Selma's saga [1916-1948]

The memoirs were written in 1982 in Sydney, Australia and include excerpts of letters from various relatives during the years 1938-1941. Early childhood recollections of World War One. The family was living in the 6th district of Vienna. Description of domestic life with maids, laundresses and a French governess. Death of her mother in 1918. Trip with her stepmother Ida Plohn to Prague. Recollections of a stay in the countryside at their maid's family, where Selma and her older sister Martha awaited the birth of their younger sister Trude. Memories of Christmas celebrations. Summer vacations in the mountains. Description of the extended family. Inflation and economic depression in the 1920s. Strict upbringing by her stepmother. Children recreation trip to Grado, Italy in 1925. Selma was accepted at the "Bundeserziehungsanstalt" for gifted students. Only few fellow Jewish students. Religious education with beloved rabbi Diamant. Recovery from tonsilitis in a senatorium in Aflenz, Austria. Celebration of Jewish holidays and visits at the Synagogue on Yom Kippur. Transfer to Realschule. Due to a sudden onset of various illnesses Selma was unable to continue school and had put an end to her father's dream of an university education for her. Difficult to find a position in the depression times of the early 1930s. Only few working options for a Jewish woman. Position as a secretary in a Jewish firm. Outings in the Vienna Woods. Membership in the Zionist group Betar.

Impact of the rapid antigen detection test in diagnosis and treatment of acute pharyngotonsillitis in a Pediatric emergency room

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the routine use of rapid antigen detection test in the diagnosis and treatment of acute pharyngotonsillitis in children. METHODS: This is a prospective and observational study, with a protocol compliance design established at the Emergency Unit of the University Hospital of Universidade de São Paulo for the care of children and adolescents diagnosed with acute pharyngitis. RESULTS: 650 children and adolescents were enrolled. Based on clinical findings, antibiotics would be prescribed for 389 patients (59.8%); using the rapid antigen detection test, they were prescribed for 286 patients (44.0%). Among the 261 children who would not have received antibiotics based on the clinical evaluation, 111 (42.5%) had positive rapid antigen detection test. The diagnosis based only on clinical evaluation showed 61.1% sensitivity, 47.7% specificity, 44.9% positive predictive value, and 57.5% negative predictive value. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngotonsillitis had low sensitivity and specificity. The routine use of rapid antigen detection test led to the reduction of antibiotic use and the identification of a risk group for complications of streptococcal infection, since 42.5% positive rapid antigen detection test patients would not have received antibiotics based only on clinical diagnosis.

Estudio comparativo para el tratamiento de la amigdalitis recidivante, entre el uso de penicilinas y amigdalectomizados, en el H.V.C.M. Cuenca Enero-Junio, 1994

La amigdalitis es una de las infecciones más comunes generalmente acusada por el estreptococo bata hemofílico del grupo A y con menor frecuencia debido a infecciones víricas. La amigdalitis recidivante es desde hace muchos años, la indicación más frecuente para practicar amigdalotomía aunque esta intervención tiene escasa complicaciones, su utilidad en la prevención de las recidivas no ha sido demostrada prospectivamente hasta estudios actuales en el que se compara la eficacia del tratamiento quirúrgico con una pauta antibiótica clásica la penicilina. Varios son los estudios en cuales se ha puesto en evidencia la incapacidad de la penicilina para acabar con el estado de portador del estreptococo beta hemolítico del grupo A. Entre las posibles explicaciones de esta aparente pérdida de eficacia de la penicilina, la más aceptada supone que la administración repetida del antibiótico selecciona flora productora de beta lactamasa. Los objetivos del tratamiento de la amigdalitis recidivante incluyen tanto la resolución de los signos clínicos y los síntomas de infección y la erradicación del agente causal de la cavidad oro faríngeo, por otro lado será importante evitar las complicaciones supurativas y no suporativas. La penicilina G es el agente antimicrobiano más efectivo para el tratamiento de la amigdalitis y debe emplearse almenos que el paciente sea alérgico lo que evita en lo posterior complicaciones