Improvement in Psychological Condition of Patients With Persistent Moderate-Severe Allergic Rhinitis by Drug Therapy Combined With Psychological Intervention.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of drug treatment combined with psychological intervention on mental disorders in patients with persistent moderate-severe allergic rhinitis. METHODS: Sixty patients with persistent moderate-severe allergic rhinitis who met the criteria were randomly divided into 2 groups: control group and experimental group. The control group was only given medication, whereas the experimental group was given psychological intervention on the basis of the same medication. Cognitive behavioral therapy was used for psychological intervention. After 12 weeks of treatment, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ) were used to evaluate the changes in anxiety, depression, and quality of life before and after treatment. RESULTS: The SAS and SDS scores of the control group after treatment were lower than those before treatment, and the difference was statistically significant. Similarly, the SAS and SDS scores of the experimental group after treatment were lower than those before treatment with statistically significant difference. In addition, after treatment, the SAS and SDS scores of the experimental group were statistically lower than those of the control group. The results of RQLQ showed that the scores of each dimension in the control group after treatment were lower than those before treatment, and the difference was statistically significant. Similar results were found in the experimental group. After treatment with these 2 different schemes, the RQLQ scores of sleep, nonnasal/eye symptoms, and emotion in the experimental group were statistically lower than those in the control group. CONCLUSION: Drug therapy or drug therapy combined with psychological intervention can alleviate anxiety and depression of patients with persistent moderate-severe allergic rhinitis and improve their quality of life. Moreover, based on the effect of improving mental disorder and quality of life of patients, drug therapy combined with psychological intervention is better than drug treatment alone.

Allergic sensitization in patients with rhinitis and bronchial asthma in Ningxia region of China.

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma are common allergic diseases. The pattern of dominant allergens depends on the degree of urbanization and the geographic region. The present study characterized the allergens of patients with allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma in Ningxia region of China. METHODS: A total of 309 patients were enrolled in this study. Western blotting assays were performed of the serum samples to evaluate allergen-specific IgE antibody for inhaled and ingested allergens. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the positive rate among different subgroups. RESULTS: Among the 309 patients, 221 of them had positive test results. There were 157 positive cases for ingested allergens and 174 positive cases for inhaled allergens. No significant differences in positive rates were found between the ingested and inhaled allergens. Among the inhaled allergens, Artemisia was the most frequent allergen, followed by fungi and dog hair. Cashew was the most common ingested allergen, followed by crab, mango, and beef. Further analysis showed no significant differences in positive rate between males and females. However, significant differences in positive rate of inhaled and ingested allergens were found between children (1-13 years old) and adults (above 18 years old) (P < .05), while no significant differences were found between the children and teenagers (14-18 years old). For the comparison between teenagers and adults, significant difference in positive rate was found only in the ingested allergen. CONCLUSION: This study provided the characteristics of allergens in Ningxia population, providing clinical and epidemiological data for prevention and treatment of the diseases in the region.

Correlation between IL-17A expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues and cells and pathogenesis of NPC in endemic areas.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the correlation between the expression of IL-17A in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues and cells and the occurrence and development of NPC was also investigated. METHODS: Forty-five NPC biopsy specimens from January 2014 to January 2016 were selected. Forty-five NPC tissue specimens and 45 chronic nasopharyngitis tissue samples were detected by immunohistochemistry. Statistical methods were used to analyze the correlation between IL-17A expression and the clinicopathological variables of NPC. The NPC patients were followed up. The levels of IL-17A mRNA in 40 NPC tissue specimens and 45 chronic nasopharyngitis tissue samples were detected by real-time PCR. IL-17A expression in 15 NPC tissue specimens and chronic nasopharyngitis tissue samples was further detected by Western blotting assays. RESULTS: IL-17A expression in NPC tissues was significantly higher than that of chronic nasopharyngitis tissues (P < 0.05). IL-17A was expressed in the nucleus and cytoplasm of both NPC tissues and chronic nasopharyngitis tissues. Stage III + IV NPC, tumor volume ≥ 50 mm, and hepatic envelope invasion and cervical lymph node metastasis were associated with significantly higher IL-17A levels versus stage I + II NPC, tumor size < 50 mm, no membrane invasion and lack of cervical lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). IL-17A was statistically associated with tissue differentiation, serum EBV-lgA levels, and EBV infection. IL-17A-positive patients had significantly longer median survival versus IL-17A-negative patients (21.0 vs. 13.0 months, log-rank test: P < 0.05). Furthermore, 65% (26/40) of NPC tissue samples had significantly higher IL-17A mRNA levels than chronic nasopharyngitis (P < 0.05). IL-17A expression was significantly higher in NPC ≥ 50 mm, stage III + IV NPC and NPC with cervical lymph node invasion than its corresponding chronic nasopharyngitis tissue. CONCLUSION: IL-17A may be involved in the regulation of various malignant biological behaviors of NPC, which is closely related to the occurrence and development of NPC.