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We have performed an histochemical study with lectins of the normal nasal mucosa of 6 patients. These patients were admitted at the Hospital for abdominal surgery. A wide biopsy was taken of the inferior nasal turbinate mucosa. The results show a different reactivity between the serous and mucous cells of the submucosal glands and with the goblet cells. We have not found reactivity to DBA, SBA and LTA lectins.

The laryngectomees offer a good model for investigating the effect of absence of nasal ventilation in humans. Two samples has been studied: one composed for 24 laryngectomees, the other one for 54 healthy men. The clearance mucociliar time, using the charcoal power method in both specimen, and a structural and ultrastructural morphological survey in 5 cases, before and after the laryngectomy, was carried out. Normal people have a mucociliar clearance mean time of 9.3 +/- 3.6 minutes and among laryngectomized this time is 11.1 +/- 5.5 minutes, with no statistically significative differences at all (p = 0.26). Morphological outcome of the inquiry shows by the 2nd week there is a marked change in the previously transitional epithel which becomes a good ciliated epithelial one, together with an increase in number of goblet cells, and the exhibition of great dynamism in the morphological changes happening in the nasal mucous membrane, in agreement with the stop of the nose ventilation.