Search

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a common disease with an uncertain pathophysiology. It is characterized by polyps rich in eosinophils, with an activation status already investigated at the tissue level. In a group of CRSwNP patients, we assessed the activation status of circulating eosinophils in the blood before migration into tissues. Methods: Thirteen patients with CRSwNP and 16 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Several biologic parameters were studied: blood count of eosinophils; plasma eosinophil cationic protein; oxidative metabolism by chemiluminescence at baseline or when activated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or platelet-activating factor, with or without interleukin-5 (IL-5); percent of granulosar cells; and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) by flow cytometry. Results: The mean number of eosinophils was significantly higher in patients with CRSwNP, whose eosinophils showed increased oxidative metabolism in the basal or activated state significantly decreasing in the presence of IL-5. There was also a higher percentage of CD49d(+), CD25(+), and CCR3(+) cells in patients, and a nonsignificant decrease in descending order in MFI between the control group, patients with normal eosinophil levels, patients with hyper-eosinophilia, and patients with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease. Conclusion: This study demonstrates a priming state of circulating eosinophils in CRSwNP patients when compared with healthy controls, as evidenced by the extent of oxidative metabolism, with increased sensitivity to IL-5 and by the observed variations of percent and MFI of CD49d, CCR3, and CD25. This priming is thus found at the peripheral level and occurs before the migration of eosinophils to polyps, reflecting the systemic and not just local nature of abnormalities in CRSwNP.

Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the contribution of laryngeal intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) during thyroidectomy in predicting postoperative laryngeal mobility. Methods Between 2009 and 2012, 127 patients underwent thyroidectomy, during which 216 recurrent laryngeal nerves were stimulated with suprathreshold stimulations. Laryngeal mobility was examined through direct laryngoscopy. Statistical analysis was performed to determine specificity, sensitivity, negative predictive value (NPV), positive predictive value (PPV), and a threshold value in order to define a intraoperative diagnostic test. Results Nine patients had a unilateral laryngeal palsy. No bilateral laryngeal palsy was observed. The threshold value to assure the postoperative laryngeal mobility is 280 μV. For this value, specificity was 94.06%, sensitivity 100%, NPV 100%, and PPV 47.83%. Conclusion Laryngeal IONM can predict a favorable outcome of laryngeal mobility in cases in which the response exceeds 280 μV. Under this value, the risk of palsy is about 50% suggesting a staged surgery. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 37: 835–839, 2015

Studies in animals and in healthy volunteers have demonstrated the central serotonergic analgesic mechanism of action of paracetamol involving the inhibition of this analgesia by tropisetron, a 5-HT3 antagonist. This randomized, double-blind, controlled study aims at studying this interaction in post-operative patients after ear surgery. Thirty-six patients are included in two parallel groups with intravenous paracetamol (1 g) and either tropisetron (T, 5 mg/mL) or placebo (c, NaCl 0.9%) administered at the end of surgery. Numerical pain evaluations are performed every 30 min, six times after awakening. The difference between the sums of numerical scales of both groups [9 ± 10 (T) vs. 6 ± 7 (c)] is not significant, but the tropisetron group displays higher pain scores despite additional rescue analgesia. The limits of this trial call for a much larger study to investigate further this pharmacodynamic interaction.

Background. This article reviews 12 cases of isolated sphenoid sinus disease: chronic inflammatory sinusitis (7), mucoceles (2), aspergillus lesions (2), and isolated polyp (1). Methods. Criteria for diagnosis were based on clinical symptoms, nasal endoscopic evaluation, and computed tomography (CT). Magnetic resonance imaging was used only in cases of bone erosion and when patients presented with vision problems. All patients were treated by functional endoscopic sphenoidotomy. Any postoperative complications were noted. Conclusion. The reported good results, on the basis of regression of functional symptoms and with nasal endoscopic and CT evaluation, suggest that intranasal sphenoidotomy under endoscopic control is a safe and effective method of treatment of nonmalignant isolated sphenoid disease. The mean follow-up is 26 months. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.