Impaired balance of Th17/Treg in patients with nasal polyposis.

Nasal polyposis (NP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the nasal cavity and sinuses that is regulated by T lymphocyte subsets. Imbalance of Th17/Treg has been considered critical in the development of inflammation and atopic reactions. To assess whether the balance of Th17/Treg is disrupted in patients with NP, we evaluated the distribution of Th17 and Treg cells among peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in atopic patients with NP, non-atopic patients with NP and controls. We then determined mRNA levels of RORc and Foxp3 and protein levels of IL-17, TGF-ß and IL-10 in polyp tissue among the three groups. Finally, we investigated the correlation between Th17-, Treg- and Th1-, Th2-related cytokines (INF-γ, IL-4, IL-5). The results demonstrated that both atopic and non-atopic patients with NP revealed significantly increased Th17 proportion and decreased Treg proportion in PBMCs, as well as significantly increased RORc and IL-17 levels and decreased Foxp3 and TGF-ß levels in polyp tissue. Furthermore, these differences were significant between atopic and non-atopic groups. The frequency of Treg in PBMCs was found to be negatively correlated with Th1 and Th2 cytokines in polyps. These results indicated that an impaired balance of Th17/Treg existed in patients with NP and was more severe in atopic patients, suggesting that the imbalance of Treg/Th17 may play an important role in the development of NP and that atopy may aggravate NP by promoting the imbalance of Th17/Treg.

Determination of (40)ca(+) in the presence of (40)ar(+): an illustration of the utility of time-gated detection in pulsed glow discharge mass spectrometry.

The glow discharge ionization source operated in the pulsed, or modulated, power mode affords a number of distinct advantages over its steady-state counterpart. It is well-known that pulsed plasma operation permits the application of higher instantaneous powers by allowing time for the sample to cool. This minimizes sample overheating while effecting higher sputtering yields and lower limits of detection. The presence of discrete time regimes affords the added advantage of temporal selectivity. Such selectivity allows the observation of analyte ions during a time regime in which their signal is at a maximum while that of electron ionized background species is declining. Significantly, time regimes are found when no background argon ion signals are observable but analyte ion signals remain. This means that discrimination against isobaric interferences arising from the discharge gas is possible. A prime example of the utility of this advantage arises in the determination of calcium with an argon glow discharge. Both the major argon and calcium isotopes are found at a nominal m/z of 40. Time-gated mass spectrometeric detection during the afterpeak time regime enables the ready determination of (40)Ca(+) in samples at the ppm level. A linear calibration curve is obtained that also demonstrates the elimination of the (40)Ar(+) signal from mass spectra obtained with either a dc or rf glow discharge ion source.