Isr Med Assoc J
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Multicenter Study
Allergic Rhinitis in Israel: A Multicenter Study of Allergic Rhinitis Across Three Climate Zones.
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common illness. Worldwide prevalence varies between 5% and 50% depending on self-reported surveys, test-based studies, geographic location, and age. Despite the clinical relevance of AR in the Israeli population, few studies have characterized the sensitization profiles and key pollen aeroallergen. ⋯ The top four aeroallergens eliciting a positive SPT were mites, olive tree pollen, grass pollen, and cat dander. Identification of a major aeroallergen can tailor the allergist's SPT panels and specify which aeroallergen should be used for immunotherapy.
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Condylar hyperplasia is a non-neoplastic overgrowth of the mandibular condyle. The disorder is progressive and causes gradual jaw deviation, facial asymmetry, and dental malocclusion. The only treatment capable of stopping hyperplastic growth is surgical condylectomy to remove the upper portion of the condyle containing the deranged growth center. When this procedure is conducted in proportion to the length of the healthy side it may also correct the jaw deviation and facial asymmetry. ⋯ Proportional condylectomy could be a viable treatment to both arrest the condylar overgrowth and achieve some correction of the facial asymmetry.
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Multicenter Study
Trends in Emergency Department Admissions Due to Renal Colic in the Pediatric Population: A Multicenter Study.
Pediatric urolithiasis is relatively uncommon and is generally associated with predisposing anatomic or metabolic abnormalities. In the adult population, emergency department (ED) admissions have been associated with an increase in ambient temperature. The same association has not been evaluated in the pediatric population. ⋯ ED admissions oscillated during the period investigated and had a downward trend. Unlike in the adult population, rates of renal colic ED admissions in the pediatric population were not affected by seasonal changes or rise in maximum ambient temperature.
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Multicenter Study
Difference Between COVID-19 Alpha Variant B.1.1.7 and the Original Virus in Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Mortality: Does a Negative Correlation Exist?
Up to half the patients diagnosed with acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presented with gastrointestinal symptoms. Gastric mucosal cells, enterocytes, and colonocytes express the viral entry receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and coreceptor transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) and are prone to infection. Direct infection of gastrointestinal epithelial cells has been demonstrated. COVID-19 disease was first diagnosed in Israel at the end of February 2020 with 842,536 confirmed cases and 6428 deaths by the end of June 2021. In our multicenter, retrospective cohort study, we looked for gastrointestinal signs and symptoms in two periods and correlated them with mortality. Period 1 included the first and second waves and the original virus. Period 2 represented the third wave and the alpha variant. ⋯ Thirty-day mortality and in-hospital mortality rates were 1.84 and 1.64 times higher from 6 November 2020 to 15 January 2021, the alpha variant, and in negative correlation with gastrointestinal symptoms.
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Multicenter Study
Serum Albumin Levels as a Predictor of Mortality in Patients with Sepsis: A Multicenter Study.
Low serum albumin is known to be associated with mortality in sepsis, as it reflects effects of nutrition, catabolism, and edema. ⋯ The decline in serum albumin one week after admission is a stronger predictor of mortality in younger patients. Older patients might have other reasons for low serum albumin, which reflect chronic co-morbidity rather than acuity of disease.