The history of saline nasal irrigation (SNI) is indeed a long one, beginning from the ancient Ayurvedic practices and gaining a foothold in the west at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, there is a growing number of papers covering the effects of SNI, from in vitro studies to randomized clinical trials and literature overviews. Based on the recommendations of most of the European and American professional associations, seawater, alone or in combination with other preparations, has its place in the treatment of numerous conditions of the upper respiratory tract (URT), primarily chronic (rhino)sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, acute URT infections and postoperative recovery. Additionally, taking into account its multiple mechanisms of action and mounting evidence from recent studies, locally applied seawater preparations may have an important role in the prevention of viral and bacterial infections of the URT. In this review we discuss results published in the past years focusing on seawater preparations and their use in clinical and everyday conditions, since such products provide the benefits of additional ions vs. saline, have an excellent safety profile and are recommended by most professional associations in the field of otorhinolaryngology.

The article discusses the issues of the protective mechanisms of the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract: mucociliary clearance, production of protective proteins and the mucosal immunity system. The data on the significance and relationship of lymphoid structures associated with mucous membranes of various anatomical localization are presented. The mechanisms of action of topical bacterial lysates are considered, their effectiveness in the treatment and prevention of respiratory diseases and their complications is described.

Group A β-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) is the most important bacterial agent in the genesis of acute inflammatory conditions of the pharynx due to the possible development of local and systemic complications. During the seasonal increase of incidence of respiratory viral infections, the possibility of viral-bacterial co-infection is often not taken into account. Determine the incidence of GABHS in children with catarrhal symptoms (rhinorrhea, cough) and without them. 69 children with signs of acute tonsillopharyngitis (ATP) in the first 2 days of the disease were examined. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the presence or absence of rhinorrhea and cough. All patients underwent a comprehensive otorhinolaryngological examination and bacteriological examination of smears from the surface of the posterior pharyngeal wall and lacunae of the tonsils. Obtained data was processed by basic statistical methods. Incidence of GABHS in children with ATP without catarrhal symptoms was 9.5%, with rhinorrhea and cough - 3.7%. Median age for the detection of GABHS in patients with ATP was 5.6 years. A statistically significant symptom of GABHS-positive patients in our study was the enlargement of the anterior cervical lymph nodes; plaques on the tonsils were found only in 20% of cases. GABHS is predominant in patients with ATP without catarrhal phenomena, however, the presence of rhinorrhea and coughing in a patient does not exclude the possibility of the presence of GABHS infection, therefore, patients with ATP should undergo an objective examination for GABHS.

The data on association between various pathologies of the ENT organs and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is analysed in the article. The variety of extraesophageal signs of GERD in children and adults is given, what is advisable to inform physicians of different specialties about the possibilities of antireflux therapy. These options are expanded with the emergence of a unique new drug, Alfasoxx. Its bioadhesive formula is based on hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulphate thereby protecting the esophageal mucosa. Alfasoxx acts on the surface of the esophageal mucosa without penetrating into the systemic bloodstream and it also has a low allergenic potential, which has been confirmed by numerous studies. With its healing and repairing effect on erosive lesions of the esophageal epithelium, Alfasoxx in combination with proton pump inhibitors is more effective in achieving regression of clinical manifestations of the disease and improving patients quality of life (according to SF-36 questionnaire) compared to proton pump inhibitors monotherapy.

The history of saline nasal irrigation (SNI) is indeed a long one, beginning from the ancient Ayurvedic practices and starting to gain a foothold in the west at the beginning of 20th century. Today, there is a growing number of papers covering effects of SNI from in vitro studies to randomized clinical trials and literature overviews. Based on the recommendations of most of the European and American professional associations, seawater, alone or in combination with other preparations, has its place in treatment of numerous conditions of the upper respiratory tract (URT), primarily in chronic (rhino)sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, acute URT infections and postoperative recovery. Additionally, taking into account its multiple mechanisms of action and mounting evidence from recent studies, locally applied seawater preparations may have an important role in prevention of viral and bacterial infections of the URT. Therefore, in this review we discuss results published in the past years focused on the seawater preparations and their use in clinical and everyday conditions, since such products are superior to saline, have an excellent safety profile and are recommended by most professional associations in the field of otorhinolaryngology.

The identification of millions of newly infected with tuberculosis while maintaining a sufficiently high mortality rate, despite the existing treatment protocols, confirms the urgency of the problem of diagnosing this disease and dictates the need for an interdisciplinary approach to this problem. In the overwhelming majority of cases, tuberculosis is associated with lung damage, but its “extrapulmonary” manifestations are also possible, in particular with localization in the head and neck region (about 10%), including in the ENT organs. According to the literature, the incidence of tuberculous lesions is maximum for the larynx (from 14,5 to 15–37%), minimum for ear diseases (from 0,04–0.09% to 2,4–4,18%). To focus the attention of otorhinolaryngologists on the problem of “extrapulmonary tuberculosis” of ENT localization in pediatric practice, this study analyzes the case histories of 496 patients of tuberculous pulmonary pediatric department No. 1 of the Moscow Research and Clinical Center for Tuberculosis Control. Tuberculous lesion of ENT localization against the background of a generalized process was found in 7 patients (1.4%) aged from 2,5 months to 1 year 9 months. Tuberculous otitis media was most often detected (4 patients (0.6%)), in single cases – tuberculosis of the larynx, tuberculosis of the pharynx, tuberculosis of the salivary gland, including in combination with other organic ENT pathology (for example, papillomatosis and tuberculosis of the larynx). Thus, the lesion of the head and neck (including the ENT organs) is one of the “underestimated” extrapulmonary localizations of tuberculosis, and the diagnosis and verification are delayed. Among the “extrapulmonary” ENT manifestations of tuberculosis in young children, according to our data, otitis media prevails. To verify the diagnosis of “Tuberculosis” of any localization, it is necessary to inoculate Mycobacterium tuberculosis and be sure to consult the material obtained with histologists. Doctors of various specialties should not forget about the possibility of setting Mantoux tests with 2 tuberculin units (TU) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) test for diagnostic purposes, despite the absence of a routine immunological examination in the national immunization schedule for children of the first year of life. Tuberculosis is curable, the main thing is to remember the need for early and timely diagnosis and adequate long-term treatment.