Optimisation of reduction for prolapsed silicone tube after lacrimal intubation.

BACKGROUND: A common complication of bicanalicular intubation is dislocation of the silicone tube. METHODS: Eleven patients with prolapsed silicone tubes who had undergone bicanalicular nasal intubation were injected with a 2 per cent lidocaine solution to infiltrate the lacrimal duct mucosa. A memory wire probe was used to pull a 4-0 suture through the lacrimal passage retrogradely, allowing the suture to grab the silicone tube. Paraffin oil was applied to the contact part of the rope and the silicone tube, then the distal end of the silk thread was removed from the nostril until the tube was pulled into place. RESULTS: The prolapsed silicone tubes were restored by surgery in nine patients, with the drainage tube in the correct position in the eye and the lacrimal duct irrigation unobstructed. CONCLUSION: The optimisations made in this study are considered effective adjustments of reduction surgery for a prolapsed silicone tube.

Enzymatically functionalized RGD-gelatin scaffolds that recruit host mesenchymal stem cells in vivo and promote bone regeneration.

Critical-size bone defects are imposing a substantial biomedical burden. Despite being long regarded as a potential approach to mitigate this burden or an alternative to bone grafts, bone tissue engineering (BTE) has virtually not proceeded to widespread clinical practices. In the BTE field, it is highly required to find a facile method to prepare active scaffolds with tailored biological functions. Here, we immobilized cell adhesive RGD motifs onto gelatin sponge (GS) scaffolds through enzymatic linking. On the basis of the resulting RGD-functionalized GS (RGD/GS) scaffolds, we developed a new and convenient strategy for bone defect repair, in which the scaffolds were first used to recruit mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from skeletal muscle, immediately followed by their engraftment into bone defect. We demonstrated significantly enhanced host cells homing into RGD/GS scaffolds as a result of specific RGD-integrin interactions, and the recruited host cells showed a strong osteogenic differentiation potential. After ectopic implantation of cell-laden RGD/GS scaffolds into critical-size mouse bone defects, marked bone tissue regeneration occurred. The presented strategy not only provides an agile route for the preparation of bioactive scaffolds and the construction of osteoinductive bone-graft substitutes, but also avoids or minimizes the complicated and laborious cell isolation, in vitro expansion and cell seeding procedures used in the conventional BTE.

Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Modified Hybrid Baculovirus-Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors Targeting 131I Therapy of Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Hypopharyngeal carcinoma is one of the most aggressive subtypes of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Although significant progress has been made in surgical techniques, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the prognosis is still poor. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have attracted substantial attention as tumor-targeted cellular carriers for cancer gene therapy. We have previously shown that recombinant baculovirus-adeno-associated vectors (BV-AAV) possessed high efficiency for multi-gene coexpression in human bone marrow MSCs (BMSCs) and BV-AAV-engineered BMSCs could effectively target hypopharyngeal cancer tissues in vivo. However, it was not clear whether BV-AAV-engineered BMSCs as cellular vehicles, mediating the expression of the sodium iodide symporter (NIS), would be effective in controlling the growth of hypopharyngeal carcinoma by radioiodine therapy. We constructed a hybrid BV-AAV containing the Luc-P2A-eGFP fusion or NIS sequence to modify BMSCs (BMSCs-Bac-Luc-P2A-eGFP or BMSCs-Bac-NIS). The 125I uptake of BMSCs-Bac-NIS was analyzed by an automatic gamma counter in vitro and micro-single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) imaging in vivo. The value of radioiodine therapy for hypopharyngeal carcinoma was evaluated by measuring tumor volume, glucose metabolism (via 2-deoxy-2-[18F] glucose [18F-FDG] positron emission tomography/CT), and proliferation of tumor cells. We demonstrated that 125I uptake of BMSCs-Bac-NIS persists over long-term in vitro (at least 8 h). Radioactive uptake could be detected by SPECT/CT 1 h after 125I injection in the BMSCs-Bac-NIS group, showing that this strategy allows for the tracking of real-time migration and transgene expression of BMSCs. Radioiodine therapy resulted in a significant reduction in tumor growth (386.93 ± 249.23 mm3 vs 816.56 ± 213.87 mm3 in controls), increased survival, and decreased SUVmax of 18F-FDG. The hybrid BV-AAV that can provide a variety of genes and regulatory elements, as a novel gene therapy strategy opens the prospect of NIS-mediated radionuclide therapy of hypopharyngeal carcinoma after MSC-mediated gene delivery.

A LiPO2F2/LiPF6 dual-salt electrolyte enabled stable cycling performance of nickel-rich lithium ion batteries.

In this work, a dual-lithium salt was proposed for constructing an electrolyte for high energy density lithium ion batteries. LiPO2F2 was composed with traditional LiPF6 to enhance the high voltage performance of the electrolyte. The electrochemical performance of the NCM811/Li cells with LiPO2F2/LiPF6 dual-lithium salt at 2.8-4.5 V was investigated. It was found that the dual-lithium salt can inhibit the oxidative decomposition of the electrolyte, suppress the dissolution of the transition metal ions in the electrode material, and reduce the side reaction between the transition metal ions and the electrolyte. We believe that the strategy of a dual-lithium salt electrolyte may provide a new idea to stabilize the electrode/electrolyte interface at high voltage, which is very important for developing high energy density batteries.

Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Functionalized by Hybrid Baculovirus-Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors for Targeting Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Hypopharyngeal carcinoma is a common malignant tumor of the head and neck with a very poor prognosis; the median survival time for curatively treated patients was 17.2 months in India. However, cell-based gene therapy holds promise to improve patient outcomes. In this study, we investigated whether human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) possess potential homing capacity for hypopharyngeal carcinoma. To monitor the efficiency of BMSC transplantation therapy through reporter gene imaging, we employed a hybrid baculovirus vector containing the Luc-P2A-eGFP fusion or sodium iodide symporter (NIS) sequence under the control of the cytomegalovirus promoter. To enhance the transfection efficiency, baculovirus vectors (Bac-CMV-Luc-P2A-eGFP-ITR and Bac-CMV-NIS-ITR) were flanked by inverted terminal repeats (ITRs), which are key elements of adeno-associated viruses. The infection efficiency of Bac-CMV-Luc-P2A-eGFP-ITR in BMSCs was as high as 92.84 ± 1.14% with no obvious toxic effects at a multiplicity of infection of 400. Moreover, Bac-CMV-NIS-ITR-infected BMSCs showed highly efficient radioactive iodide (125I) uptake; these high uptake levels were maintained for at least 2 h. Transwell migration assays further demonstrated the chemotaxis of BMSCs to hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells (FaDu cells) in vitro. BMSCs modified by firefly luciferase report gene or NIS were injected into nude mice with hypopharyngeal carcinoma, and changes in the localization of the BMSCs were successfully tracked with bioluminescent imaging and micro-single-photon emission computed tomography imaging. These data indicate the potential utility of BMSCs as a promising targeted-delivery vehicle for hypopharyngeal carcinoma gene therapy. Importantly, BMSCs may represent a promising targeting vector for general tumor radionuclide therapy.

Endoscopic assisted adenoidectomy versus conventional curettage adenoidectomy: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Adenoidectomy, surgical removal of hypertrophic adenoids, is a common operation in children worldwide. The purpose of this study was to compare the operative effectiveness, and included total operative time, blood loss and complications, between endoscopic assisted adenoidectomy and conventional curettage adenoidectomy. EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure and symposiums and review articles were used to choose relevant randomized controlled trials. A meta-analysis was performed to analyze the data for total operative time, blood loss and complications. Seven studies fit the inclusion criteria, and included 331 patients treated with endoscopic assisted adenoidectomy, and 251 patients treated with conventional curettage adenoidectomy. The meta-analysis demonstrated that compared with conventional curettage adenoidectomy, endoscopic assisted adenoidectomy had a shorter operative time (SMD -1.09; 95 % CI -1.29 to -0.90; p < 0.00001), less blood loss (MD -19.74; 95 % CI -22.75 to -16.73; p < 0.00001), and fewer complications (OR 0.15; 95 % CI 0.07-0.35; p < 0.0001). Endoscopic assisted adenoidectomy has advantages over conventional curettage adenoidectomy with regard to total operative time, blood loss and complications.

AURKA promotes cell migration and invasion of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma through regulation of the AURKA/Akt/FAK signaling pathway.

The present study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which Aurora kinase A (AURKA) promotes cell migration and invasion in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Transwell assays were performed to investigate the cell migration and invasion abilities of AURKA, whilst western blotting was used to analyze the protein expression in FaDu and Hep2 cells, each treated with pharmacological inhibitors. Following the inhibition of AURKA, Akt and focal adhesion kinase (FAK), the migration and invasion of the FaDu and Hep2 cells decreased. The expression of phosphorylated (p)-AURKA and p-FAK (Y397) was observed to decrease following FaDu and Hep2 cell treatment with VX-680, a small molecular inhibitor of AURKA. The expression of p-Akt and p-FAK (Y397) ceased following treatment with the Akt inhibitor triciribine. The expression of p-FAK (Y397) decreased, however, p-Akt expression did not change following treatment with the FAK inhibitor TAE226. In conclusion, AURKA activates FAK through the AURKA/Akt/FAK signaling pathway, promoting the migration and invasion of HNSCC cells, which may subsequently provide a novel approach for the treatment of HNSCC.

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells can be enriched by implanting biomaterial into spatium intermusculare.

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) have been used successfully to treat patients with cancer and disorders of the blood and immune systems. In this study, we tried to enrich HSPCs by implanting biomaterials into the spatium intermusculare of mice hind limbs. Gelatine sponges were implanted into the spatium intermusculare of mice and then retrieved after 12 days. The presence of HSPCs in the migrating cells (MCs) was detected by phenotypically probing with CD34(+)Sca-1(+) and functionally confirming the presence of using colony-forming cell assay and assessing the long-term reconstitution ability. The frequency of CD34(+), Sca-1(+), and CD34(+)Sca-1(+) cells and colony formation unit in the MCs was much higher than that in the bone marrow (BM). Moreover, transplanted MCs were able to home to BM, muscle, and spleen, which induced an efficient long-term hematopoietic reconstitution in vivo. In addition, HSPCs within the MCs originated from the BM. Furthermore, the administration of G-CSF greatly reduced the time of implantation, and increased the number of MCs and frequency of HSPCs in the MCs. These data provide compelling evidence that HSPCs can be enriched by implanting biomaterial into spatium intermusculare. Implantation of biomaterial may be seen as the first step to a proof of their applicability to clinical practice in enriching HSPCs.

Novel modified surgical treatment of auricular pseudocyst using plastic sheet compression.

OBJECTIVE: To introduce a novel modified surgical procedure of excision of anterior cartilage of the pseudocyst along with plastic sheet compression for the treatment of auricular pseudocyst and ascertain the effect of the surgical modality of this disease. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. SETTING: Medical college hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eighty-seven auricular pseudocyst patients were subjected to excision of the anterior cartilage of the pseudocyst followed by plastic sheet compression from July 2006 to September 2013. The effects of the operation were evaluated. RESULTS: Eighty patients were males and 7 were females. The median age was 52 years old. The lesions of 86 patients were unilateral and only 1 was bilateral. The clinical features presented a hemispheric painless swelling, which was seen on the ventral side of the auricle, usually the scaphoid and triangular fossa. The average major axis of the pseudocyst was 1.7 ± 0.6 cm. The patients underwent excision of anterior cartilage of the pseudocyst along with plastic sheet compression. The average follow-up period was 51.9 ± 19.1 months. No recurrence was observed with this technique, and the appearance of the auricle was cosmetically acceptable. CONCLUSIONS: Our novel modified surgical procedure of excision of anterior cartilage of pseudocyst along with plastic sheet compression is an effective surgical management for the auricular pseudocyst. The advantages of a simple technique, a short-term therapeutic period, and no recurrence made the surgical procedure worth recommending as the definitive treatment of auricular pseudocysts.

Merocel versus Nasopore for nasal packing: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical outcomes, including efficacy and complications, of Merocel versus Nasopore as a nasal packing material after nasal surgery. METHODS: Relevant randomized controlled trials were identified from electronic databases (The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Chinese Biomedical Database). Conference proceedings and references from identified trials and review articles were also searched. Outcome measures were pain during nasal packing, pain and bleeding upon packing removal, pressure sensation, nasal blockage, formation of synechiae, mucosal healing, and patients' general satisfaction. RESULTS: Seven randomized controlled trials met criteria for analysis. Compared with Merocel, Nasopore significantly reduced patients' subjective symptoms including in situ pain (pain experienced while packing is in place), nasal pressure, pain and bleeding during packing removal, and increased patients' general satisfaction with nasal packing. There were no significant differences in nasal obstruction, adhesion and mucosal healing between the Merocel and Nasopore groups. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary evidence suggests that Nasopore may be superior to Merocel as a nasal packing material with regard to in situ pain, pain and bleeding upon removal, pressure, and general satisfaction and does not differ from Merocel in terms of nasal obstruction, tissue adhesion, and long-term mucosal healing.

Study on molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells transfected with baculovirus-mediated sodium/iodine symporter gene.

The non-invasive imaging and radiotherapy by sodium/iodine symporter (NIS) gene transfer have been widely used for many experiments and some clinical studies. Baculovirus is an efficient tool for gene delivery into mammalian cells in vitro and in vivo. However, the applications of NIS and/or baculovirus in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells have not been reported yet. In this study, two recombinant baculoviruses expressing, respectively, NIS and green fluorescent protein (GFP), both under the control of the cytomegalovirus promoter (Bac-NIS and Bac-GFP) were successfully constructed. The infection efficiency and GFP fluorescence intensity of the human NPC cell line CNE-2Z infected by Bac-GFP at different setting of multiplicity of infection (MOI) were determined by flow cytometry. NIS protein expression was detected by indirect immunofluorescence. The 125I uptake and efflux of infected CNE-2Z cells by Bac-NIS were measured by a γ-counter. The cytotoxicity of baculovirus and sodium butyrate and inhibition of iodine uptake by NaClO4 were examined. The radioactivity and GFP fluorescence intensity in co-infected CNE-2Z cells by Bac-NIS and Bac-GFP were measured. Cell colony formation tests were conducted to evaluate the killing effect of Bac-NIS-mediated 131I. Based on the results, the transduction efficiency of Bac-GFP at the MOI of 200 or 400 reached 91.16 and 94.79%, respectively. NIS protein was expressed accurately on transfected CNE-2Z cell membranes and performed its normal function in iodine transport. Baculovirus had hardly any cytotoxic effects on infected cells, while relatively high concentration of sodium butyrate generated cytotoxicity. The correlation coefficient between the GFP fluorescence intensity and radioactivity in co-infected CNE-2Z cells was 0.917. Treatment coupled Bac-NIS with 131I killed the infected tumour cells dramatically in vitro. These results suggest that baculovirus is an effective vector of the gene delivery into CNE-2Z cells and NIS-mediated iodine transport is a potential approach for molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy of NPC.

[Effects of rhBMP-7 on osteoblast differentiation of murine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in vitro].

AIM: To study the effects of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-7 (rhBMP-7) on osteoblast differentiation of murine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). METHODS: The BMSCs were collected from murine bone marrow by density gradient centrifugation. Cells were adherent cultured and expanded in vitro. RhBMP-7 was added into the culture medium of the 3rd passage BMSCs. Five days later, we performed alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and detected ALP activity and osteocalcin (OC) content. Osteoblast differentiation marker gene including OC and collage I (Col-I) were assayed by RT-PCR. Total protein was isolated and the secretion of Col-I in the cells was measured by Western blotting. RESULTS: The staining intensity of ALP in the group with rhBMP-7 was stronger than that in the negative control group. ALP activity and OC content of rhBMP-7 group were obviously higher than that of the negative control group. The mRNA of OC and Col-I and the protein of Col-I were highly expressed in the group induced by rhBMP-7. CONCLUSION: RhBMP-7 can induce murine BMSCs to differentiate into osteoblast in vitro.

[Association of susceptibility to chronic rhinosinusitis with genetic polymorphisms of IL-4 and IL-10].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the promoter polymorphism of IL-4 and IL-6 and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). METHODS: One hundred and twenty-three patients with CRS and 239 healthy controls in Shanghai region were chosen in this study. The genotype of IL-4 gene -33T>C and -590C>T were determined using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method and the genotype of IL-10 gene -1082A>G was determined using amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) method. Statistical calculations were performed using SAS 8.2 software. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in genotype distribution of -33T>C and -590C>T between the CRS group and the control group (χ2=6.6013, P=0.0102, χ2=6.6013, P=0.0304), and -33T>C remained significant following application of the Bonferroni correction (P<0.025). The relative risks of CRS with -33T>C and -590C>T were 1.818(P=0.0236, 95%CI 1.084-3.050) and 1.838 (P=0.0147, 95%CI 1.127-2.997). There was linkage disequilibrium (LD) between the -33T>C and -590C>T. The coefficient of linkage disequilibrium (D') was 0.77 and the related coefficient (r2) was 0.54. The -33T/-590T haplotype was associated with CRS and the relative risk was 1.653 (P=0.0130, 95%CI 1.107-2.469). There were only two genotypes of IL-10 gene-1082A>G and the frequencies of the AA and AG genotypes were not different between the CRS and control groups. CONCLUSION: The promoter polymorphism of IL-4 -33T>C and -590C>T were associated with the susceptibility of CRS and the -33T/-590T haplotype was a risk factor for CRS, but there were no association between the -1082A>G and CRS.

[The association between genetic polymorphisms of IL-6 and the susceptibility of chronic rhinosinusitis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the promoter polymorphism of IL6 (-174G > C, -572G > C and -597G > A) and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). METHOD: The case-control study consisted of 123 patients with CRS and 239 controls from a Chinese Han population from Shanghai. The genotypes of the subjects were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and gene sequencing. Besides, the concentrations of the totle immunoglobulin E (TIgE) and eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) in the blood were also determined. RESULT: The -174G > C and -597G > A polymorphisms were not detected in this study population. Significant differences in genotype and allele frequencies of -572C/G were observed between CRS patients and control groups. In CRS patients, the CC, CG, GG genotype frequencies were 69.1%, 29.3%, 1.6%, C, G allele frequencies were 83.7%, 16.3%. In control group, the genotype frequencies were 55.2%, 42.3%, 2.5%, the allele frequencies were 76.4%, 23.6%, respectively. The -572CC genotype was associated with an increased risk of developing CRS (P < 0.05, OR = 1.932, 95% CI, 1.205-3.097). There was no significant differences in the concentrations of the TIgE and ECP among each genotype. CONCLUSION: IL-6 gene -572G > C polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility to CRS. CC genotype could be an independent risk factor.

[Analysis on clinical characteristics, treatments and prognostic factors of head and neck non-Hodgkin's lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical characteristics, treatments and prognoses of the primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in head and neck. METHOD: Clinical manifestations and clinicopathology characteristics of 107 NHL patients in head and neck were analyzed retrospectively. RESULT: The median age of patients with head and neck NHL was 54 years. The most commonly primary site was tonsil (29 cases, 27.10%), and the secondly primary site was nasal cavity (28 cases, 26.17%). The most common histologic subtype was diffuse large B cell lymphoma(46 cases, 42.99%), and the secondly one was NK/T cell lymphoma(24 cases, 22.43%). We found that the combination of rituximab was superior than that of chemotherapy alone. Prognosis depended on both IPI and histological subtype, and IPI was a more dangerous factor than histological subtype. CONCLUSION: The primary NHL is a common neoplasm in the head and neck region. Characteristic in age, primary site, histologic subtype, treatment and prognostic factors were helpful to understand and treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in head and neck.

[Suppression of Aurora-A by RNA interference inhibits laryngeal cancer Hep-2 cell growth].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of knockdown of Aurora-A by RNA interference on laryngeal cancer Hep-2 cell growth in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: A plasmid containing siRNA against Aurora-A was constructed and transfected into human laryngeal cancer cell line Hep-2. Measurements included the CCK-8 assay for viability and proliferation, Transwell assay for invasion, colony formation assay for cell anchorage-independent growth. Western blot and immunohistochemistry assay for protein expression. Tumorigenicity was observed in vivo. RESULTS: In Hep-2 cells transfected by Aurora-A siRNA (designated as siRNA-3), protein expression of Aurora-A was suppressed by 52%. In CCK-8 assay, absorbance value of siRNA-3 cells (3.268 ± 0.106, (x(-) ± s)) was lower than that of Hep-2 cells (3.722 ± 0.152, F = 17.634, P < 0.001). In Transwell assay, the average invasive cells per field in siRNA-3 cells (110.0 ± 18.0) was less than that in Hep-2 cells (236.0 ± 26.0, F = 26.462, P < 0.01). In colony formation assay, the average colony number of siRNA-3 cells (31.0 ± 6.6) was lower than that of Hep-2 cells (104.0 ± 14.0). The average tumor size in siRNA-3 group was (127.77 ± 174.83) mm(3), which was less than Hep-2 cell group (837.26 ± 101.80) mm(3), (F = 28.187, P < 0.001). Silencing of Aurora-A decreased the expression of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), key regulators in cell adhesion and invasion. CONCLUSIONS: The knockdown of Aurora-A inhibits the growth and invasiveness of Hep-2 cells in vitro and in vivo, which may be a promising therapeutic strategy for LSCC.

Implantation of biomaterial as an efficient method to harvest mesenchymal stem cells.

Autologous mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplants have been used successfully to treat a number of diseases, and patients undergoing cell transplantation must have stem cells collected before transplantation. In this study, we developed a new method to harvest MSCs. Biomaterials were implanted into the spatium intermuscular of mice hind limbs, and a large number of migrating cells (MCs) were isolated from the transplanted biomaterials. The adherent cells in MCs showed the characteristics of MSCs. Further comparative study demonstrated that the characteristics of MC-MSCs were similar to that of bone marrow (BM)-MSCs, including morphology, phenotype, proliferation potential, multilineage differentiation capacity and hematopoiesis-supportive function. The colony-forming unit-fibroblast frequency of the MCs was equivalent to approximately 20-fold of that of the BM. In addition, a BM transplantation experiment demonstrated that MC-MSCs were derived from the peripheral blood. In conclusion, we successfully establish an efficient method to harvest MSCs, and together with the distinct advantages of this method, such as accessibility and possibility for autologous cell therapy, we conclude that our efficient method may be a promising alternative for clinical application.

[Association of IL-1beta gene -31T/C polymorphism with chronic rhinosinusitis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between polymorphism of IL-1beta gene 31T/C and chronic rhinosinusitis. METHOD: One hundred and twenty-three patients with chronic rhinosinusitis and 239 healthy controls were collected to determine the genotypes by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULT: There was significant difference in genotype and allelic frequencies between the CRS and control group (P < 0.05). -31CC genotype was an independent risk factor with CRS (P < 0.05, OR = 1.639). There was no significant difference in TIgE and ECP among these genotypes (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: IL-1beta gene 31CC genotype may be an independent risk factor with chronic rhinosinusitis.

Changes of tear film function after pterygium operation.

OBJECTIVE: To assess changes of tear film function in patients with pterygium after pterygium excision combined with limbal-conjunctival autograft transplantation. METHODS: Sixty eyes of 60 patients were entered in the study. The Schirmer test, tear breakup time (BUT) and mucus fern test (MFT) were evaluated in the patients before and after pterygium excision combined with limbal-conjunctival autograft transplantation. RESULTS: Compared with the opposite healthy eyes, the BUT and MFT in the eyes with pterygium were significantly different before the operation (p < 0.05); however, there was no significant difference in the results of the Schirmer test (p > 0.05). The results of the BUT and MFT in the eyes with pterygium were significantly different before and 4 weeks after the operation (p < 0.05). The BUT was prolonged from 9.89 ± 3.95 to 12.78 ± 4.12 s, and the ratio of normal crystallization in the MFT increased from 46.7 to 80.0%. There was no significant difference in the Schirmer test results before and after the operation (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Tear functions were abnormal in the eyes with pterygium. Pterygium excision combined with limbal-conjunctival autograft transplantation can partially restore the tear film function into normal state, and the tear film function was stable 4 weeks after surgery.