Effect of budesonide transnasal nebulization in patients with eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps

Background: There is little evidence on the efficacy of glucocorticoid transnasal nebulization therapy in patients with eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Objective: We sought to evaluate the immunologic and remodeling effects of budesonide transnasal nebulization in patients with eosinophilic CRSwNP. Methods: Sixty patients with eosinophilic CRSwNP were randomized to receive budesonide or placebo treatment for 14 days by means of transnasal nebulization in a double-blind manner. Endoscopic polyp size scores (maximum 5 6 points, Kennedy score) and visual analog scale scores for nasal symptoms were assessed before and after treatment. Similarly, polyp samples were evaluated for inflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) by using an immunoassay; collagen by using histochemistry; eosinophils by using hematoxylin and eosin stain; and T-cell subsets by using flow cytometry. Results: Budesonide transnasal nebulization significantly reduced polyp size compared with placebo (mean difference between groups, 20.73 units; 95% CI, -1.15 to -0.32 units; P = .002) and improved symptoms. Polyp IL-5 and eotaxin expression decreased significantly, whereas TGF-beta and IL-10 expression increased. Expression of IFN-gamma and IL-17 was not altered. Budesonide transnasal nebulization consistently reduced eosinophil infiltration and T(H)2 cell frequency and increased natural regulatory T-cell and type 1 regulatory T-cell frequencies. Indices of remodeling, including albumin, MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-8, and MMP-9, were significantly decreased, whereas collagen deposition and TIMP-1, TIMP-2, and TIMP-4 levels were significantly increased. Budesonide transnasal nebulization did not suppress the hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal axis or cause any serious side effects. Conclusion: Short-term budesonide transnasal nebulization is an effective and safe treatment option in patients with eosinophilic CRSwNP, achieving clinical improvement by regulating remodeling, cytokine expression, and T-cell subset distribution

Demonstration of a New Transport Regime of Photon in Two-dimensional Photonic Crystal

A new transport regime of photon in two-dimensional photonic crystal near the Dirac point has been demonstrated by exact numerical simulation. In this regime, the conductance of photon is inversely proportional to the thickness of sample, which can be described by Dirac equation very well. Both of bulk and surface disorders always reduce the transmission, which is in contrast to the previous theoretical prediction that they increase the conductance of electron at the Dirac point of grephene. However, regular tuning of interface structures can cause the improvement of photon conductance. Furthermore, large conductance fluctuations of photon have also been observed, which is similar to the case of electron in graphene.Comment: 5 figure

An approach to urban system spatial planning in Chengdu Chongqing economic circle using geospatial big data

Evidence suggests city grouping is an important way to implement urbanization in China. However, the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle (CCEC) is a typical dual-core structure, and the development level of each city is different. If we do not focus on the key directions for urban development, it will not be conducive to the new-type urbanization process. Therefore, we use spatial analysis techniques and geographic big data sets to construct an approach for urban system layout optimization from a global perspective. It mainly includes urban extended trend analysis based on night light, multi-modal traffic network analysis, and spatial economic density analysis using Open Street Map (OSM) and Point of Interest (POI) data. The research results show the following interesting findings. Firstly, the historical relationship of cities has a significant impact on city grouping, and efficient transportation connections and prosperous enterprise distribution are key conditions for urban grouping during the acceleration period of urbanization. Secondly, the development of urban grouping should break through administrative restrictions and achieve a moderate separation of administrative divisions and economic divisions. It is beneficial to the rapid growth of the city group and the improvement of the internal structure. Thirdly, the urban group of Southern Sichuan and Western Chongqing (SSWC) is the region with the most potential for growth in CCEC. The urban expansion index (UEI) of the Yibin-Luzhou area is 2.16, and the spatial economic density has increased by 130/km2 in the past decade. Providing flexible development authority and focus on the construction of the Yibin-Luzhou Urban Belt along the Yangtze River is an important way to integrate southern Sichuan. Moreover, we found the UEI has a good universality and it can be used for studying urban expansion trends and city relationships in rapidly developing regions, especially in metropolitan areas or urban agglomeration

Biomedical applications of artificial exosomes for intranasal drug delivery

Intranasal administration offers a feasible, non-invasive method of delivering therapeutic drugs to the brain, allowing therapeutic pharmaceuticals to be administered directly to the central nervous system by bypassing the blood-brain barrier. Furthermore, exosomes are naturally occurring cell-derived nanovesicles that can serve as carriers for a variety of chemical compounds. Many studies have focused on artificial exosomes as innovative medication delivery methods. As a result, trans-nasal delivery of artificial exosomes might be employed to treat brain illnesses in a novel method. This review will outline the drug delivery mechanism of artificial extracellular vesicles, emphasize its advantages as a nasal drug carrier, particularly its application as a novel nanocarriers in brain diseases, and focus on its prospective application in chronic inflammatory nose disorders. Finally, artificial exosomes may become a unique drug delivery mode for clinical therapeutic usage

Diversity of TH cytokine profiles in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis : a multicenter study in Europe, Asia, and Oceania

Background: To date, no study has evaluated the diversity of T-H cell cytokine patterns of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) among centers in different continents using identical methods. Objective: We sought to assess T-H cytokine profiles in patients with CRS from Europe, Asia, and Australia. Methods: Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and without nasal polyps (CRSsNP; n 5 435) and control subjects (n 5 138) were recruited from centers in Adelaide, Benelux, Berlin, Beijing, Chengdu, and Tochigi. Nasal mucosal concentrations of T(H)2, T(H)17, and T(H)1 cytokines; eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP); myeloperoxidase (MPO); IL-8; and tissue total and Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin (SE)-specific IgE were measured by using identical tools. Results: Combinations of T(H)1/T(H)2/T(H)17 cytokine profiles in patients with CRSwNP varied considerably between regions. CRSwNP tissues from patients from Benelux, Berlin, Adelaide, and Tochigi were T(H)2 biased, whereas those from Beijing mainly demonstrated T(H)2/T(H)1/T(H)17 mixed patterns, and patients from Chengdu showed an even lower T(H)2 expression. Concentrations of IL-8 and tissue total IgE in patients with CRSwNP were significantly higher than those in control subjects in all regions. More than 50% of patients with CRSwNP in Benelux, Berlin, Adelaide, and Tochigi showed a predominantly eosinophilic endotype compared with less than 30% of patients in Beijing and Chengdu. SE-specific IgE was found in significantly greater numbers in patients with CRSwNP from Benelux, Adelaide, and Tochigi and significantly lower numbers in patients from Beijing and Chengdu. Moreover, the T(H)1/T(H)2/T(H)17 cytokine profiles in patients with CRSsNP showed diversity among the 6 regions. Conclusion: T-H cytokine levels, eosinophilic/neutrophilic patterns, and SE-specific IgE expressions show extreme diversity among patients with CRS from Europe, Asia, and Oceania

Bifurcation of Safe Basins and Chaos in Nonlinear Vibroimpact Oscillator under Harmonic and Bounded Noise Excitations

The erosion of the safe basins and chaotic motions of a nonlinear vibroimpact oscillator under both harmonic and bounded random noise is studied. Using the Melnikov method, the system’s Melnikov integral is computed and the parametric threshold for chaotic motions is obtained. Using the Monte-Carlo and Runge-Kutta methods, the erosion of the safe basins is also discussed. The sudden change in the character of the stochastic safe basins when the bifurcation parameter of the system passes through a critical value may be defined as an alternative stochastic bifurcation. It is founded that random noise may destroy the integrity of the safe basins, bring forward the occurrence of the stochastic bifurcation, and make the parametric threshold for motions vary in a larger region, hence making the system become more unsafely and chaotic motions may occur more easily

Genome-wide analysis of Dongxiang wild rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.) to investigate lost/acquired genes during rice domestication

This file reports the functional annotation of 99,092 DXWR transcripts from the NCBI NR database using the software blast2go. This file is in the tab delimited format and can be opened using the software Excel. (TXT 12649 kb

Preface to the special issue: Towards improving understanding and prediction of Arctic change and its linkage with Eurasian mid-latitude weather and climate

The dramatic changes in the Arctic climate system during recent decades are one of the most prominent features of global climate change. Two most striking and fundamental characteristics are the amplified near-surface warming at a rate twice the global average since the mid 20th century, and the rapid decline of sea-ice extent at a pace of 12.9% per decade and thinning of ice thickness by 40% since 1979. In conjunction with these changes, the frequency of occurrence of extreme climate and weather events has ostensibly increased across the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes, including adverse cold spells, severe heat waves, destructive floods, and persistent droughts. The fact that Arctic climate changes have coincided with an increase in the frequency of occurrence of extreme events has inspired broad interest in possible linkages — not only in the climate community, but also the general public, media agencies, and decision makers — in particular considering the projected future continuation and acceleration of Arctic warming and sea-ice decline