OBJECTIVES Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 counterregulates cell migration, adhesion, and tissue repair. The PAI1 4G/5G promoter polymorphism has an effect on expression levels of PAI1. After a first acute otitis media episode, children are at increased risk for a next episode. Because the PAI1 4G allele is associated with higher plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 production and, hence, decrea...

In this issue of the Journal, investigators in Pittsburgh and in Turku, Finland, respond to the question of whether infants and young children with acute otitis media benefit from amoxicillin– clavulanate therapy initiated at the time of diagnosis.1,2 Physicians who cared for children 50 years ago would be surprised — more likely shocked — that the question is being asked. Before antimicrobial ...

Acute otitis media refers to inflammation of the middle ear of rapid onset presenting with local symptoms, the most common being earache and rubbing or tugging of the affected ear and systemic signs such as fever, irritability and poor sleep. Acute otitis media may be caused by viral or bacterial pathogens. The commonest viral pathogens are Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Adenovirus and Influenza ...

BACKGROUND Mastoid abscess remains a recognised complication of otitis media despite the advent of antibiotics. The objectives of this study were to describe the risk factors in patients with mastoid abscess following acute and chronic otitis media and discuss the management of this infection. METHOD A retrospective analysis was done on all patients who underwent mastoidectomy for mastoid abs...

A nation-wide survey was conducted to estimate the prevalence of otitis media and allied diseases through physical examination by otolaryngologic doctors from July to October, 1991. A sample study population was selected from a panel to be representative of the Korean population by multistage clustered and stratified random sampling method based on the National Census Data, 1990. Total number o...

BACKGROUND Acute otitis media is a common reason for antibiotic prescribing, despite strong evidence that antibiotics provide minimal benefit. Studies have demonstrated that patients' (or parents') expectations of antibiotics often influence general practitioners' (GPs) decision to prescribe antibiotics, but few have explored parents' expectations of the management of infections in children, or...

OBJECTIVE To determine the long term effects of antibiotic treatment for acute otitis media in young children. DESIGN Prospective three year follow-up study within the framework of a primary care based, double blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial. SETTING 53 general practices in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS 168 children aged 6 months to 2 years with acute otitis media. INTERVENT...

BACKGROUND Recurrent otitis media is a common problem in young children. Echinacea and osteopathic manipulative treatment have been proposed as preventive measures, but have been inadequately studied. This study was designed to assess the efficacy of Echinacea purpurea and/or osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) for prevention of acute otitis media in otitis-prone children. METHODS A rand...

A low level of serum antibody to antigens expressed by Streptococcus pneumoniae has been proposed to explain the susceptibility of children to recurrent episodes of acute otitis media (hereafter, "otitis-prone children"). By use of enzyme-linked immunospot assays, the percentages of memory B cells to pneumococcal protein antigens PhtD, LytB, PcpA, PhtE, and Ply were compared between otitis-pron...