Increased expression of chemokine receptors CCR1 and CCR3 in nasal polyps: molecular basis for recruitment of the granulocyte infiltrate.

Inflammatory processes play an important role in the development of nasal polyps (NP), but the etiology and, to a high degree also, the pathogenesis of NP are not fully understood. The role of several cytokines and chemokines such as eotaxins, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, and RANTES has been reported in NP. Herewith, we investigated the expression and pattern of distribution of chemokine receptors CCR1 and CCR3 in nasal polyps. Immunohistochemical detection was carried out in frozen sections of biopsies from 22 NP and 18 nasal mucosa specimens in both the epithelial and stromal compartments. Fluorescence microscopy and computerized image analysis revealed a statistically significant increased number of CCR1 (45.2 ± 2.8 vs. 15.1 ± 1.9, p < 0.001)-positive as well as CCR3 (16.4 ± 1.4 vs. 9.7 ± 1.1, p < 0.001)-positive cells in the stroma of NP compared to nasal mucosa. In comparison to healthy nasal mucosa, increased positivity of CCR3 was detected in the epithelial compartment of NP. Our data suggest that increased expression of CCR1 and CCR3 chemokine receptors may, in accord with various chemokines, contribute to the pathogenesis of nasal polyposis by facilitating increased migration and prolonged accumulation of inflammatory cells, e.g., eosinophils, in the inflammatory infiltrate of NP.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) in association with combined treatment.

The main basic effect of hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO2) on the human body, in our study, was an increased partial pressure of oxygen resulting from an increased amount of oxygen dissolved in plasma. Thus the plasma can become capable of carrying enough oxygen to meet the needs of the body's tissues. From 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2007, a total of 61 patients (62 ears) received medical treatment at the ENT clinic of the 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, and at the Central Military Hospital in Prague. Treatment consisted of a combination of vasodilatation infusion treatment and HBO2 therapy. The results were evaluated in a retrospective study. The overall percentage of patients showing improvement was 59.7%. However, for those patients who started HBO2 treatment within 10 days of onset, complete recovery, or significant improvement was noted in 65.9%. In contrast, patients who started treatment after 10 days of onset, improvement was noted in only 38.9%. NMR examination revealed that two patients had vestibular schwannoma (also known as acoustic neuroma).

Expression of IGF-1R and iNOS in nasal polyps; epithelial cell homeostasis and innate immune mechanisms in pathogenesis of nasal polyposis.

Nasal polyps (NP), edematous projections of nasal mucosa (NM), are characterized by an inflammatory cellular infiltrate, however, little is known about etiopathogenesis of NP. Both innate immune mechanisms leading to activation of NF-kappaB and homeostasis of epithelial cells were implicated in the pathogenesis of NP. In this study we investigated the expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) and inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) in NP compared to healthy NM in both the epithelial and stromal compartments. Using immunohistochemistry, frozen tissue sections of NP from 18 patients, and mucosal biopsy specimens of the inferior turbinate from 17 subjects were stained for IGF-1R and iNOS markers. Fluorescence microscopy and computerized image analysis revealed low numbers of IGF-1R-positive cells in all specimens. However, substantially increased numbers of IGF-1R-positive cells were found in NP compared to NM both within the epithelium (1.63 vs. 0.43) and stroma (3.27 vs. 1.03). Positivity for iNOS was detected within the epithelium of NP compared with NM. Numbers of iNOS-positive single cells were highly increased in NP vs. NM in both epithelial (3.83 vs. 1.08) and stromal (4.96 vs. 2.67) compartments. An increased iNOS expression within the epithelial layer as well as increased number of iNOS- and IGF-1R-positive cells in NP was observed. This suggests that innate immune mechanism, and to a lesser extent also growth and homeostasis of epithelial cells, may play a role in formation of NP.