WITHDRAWN: Nasal decongestants for the common cold.

Background: The common cold is a major and recurrent cause of morbidity, on average affecting children and adults two or more times each year. Nasal congestion is its commonest symptom and many therapies are marketed for its relief. There is no meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials on the effects of nasal decongestants in the common cold.

Clinical trial of 3 days of treatment with oral pseudoephedrine for the common cold in the southern hemisphere.

Background: Single-dose studies indicate that pseudoephedrine (PSE) provides moderate relief for congestion in coryza, but there is a lack of repeated-dose studies.

Methods: Two hundred sixteen subjects participated in this double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial over 3 days. Measurements included posterior rhinomanometry, acoustic rhinometry, and subjective measures of congestion using a categorical scale and visual analog scale (VAS).

The Effect of an Interactive Tutorial on the Prescribing Performance of Senior Medical Students.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of small group tutorials in teaching senior medical students the requirements of prescription writing.

Design: Random allocation to interactive tutorial or didactic lecture with blinded evaluation.

Subjects: All 1999 6th year medical students, the University of Adelaide.

Opening the nasal valve with external dilators reduces congestive symptoms in normal subjects.

Background: We examined whether the use of two different external nasal dilator devices influenced the size of the nasal valve area and symptoms of nasal congestion.

Methods: This was a randomized blind-allocation, open three-way crossover study of Breathe Right, Side Strip Nasal Dilators, and placebo. We studied 12 healthy subjects (10 female, 2 male; age range 26-56 years).

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of pseudoephedrine in coryza.

1. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of pseudoephedrine in coryza. 2.

Vasodepressor syncope and the diagnostic accuracy of the head-up tilt test with sublingual glyceryl trinitrate.

Thirteen syncopal subjects and thirteen asymptomatic controls were examined by head-up tilt (HUT) with and without sublingual GTN. Adding GTN to HUT improved the sensitivity of the test (8 % to 46%) but decreased specificity (100 % to 54 %).

Validation by fluid volume of acoustic rhinometry before and after decongestant in normal subjects.

To validate the measurement of nasal volume by acoustic rhinometry, acoustic rhinometry (AR) measures before and after decongestion were compared to a reference volume measurement in 10 healthy volunteers over 3 visits each. The reference method was hydraulic infusion with manometry, involving slow constant-rate infusion of isotonic saline into each nasal cavity while the subject was appropriately positioned. Consecutive 10 mm nasal segments were measured, and hydraulic volume derived.