scholarly journals Recovery from Idiopathic Facial Paralysis (Bell’s Palsy) Using Photobiomodulation in Patients Non-Responsive to Standard Treatment: A Case Series Study

Photonics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 341
Author(s):  
Claudio Pasquale ◽  
Anatoliy Utyuzh ◽  
Maria Vladimirovna Mikhailova ◽  
Esteban Colombo ◽  
Andrea Amaroli

Diminished facial movement and marked facial asymmetry can lead to a consistent psychological burden. Bell′s palsy (BP) is one of the most common causes of facial nerve illness, which comes with unilateral acute facial paresis. Nowadays, no clear guidelines for treating BP are available. We carried out a case series study to test the efficacy of photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy in patients with BP non-responsive to standard treatment. The study was experimentally performed at the Department of Surgical and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Genoa (Genoa, Italy), in accordance with case report guidelines. Patients were referred to our department by colleagues for evaluation to be included in the case series because no consistent improvement was observed at least 3 months from the diagnosis of BP. All the patients interrupted their pharmacological therapy before the initiation of PBM therapy. PBM therapy (808 nm, 1 W irradiated in continuous-wave for 60 s on spot-size 1 cm2; 1 W/cm2; 60 J/cm2; and 60 J) was administered every 2 days until complete resolution. Evaluation of the House-Brackmann scale was performed before and after treatments. Fourteen patients were screened as eligible for the study. Patients were Caucasians (36% females and 64% males) with a mean age ± standard deviation of 56.07 ± 15.21 years. Eleven patients out of 14, who experienced BP a maximum of 6 months, completely recovered through PBM. The three patients that did not show improvement were those who had experienced BP for years. PBM could be a supportive therapy for the management of BP in patients non-responsive to standard treatment. However, randomized controlled trials are necessary to sustain our encouraging results, exclude bias, and better explain the boundary between the time from diagnosis and the recovery of BP through PBM therapy.

F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 512
Author(s):  
Maysoun Yousif ◽  
Ghada Abd El-Raheem ◽  
Doaa Mohamed

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting populations worldwide. Remdesivir is an anti-retroviral agent, with a broad spectrum of usage. Remdesivir usage against COVID-19 had been studied both in vitro and in vivo but is still considered a new treatment for COVID-19 and is not available in all countries. The aim of our study was to report several cases of the use of remdesivir in Sudanese patients and report the adverse events related to the course of treatment. Methods: A case series study was conducted in Imperial Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan reporting two cases who received remdesivir for treating COVID-19 besides other treatments such as steroids and supportive therapy in December 2020. Cases were males aged over 65 years. Cases presentation: Both patients were severe cases of COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), who received remdesivir for treating COVID-19 infection. Several side effects were reported: the first case had increased liver enzymes and then unexpectedly died from severe resistant hypotension; and hypoalbuminemia was noticed in the second case. Conclusions: Remdesivir use among patients in Sudan must be studied extensively in order to determine the unexpected fatal event and assess the association of this event to remdesivir use, as well as to report the frequency of the side effects.


Author(s):  
Amir Moeintaghavi ◽  
Negar Azami ◽  
Mohammad Sadegh Zohrevand ◽  
Farid Shiezadeh ◽  
Hamid Jafarzadeh ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 261-266
Author(s):  
Jorge Luis Alfredo Herrera Ariza ◽  
Mario Alejandro Villabón ◽  
Ángela Carolina Rojas Ruiz ◽  
Iván Fernando Moncada

Objetivo: Determinar los agentes microbianos más frecuentes en pacientes de UCI con diagnóstico de sinusitis nosocomial en el Hospital de San José, período de dos años. Diseño: Estudio observacional tipo serie de casos. Materiales y métodos: Se incluyeron pacientes mayores de 18 años con una estancia hospitalaria mayor a 48 horas, que desarrollaron sinusitis nosocomial de acuerdo a los criterios de los Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Uso de dos técnicas: punción y lavado de seno maxilar. Resultados: 19 pacientes que cumplen los criterios de sinusitis nosocomial. Edad promedio 55 años, predominio sexo masculino. El 94.7% tuvo sonda orogástrica, 89.5% intubación orotraqueal y 89.5% ventilación mecánica. Hubo aislamiento polimicrobiano de gram positivos, gram negativos, anaerobios y hongos. La mortalidad en UCI fue 32%. Conclusiones: Se presenta una adecuada sensibilidad al tratamiento con vancomicina y piperacilina tazobactam en esta patología. El rendimiento diagnóstico es igual al realizar lavado y punción del seno maxilar.Objetive: To determine the microbial agents on UCI patients who have beendiagnosed with nosocomial sinusitis at the San Jose Hospital, (Bogota, Colombia) in a two-year period. Design: Case series study. Materials and methods: Patients who were older than 18-year olds, with a hospitalization longer than 48 hours who developed nosocomial sinusitis, according to the criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were included. Two techniques were employed for data collection: puncture and maxillary sinus wash. Results: 19 patients fulfill the criteria requirements for nosocomial sinusitis. Average age was 55 years old. Population mostly was composed by male individuals. 94.7% had a gastric tube intervention; 89.5% had tracheal intubation 89.5% mechanical ventilation. Polymicrobial isolation with gram positive, gram negative, anaerobic and fungi were identified. Mortality in critical care unites was 32%. Conclusions: An adequate sensitivity to treatment with vancomycin and piperacillin tazobactam was evidenced in this pathology.To perform a washing or maxillary sinus puncture had the same efficiency fordiagnosing this disease.


Hand Therapy ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 175899832110078
Author(s):  
Laura Adamson ◽  
Anna Selby

Introduction For some people the appearance of their hands is as important as function. Upper limb scarring can cause some patients distress. Skin camouflage is an intervention that can be used to reduce the visual impact of a scar but there is limited published evidence for its use for hand scarring. Methods This is a case series study with a primary objective to determine whether skin camouflage reduces distress in patients with an upper limb scar and to evaluate this new service. Patients experiencing distress from an upper limb scar were recruited from a hand therapy outpatient clinic. The intervention delivered was a one hour skin camouflage session. Photographs of the upper limb pre and post skin camouflage intervention were taken. The patient-rated Michigan Hand Questionnaire (MHQ) and Derriford Appearance Scale (DAS24) were completed before treatment, at 1 week and 1 month after treatment. Results Six participants reporting distress from an upper limb scar received skin camouflage intervention. Only three out of six participants completed all follow-up. All three showed improvement in at least two domains of the MHQ (function and aesthetics) at one month post treatment. Increased confidence during functional and work-based activities was also reported on the DAS24. Participants reported increased engagement in daily activities as a result of being able to camouflage their scars. Conclusions This small case series shows that skin camouflage intervention may be beneficial for some patients who are experiencing distress related to an upper limb scar by increasing function and self-confidence.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document