COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests With Self-Collected vs Health Care Worker-Collected Nasal and Throat Swab Specimens: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Self- or health care worker (HCW)-collected nasal swab specimens are the preferred sampling method to perform rapid antigen testing for COVID-19, but it is debated whether throat specimens can improve test sensitivity.

Objective: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of self- and HCW-collected nasal vs throat swab specimens for COVID-19 rapid antigen testing.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This per-protocol multicenter randomized clinical trial was conducted from February 15 through March 25, 2022.

Optimal Insertion Depth for Nasal Mid-Turbinate and Nasopharyngeal Swabs.

Millions of people are tested for COVID-19 daily during the pandemic, and a lack of evidence to guide optimal nasal swab testing can increase the risk of false-negative test results. This study aimed to determine the optimal insertion depth for nasal mid-turbinate and nasopharyngeal swabs. The measurements were made with a flexible endoscope during the collection of clinical specimens with a nasopharyngeal swab at a public COVID-19 test center in Copenhagen, Denmark.

[Middle-ear cholesteatoma and otoscopy in primary care].

Middle-ear cholesteatoma is a serious illness of the ear, which untreated can often lead to serious complications. The treatment is always surgical. The operation focuses on removing the cholesteatoma and repairing damaged structures like the ossicular chain.