RESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Acute otitis externa is a localized inflammation of the skin of the external auditory meatus. It is characterized by pain, edema, erythema, and itchy discomfort. Treatment includes topical and oral antibiotics, analgesics, steroids, and anti-inflammatory medication for the ear. Aural medicated wicks are used to reduce edema and pain. AIM: To compare the clinical outcome of hydroxylated polyvinyl acetate ichthammol glycerine wick versus cotton ichthammol glycerine wick used in the treatment of acute otitis externa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It is a six-month observational study with 120 patients. The patients in this study were grouped into two groups with hydroxylated polyvinyl acetate and cotton wick, respectively. Pain was assessed using the VAS score before and after three days of treatment of acute otitis externa. RESULT: Group B (patient treated with cotton ichthammol glycerine wick) had significant improvement in the pain score on days 2 and 3 compared to group A, with a significant p-value of <0.001. CONCLUSION: During the second visit (on day 2), the cotton ear wick was significantly better in terms of otalgia when compared with the hydroxylated polyvinyl acetate. The cotton wick group showed better and faster recovery in terms of pain and edema compared to the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) groups.
RESUMEN
The concentrations of toxic heavy metals-Cd and Pb and micronutrients-Cu, Mn, and Zn were assessed in the surface soil and water of three different stages of paddy (Oryza sativa L.) fields, the stage I-the first stage in the field soon after transplantation of the paddy seedlings, holding adequate amount of water on soil surface, stage II-the middle stage with paddy plants of stem of about 40 cm length, with sufficient amount of water on the soil surface, and stage III-the final stage with fully grown rice plants and very little amount of water in the field at Bahour, a predominantly paddy cultivating area in Puducherry located on the southeast Coast of India. Comparison of the heavy metal and micronutrient concentrations of the soil and water across the three stages of paddy field showed their concentrations were significantly higher in soil compared with that of water (p < 0.05) of the fields probably because of accumulation and adsorption in soil. The elemental concentrations in paddy soil as well as water was in the ranking order of Cd > Mn > Zn > Cu > Pb indicating concentration of Cd was maximum and Pb was minimum. The elemental concentrations in both soil and water across the three stages showed a ranking order of stage II > stage III > stage I. The runoff from the paddy fields has affected the elemental concentrations of the water and sediment of an adjacent receiving rivulet.