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Objective: Nasal polyposis (NP) is defined as persistent inflammation of the sinonasal mucosa intractable to medical and surgical treatment. Activin-A, is a pleiotropic cytokine in the transforming growth factor-b (TGF-β) superfamily and was shown to orchestrate the allergic inflammation in asthma via suppression of T helper-2 (Th2) cells, induction of regulatory T cells, and tissue repair. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the activin-A in pathophysiology of NP.Materials and Methods: According to the European Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyp criteria, 50 patients and 24 healthy subjects were included in the study. There were no significant differences across age and gender between the 2 groups (p>0.05). Samples from patients with NP (n=50; 11 women, 39 men) were acquired during endoscopic sinus surgeries. Middle turbinate specimens from patients without sinus disease and who were undergoing septoplasty were collected as controls (n=24; 3 women, 21 men).Results: Immunohistochemical staining with activin-A showed an increase in the staining intensity, number of glands and inflammatory cells in polyp specimens compared to healthy nasal mucosa. In contrast, no differences were found in fibroblasts and vascular density.Conclusion: We evaluated the expression of activin-A in NP tissue, which showed a slightly elevated expression compared to the controls. This might support the possible role of activin-A in the pathophysiology of NP. Clearer elucidation of the roles of activin-A and other mediators in tissue remodeling in NP may ensure more accurate targets for treatment and prevention of relapse.

To measure the duration of nasolacrimal transition in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), to compare the findings with the healthy population and to investigate the relationship between MS-related disability and nasolacrimal transition time.A total of 73 individuals including 37 patients with relapsing-remitting MS and 36 healthy volunteers were included in the study. In both groups the nasolacrimal transition time was measured using flurosein drops. The degree of disability of MS patients was calculated according to the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS).There was a significant difference between MS patients and control group in terms of the median value of nasolacrimal transition time in (240 s (min: 85, max: 724) and 58.5 s (min: 21, max: 428), respectively) (p 0.001). A positive correlation was found between EDSS scores and nasolacrimal transition time of MS patients (r = 0.384, p = 0.019).This study showed that nasolacrimal transition time is prolonged in MS patients and there is a relationship between the degree of MS-related disability and the nasolacrimal transition time. This is the first study in the literature on this subject and the results of our study have the potential to shed light on the causes of common infections in MS patients. Long-term prospective studies are needed to further investigate the relationship between prolonged nasolacrimal transition and infections in MS patients.