Minimally invasive application of botulinum toxin A in patients with idiopathic rhinitis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nasal hypersecretion due to idiopathic rhinitis can often not be treated sufficiently by conventional medication. Botulinum toxin A (BTA) has been injected into the nasal mucosa in patients with nasal hypersecretion with a reduction of rhinorrhea lasting for about 4 to 8 weeks. Since the nasal mucosa is well supplied with glands and vessels, the aim of this study was to find out if the distribution of BTA in the nasal mucosa and a reduction of nasal hypersecretion can also be reached by a minimally invasive application by sponges without an injection.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients were randomly divided into two groups. The effect of BTA (group A, C, D) or saline as placebo (group B) was investigated in 20 patients with idiopathic rhinitis by applying it with a sponge soaked with BTA (40 units each nostril) or saline. Subgroups C and D contained these patients of group A and B who did not improve in symptoms one week after the original treatment (either BTA or saline) who then received the alternative medication. Changes of symptoms (rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction) were scored by the patients in a four point scale and counted (consumption of tissues, sneezing) in a diary. The patients were followed up weeks 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was a clear reduction of the amount of secretion in group A compared to group B, C and D. This did not correlate with the tissue consumption, which was comparably reduced in group A and B, but reduced less in group C and D. Sneezing was clearly reduced in group A but comparably unchanged in group B and C and increased in group D. Nasal congestion remained unchanged.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In some patients with therapy-resistant idiopathic rhinitis BTA applied with a sponge is a long-lasting and minimal invasive therapy to reduce nasal hypersecretion.</p

Determination of nutrient salts by automatic methods both in seawater and brackish water: the phosphate blank

9 páginas, 2 tablas, 2 figurasThe main inconvenience in determining nutrients in seawater by automatic methods is simply solved: the preparation of a suitable blank which corrects the effect of the refractive index change on the recorded signal. Two procedures are proposed, one physical (a simple equation to estimate the effect) and the other chemical (removal of the dissolved phosphorus with ferric hydroxide).Support for this work came from CICYT (MAR88-0245 project) and Conselleria de Pesca de la Xunta de GaliciaPeer reviewe

Detection of T cells reactive to intestinal alkaline phosphatase, an autoantigen in acute bacterial infections, and discrimination between autoantigen-specific CD5+ and CD5− B cells

Autoantibodies of the IgG isotype, specifically directed against intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), occur transiently in the majority of sera from patients with acute bacterial infections. Sometimes they are observed in autoimmune diseases. Using a T cell proliferation assay, it was found that isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from IAP autoantibody (IAPA)-positive patients (n=18) responded significantly to IAP, whereas proliferation could not be induced in PBMC from healthy donors (n=11). Significant stimulation of PBMC from patients (n=11) was not obtained by use of transferrin, a common autoantigen in humans, indicating the specificity of stimulation of IAP-reactive T cells. Furthermore, T cell proliferation was observed when a highly purified IAP fragment (CNBr 21) spanning amino acids 334–462 of the primary structure of IAP was used as antigen. Thus, it was shown that an immunodominant T cell epitope resides within the CNBr 21 fragment which also contains a discontinuous B cell epitope as evaluated previously. Double immunocytochemical staining of T cell-depleted PBMC with IAP and an anti-human CD5 antibody allowed the detection of CD5+ B lymphocytes, which probably produce natural IAPA (nIAPA). These nIAPA-specific CD5+ B cells occurred with approximately the same frequency among T cell-depleted PBMC from healthy donors and those from patients. In contrast, IAPA-producing CD5− B cells were found in B cell-enriched preparations from patients, but not in those from healthy individuals