Effect of an Intranasal Corticosteroid on Quality of Life and Local Microbiome in Young Children With Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Intranasal corticosteroids (INCs) remain the first-line treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) in both adults and children, despite the lack of evidence regarding their efficacy in the pediatric population. Similarly, their effect on the sinonasal microbiome has not been well documented.

Objective: To assess the clinical, immunological, and microbiological effects of 12 weeks of an INC in young children with CRS.

Upper-airway dysbiosis related to frequent sweets consumption increases the risk of asthma in children with chronic rhinosinusitis.

Background: Innate immunity response to local dysbiosis seems to be one of the most important immunologic backgrounds of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and concomitant asthma. We aimed to assess clinical determinants of upper-airway dysbiosis and its effect on nasal inflammatory profile and asthma risk in young children with CRS.

Methods: We recruited one hundred and thirty-three children, aged 4-8 years with doctor-diagnosed CRS with or without asthma.

Raman spectra of high- κ dielectric layers investigated with micro-Raman spectroscopy comparison with silicon dioxide.

Three samples with dielectric layers from high- κ dielectrics, hafnium oxide, gadolinium-silicon oxide, and lanthanum-lutetium oxide on silicon substrate were studied by Raman spectroscopy. The results obtained for high- κ dielectrics were compared with spectra recorded for silicon dioxide. Raman spectra suggest the similarity of gadolinium-silicon oxide and lanthanum-lutetium oxide to the bulk nondensified silicon dioxide.

Axelrod's metanorm games on networks.

Metanorms is a mechanism proposed to promote cooperation in social dilemmas. Recent experimental results show that network structures that underlie social interactions influence the emergence of norms that promote cooperation. We generalize Axelrod's analysis of metanorms dynamics to interactions unfolding on networks through simulation and mathematical modeling.

Long term medical and economical benefit of machine perfusion (MP) kidney storage in comparison to cold storage (CS).

Background: Despite documented positive effect of MachinePerfusion (MP) on long-term kidneys-graft function its wide use is restricted due to higher costs. The aim of this study was to analyze the difference in costs of kidney transplantation in patients who received organ stored in ColdStorage (CS) vs those who received kidneys stored with MP.


Material/methods: Analysis was done on kidney transplantations performed between 1994-1999 in 415 patients.

The cost comparison of rhythm and rate control strategies in persistent atrial fibrillation.

Unlabelled: Our sub study was designed to analyze the cost effectiveness of two alternative treatment strategies with a view to improved allocation of the limited therapeutic resources. To that effect we conducted detailed analysis of the related costs and other relevant data collected in the course of the HOT CAFE study.

Methods: The prospective costs related to 205 patients randomly assigned to rhythm or rate control were traced over a 12 month period.