Our study provides the first evidence that both IL-17F and IL-25 can be induced by dsRNA in HNECs. Despite of the opposing effects of IL-17A and IL-25 on TSLP regulation in HNECs, IL-25 was dominant to IL-17A, providing a plausible explanation for the simultaneous upregulation of IL-17 cytokines and TSLP in patients with AR.

In this study we utilized computational fluid dynamic (CFD) techniques to construct a numerical simulation of nasal cavity airflow pre and post virtual functional endoscopic surgery (FESS). A healthy subject was selected, and CFD techniques were then applied to construct an anatomically and proportionally accurate three-dimensional nasal model based on nasal CT scans. A virtual FESS intervention was performed numerically on the normal nasal model using Fluent software. Navier-Stokes and continuity equations were used to calculate and compare airflow, velocity, distribution and pressure in both the pre and post FESS models. In the post-FESS model, there was an increase in airflow distribution in the maxillary, ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses, and a 13% increase through the area connecting the middle meatus and the surgically opened ethmoid. There was a gradual decrease in nasal resistance in the posterior ethmoid sinus region following FESS. These findings highlight the potential of this technique as a powerful preoperative assessment tool to aid clinical decision-making.

Objective: This study was designed to determine whether nasal saline irrigation improved the symptoms and signs of allergic rhinitis (AR) and whether nasal saline irrigation could be used as a complementary management of AR in children while less steroids were used. Method: 26 children with AR were divided into three groups and were given nasal saline irrigation and/or topical steroid. Symptoms and signs of AR and mucociliary clearance (MCC) were evaluated, and concentration of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM)-1 in nasal secretion was detected. Results: In AR children treated with nasal irrigation and tapered topical steroid at week 8 and week 12, a significant improvement in symptoms and signs was observed, and a significant decrease in the mean values of MCC and the mean concentrations of sICAM-1 in nasal secretions was also detected. Conclusion: Nasal saline irrigation can be viewed as a good adjunctive treatment option for AR. It permitted the use of less topical steroids for controlling AR in children, which will contribute to fewer side effects and less economic burden.

The surrogate markers for subclassifying eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS) and non-ECRS remain elusive. We herein performed a cross-sectional study to assess the clinical implication of clinical symptoms, CT findings, blood eosinophil (EOS) examination based on histological examination of tissue eosinophilia in 105 adult CRS patients (including 72 with nasal polyps and 33 without nasal polyps) in southern China. We found the mean score of smell loss was significantly higher in ECRS subgroup than those in non-ECRS subgroup (p < 0.05), whereas the average ethmoid osteitis index in non-ECRS subgroup was significantly higher than that in ECRS subgroup (p < 0.05). Moreover, we found both the mean blood EOS number and ratio were significantly higher in ECRS subgroup than those in non-ECRS subgroup (p < 0.05). By applying receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, we found blood EOS number had a sensitivity of 84.9 % and specificity of 84.4 % [area under the curve (AUC): 0.873] at the cutoff level of 0.16 × 10(9)/L, and blood EOS ratio had a sensitivity of 89.0 % and specificity of 84.4 % (AUC: 0.863) at the cutoff level of 2.05 % in this cohort. Our findings indicated that smell loss score, ethmoid osteitis index and blood EOS number and ratio may be used for the differential diagnosis of ECRS as the surrogate markers.

Our findings suggested the risk factors of concomitant BA in AR patients may be helpful to establish preventive strategies.