Nasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage after combined pneumococcal conjugate and polysaccharide vaccination in children with a history of recurrent acute otitis media.

Background: We recently showed that vaccination with a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) followed by a 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) failed to prevent new episodes of acute otitis media (AOM) in previously unvaccinated toddlers and children with a history of recurrent AOM. We describe in detail the impact of pneumococcal vaccinations on nasopharyngeal carriage of S. pneumoniae in this study population.

Treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss with antiviral therapy: a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial.

A subclinical viral labyrinthitis has been postulated in the literature to elicit idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL). An etiologic role for the herpes family is assumed. Corticosteroids possess a limited beneficial effect on hearing recovery in ISSHL.