The relationship between IL-17A and IL-22 expression and clinical severity in patients with moderate/severe persistent allergic rhinitis

t PURPOSE: Several reactions leading to numerous effects are regulated by IL-22. However, the relationship between IL-22 and immunopathogensis of allergic rhinitis (AR) has been rarely investigated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the levels of IL-22 and IL-17A in AR patients and their association with clinical severity of persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty mild persistent allergic rhinitis (M PAR) patients, thirty moderate/severe persistent allergic rhinitis (M/S PAR) patients, and thirty healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Local production of IL-22 and IL-17A in PAR patients and healthy controls' nasal mucosa was examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques. Serum levels of IL-22, IL-17A, specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE), and total IgE (tIgE) in PAR patients and healthy controls were determined by ELISA. In addition, blood eosinophil, nasal eosinophils per field, and total nasal syndrome score (TNSS) were also assessed. RESULTS: In comparison with healthy controls, production of IL-22 and IL-17A in M/S PAR patients increased significantly. Furthermore, serum levels as well as the mean number of IL-22+ and IL-17A+ cells in nasal mucosa correlated with sIgE, nasal eosinophil count, and TNSS. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study provide the first evidence that local production of IL-22 might be expressed in PAR patients. The expression of IL-22 and IL-17A, and their correlations with clinical parameters in PAR patients suggest the role of these cytokines in the events involved in the development of PAR

ICAR: endoscopic skull‐base surgery

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Differential expression of CCL18 in moderate/severe and mild persistent allergic rhinitis and its correlation with disease parameters

Background and Aims: This study aimed to assess the level of the expression of CCL-18 on nasal inferior turbinate mucosa in patients with mild (M) and moderate-to-severe (M/S) persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR). Methods: The participants in this case-controlled study were divided into three groups: patients with M/S PAR, patients with M PAR, and the healthy control group. Biopsies of nasal inferior turbinate mucosa were obtained from the participants. Expression of CCL-18 mRNA was evaluated by real-time PCR. The serum levels of CCL-18 were determined by ELISA. Total serum IgE levels and specific serum IgE levels were measured. The clinical manifestations were assessed using the total nasal syndrome score (TNSS). Results: Gene expression and the serum level of CCL-18 in patients with M/S PAR increased significantly compared to the control group and patients with M PAR. The serum level of CCL-18 was found to correlate with TNSS in patients with M/S PAR. There was a statistical correlation between the serum level of CCL-18 and the total serum IgE in the treatment groups. Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that there could be a relationship between the expression of CCL-18 in nasal turbinate mucosa and the severity of allergic rhinitis

Extradural ganglioneuroma with T1-T2 involvement mimicking spondylodiscitis: A case report and a review of the literature

Ganglioneuroma (GN) is a rare benign neural tumor, usually derived from the ganglia of the sympathetic system. This report describes a 36-year-old man who presented with back pain and local tenderness that closely mimicked the clinical and ima-ging findings of spondylodiskitis. However, histologic examination made the diagnosis of GN. To our knowledge, this is the first report presenting the pattern of a GN as a differential diagnosis of spondylodiskitis. © Copyright 2016 Via Medica

Preparation and characterization of air nanofilters based on cellulose nanofibers

One of the most important environmental issues in the world today is the problem of air pollution, which includes particulate matter (PM) and greenhouse gases (mainly CO2). The production of efficient sustainable filters to overcome this concern as well as to provide an alternative to synthetic petroleum-based filters remains a demanding challenge. The purpose of this research was to first produce novel cellulose nanofibers (CNF) based nanofilter from a combination of CNF and chitosan (CS) and then evaluate its applicability for air purification. A number of structural and chemical properties as well as CO2 and PM adsorption efficiency of the modified CNF, were determined using advanced characterization techniques. After pretests, we determined the optimum loading for the CS was 1 wt%, and upon producing the samples, the CNF loadings (1, 1.5, and 2 wt%) were chosen as one variable. For particle absorption, the PM sizes (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 2.5 μm) were kept as other variables. Based on SEM results, we concluded the higher the concentration of CNF the higher the specific surface area and the lower the porosity and the diameter of the pores, which was confirmed by the BET test. Furthermore, the results showed that increasing the concentration of modified CNFs increases the adsorption rate of CO2 and PM and that the highest adsorption of CO2 and PM belonged to the 2% modified CNF