Clerodane diterpenoids from the vine stems of Fibraurea recisa Pierre and their hepatic gluconeogenesis inhibitory activity.

Fibraurea recisa Pierre is a vine plant and its vine stems are used as a traditional Chinese medicine to treat heat toxin, constipation, diarrhea, sore throat, eye inflammation, carbuncles, and skin ulcers. The alkaloid chemical composition of this plant has been extensively studied; however, investigations into non-alkaloid components remain limited. In this study, phytochemical studies of the vine stems of F.

Invasive group A streptococcal infections as a consequence of coexisting or previous viral infection in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period.

Background: Group A Streptococci (GAS) may cause infections of the pharynx and soft tissues and invasive infections in children (iGAS). A significant increase in severe iGAS infections has been reported in Europe since the fall of 2022.

Objectives: This retrospective study aims to analyse clinical data of children with invasive and non-invasive GAS infections in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, searching for predisposing factors to developing invasive infections.

The Effect of Magnesium Sulfate on Extubation Quality Score and Recovery in Larynx Laser Microsurgery: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Study.

Purpose: Laryngeal microsurgery is a challenging surgery because of the risk of airway complications. Therefore, extubation is of significant importance. We aimed to investigate the effect of magnesium sulfate on extubation quality, recovery features, and complications.

Molecular Epidemiology, Transmission, and Evolution of Rubella Virus Circulating in Tianjin, China, Between 2009 and 2020.

Rubella is listed as a disease that needs to be eliminated worldwide by the World Health Organization. This study aimed to investigate rubella epidemiology and genetic characteristics based on data from 12 years of laboratory-based surveillance (2009-2020) in Tianjin and to provide baseline genotype data for monitoring future rubella control efforts. We collected RV-positive throat swab samples from confirmed rubella cases during 2009-2020 in Tianjin to isolate RV, amplify and sequence target gene fragments, construct phylogenetic trees, and analyze nucleotide homologies.

Multimodality Treatment Outcome in Adult Patients with Head and Neck Rhabdomyosarcoma.

Objective(s): Head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma (HNRMS) is a rare malignant tumor in adults. No standard treatment for adults with HNRMS currently exists.

Methods: A retrospective study of 72 newly diagnosed consecutive adult patients with HNRMS was conducted at one institution between November 2010 and April 2023.

Tracking cryptic SARS-CoV-2 hospital outbreak through quasispecies analysis.

Background: Since the beginning of the pandemic, contact tracing has been one of the most relevant issues to understand SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics and, in this context, the analysis of quasispecies may turn out to be a useful tool for outbreak investigations. Analysis of the intra-host single nucleotide variants (iSNVs) found in the nsp2, ORF3, and ORF7 genes of SARS-CoV-2 was conducted in order to correctly identify virus transmission chain among patients hospitalized in Brescia Civic Hospital.

Methods: During the period between August and October 2023, 13 nasopharyngeal specimens, collected from patients admitted to Brescia Civic Hospital, were tested for SARS-CoV-2 positivity and molecularly characterized.

Endosonography in head and neck imaging and surgery.

This CME article explores the evolving role of endosonography in otorhinolaryngology and head and neck surgery. Endosonography offers significant potential to improve imaging inside the upper respiratory tract, particularly with advancements in probe technology and imaging resolution. The article will describe the sonoanatomy of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx and the selection of probes and scanning techniques used for the various anatomical sites.

Effectiveness of Ventilation via an Endotracheal Tube in Pharynx Versus a Facemask in Patients With Potentially Difficult Airway: A Randomized, Crossover, and Blind Trial.

Background: The difficult airway is frequently encountered across many scenarios. The extreme form is a "cannot intubate and cannot oxygenate" scenario, which lacks a reliable rescue technique. Previous case reports or studies with small sample sizes indicate the feasibility and efficiency of an endotracheal tube in the pharynx (TTIP) to ventilate patients.

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) symptom verbal response scales: content validity testing for use in adults with CRSwNP.

Background: PRO measures of symptoms in clinical trials have historically utilized visual and numerical scales but verbal descriptors may make it easier for patients to clearly differentiate between response options. This study assessed content validity and meaningful change in five verbal response scales (VRSs) used to assess chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyp (CRSwNP) symptom severity.

Methodology: This qualitative, semi-structured interview study recruited adults from the US, Germany, and China with confirmed moderate-to-severe CRSwNP.

Microbial Dysbiosis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Pilot Study on Biomarker Potential.

Importance: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is closely linked to microorganisms, especially intra-tumoral microbiota. However, the role of commensal microbiota in NPC remains underexplored, with implications for understanding disease mechanisms.

Objective: This study aims to analyze and compare the bacterial microbiota in the nasopharynx and middle meatus (MM) of individuals with NPC and those without NPC.

Multiple primary brain abscesses in a 14 years old immunocompetent boy: A tale of Proteus mirabilis infestation from Pakistan.

Brain abscess (BA) formation that may be due to due to Gram-positive bacteria commonly and less commonly due Gram-negative bacteria affects pediatric population. Most cases are secondary to the involvement of ear, nose, throat and sinuses (ENTS). We describe a rare case of a 14 year old patient presenting with generalized tonic clonic seizures for the last six months associated with fever, vomiting and headache.

The Impact of Bridging Additives on Wellbore Strengthening in Shallow Unconsolidated Formations.

Drilling wells in unconsolidated formations is commonly undertaken to extract drinking water and other applications, such as aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES). To increase the efficiency of an ATES system, the drilling campaigns are targeting greater depths and enlarging the wellbore diameter in the production section to enhance the flow rates. In these cases, wells are more susceptible to collapse.

Comparison of nasopharyngeal bacteriological profile between patients with diabetes and healthy individuals in Accra, Ghana.

Background: The nasopharynx is characterised by a rich microbial diversity, making it an important endogenous reservoir for respiratory infections. People living with diabetes (PLWD) have a high risk for acquisition of respiratory tract infections, but their nasopharyngeal bacterial flora have rarely been investigated.

Aim: To investigate the nasopharyngeal bacterial flora among PLWD and non-diabetics at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.

Spatial and morphologic features of lenses with different axial lengths in cataract patients: a swept-source optical coherence tomography-based study.

Background: To investigate the spatial and morphologic features of lenses with different axial length (ALs) in cataract patients using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT).

Methods: Totally 105 eyes of 105 patients scheduled to have cataract surgery were included. Eyes were divided into the control (AL < 24.

Hospitalized children with influenza A before, during and after COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective cohort study.

Context: Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in late 2019, the transmission dynamics and clinical presentation patterns of influenza A (Flu A) virus have undergone changes.

Objectives: This article conducted a comparative analysis in clinical characteristics and laboratory results of pediatric patients with Flu A before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: The medical records of 885 children hospitalized with Flu A virus infection at a tertiary hospital in Guangdong Province, China, were retrospectively analyzed.

Viral Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infections (ALRI) in Rural Bangladeshi Children Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRIs) remain the leading infectious cause of death among children < 5 years, with viruses contributing to a large proportion of cases. Little is known about the epidemiology and etiology of viral ALRI in rural Bangladesh.

Methods: We enrolled 3- to 23-month-old children with ALRIs attending a subdistrict hospital outpatient clinic in Sylhet district in Bangladesh.

Reprogramming Macrophage Phenotypes with Photobiomodulation for Enhanced Inflammation Control in ENT Organ Tissues.

Photobiomodulation (PBM), a noninvasive phototherapy using wavelengths ranging between red and near-infrared light, has emerged as a promising approach for controlling inflammation by modulating macrophage polarization. This review investigates the therapeutic potential of PBM in treating ear, neck, and throat (ENT)-specific inflammatory conditions, such as chronic rhinosinusitis and otitis media, focusing on its effects on macrophage phenotypes and evidence from preclinical studies. By promoting mitochondrial activity, increasing ATP production, and modulating reactive oxygen species, PBM has been shown to shift macrophages from a proinflammatory to an anti-inflammatory phenotype.

Coupling antigens from multiple subtypes of influenza can broaden antibody and T cell responses.

The seasonal influenza vaccine contains strains of viruses from distinct subtypes that are grown independently and then combined. However, most individuals exhibit a more robust response to one of these strains and thus are vulnerable to infection by others. By studying a monozygotic twin cohort, we found that although prior exposure is a factor, host genetics are a stronger driver of subtype bias to influenza viral strains.

infection on European farms is associated with an altered tonsil microbiome and resistome.

is a Gram-positive opportunistic pathogen causing systemic disease in piglets around weaning age. The factors predisposing to disease are not known. We hypothesized that the tonsillar microbiota might influence disease risk via colonization resistance and/or co-infections.

Infrahyoid Myocutaneous Flaps with Common Wall of Hypopharyngeal and Esophageal Serosas for Voice Rehabilitation After Total Laryngectomy.

Importance: Patients who undergo total laryngectomy lose the voice function permanently. It is important to reconstruct the voice function of the patients after total laryngectomy.

Objective: To explore a novel method for voice rehabilitation by suturing infrahyoid myocutaneous flaps to the hypopharyngeal and esophageal serosas after total laryngectomy and investigate its clinical efficacy.

Lateral optico-carotid recess as an anatomical landmark for optimal endoscopic optic nerve decompression.

Background: Transnasal endoscopic decompression of the optic nerve is increasingly gaining acceptance among ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeons, however neither strict indications for the procedure nor the precise extent of effective decompression have been firmly established to date. This study aimed to determine the distance between endoscopically visible, anatomical structures within the sphenoid sinus and the posterior (i.e.

Swept-source optical coherence tomography assessment of Schlemm's canal after phacoemulsification with goniosynechialysis in Chinese patients with primary angle-closure glaucoma.

Background: Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. However, the features of the morphology of Schlemm's canal (SC) in PACG eyes after phacoemulsification with goniosynechialysis (phaco-GSL) surgery are still unknown. This study aimed to evaluate changes in the SC in Chinese patients with PACG after phaco-GSL using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT).

A new species of the jawfish genus from Taiwan, northwestern Pacific Ocean (Perciformes, Opistognathidae).

A new species of jawfish genus is described based on a specimen collected from a beach in the Peng-hu Islands during a cold snap. The new species, , differs from its congeners in having a rigid upper jaw, 10-11 + 1 + 19-22 = 31-33 gill rakers, 55 scale rows in lateral series, 10 + 16 = 26 vertebrae, the terminus of the lateral line at the base of the fourth segmented dorsal-fin ray (15 in total rays), the head, nape, dorsal-fin base above lateral line, throat, chest, and pectoral-fin base naked, dorsal fin with eight blotches along its entire base, body with five horizontal dark stripes, nape with two dark blotches in front of the dorsal-fin origin, and a caudal fin with five narrow, dark bands. A detailed description is provided and compared to its similar congeners.

Definition of sinonasal and otological exacerbation in patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia: an expert consensus.

Background: Recurrent infections of the nose, sinuses and ears are common problems for people with primary ciliary dyskinesia. While pulmonary exacerbations in primary ciliary dyskinesia are defined, there is no definition for ear-nose-throat exacerbations, a potential outcome for research and clinical trials.

Methods: We set up an expert panel of 24 ear-nose-throat specialists, respiratory physicians, other healthcare professionals and patients to develop consensus definitions of sinonasal and otological exacerbations in children and adults with primary ciliary dyskinesia for research settings.