Streptococcal tonsillitis as a cause of urticaria: Tonsillitis and urticaria

BackgroundThe primary role of infections in chronic urticaria (CU) is controversial. We hypothesised that streptococcal tonsillitis (ST) could be a primary cause of CU or acute recurrent urticaria (ARU).MethodsRetrospective study of 14 outpatients observed between January 2000 and December 2009, with CU/ARU and clinical and/or laboratorial suspicion of an aetiopathogenic link with ST. Clinical history, objective examination and laboratorial study were looked for. Three groups were defined: spontaneous resolution of urticaria, resolution after tonsillectomy, and still symptomatic.ResultsIn these patients, a causal relationship between ST and urticaria is supported by: markers of streptococcal infection, the perception of a clinical relationship between tonsillitis and urticaria, the decrease of urticaria severity with early antibiotherapy to tonsillitis and urticaria resolution after tonsillectomy.ConclusionsOur study encourages the investigation of tonsillitis in these otherwise idiopathic patients, especially until young adulthood and even in the absence of any symptoms.     

Salvage treatment of disseminated strongyloidiasis in an immunocompromised patient: therapy success with subcutaneous ivermectin

Disseminated strongyloidiasis is a disease with high mortality rate, especially in immunocompromised individuals. Paralytic ileus and intestinal malabsorption are frequent symptoms caused by this severe disease. As there are no licensed parenteral anthelmintic drugs for human use, off-label formulations are often used in the treatment of this disease. In this case report, the use of subcutaneous ivermectin is described as a successful therapy for this life-threatening infection.     

Manejo de la amiloidosis traqueobronquial mediante técnicas broncoscópicas terapéuticas

Amyloidosis is a systemic disease caused by abnormal deposition of amyloid material that is detected with Congo red staining and is difficult to diagnose. Involvement of the tracheobronchial tree is rare and is a challenge for pulmonologists because of the wide differential diagnosis of this disease. We present two cases where tracheobronchial affectation has been observed: in one of them as a primary disease, and in another as secondary affectation. The use of bronchoscopic techniques is essential for the diagnosis of tracheobronchial involvement. In the absence of an effective drug therapy, local management of this disease with endoscopic techniques for bronchial repermeabilization is able to provide clinical improvement and expand the treatment options and prognosis in this disease.     

Two-way television: An experiment in interactive programming for the elderly

This study was conducted to 1) assess the effectiveness of an experimental two-way cable TV system in reaching the older people for whom it was designed, and 2) assess the attraction of this locally-based age-targeted system for its viewers. The study evaluates the system's effectiveness in reaching its target audience by examining information about the types of viewers—both younger and older—who have been attracted to the system. In addition, differences in factors that predict viewing frequency for younger and older people are used to illuminate life stage differences in people's attraction to locally-based TV programming. Findings show that the system had successfully reached its target audience within two years of inception. Watching the interactive TV programs because of the system's provision of information about local events and because of the senior citizens' focus strongly predicted viewing frequency for both older and younger respondents. The ability of locally-based interactive TV programming to serve social and informational needs of older people which are unmet by traditional broadcast television is discussed.