We found impaired nasal epithelial barrier function in patients with HDM-induced AR, with lower occludin and zonula occludens-1 expression. IL-4 disrupted epithelial integrity in vitro, and FP restored barrier function. Better understanding of nasal barrier regulation might lead to a better understanding and treatment of AR.

This EAACI position paper aims at providing a state‐of‐the‐art overview on nonallergic rhinitis (NAR). A significant number of patients suffering from persistent rhinitis are defined as nonallergic noninfectious rhinitis (NANIR) patients, often denominated in short as having NAR. NAR is defined as a symptomatic inflammation of the nasal mucosa with the presence of a minimum of two nasal symptoms such as nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, sneezing, and/or itchy nose, without clinical evidence of endonasal infection and without systemic signs of sensitization to inhalant allergens. Symptoms of NAR may have a wide range of severity and be either continuously present and/or induced by exposure to unspecific triggers, also called nasal hyperresponsiveness (NHR). NHR represents a clinical feature of both AR and NAR patients. NAR involves different subgroups: drug‐induced rhinitis, (nonallergic) occupational rhinitis, hormonal rhinitis (including pregnancy rhinitis), gustatory rhinitis, senile rhinitis, and idiopathic rhinitis (IR). NAR should be distinguished from those rhinitis patients with an allergic reaction confined to the nasal mucosa, also called “entopy” or local allergic rhinitis (LAR). We here provide an overview of the current consensus on phenotypes of NAR, recommendations for diagnosis, a treatment algorithm, and defining the unmet needs in this neglected area of research.

Anosmia, the loss of smell, is a common and often the sole symptom of COVID-19. The onset of the sequence of pathobiological events leading to olfactory dysfunction remains obscure. Here, we have developed a postmortem bedside surgical procedure to harvest endoscopically samples of respiratory and olfactory mucosae and whole olfactory bulbs. Our cohort of 85 cases included COVID-19 patients who died a few days after infection with SARS-CoV-2, enabling us to catch the virus while it was still replicating. We found that sustentacular cells are the major target cell type in the olfactory mucosa. We failed to find evidence for infection of olfactory sensory neurons, and the parenchyma of the olfactory bulb is spared as well. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 does not appear to be a neurotropic virus. We postulate that transient insufficient support from sustentacular cells triggers transient olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19. Olfactory sensory neurons would become affected without getting infected. ll

Our data indicate a key role for allergic inflammatory mediators in modulating nasal epithelial barrier integrity in the pathophysiology in AR.

No abstract

The mammalian olfactory system displays species-specific adaptations to different ecological niches. To investigate the evolutionary dynamics of olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) subtypes across mammalian evolution, we applied RNA sequencing of whole olfactory mucosa samples from mouse, rat, dog, marmoset, macaque, and human. We find that OSN subtypes, representative of all known mouse chemosensory receptor gene families, are present in all analyzed species. Further, we show that OSN subtypes expressing canonical olfactory receptors are distributed across a large dynamic range and that homologous subtypes can be either highly abundant across all species or species/order specific. Highly abundant mouse and human OSN subtypes detect odorants with similar sensory profiles and sense ecologically relevant odorants, such as mouse semiochemicals or human key food odorants. Together, our results allow for a better understanding of the evolution of mammalian olfaction in mammals and provide insights into the possible functions of highly abundant OSN subtypes.

This large study of sinonasal adenocarcinoma primarily treated with endoscopic resection and RT confirms that this approach results in good oncologic and functional outcome.

Background. Endoscopic resection followed by radiotherapy as primary treatment for adenocarcinoma of the sinuses is emerging as an alternative to open resection.Methods. A total of 44 patients primarily treated by an endoscopic approach followed by radiotherapy from 1992 to 2004 seen at our ENT-Department were analyzed for outcome and prognostic factors.Results. Median follow-up was 61 months. Median followup of the patients alive at the end of the follow-up period was 100 months. For the 5-year follow-up, the overall survival, disease-specific survival, and recurrence-free survival were 63% (AE7% SE), 82% (AE6), and 60% (AE8%), respectively. The overall survival, disease-specific survival, and recurrence-free survival after 100 months of follow-up were 53% (AE8%), 72% (AE9%), and 54% (AE9%), respectively. Four factors significantly influenced the disease-specific survival.Conclusion. This study of a homogeneous cohort of patients with sinonasal adenocarcinoma treated by endoscopic resection and radiotherapy confirms that endoscopic resection is a valid alternative to open resection. V V C 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 00: 000-000, 2010Keywords: adenocarcinoma; sinonasal tract; endoscopic sinus surgery; craniofacial resection; malignant tumorsThe first reports on endoscopic surgery as an exclusive approach or in combination with an external approach for the treatment of malignant tumors of the nose and sinuses emerged in the late 1990s.1,2 Previous series of malignant tumors of the sinonasal tract treated with an endoscopic approach often included a diversity of histologic subtypes and treatment protocols. The cohorts were very small, due to the rarity of the pathology and the long natural history. [3][4][5][6][7] In Belgium, malignancies of the sinuses account for only 3% of the overall head and neck oncology diagnoses. 8,9 In the last 2 years, studies with larger cohorts, more homogeneous histology, and treatment protocols were published reporting good Correspondence to: V. Vander Poorten