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Biomedical subjects

S J Zinreich

Publications and source records attributed to S J Zinreich.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with high-dose oral terbinafine: a double blind, placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate antifungal terbinafine in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter pilot study. METHODS: Fifty-three adults with chronic rhinosinusitis received terbinafine 625 mg/day (n = 25) or placebo (n = 28) once daily for 6 weeks. Sinus secretions were collected at screening for mycology. Computed tomography was graded for extent of opacification at baseline and at week 6 using a modification of the Lund-Mackay scoring system. Patients recorded rhinosinusitis symptoms on a visual analogue scale and completed the Rhinosinusitis Disability Index. RESULTS: Positive fungal cultures were found in 41 of 53 patients (17 terbinafine, 24 placebo). (Two subjects from the Terbinafine group and one subject from the control group had no week 6 data). The mean opacification scores pre- and posttreatment for the entire study group improved from 24.2 to 22.5 in placebo (n = 26) and from 26.3 to 24.2 in terbinafine group (n = 23). The least squares means for percent change from baseline (SE) were -6.0 (8.7) for placebo compared with -7.2 (8.1) for terbinafine; 95% confidence interval for treatment difference (-18.9, 21.1); P = .91. Results were similar when only patients with positive fungal cultures were evaluated in the efficacy analysis. Investigator therapeutic evaluations and sinus symptom scores were not significantly different between the two groups at baseline or at treatment completion. CONCLUSION: Treatment with terbinafine failed to improve the symptoms or radiographic appearance of chronic rhinosinusitis even when nasal irrigation samples were positive for fungus on culture. One consideration is that the fungi isolated were not a major pathologic factor in this cohort. It is also possible that, even at high dose, terbinafine may not have maintained therapeutic levels in the nasal secretions.

Administration, Oral↗

Dynamic assessment of paranasal sinus ventilation using xenon-enhanced computed tomography.

Disease of the paranasal sinuses is a common and costly condition. Evaluation of the efficacy of either medical or surgical methods of treatment is limited by the lack of quantitative methods to characterize sinus ventilation, which may be an important determinant of the baseline physiological state of the sinuses. Xenon-enhanced computed tomography (Xe-CT) measurement of sinus ventilation provides a noninvasive method of quantifying maxillary sinus ventilation using the nonradioactive, radiodense gas Xe as a tracer. Study subjects breathed a mixture of Xe gas and oxygen through a close-fitting nasal mask during serial CT imaging of a single radiographic plane through the maxillary sinuses--a generally well-tolerated protocol. Analysis of the sinus density-time curves allowed calculation of first-order exponential time constants from which specific ventilation rates could be determined for individual sinuses. Previously developed data analysis techniques were used to assess the statistical significance of the data and determine confidence intervals, allowing examination of the effects of noise in the data, and to demonstrate areas for further study protocol refinement. We conclude that Xe-CT measurement of sinus ventilation is a potentially valuable noninvasive technique for the diagnostic imaging of the human maxillary sinus.

Humans↗

The cerebral angiographic findings in Cogan syndrome.

SUMMARY: Cogan syndrome is an uncommon disorder of unknown etiology characterized by vestibuloauditory dysfunction and nonsyphilitic interstitial keratitis. To our knowledge, the case herein is the first report to demonstrate the cerebral angiographic findings of a patient with this syndrome.

Cerebral Angiography↗

T2 relaxation measurements in X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy performed using dual-echo fast fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MR imaging.

SUMMARY: The purpose of this study was to determine whether dual-echo fast fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MR imaging and corresponding T2 brain maps can show different zones in the affected white matter of patients with cerebral X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy. Ten male patients with cerebral X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy underwent imaging performed using dual-echo fast fluid-attenuated inversion recovery and dual-echo conventional spin-echo MR sequences. Corresponding T2 relaxation maps of the brain were generated. On the basis of dual-echo fast fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images and T2 maps, the affected white matter could be divided into two distinct zones in four patients with cerebral X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy.

Adolescent↗

Dural ectasia is associated with back pain in Marfan syndrome.

STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional age- and sex-matched study comparing the prevalence and size of dural ectasia in two groups of patients with Marfan syndrome. Group I comprised patients with moderate to severe back pain and Group II comprised patients without back pain. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the presence and size of dural ectasia is associated with back pain in patients with Marfan syndrome. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Dural ectasia is present in more than 60% of patients with Marfan syndrome. Moderate to severe back pain is present in more than 50% of patients with Marfan syndrome. Most cases of significant low back pain in patients with Marfan syndrome do not have a clear cause. It would be useful for the clinician to know whether dural ectasia may be a cause of back pain in patients with Marfan syndrome with no other source. METHODS: Thirty two volunteers aged 30-50 with Marfan syndrome were enrolled as age- and sex-matched pairs with significant back pain (Group I) and without back pain (Group II). A completed questionnaire, physical examination, and magnetic resonance image of the lumbosacral spine were obtained. Dural volume caudal to L5 was calculated from the magnetic resonance data by specially designed software. RESULTS: Dural ectasia was present in 76% of the patients in Group I, and 41% of the patients in Group II. The proportion of patients with dural ectasia was significantly higher in Group I. Furthermore, the mean dural volume was significantly higher in Group I, and a significant correlation between dural volume and Oswestry pain score was noted. CONCLUSIONS: The presence and size of dural ectasia are associated with back pain in the Marfan syndrome. However, a high prevalence of dural ectasia (41%) exists even in patients with Marfan syndrome without back pain. The mere presence of dural ectasia therefore does not necessarily mean the patient will be symptomatic even though the two are associated.

Adult↗

Xenon-enhanced computed tomography quantifies normal maxillary sinus ventilation.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the applicability, safety, and normal parameters of a xenon-enhanced CT technique to quantify maxillary sinus ventilation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nine healthy subjects inhaled a xenon-oxygen-air mixture through their noses while repeated CT scans were performed through the same section of their sinuses. Images were obtained every 1 to 3 minutes and analyzed to measure the density of the gas in the maxillary sinus as a function of time. RESULTS: Individual nasal cavity time constants ranged from 0.5 to 18 minutes. Studies performed after decongestion showed poorer sinus ventilation. CONCLUSIONS: The xenon-CT washin/washout technique is safe, effective, and gives representative data.

Adult↗

Added relief in the treatment of acute recurrent sinusitis with adjunctive mometasone furoate nasal spray. The Nasonex Sinusitis Group.

BACKGROUND: Intranasal glucocorticoids are effective in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. Their effectiveness as an anti-inflammatory adjunct in the treatment of acute recurrent sinusitis has not been adequately established in a controlled clinical study. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that intranasal corticosteroid treatment produces additional relief in the treatment of acute sinusitis with oral antibiotics. METHODS: Patients who were 12 years old and older with a history of recurrent sinusitis were treated while experiencing a new episode of acute sinusitis, which was diagnosed by symptoms and confirmed by computed tomography scan of the paranasal sinuses. Patients were treated for 21 days with amoxicillin clavulanate potassium and randomized to receive concurrent mometasone furoate nasal spray (MFNS; Nasonex [400 microg, twice daily]; n = 200 patients) or placebo spray (twice daily; n = 207 patients). Symptom scores for headache, facial pain, congestion, purulent rhinorrhea, postnasal drip, and cough were recorded at baseline and throughout treatment. RESULTS: Baseline symptom scores showed a moderate level of symptom severity comparable in both groups. Patient-recorded twice daily symptom scores showed that adjunctive treatment with MFNS caused a significantly greater decrease in total symptom score (primary efficacy variable) and in individual scores of inflammatory symptoms associated with the obstruction process (headache, congestion, and facial pain) compared with placebo. Symptoms associated with the secretory processes were improved to a lesser degree. Therapy-related local adverse events were not significantly different between groups. CONCLUSION: The addition of intranasal corticosteroid, MFNS 400 microg twice daily, to antibiotics significantly reduces symptoms of acute sinusitis compared with antibiotic treatment alone.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Nonlinear elastic registration of brain images with tumor pathology using a biomechanical model.

A biomechanical model of the brain is presented, using a finite-element formulation. Emphasis is given to the modeling of the soft-tissue deformations induced by the growth of tumors and its application to the registration of anatomical atlases, with images from patients presenting such pathologies. First, an estimate of the anatomy prior to the tumor growth is obtained through a simulated biomechanical contraction of the tumor region. Then a normal-to-normal atlas registration to this estimated pre-tumor anatomy is applied. Finally, the deformation from the tumor-growth model is applied to the resultant registered atlas, producing an atlas that has been deformed to fully register to the patient images. The process of tumor growth is simulated in a nonlinear optimization framework, which is driven by anatomical features such as boundaries of brain structures. The deformation of the surrounding tissue is estimated using a nonlinear elastic model of soft tissue under the boundary conditions imposed by the skull, ventricles, and the falx and tentorium. A preliminary two-dimensional (2-D) implementation is presented in this paper, and tested on both simulated and patient data. One of the long-term goals of this work is to use anatomical brain atlases to estimate the locations of important brain structures in the brain and to use these estimates in presurgical and radiosurgical planning systems.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗

Relation between CT scan findings and human sense of smell.

Symptom questionnaires were obtained from 106 patients immediately before nasal and sinus computed tomography scans at the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center. Their scans were analyzed by two otolaryngologists and three neuroradiologists by using a semiobjective rating system of the size and opacity of 36 anatomic areas. Patients estimated their own left and right sense of smell as excellent, diminished, or absent. Results of the data are as follows: (1) There is no correlation between smell ability and size of the nasal and sinus structures. This indicates that there is no gross effect of the bulging of sinuses into the nasal airway; (2) As a rule, opacity of only left-sided anatomic structures was correlated with both left and right sense of smell (p < 0.01). This suggests that our subjects were using their left smell receptors preferentially, to the exclusion of and in place of the right smell receptors; and (3) Total, not partial, opacity of the left olfactory cleft, frontal recess, or ethmoidal infundibulum was correlated with decreased sense of smell. This suggests that these anterior structures in the region of the olfactory cleft do affect airflow, but complete obstruction of these spaces is needed. Possible explanations for the effect of opacified sinuses on the sense of smell include (1) The presence of fluid or thickened mucosa in the sinuses may interfere with perceived olfactory ability by changing nasal airflow patterns or odorant access to receptors; (2) There may be olfactory receptors inside the sinuses; and (3) There may be a relation between the trigeminal receptors in the sinuses and the olfactory system.

Humans↗

Functional anatomy and computed tomography imaging of the paranasal sinuses.

Standard radiographs are suboptimal in the display of the regional morphology in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, especially the ethmoid sinus. The preferred radiographic modality for the evaluation of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses is computed tomography (CT). Coronal CT imaging perpendicular to the bony palate affords the best display of the ostiomeatal channels and facilitates the surgeon's perception of this regional morphology because it most closely resembles the endoscopic view. The purpose of this article is to familiarize the reader with the regional anatomy of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, specifically the 14 anatomic structures the examiner must understand and systematically check in the evaluation of this morphologic area. A description of the most commonly found anatomic variations that influence the patency of the ostiomeatal channels as well as specific relationships between the paranasal sinuses, the orbits, and the intracranial compartment are also detailed. Although less helpful in the display of paranasal sinus chronic inflammatory disease, magnetic resonance imaging is beneficial in the diagnosis of fungal disease, neoplastic disease, and the display of inflammatory extension into the intracranial and intraorbital compartments.

Humans↗

Upper respiratory tract surface areas and volumes of laboratory animals and humans: considerations for dosimetry models.

To facilitate the development of regional respiratory tract dosimetry comparisons between laboratory animal species and humans, published surface area (SA) and volume (VOL) data for the upper respiratory tract (URT) were reviewed. The review of the literature revealed that (1) different studies used different techniques to prepare specimens and make measurements, (2) different areas of the URT were measured, and (3) URT surface areas and volumes have been reported for a limited number of individual subjects within a species but for a relatively wide range of species. The published data are summarized in tables in this article. New measurements made in an F344 rat and in a female human subject are also presented. Despite the differences in experimental protocols, it was possible to fit allometric scaling equations to the data: In(SA, cm2) = -0.34 + 0.52 In(body weight, g) and In(VOL, cm3) = 1.70 + 0.78 In(body weight, g). Separate scaling equations were also fitted for rats alone. To illustrate the use of these scaling equations in quantitative human health risk assessment, two dose metrics (fractional absorption/cm2 URT SA and fractional absorption/g body weight) for predicted URT uptake in laboratory animals and humans were calculated for acrolein and epichlorohydrin. Expressed as an animal-to-human ratio, the 95% confidence interval for URT SA could change the predicted dose ratio by up to a factor of 2. Additional studies are needed to describe the entire URT (from the nares through the larynx) quantitatively and to decrease variability in scaling equation predictions as well as to develop additional species-specific scaling equations. Three-dimensional imaging techniques provide a noninvasive method to obtain URT surface areas and volumes in humans and the larger laboratory animals. Comparisons of magnetic resonance image (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans made as part of this study suggest that the greater clarity of the mucosal-air interface in the CT image provides better resolution for the study of anatomic features. Because there is no radiation exposure associated with MRI imaging, however, it is more safely used than CT scans in making repeated measurements in a subject to elucidate changes in URT geometry associated with normal nasal cycling or other physiological changes.

Acrolein↗

Orbital imaging techniques.

In the past 20 years, CT and MR imaging have emerged as the primary modalities for the evaluation of orbital disease. One can safely say that plain films have no role in the detailed evaluation of disorders of this morphological area. Given the bony enclosure, small size, soft tissue and fat content of this region, as well as globe movement, obtaining high-quality images of the orbit can be technically challenging. Our aim in this article, is to provide specific parameters for properly evaluating the orbit with CT and MRI.

Artifacts↗