An early history of secretory otitis media

AbstractFifty children aged between five and eight years of age who have had proven otitis media with effusion have been retrospectively assessed. Twenty-five children who had attended the Casualty Department with head injuries, who have had X-radiography of their skulls as part of their investigation, acted as controls. All the children in this group were selected because they had no otological history.The 50 Children comprising the retrospective survey were split into two groups: Group 1, with recurrent secretory otitis media requiring surgical intervention on more than three occasions; Group 2, comprising 25 children who had had up to three surgical interventions.All the children had PA X-radiography of their skulls in order to demonstrate the bony nasal septum. In Group 1, a septal deformity was found to be sited at the middle third of the bony septum at the vomero-ethmoid suture. In Group 2, the deformity was found to involve the whole of the middle third of the bony septum, plus portions of the upper and lower thirds of the bony septum.In the control group, in whom there was no history of otological disease, there was no deformity sited at the middle third of the bony septum.

Download Full-text

Is Secretory Otitis Media a Single Disease Entity?

Annals of Otology Rhinology & Laryngology ◽

10.1177/000348940311200408 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 112 (4) ◽

pp. 342-347 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Jacob Sadé ◽

Camil Fuchs ◽

Eyal Russo ◽

David Cohen

Keyword(s):

Medical History ◽

Otitis Media ◽

Viral Infections ◽

Otitis Media With Effusion ◽

Acute Otitis Media ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Secretory Otitis Media ◽

History Of ◽

Group A ◽

Group B

The outcome of 809 children who had middle ear effusion (MEE) was correlated with their age and medical history and the bacteriologic and cytologic findings of the MEE. Three groups emerged. Group A (n = 384) had a medical history of relatively recent acute otitis media (AOM) with a peak prevalence of 2.6 years of age, and its MEE was hypercellular (mostly polymorphonuclear leukocytes) with a 24% rate of positive bacteriologic culture. In contrast, the peak prevalence of group B (n = 280) was approximately 5 years of age. Its MEE followed no otologic medical history and was bacteriologically sterile with relatively few cells (mostly lymphocytes typical of viral infections). Group AB (n = 145) resembled group B except that they had a history of AOM some years before hearing loss onset. Altogether, the clinical features of group A are statistically distinguishable from those of groups B and AB in most respects. These findings explain the bimodal peak prevalence distribution that was found in many available epidemiological studies of secretory otitis media (SOM) and that was also seen in our data. It appears that SOM should neither be termed nor treated as an otitis media, but as a sequela of either bacterial AOM (group A) or of insidious, asymptomatic, probably viral otitis media (groups B and AB). Our data do not support antibiotic treatment for SOM (otitis media with effusion) — especially not in chronic cases.

Download Full-text

Some early history of replica techniques for electron microscopy

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100130018 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 1076-1077

Author(s):

Robert M. Fisher

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Electron Microscopy ◽

Optical Microscope ◽

Early History ◽

Bulk Materials ◽

Thin Sections ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Reflected Light ◽

History Of ◽

Electron Microscopes

By 1940, a half dozen or so commercial or home-built transmission electron microscopes were in use for studies of the ultrastructure of matter. These operated at 30-60 kV and most pioneering microscopists were preoccupied with their search for electron transparent substrates to support dispersions of particulates or bacteria for TEM examination and did not contemplate studies of bulk materials. Metallurgist H. Mahl and other physical scientists, accustomed to examining etched, deformed or machined specimens by reflected light in the optical microscope, were also highly motivated to capitalize on the superior resolution of the electron microscope. Mahl originated several methods of preparing thin oxide or lacquer impressions of surfaces that were transparent in his 50 kV TEM. The utility of replication was recognized immediately and many variations on the theme, including two-step negative-positive replicas, soon appeared. Intense development of replica techniques slowed after 1955 but important advances still occur. The availability of 100 kV instruments, advent of thin film methods for metals and ceramics and microtoming of thin sections for biological specimens largely eliminated any need to resort to replicas.

Download Full-text