Performance Characteristics of Basophil Activation Tests for Diagnosing Penicillin Allergy: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Approximately 10% of the global population identify themselves as penicillin allergic, yet 90% are not truly allergic and could safely tolerate penicillin. There is no simple way to identify these people. Current in vitro diagnostics include specific immunoglobulin E (with a sensitivity of 19% and specificity of 97%) and a basophil activation test (BAT) with undefined sensitivity and specificity.

Virtual reality in simulation-based emergency skills training: A systematic review with a narrative synthesis.

Objective: An important role is predicted for virtual reality (VR) in the future of medical education. We performed a systematic review of the literature with a narrative synthesis, to examine the current evidence for VR in simulation-based emergency skills training. We broadly define emergency skills as any clinical skill used in the emergency care of patients across all clinical settings.

The post-operative tonsillectomy (POPT) study: A multi-centre prospective paediatric cohort study.

Objectives: Tonsillectomy is the most common operation performed by otolaryngologists in the UK, despite this we have a poor understanding of the post-operative recovery. We aimed to investigate post-operative bleeding and pain following paediatric tonsillectomy using a patient diary.

Design: Prospective observational cohort study.

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland successfully treated with surgical resection and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

A 57-year-old woman presented with a 3-month history of an enlarging thyroid mass causing breathlessness and dysphagia. Cross-sectional imaging showed a thyroid tumour infiltrating the trachea and abutting the oesophagus. She underwent panendoscopy, total thyroidectomy and planned tracheal resection, but due to intraoperative findings, a staged procedure was planned instead.

Fatal laryngeal burn from ingestion of a hot fish cake: Case report and literature review.

Introduction: Laryngeal burn from hot food ingestion is a rare but potentially life-threatening presentation. It is essential that clinicians have a high index of suspicion of potential airway obstruction in such cases. To our knowledge, this is the only case of fatal laryngeal oedema caused by hot solid food ingestion reported in the literature.