AR appears to be extremely common across Asia-Pacific nations. Many individuals with AR suffer from symptoms that reduce QOL and treatment gaps exist with current therapies. Through identification of disease impact and highlighting treatment gaps, clinicians may better understand and treat AR, leading to improvements in overall patient satisfaction and QOL.

Nasolabial cysts are rare but easily identifiable when they do occur. They are thought to arise f rom the remnants of the nasolacrimal ducts, but most ofthe available inf ormati on on these cysts is limited to isolated case reports. The pur p ose of our study was to examine the clinical and path ologic fea tures of nasolab ial cysts in order to p rovide a basis fo r their correct diagnosis and treatment. Eighteen patients with nasolabial cysts were

Background: Excess mucus production and hypersecretion characterize upper airway diseases. The primary mechanisms leading to mucus hypersecretion in chronic rhinosinus inflammation are not well understood. Mucus hypersecretion is commonly accompanied by goblet cell and submucosal gland cell hyperplasia. It is important to identify which mucin gene messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are expressed in the sinus mucosa. Objectives: To investigate the expression of MUC5AC and MUC5B mRNAs and localization of these proteins in human sinus mucosa and to compare the expression of MUC5AC and MUC5B mRNAs in normal and in chronic sinus mucosa. Design: Twenty chronic maxillary sinusitis mucosa samples and 20 normal maxillary sinus mucosa samples were obtained; RNAs were extracted from sinus mucosa, and semiquantitative reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction was performed for MUC5AC and MUC5B. Localization of these proteins was sought by using immunohistochemical analysis. Results: The levels of MUC5AC and MUC5B mRNA in chronic rhinosinusitis were significantly increased compared with those in normal sinus mucosa (P=.02). In inflammed sinus mucosa, MUC5AC protein was expressed in the cytoplasm of the goblet cell in the surface epithelium, and MUC5B expression was restricted to mucous cells of the submucosal glands and to the epithelium of sinus mucosa. However, in the normal sinus mucosa, MUC5AC and MUC5B proteins were expressed at low levels in the sinus epithelium and submucosal glands, respectively. Conclusion: These results suggest that up-regulation of MUC5AC and MUC5B, which are major components of respiratory secretion in chronic rhinosinusitis, may play important roles in the pathogenesis of sinus hypersecretion in chronic rhinosinusitis.

No abstract

There was a high correlation of apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (r = 0.94, p < 0.001) and lowest oxygen saturation (LSAT) (r = 0.90, p < 0.001) between the PSG and the Watch-PAT. A good agreement was also found between PSG AHI, PSG LSAT and PAT AHI, PAT LSAT, respectively. There was a significantly high concordance of the severity of AHI (Kendall tau-b = 0.897, p < 0.001) between the PSG and the Watch-PAT.

Defensins, a prominent group of antimicrobial peptides, are an important component of the innate immune response, particularly at mucosal surfaces that are vulnerable to colonization by potential pathogens. The present study was undertaken to investigate the expression of defensins in inferior turbinate mucosa of normal subjects and inferior turbinate mucosa and nasal polyps of patients with chronic sinusitis. Expression of beta-defensin 1 and 2 and alpha-defensin 5 and 6 messenger RNAs (mRNAs) was investigated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and their expression level was semiquantitatively evaluated by dot blot hybridization. Immunohistochemical analysis was used for detection of alpha-defensins 1, 2, and 3 in tissue sections. Beta-defensin 1 mRNA was expressed in all tissue samples, at levels that did not differ significantly. Beta-defensin 2 mRNA was detected in the turbinate mucosa and nasal polyps of patients with chronic sinusitis, but not in normal mucosa. Its expression level was significantly higher in nasal polyps than in turbinate mucosa. Alpha-defensin 5 and 6 mRNAs were not expressed in any tissues, but alpha-defensins 1, 2, and 3 were detected in all tissue samples obtained from patients with chronic sinusitis. These results suggest that beta-defensin 1 may play a constitutive role in nasal defenses, whereas alpha-defensins 1, 2, and 3 and beta-defensin 2 may be induced in response to local infection or inflammation.

Open-mouth breathing is associated with reduction of the retropalatal and retroglossal areas, lengthening of the pharynx and shortening of the MP-H in the upper airway. We suggest that knowledge of these anatomic changes improves our understanding of the increase of OSA severity and the low adherence to nasal CPAP therapy in mouth breathers.

Decreased expression of epithelial junctional proteins was found in patients with allergic rhinitis. The disruption of epithelial integrity by IL-4, IL-5, and TNF-alpha in vitro indicated a possible role for these cytokines in the pathogenesis of patients with allergic rhinitis.