***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: Background : Upper respiratory tract infections are a major source of morbidity throughout the world . Extracts of the root of North American ginseng ( Panax quinquefolium ) have been found to have the potential to modulate both natural and acquired immune responses . We sought to examine the efficacy of an extract of North American ginseng root in preventing colds . Methods : We conducted a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled study at the onset of the influenza season . A total of 323 subjects 18–65 years of age with a history of at least 2 colds in the previous year were recruited from the general population in Edmonton , Alberta . The participants were instructed to take 2 capsules per day of either the North American ginseng extract or a placebo for a period of 4 months . The primary outcome measure was the number of Jackson-verified colds . Secondary variables measured included symptom severity , total number of days of symptoms and duration of all colds . Cold symptoms were scored by subjects using a 4-point scale . Results : Subjects who did not start treatment were excluded from the analysis ( 23 in the ginseng group and 21 in the placebo group ) , leaving 130 in the ginseng group and 149 in the placebo group . The mean number of colds per person was lower in the ginseng group than in the placebo group ( 0.68 [ st and ard deviation ( SD ) 0.82 ] v. 0.93 [ SD 0.91 ] , difference 0.25 % , 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] 0.04–0.45 ) . The proportion of subjects with 2 or more Jackson-verified colds during the 4-month period ( 10.0 % v. 22.8 % , 12.8 % difference , 95 % CI 4.3–21.3 ) was significantly lower in the ginseng group than in the placebo group , as were the total symptom score ( 77.5 [ SD 84.6 ] v. 112.3 [ SD 102.5 ] , difference 1.5 % , 95 % CI 1.2–2.0 ) and the total number of days cold symptoms were reported ( 10.8 [ SD 9.7 ] v. 16.5 [ SD 13.8 ] days , difference 1.6 % , 95 % CI 1.3–2.0 ) for all colds . Interpretation : Ingestion of a poly-furanosyl-pyranosyl-saccharide – rich extract of the roots of North American ginseng in a moderate dose over 4 months reduced the mean number of colds per person , the proportion of subjects who experienced 2 or more colds , the severity of symptoms and the number of days cold symptoms were reported Background Previous studies have shown that routine heated humidifier ( HH ) do not provide any benefit during continuous positive airway pressure ( CPAP ) titration if there are no significant naso-pharyngeal symptoms . In clinical practice , nasal diseases and upper airway symptoms are very common . This study investigates the effects of HH during CPAP titration in subjects with or without naso-pharyngeal symptoms . Methods Fifty-two patients who received polysomnography with CPAP titration were r and omly assigned to HH and non-HH groups . Their nasal cavity , pharynx , and naso-pharynx were evaluated before CPAP titration , and a question naire on subjective sensation , including naso-pharyngeal symptoms , willingness to further use CPAP , and sleep improvement , was used . Objective ( e.g. , leak , apnea – hypopnea index ( AHI ) reduction , and optimal CPAP pressure level ) and subjective data were analyzed between the two groups . Results In subjective sensation , the HH group did not have any benefit in further willingness to use CPAP and in sleep improvement , but had improved naso-pharyngeal symptoms ( p = 0.043 ) . There were no significant differences in leak , AHI reduction , and optimal CPAP pressure , even in patients with significant naso-pharyngeal symptoms . Conclusion Routine use of HH is not necessary during CPAP titration regardless of naso-pharyngeal symptoms OBJECTIVE Nasal inhalation of steam has been proposed as treatment of viral colds on the assumption that increased intranasal temperature will inhibit replication of rhinovirus ( RV ) . The effect of steam inhalation on RV shedding by infected volunteers was examined in this study . DESIGN R and omized controlled trial . Volunteers experimentally infected with RV were treated with machine-generated humidified air , which was either hot ( active ) or at room temperature ( placebo ) . Viral shedding was assessed over the 4 days following treatment . SETTING Local hotel . PARTICIPANTS Twenty volunteers from the university community who were susceptible to the challenge virus . INTERVENTION Two 30-minute intranasal treatments , the first at 24 hours after inoculation and the second at 48 hours . The temperature of active vapor was 42 degrees C to 44 degrees C and of placebo vapor was 22 degrees C. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Viral titers in nasal washings on each of 5 days following inoculation . RESULTS Mean viral titers prior to the first treatment were 10(1.7 ) tissue culture infectious doses per milliliter in the active group and 10(1.5 ) in the placebo group . Mean titers for the next 4 days were 10(1.7 ) , and 10(1.7 ) , 10(1.2 ) , and 10(0.9)/mL in the active group and 10(1.8 ) , 10(1.9 ) , 10(1.6 ) , and 10(0.7)/mL in the placebo group ( no significant difference ) . The proportion of volunteers who shed virus on each day was also similar in the two groups . CONCLUSION Two nasal inhalation treatments with steam had no effect on viral shedding in volunteers with experimental RV colds Nasal mucus velocity and nasal airflow resistance were measured in 15 healthy subjects before and at 5 and 30 minutes after drinking hot water by sip or straw , hot chicken soup by sip or straw , and cold water by sip . A sham drinking procedure with straw was also employed . Hot water by sip increased nasal mucus velocity from 6.2 to 8.4 mm per min , hot chicken soup by sip from 6.9 to 9.2 mm per min , and chicken soup by straw from 6.4 to 7.8 mm per min five minutes after administration . These increases were statistically significant compared to cold water , hot water by straw and sham . All values returned to their baseline at 30 minutes except cold water which significantly decreased the nasal mucus velocity from 7.3 to 4.5 mm per min . There were no significant changes from baseline in nasal airflow resistance 5 and 30 minutes following the above treatments . We conclude that drinking hot fluids transiently increases nasal mucus velocity in part or totally through the nasal inhalation of water vapor . Hot chicken soup , either through the aroma sensed at the posterior nares or through a mechanism related to taste , appears to possess an additional substance for increasing nasal mucus velocity . Finally , hot liquid might be superior to cold liquids in the management of fluids in upper respiratory tract infections Abstract .Few interventions have proved to be effective in the prevention and treatment of common colds . Anecdotal reports suggest the possible beneficial effect of hydrotherapy ( stimulation of the body surface with warm and cold water ) . This study 's objective was to evaluate the clinical effect of hydrotherapy on common colds in children . Children aged 3–7 years with six or more common cold episodes during the preceding 12 months were r and omised to receive either daily inhalation of normal saline in the control group or daily inhalation plus daily hydrotherapy in the experimental group for 12 months . The main outcome measurements were incidence , duration and severity of common cold episodes as reported by the children 's parents in a daily symptom diary . Groups did not differ at baseline with regard to age , gender , or number of cold episodes in the year before the study . Diaries were available from 81 patients in the control group and 65 patients in the experimental group . In the study period , there were no significant differences in the incidence of colds ( control vs. experimental group , mean ± SD , 4.8±3.5 vs. 4.1±3.3 episodes ) or the average duration of episodes ( 7.7±3.5 vs. 7.6±3.8 days ) . Conclusion : This study does not demonstrate any beneficial effect of hydrotherapy on preschool children with frequent common colds OBJECTIVE --To determine whether inhaling fully humidified air at 43 degrees C gave more benefit to cold sufferers than inhaling air at 30 degrees C. DESIGN --R and omised double blind trial . Setting --General practice and the common cold research unit . SUBJECTS--87 Unselected patients with typical acute nasal and upper respiratory symptoms ( general practice study ) , and 84 volunteers aged 18 - 50 without a history of chronic or allergic diseases . INTERVENTIONS --Subjects breathed from apparatus delivering 40 litres of room air heated to 43 degrees C or 30 degrees C and fully humidified ( relative humidity 100 % ) per minute . End point -- Reduction in severity of disease . MEASUREMENTS and main results -- Patients recorded their symptoms ( general practice study ) and observers recorded symptoms and signs , weight of nasal secretions , isolation of virus , and antibody responses in volunteers . Patients treated for 20 minutes at 43 degrees C had in the succeeding days roughly half the score for symptoms of those treated at 30 degrees C. Volunteers treated for 30 minutes on three occasions when they were starting a cold showed an 18 % [ corrected ] reduction in symptoms . Treatment of volunteers for 20 minutes at the onset of the cold and for 10 minutes on succeeding days showed no difference between 43 degrees C and 30 degrees C. CONCLUSIONS --Nasal hyperthermia can improve the course of a common cold and also give immediate relief of symptoms Recurrent respiratory infections ( RRI ) represent a social problem for both the pharmaco-economic impact and the burden on the family . Thermal water is popularly well accepted . However , there is no scientific evidence of its preventive activity on recurrent respiratory tract infections ( RRI ) . Therefore , the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Agnano thermal water nasal irrigation on RRI prevention in children . A total of 107 children ( 70 males , mean age 4.5±1.2 years ) with RRI were enrolled in the study . At baseline , children were r and omly assigned to the treatment with : A ) inhaled crenotherapy with salso-sulphide water or B ) isotonic saline ( NaCl 0.9 % ) . Inhaled therapy was performed using nasal washing by Rino-jet ( ASEMA srl , Milan , Italy ) b.i.d . for 12 days . Nasal washing lasted 2 minutes per nostril . Immediately before washing , children inhaled 1 l of water by stream inhalation per 2 minutes . Crenotherapy was capable of significantly reducing : the number of respiratory infections , nasal symptoms , neutrophil and bacteria count , turbinate and adenoidal hypertrophy , presence of biofilm , and blockage of ostiomeatal complex ( OCM ) . In conclusion , this study provides the first evidence that Agnano crenotherapy may be capable of preventing RRI  in children as it exerts some positive effects , such as reduction of nasal obstruction , OCM blockage , biofilm , and inflammatory events The effects of steam inhalation on nasal patency and on nasal symptoms were studied in 62 patients with the common cold by a double-blind , r and omized , placebo-controlled clinical trial . Treatment consisted of two 20-minute sessions , during which the patient inhaled saturated , hot ( 42 degrees to 44 degrees C ) air through the nose . The subjective response was recorded by each patient during the week following treatment on a daily symptom score card . Nasal patency was determined before treatment , the following day , and 1 week later by measuring peak nasal expiratory and inspiratory air flow . Highly reproducible results were obtained by using these objective methods . Steam inhalation result ed in alleviation of cold symptoms and increased nasal patency in a significantly higher percentage of patients in the actively treated group than in the placebo-treated group . Possible explanations for the effectiveness of treatment are discussed BACKGROUND Upper respiratory tract infection in children is one of the most frequent reasons for visiting a family doctor , and antibiotics are often prescribed inappropriately . Sodium cromoglicate inhibits the ICAM-1 molecule , which is the receptor for human rhinoviruses . We aim ed to investigate whether intranasal cromoglicate shortens duration of infection of the upper respiratory tract . METHODS We r and omly assigned 290 children diagnosed with suspected acute viral upper respiratory tract infection by their family doctor ( 137 boys , 153 girls ; mean age 5.2 years [ SD 3.39 ] ) either intranasal 4 % sodium cromoglicate spray or intranasal normal saline spray . Follow-up was by daily symptom diary for 2 weeks and by telephone . Canadian Acute Respiratory Illness and Flu Scale ( CARIFS ) score was the primary outcome measure . FINDINGS 195 patients returned symptom diaries , and 20 of these could not be included in the main analysis . 246 patients completed the telephone interview at week 1 . There was no difference in recovery rate over the first week between the two groups , with the estimated difference in slope of log ( CARIFS ) being -0.01 ( 95 % CI -0.05 to 0.03 ) . There were no differences between the two groups 
    Output:
    
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS The current evidence does not show any benefits or harms from the use of heated , humidified air delivered via the RhinoTherm device for the treatment of the common cold .