The clinical effect of vitamin D supplementation combined with grass-specific sublingual immunotherapy in children with allergic rhinitis.

BACKGROUND: An important issue in sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is how to improve efficacy. OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of SLIT with vitamin D supplementation with placebo in children with allergic rhinitis. Secondary end points included lung function, exhaled nitric oxide concentration, methacholine bronchial provocation test, and serum level of calcifediol (25[OH]D). METHODS: Fifty children, ages 5-12 years, sensitive to grass pollen, with allergic rhinitis (eight patients had concomitant asthma) participated in a 5-month prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Children received a 5-grass pollen sublingual 300 IR tablet with either vitamin D 1000 IU daily supplementation or placebo. RESULTS: When compared with the placebo group, SLIT plus vitamin D group therapy was more effective in the reduction of nasal symptoms (p = 0.04), asthma symptoms (p = 0.001), and the combined symptom-medication score (p = 0.001); there was no significant difference between the groups in medication and ocular scores. We observed a significant improvement of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (vitamin D group, p = 0.014; placebo group, p = 0.015) and the proportion of a person's vital capacity expired in the first second of forced expiration levels (vitamin D group, p = 0.004; placebo group, p < 0.001), within both groups, between visits. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide and provocative dose producing a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 second results did not statistically significantly differentiate the study participants in terms of receiving SLIT along with vitamin D or placebo. We showed a significant increase in calcifediol in the SLIT plus vitamin D group as well as in SLIT plus placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D supplementation combined with grass-specific SLIT was more effective in the reduction of nasal and asthma symptoms. Vitamin D supplementation combined with SLIT provides an effective and well-tolerated new immunotherapy modality for treating children with allergic rhinitis. A 5-grass pollen sublingual 300 IR tablet was effective in both studied groups and also in children with comorbid mild asthma.

[The use of RHLB battery for the evaluation of the lingual and social skills among psychiatric patients--case study]. / Zastosowanie baterii RHLB do oceny funkcji jezykowych i komunikacyjnych pacjentów psychiatrycznych--opis przypadku.

Prosody plays an important role in the process of verbal communication, complementing and emphasising the linguistic and emotional aspects of language. Disturbances of speech prosody are rarely recognised, although aprosodia occurs frequently in patients with schizophrenia. Prosodic disturbance of speech can significantly impair verbal communication and social functioning of patients with schizophrenia. Right-hemisphere is connected with emotional prosody deficits and left-hemisphere with linguistic prosody. The aim of the study is to describe. The Right Hemisphere Language Battery by Karen L. Bryan in the examination of patients with schizophrenia.