Search

Cyclic nucleotides (CND) levels of nasal secretions were studied in allergic rhinitis patients and control subjects. In methacholine-induced nasal secretion, allergic rhinitis patients had lower cAMP levels, higher cGMP levels and a lower cAMP/cGMP ratio than the control subjects. A close relationship was found between CND levels and the severity of daily symptoms in both methacholine-induced and antigen-induced nasal secretions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the nasal responsiveness to topical methacholine application in allergic rhinitis and non-allergic chronic rhinitis patients, and in control subjects. Methacholine responsiveness was significantly higher in allergic rhinitis patients than in non-allergic patients and control subjects. In perennial rhinitis, methacholine responsiveness correlated with the severity of daily nasal symptoms and those provoked by specific allergen challenge tests. Among nasal symptoms, hyper-rhinorrhoea was found to be closely related to methacholine responsiveness. As a result of these findings, the possibility of cholinergic hyper-reactivity in allergic rhinitis patients is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to elucidate whether basophilic cells in nasal secretion belong to blood basophil or tissue mast cell, basophilic cells in the blood, nasal secretion, and nasal mucous membrane were electron microscopically observed in patients with house dust nasal allergy. The majority of basophilic cells in the nasal secretion was identical with the blood basophil in structure. The blood basophils pass through the vessels and emigrate in the mucous blanket in allergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidences on the important role of tissue mast cells in inducing allergy have accumulated. These cells are known to be present in nasal secretion but have not been well studied. In the present study basophilic cells containing granules which stained metachromatically appeared in the nasal secretion in various kinds of inhalant allergy. An increase in their number was observed after nasal provocation and during the pollinosis season and showed a decrease after a course of immunotherapy or during the off-season of pollinosis. They were well correlated in degree with nasal symptoms, nasal eosinophilia, and nasal provocative reactions. These results suggest that the appearance of the basophilic cell in nasal secretion is related to their specifity in nasal allergy. The possibility of onset of nasal allergy due to the release of chemical mediators from basophilic cells in nasal secretion was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]