Involvement of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux in Ocular Diseases: A State-of-the-Art Review.

BACKGROUND: Laryngopharyngeal reflux-associated symptoms embrace a wide variety of head and neck manifestations. Its participation in eye disorders has recently been postulated, and there is currently no consensus in this regard. The aim of this manuscript is to review the role of reflux in the development of ocular signs and symptoms, and its physio-pathological mechanisms. METHODS: A systematic approach based on the preferred reporting Items for a systematic review and meta-analysis checklist with a modified population, intervention, comparison, and outcome framework was used to structure the review process of studies that evaluated the possible association, with clear diagnostic methods, of laryngopharyngeal reflux and ocular signs and symptoms. Search was conducted in different indexed databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Scielo and Web of Science) and through the meta-searcher Trip Database with the keywords: reflux, laryngitis, laryngopharyngeal, gastroesophageal, ocular, eye, symptoms, signs, conjunctivitis, keratitis, dacryocystitis, dry eye. RESULTS: Seven studies met the inclusion criteria, in which the primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction and the ocular surface disease were evaluated. The local increase of eye pepsin concentration (>2.5 ng/mL) may affect ocular surface though its direct proteolytic activity and the local expression of proinflammatory cytokines. The H. Pylori, with a similar mechanism to reach the lacrimonasal duct, would be associated with the release of proinflammatory and vasoactive substances that would lead to a mucosa injury and chronic inflammation. Ocular Surface Disease Index seems to correlate directly with the reflux severity, with cut-off of 41.67 score as predictor for disease. DISCUSSION: The role of laryngopharyngeal reflux in the development of ocular disorders has not yet been demonstrated and data are limited and heterogeneous. It seems theoretically conceivable that pepsin may reach lachrymal duct area through hypopharyngeal-nasal gaseous reflux events. Future studies using objective testing for diagnosis and pepsin detection into the tear and nasal mucosa are needed in order to explore this potential relationship.

The Role of Partial Enteral Nutrition for Induction of Remission in Crohn's Disease: A Systematic Review of Controlled Trials.

Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) is recommended as a first-line therapy to induce remission of Crohn's disease (CD) and is considered as effective as corticosteroid treatment. However, the dietary restriction causes lack of adherence and poor tolerance to the therapy. Partial enteral nutrition (PEN), which allows for the ingestion of some food, could be a better tolerated alternative, but it is unknown whether it is as effective at inducing CD remission as EEN. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the available evidence on PEN as a remission induction therapy in CD. A literature search was conducted using the MEDLINE (via PUBMED) and Cochrane Library databases following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Clinical trials in pediatric and adult patients were included. The risk of bias was assessed following the Cochrane Collaboration methodology. The selected studies showed variable but high response rates to PEN and EEN. Limitations regarding the wide heterogeneity between the studies included in this review should be considered. Although more studies are needed, according to our results, PEN combined with a highly restrictive diet seems to be as effective as EEN in inducing remission of CD.

Real Life With Tezacaftor and Ivacaftor in Adult Patients With Cystic Fibrosis: Spanish Multicenter Study

No disponible

Analysis of gender in the authorship of the scientific publications of the Acta Otorrinolaringológica Española in the last decade.

INTRODUCTION: In recent decades, progress has been made in tackling inequality between men and women, encouraging publications that analyse and provide recommendations to eliminate this issue. The aim of this study is to analyse the gender differences in the authorship of the studies published in the journal Acta Otorrinolaringológica Española. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of issues published between January 2010 and December 2019, including number of authors (total, men and women), type and year of publication, institution and country (first, second and last author), and area of specialisation. Women's participation was calculated based on female/male ratio, trend and associated factors. RESULTS: A total of 615 articles with 2,841 authors (1,017 women and 1,824 men) from Spain were collected. A total of 244 (39.7%) women and 371 (60.3%) men were listed as first authors (p = .879), 245 (39.84%) women and 370 (60.16%) men as second authors (p = .919), and 137 (22.28%) women and 478 (77.72%) men as final signatories (p < .000). All the ratios calculated were below the recommended figures. DISCUSSION: The participation of female authors in the scientific production of Acta Otorrinolaringológica Española is acceptable, following a similar distribution to the current number of female ENT specialists. Further efforts are needed to increase the number of final signatories and to change the decreasing trend recorded over the last decade.

Estudio de la búsqueda de información sobre la pandemia SARS-CoV-2 en Galicia / Study of the information search behaviour on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Galicia

Introduction: This manuscript analyses the use and evolution, through Google Trends as a source of information, of internet-based information-seeking behaviour related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic using the terms: Coronavirus, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 from January 1, 2020 to April 15, 2020. Methods: A generalized linear model was used to analyse the relation between SARS-CoV-2 data epidemiology and the Search Volume Index of the terms obtained from the Google Trends query. Significant trend changes were assessed by Joinpoint methodology. Results: A total of 7,873 SARS-CoV-2 confirmed cases were collected with an increase of 4.7% in the selected period. A relation was found between the confirmed cases (dependent variable) and the Search Volume Index of the Coronavirus term, with a correlation rho = 0.79 (p <0.000).Conclusion: The analysis of search engine query data in order to create mathematical models that forecast disease spread could be useful and helpful to activate and improve strategic plan to control an outbreak. (AU)

Google Trends application for the study of information search behaviour on oropharyngeal cancer in Spain.

PURPOSE: Oropharyngeal cancer is estimated to continue to increase in the next decades. Prevention strategies and knowing the current situation of knowledge and concern of the population about this disease is necessary. Infodemiology is valuable to monitor health information-seeking behaviour trends and epidemiology. The objective of this study is to analyze the use and evolution, through Google trends as a source of information, of internet-based information-seeking behaviour related to the oropharyngeal cancer in Spain and related to mass media stories. METHODS: Using Google Trends, the terms "throat cancer', "HPV", "laryngeal cancer", "tonsil cancer" and "oral cancer". The searches volume and trend were analyzed using a Jointpoint regression method from January 2009 to July 2019. RESULTS: The most searched term was "HPV", with a search volume index of 61, followed by "throat cancer" (SVI = 25). The trend of the term "HPV" increased 6.1% annually (p < 0.000), with a linear correlation of both terms of 0.52 (p < 0.000). The greatest number of searches was carried out in the north of Spain, the most repeated query being "oral sex AND cancer". A correlation between the news in the media and the increase in the volume of searches for the terms was found. CONCLUSION: Any news stories, new interventions or aetiology related to oropharyngeal cancer can manifest as an increase in information-seeking behaviours for "throat cancer" on Google. Understanding healthcare information-seeking behaviour is essential in order to control and plan the quality of knowledge provided by health organisations, advocacy groups and health professionals regarding head and neck cancers.

CK12, a rainbow trout chemokine with lymphocyte chemo-attractant capacity associated to mucosal tissues.

Although many chemokine genes have been identified in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) as in other teleost species, almost no studies focused on their biological role have been conducted, despite the fact that no clear inferences as to their functions can be made based on their low similarity to mammalian counterparts. In the current work, we have studied the regulation of mRNA transcription and protein expression of CK12, a rainbow trout CC chemokine previously catalogued within the CCL19/21/25 phylogenetic group. Our studies revealed that CK12 is strongly expressed both at mRNA and protein level in mucosal tissues. Mature lymphocyte populations also express CK12 both at mRNA and protein levels. Concerning its biological activity, a significant chemotatic activity towards purified recombinant CK12 in unfractionated leukocyte populations was observed in the spleen, but not in head kidney or blood. Consequently, a binding assay revealed that the number of leukocytes capable of binding CK12 was much more elevated in spleen populations than in leukocyte populations from other organs. This binding capacity was only observed in small lymphocytes that should account for resident inactivated lymphocytes, in contrast to mature lymphocytes that were responsible for CK12 production. Around 36% of these small lymphocytes were IgM+ cells, of which 40% had a CK12 binding capacity. On the other hand, 10% of thymocytes were also capable of CK12 binding, suggesting that both T and B immature lymphocytes are recruited by CK12. This work constitutes the first description of a mucosal-associated chemokine in fish in which important aspects of its regulation and functionality are revealed.