroid, antiinflammatory and vitamin medications.

Smoking, smoking cessation and otorhinolaryngologists in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Unlabelled: Otorhinolaryngologists are directly involved in the diagnosis and management of smoking related diseases, including upper airway malignancy. It is important that the specialists have skills to treat smoking and nicotine dependence. It is also known that there are smokers amongst doctors.

Methods for smoking cessation and treatment of nicotine dependence.

Smoking is related to 30% of cancer deaths. It is a risk factor for respiratory tract, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, uterine cervix, kidney and bladder carcinomas. Nicotine induces tolerance and addiction by acting on the central dopaminergic pathways, thus leading to pleasure and reward sensations within the limbic system.

Update in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in children.

The prevalence of OSAS in children is 0.7-3%, with peak incidence in pre-schoolers. It is characterised by partial or complete upper airway obstruction during sleep, causing intermittent hypoxia.

[Pediatricians and sleep-disordered breathing in the child].

Objectives: Assessment of opinions and practices of pediatricians concerning sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in children.

Methods: Randomly 516 pediatricians were selected in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. A survey mailed to them included questions regarding: their professional profile, knowledge about SDB in childhood, opinions and practices for diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.

[Retrospective analysis of toxicity of eardrops, topical nasal and oropharyngeal medicines, documented in São Paulo, Brazil].

Background: Retrospective analysis of human toxicity files involving topical medicines for treatment of upper airways diseases (eardrops, topical nasal medicines, lozenges, drops and sprays for oropharyngeal affections).

Methods: Thirty-four brands of eardrops, 48 of topical nasal medicines and 22 of tablets, lozenges and sprays for oropharyngeal affections were selected, from a total of 104 products available in Brazil. We analyzed the registries in the electronic database from the Poison Control Centre of São Paulo (CCI-Jabaquara), Brazil, for the period from January 1996 through December 2000.

[Impact of otitis media on language acquisition in children].

Objective: To review the literature concerning the impact of otitis media on language acquisitions in children.

Sources Of Data: Medline. The following keywords were used for searching: otitis media, hearing, language and children.

Toxicity of drugs used for treatment of rhinitis: a reminder to the otorhinolaryngologist.

We retrospectively studied files on toxicity of drugs used for treatment of rhinitis (nasal antihistamines, oral antihistamines, nasal vasoconstrictors, oral decongestants, nasal corticosteroids, nasal anticholinergic agent, nasal mast cell stabilizer, and respiratory antigen preparations for oral use) that occurred in São Paulo, Brazil, from 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1998. There were 823 cases of toxicity by these agents, with a predominance of oral decongestants (in combination with antihistamines) (53.4%).

[Young's syndrome: recurrent respiratory tract infections and azoospermia].

Introduction: Young's syndrome is part of primary ciliary dyskinesia, characterized by repeated airway infections and congenital epididymis obstruction.

Case Report: The authors present the case of a 28-year old male with recurrent rhinosinusitis and pneumonia. Sweat and immunologic tests fell within the normal range.

Lidocaine test in patients with tinnitus: rationale of accomplishment and relation to the treatment with carbamazepine.

Objectives: There is strong evidence in the literature about the effect of local anesthetics such as lidocaine in controlling tinnitus; these agents act by stabilizing hair cell membrane and cochlear nerve fibers. However, the effect of intravenous lidocaine is transient, and its oral analog (tocainide) does not have the same efficacy for long-term treatment in patients with tinnitus. Some oral anti-epileptic drugs (carbamazepine, for instance) have been used alternatively in several studies.

Ear and nose foreign body removal in children.

The removal of foreign bodies in children is very common in the otolaryngologist's daily routine. We present a prospective series of 187 cases of ear and nose foreign bodies removed from children aged 0-12 years old in a 6-month period--95 females (50.8%) and 92 males (49.

Frontoethmoidal mucocele with intracranial extension: a case report.

Mucoceles with intracranial extension are often reported by otolaryngologists and neurosurgeons. The authors present a case of a large frontoethmoidal mucocele with intracranial and intraorbital extension exerting a mass effect on the anterior cranial fossa. The patient experienced spontaneous drainage of the mucocele without evidence of recurrence of the lesion after a one-year period, suggesting that mucoceles, regardless of size, can be treated with conservative procedures such as functional endoscopic sinus surgery.

Nasal chondroma: a case report and review of the literature.

Although rare tumors, chondromas will on occasion be encountered by the otolaryngologist in his routine daily practice. The authors describe a nasal myxochondroma in an 8-year-old child, which was removed satisfactorily surgically, with no signs of recurrence even after 4 years of follow-up. Because chondromas may also present as nasal polyps, the knowledge of cartilaginous tumors in the nose plays a pivotal role for a better approach to these patients.

Nasal mucus clearance in rats: differences with sex and phase of the oestrous cycle.

We studied the changes in airway mucus rheology and clearability, as well as in morphometric indices, between male rats and females in either the oestrous or dioestrous phases of the oestrous cycle. Three-month-old Wistar rats were studied and the phases of the oestrous cycle were determined based on analysis of vaginal smears stained by a modified Shorr's procedure. Nasal mucus samples were analysed by means of magnetic rheometry and determination of in vitro transport rate in the frog palate preparation.