The effect of undergraduate education in communication skills: a randomised controlled clinical trial.

Purpose: To determine whether students improve their communication skills as a result of supervised patient care and whether a newly implemented communication course could further improve these skills.

Method: We conducted a randomised, controlled trial including all participants of the first clinical treatment course (n = 26) between October 2006 and February 2007. Randomisation was balanced by gender and basic communication skills.

Proinflammatory effects of Staphylococcus aureus exotoxin B on nasal epithelial cells.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Staphylococcus aureus exotoxin B (SE-B) on proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine releases in primary nasal epithelial cell cultures (NECC) of subjects with and without chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

Study Design And Setting: NECC (CRS: n = 14;

Controls: n = 11) were stimulated with SE-B. Protein concentrations of interleukin-(IL)-1beta, IL-6, and IL-8 levels were measured in NECC supernatants by ELISA before (T0) and after 24 hr stimulation with SE-B (T1).