In the present study, the in vitro tissue-radioallergosorbent test (t-RAST) was performed in two groups of patients: one with perennial attacks of sneezing, serous hypersecretion and nasal congestion, the other with nasal congestion only. The results obtained were compared with those obtained by a series of conventional allergy tests. We then found that t-RAST provided objective data comparable to those obtained with serum-RAST and that the t-RAST is a reliable means of quantitatively detecting specific IgE antibodies in the nasal mucosa. t-RAST is of special value to diagnosticians because it is able to discern unequivocally and easily those patients with localized nasal allergy.

After the auricular cartilage of 5-week-old rabbits was bent and fixed by suture, the cartilage increased in thickness in a short period of time. The thickness was maximal 6 weeks later and slightly greater than that of the control cartilage 12 weeks later. At this stage, the auricle was fixed in curved form. There was no difference in the morphology of cartilage cells between the bent group and the control. Tape attachment therapy is very simple. We propose that surgical treatment should be designed after a few months of tape attachment therapy. In the present work, the effect of taping was graded good in 4 cases of Stahl ear, 1 case of atypical cryptotia, and 2 other cases. In 2 cases of cup ear the result was fair, but this deformity with marked auricular aplasia was not curable by this conservative treatment.

No abstract

In the present paper, the ciliary activity and the fine structure of the pathological middle ear lining of rabbits induced by the exposure to 20 ppm SO2, 4 hours a day, 7 days/week for 4 consecutive weeks, were studied. In addition, carbocysteine, 200mg/kg, was given orally at different times during the experiment to 18 rabbits, and its effects on the middle ear lining were also studied.The following results were obtained; exposure to SO2. Such pathology was more remarkable 2 weeks after the completion of exposure than immediately after that. 2) It was disclosed that the ciliary activity and the morphology of the middle ear lining was affected by the exposure to SO2. The affected ciliary activity and morphology of the middle ear lining remained for a considerably long period of time even after cessation of the exposure.3) Carbocysteine given either previously or concomitantly with SO2 exposure had a mild effects on the S02-induced middle ear mucosal disorder, however, it revealed significant effects on accerelating the repair of the middle ear lining.The conclusions were as follows; logy of the otitis media with effusion.2) Air polluting substance such as SO2 may be associated with an increase of the otitis media with effusion.3) Carbocysteine that promotes repair of the affected middle ear lining could be useful for the

The effects of SO2, one of main factors of air polution, on the nasal mucosa and tracheobronchial mucosa have been relatively well studied, but those on paranasal sinus have been little elucidated.In the present study, the pathology of the sinus mucosa induced in rabbits by exposure to 10 ppm of SO2, 4 hours a day for 4 successive weeks was studied from both functional and morphological point of view. In addition, the effects of carbocysteine given orally on the SO2-induced sinus mucosal disorder was studied.The following results were obtained from the present observations; 1) 24 hours after the final exposure to SO2, the sinus mucosa showed advanced disorder such as formation of compound cilia, vacuolation of epithelial cells, and partial fall-off of epithelial cells.2) The mean ciliary activity at the sinus mucosa 24 hours after the withdrawal of exposure was about 390 beats/min, declined moderately.3) Even 2 weeks after the withdrawal of the exposure, the ciliary activity was declined with a value of 570 beats/min, and epithelial cells showed morphological disorder.4) The ciliary activity and the morphology of the sinus mucosa in rabbits given 200 mg/kg of carbocysteine during or after the exposure to SO2 were almost normal.The results suggested that 1) The exposure to 10 ppm SO2 for 4 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 4 weeks in rabbits induces the pathological sinus mucosa similar to that of human chronic sinusitis; 2) SO2-induced sinus mucosal disorder is a useful model to preclinically study the effects of medical agents for treatment of chronic sinusitis, because being hardly recovered;3) Carbocisteine could be useful as a drug to treat chronic sinusitis.