CASE REPORT: Here, we present a case of a young man who has childhood asthma with the last attack more than 10 years ago presented with symptoms suggestive of acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma. As the symptoms failed to improve after standard asthma management, anaphylaxis was suspected, and he was given intramuscular adrenaline 0.5 mg which leads to symptom improvement. However, he developed another attack shortly after improvement while under observation.
CONCLUSION: The objective of this case report is to emphasise the importance of keeping anaphylaxis in mind whenever a patient has treatment-refractory asthma, and also the anticipation of biphasic reaction that warrants adequate observation period especially those who are likely to have developed it.
Case Report: This report describes a rare case of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the temporal bone causing Collet-Sicard syndrome, presenting with hearing loss, headache and ipsilateral cranial nerve palsies. The patient was a 68-year old woman initially diagnosed with extensive mastoiditis and later confirmed as having metastatic adenocarcinoma of the temporal bone, based on histopathologic findings.
Conclusion: Clinical presentation of metastatic carcinoma of the temporal bone can be overshadowed by infective or inflammatory conditions. This case report is to emphasize the point that a high index of clinical suspicion is necessary for the early diagnosis of this aggressive disease which carries relatively poor prognosis. This report highlights that it is crucial to suspect malignant neoplasm in patients with hearing loss, headache and cranial nerve palsies.
Methods: The assay system utilized a known NS2B/NS3 peptide substrate, a recombinant of NS2B/NS3 protease with proprietary StrepTactin® donor and nickel chelate acceptor beads in 384-well format.
Results: The optimized assay to screen for NS2B/NS3 protease inhibitors was demonstrated to be potentially useful with reasonable z' factor, coefficient variance and signal to background ratio. However, screening of synthesized thioguanine derivatives using the optimized AlphaScreen® assay revealed weak NS2B/NS3 inhibition activities.
Conclusion: The AlphaScreen® assay to screen for NS2B/NS3 protease inhibitors is potentially applicable for high throughput screening.
CONCLUDING REMARKS: DengueTools was able to make significant advances in methods for understanding and controlling dengue transmission in a range of settings. These will have implications for public health agendas to counteract dengue, including vaccination programmes.
OUTLOOK: Towards the end of the DengueTools project, Zika virus emerged as an unexpected epidemic in the central and southern America. Given the similarities between the dengue and Zika viruses, with vectors in common, some of the DengueTools thinking translated readily into the Zika situation.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of home-based tooth whitening products with chemical bleaching action, dispensed by a dentist or over-the-counter.
SEARCH METHODS: Cochrane Oral Health's Information Specialist searched the following databases: Cochrane Oral Health's Trials Register (to 12 June 2018), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2018, Issue 6) in the Cochrane Library (searched 12 June 2018), MEDLINE Ovid (1946 to 12 June 2018), and Embase Ovid (1980 to 12 June 2018). The US National Institutes of Health Ongoing Trials Register ClinicalTrials.gov (12 June 2018) and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (12 June 2018) were searched for ongoing trials. No restrictions were placed on the language or date of publication when searching the electronic databases.
SELECTION CRITERIA: We included in our review randomised controlled trials (RCTs) which involved adults who were 18 years and above, and compared dentist-dispensed or over-the-counter tooth whitening (bleaching) products with placebo or other comparable products.Quasi-randomised trials, combination of in-office and home-based treatments, and home-based products having physical removal of stains were excluded.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently selected trials. Two pairs of review authors independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias. We estimated risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous data, and mean differences (MDs) or standardised mean difference (SMD) for continuous data, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We assessed the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE approach.
MAIN RESULTS: We included 71 trials in the review with 26 studies (1398 participants) comparing a bleaching agent to placebo and 51 studies (2382 participants) comparing a bleaching agent to another bleaching agent. Two studies were at low overall risk of bias; two at high overall risk of bias; and the remaining 67 at unclear overall risk of bias.The bleaching agents (carbamide peroxide (CP) gel in tray, hydrogen peroxide (HP) gel in tray, HP strips, CP paint-on gel, HP paint-on gel, sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) chewing gum, sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) chewing gum, and HP mouthwash) at different concentrations with varying application times whitened teeth compared to placebo over a short time period (from 2 weeks to 6 months), however the certainty of the evidence is low to very low.In trials comparing one bleaching agent to another, concentrations, application method and application times, and duration of use varied widely. Most of the comparisons were reported in single trials with small sample sizes and event rates and certainty of the evidence was assessed as low to very low. Therefore the evidence currently available is insufficient to draw reliable conclusions regarding the superiority of home-based bleaching compositions or any particular method of application or concentration or application time or duration of use.Tooth sensitivity and oral irritation were the most common side effects which were more prevalent with higher concentrations of active agents though the effects were mild and transient. Tooth whitening did not have any effect on oral health-related quality of life.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We found low to very low-certainty evidence over short time periods to support the effectiveness of home-based chemically-induced bleaching methods compared to placebo for all the outcomes tested.We were unable to draw any conclusions regarding the superiority of home-based bleaching compositions or any particular method of application or concentration or application time or duration of use, as the overall evidence generated was of very low certainty. Well-planned RCTs need to be conducted by standardising methods of application, concentrations, application times, and duration of treatment.