Cartilage tympanoplasty for retraction pocket of the tympanic membrane in children.

Background: Retraction pocket (RP) of the tympanic membrane (TM) is a common pathology in children that can cause ossicular chain erosion, cholesteatoma formation, and potentially life-threatening complications of cholesteatoma. This study assessed the functional and anatomical results of cartilage grafting in children with severe RP of the TM. Methods: This was a retrospective review of 212 children from a tertiary referral center. Results: We identified significant differences in hearing results, indication criteria, and location of TM fixation between stages II and III of RP (according to Charachon). We observed a significantly higher incidence of RP in boys than in girls. Conclusions: Cartilage tympanoplasty for retraction pocket of the tympanic membrane in children is a safe procedure with good anatomical and hearing results.

Fourth branchial cleft anomaly in a 7-month-old infant: A case report and literature review.

Fourth branchial cleft anomalies are rare head and neck congenital lesions seen in children. They present as a neck inflammatory mass and arise essentially on the left side of the neck. We report the case of a 7-month-old female with a mass of the neck associated with respiratory distress. The mass was diagnosed as an incomplete fourth branchial cleft fistula. Surgical revision of the neck abscess from an external approach and plasma coblation of the orifice in the pyriform fossa by an endoscopic approach were performed.

Helminth Therapy - From the Parasite Perspective.

Studies in animal models and humans suggest that intentional exposure to helminths or helminth-derived products may hold promise for treating chronic inflammatory-associated diseases (CIADs). Although the mechanisms underlying 'helminth therapy' are being evaluated, little attention has been paid to the actual organisms in use. Here we examine the notion that, because of the complexity of biological symbiosis, intact helminths rather than helminth-derived products are likely to prove more useful for clinical purposes. Further, weighing potential cost/benefit ratios of various helminths along with other factors, such as feasibility of production, we argue that the four helminths currently in use for CIAD treatments in humans were selected more by happenstance than by design, and that other candidates not yet tested may prove superior.

The benign helminth Hymenolepis diminuta ameliorates chemically induced colitis in a rat model system.

The tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta is a model for the impact of helminth colonization on the mammalian immune system and a candidate therapeutic agent for immune mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). In mice, H. diminuta protects against models of inflammatory colitis by inducing a strong type 2 immune response that is activated to expel the immature worm. Rats are the definitive host of H. diminuta, and are colonized stably and over long time periods without harming the host. Rats mount a mild type 2 immune response to H. diminuta colonization, but this response does not generally ameliorate colitis. Here we investigate the ability of different life cycle stages of H. diminuta to protect rats against a model of colitis induced through application of the haptenizing agent dinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (DNBS) directly to the colon, and monitor rat clinical health, systemic inflammation measured by TNFα and IL-1ß, and the gut microbiota. We show that immature H. diminuta induces a type 2 response as measured by increased IL-4, IL-13 and IL-10 expression, but does not protect against colitis. In contrast, rats colonized with mature H. diminuta and challenged with severe colitis (two applications of DNBS) have lower inflammation and less severe clinical symptoms. This effect is not related the initial type 2 immune response. The gut microbiota is disrupted during colitis and does not appear to play an overt role in H. diminuta-mediated protection.