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Biomedical subjects

J Gosepath

Publications and source records attributed to J Gosepath.

46 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Aspirin intolerance in patients with chronic sinusitis.

Aspirin intolerance in patients with chronic sinusitis is often a cause of early recurrence of symptoms after surgical treatment. This study assesses 84 patients who were tested for acetylsalicylic acid intolerance after presenting with symptoms like chronic rhinosinusitis, sometimes bronchial asthma, coexisting allergies or a history of aspirin sensitivity. Nasal polyposis was found in a majority of cases, often recurrent after previous surgery. The levels of eicosanoids such as peptido-leukotrienes and prostaglandin E2 were analyzed in isolated blood cells and compared with a healthy control group. Aspirin-intolerant patients showed elevated basal levels of peptido-leukotrienes and reduced basal levels of prostaglandin E2. Test results were graded in a system ranging from positive (68%), signifying aspirin intolerance, to borderline (18%) and negative results (14%). After screening patients with clinical findings indicating a possible aspirin intolerance, the results of this investigation reveal a strong correlation between the clinical symptomatology and the in vitro parameters of eicosanoid levels in isolated blood cells, indicating the need to induce aspirin tolerance to reduce the risk of recurrent rhinosinusitis.

Adult↗

Radiofrequency volumetric tissue reduction (RFVTR) of inferior turbinates: a new method in the treatment of chronic nasal obstruction.

Twenty-two Caucasians (16 male and 6 female) with chronic bilateral nasal obstruction due to hypertrophic inferior turbinates were followed up over a three-month period. They were assessed by clinical examination, as active anterior rhinometry, and acoustic rhinometry before and after topical decongestion, preoperatively and three months after surgery. All patients were treated by application of radiofrequency-volumetric-tissue reduction (RFVTR, or somnoplasty) to both inferior turbinates. Initial postoperative edematous response disappeared during the first week after RFVTR. Three months postoperatively 20 of 22 patients (91%) reported subjective improvement of nasal patency. The average cross-sectional area for both sides of the nasal cavity (measured at the head of the inferior turbinate (C-Notch) before decongestion) increased in 15 of 22 patients (68.2%). This means a significant improvement from 1.24 to 1.49 cm2 for both sides of the nasal cavity (p = 0.0054). We conclude that RFVTR can safely reduce turbinate volume in a precise manner in patients with nasal obstruction due to hypertrophic inferior turbinates.

Adolescent↗

Subacute effects of ozone exposure on cultivated human respiratory mucosa.

This study was designed to investigate subacute effects of long-term exposure of both healthy and chronically inflamed human respiratory mucosa to ozone. Functional and metabolic effects on ciliary beat frequency (CBF), release of interleukin 8 (IL-8), interleukin 4 (IL-4), and gamma interferon (g-INF), as well as cellular viability and cytotoxicity, were monitored. Cell cultures of 60 specimens (healthy mucosa: n = 30, inflamed mucosa: n = 30) were exposed to synthetic air and to ozone-enriched synthetic air in different concentrations of 100, 500, and 1000 micrograms/m3. Continuous expositions were performed using an air/liquid interface cell culture technique for a period of 4 weeks. CBF was monitored using video-interference contrast microscopy and cytokine release was quantified by enzyme immunoassays. Cellular viability and cytotoxicity were controlled by measuring lactate dehydrogenase activity, cytosolic activity of esterases, and by staining of nuclear DNA. Synthetic air had no influence on CBF during the 4 weeks of exposure. IL-8 release was continuously diminished in unaffected and in chronically inflamed mucosa. Within the first week of continuous exposure with any ozone concentration neither CBF nor release of IL-8 were affected in healthy or in inflamed mucosa. During the second and the following weeks of exposure CBF and the release of IL-8 were reduced in both tissues. Release of IL-4 or g-INF were not detectable at any time during the 4 weeks of ozone exposure. At higher ozone concentrations of 500 and 1000 micrograms/m3 there was an increase of cytotoxicity which was greater in chronically inflamed than in healthy mucosa. In conclusion, ozone had no measurable effect on those parameters measured in human upper respiratory epithelium after one week of in vitro exposure to different concentrations, but did after longer periods of exposure. Chronically inflamed mucosa had a tendency toward a higher susceptibility to intermediate and high concentrations of ozone that did not reach a level of statistical significance under the conditions used in this study.

Adolescent↗

Biologic characteristics of paragangliomas of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses.

Paragangliomas of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses are extremely rare. This study was conducted to investigate the biologic characteristics of these lesions on different molecular levels and to estimate their biologic behavior. Operative specimens of three patients who underwent surgery for a paraganglioma of the nasal cavity (one case) or paranasal sinuses (two cases) were investigated by routine histology, quantitative DNA analysis, and immunohistochemical assessment of proliferation markers (i.e., Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen, PCNA; Ki67-MIB-1), the expression of cell-surface antigens, which reflect the tumor-stroma interaction (i.e., CD 44 v0.4/5 and 6, CD 54, CD 106), oncogene products (nm-23; p53), and bcl-2 as a marker of apoptosis. Histologically, two tumors were paragangliomas of the adenomatous subtype, one lesion was classified as angiomatous. According to DNA analysis, aneuploid cells were detected in all tumors. Two of three paragangliomas were classified as a DNA type III pattern, implying a high percentage of aneuploid cells and an aggressive behavior. Immunohistochemically, paragangliomas of the nasal cavity showed increased scores for both proliferation markers tested, indicating a rapid growth pattern. According to the expression of cell-surface markers and oncogene products, these tumors displayed an aggressive behavior and an infiltrating growth pattern. The highest value for the parameters of quantitative DNA analysis and highest proliferation scores were found in a tumor of a patient who developed multiple tumor recurrences after radical excision of the lesion with clear margins, and finally died of disease. In conclusion, paragangliomas of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses examined in this study should be regarded as suspicious concerning their biologic and clinical behavior. Radical excision, and in cases with highly aggressive biology, postoperative radiation therapy are recommended. Tumor biologic examinations can help to recognize high-risk patients for developing recurrences and possibly lesions with a malignant behavior and to enhance our understanding of the biology of these extremely rare tumors of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses.

Aneuploidy↗

The use of acoustic rhinometry in predicting outcomes after sinonasal surgery.

Today's healthcare environment demands objective assessment of surgical outcomes. The recent otolaryngologic literature has established acoustic rhinometry (AR) as a valid instrument to objectively document nasal patency. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the utility of AR in predicting outcomes after sinonasal surgery. All patients scheduled for sinonasal surgery at the Tulane University and University of Mainz Departments of Otolaryngology between 10/1/98 and 12/15/98 were enrolled. All subjects underwent AR and completed a sinonasal outcome survey (SNOT-20) one day before and two months after their surgical procedure. Thirty-one patients were enrolled. The SNOT-20 raw scores improved from a mean of 7.93 (+/- 3.78) preoperatively to 3.35 (+/- 2.33) postoperatively (p < 0.05). The I-notch revealed no significant change postoperatively. The mean bilateral predecongestion C-notch increased from 1.257 cm2 to 1.451 cm2 (p < 0.05). Patients with a bilateral C-notch > 1 cm2 were 1.96 times more likely to have a five-point improvement in the SNOT-20 raw score (95% CI = 1.17, 3.27). The mean value of the C-notch is significantly altered (increased) as a result of sinonasal surgery. Patients with a preoperative cross-sectional area < 1 cm2 are less likely to report large postoperative subjective improvement. These results indicate that patients with poor geometry at the area of the C-notch do not fare as well surgically as those with better preoperative measurements.

Adult↗

Effects of the Breathe Right nasal strips on nasal ventilation.

The Breathe Right nasal strips are more and more commonly used, mainly by athletes, who hope to enhance their physical performance in competition and training. The effect of the device in such situations is uncertain and perhaps somewhat controversial. To investigate the effects of the nasal strips on nasal ventilation, 20 caucasian individuals were objectively assessed using anterior rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry. The results showed a significant increase in all subjects of transnasal airflow and in the average cross-sectional area of the nasal cavity that quantifies objectively the subjective impression of improved nasal breathing. In such patients where an improvement in nasal ventilation is desired, the use of the Breathe Right nasal strips seems to offer a beneficial treatment.

Adult↗

Breathe Right nasal strips and the respiratory disturbance index in sleep related breathing disorders.

This investigation assesses the effects of Breathe Right nasal strips on the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) measured by polysomnography in patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea and snoring. The positive effect of these strips on nasal ventilation was shown in earlier studies. Twenty-six patients with an RDI higher than 10 in an initial measurement underwent a second preoperative polysomnography with Breathe Right nasal strips in place. Nineteen of these 26 patients showed reduction of RDI during the second night of polysomnography using the nasal strips, indicating that nasal obstruction seems to be a predominant factor in the etiology of snoring and apnea in these individuals. Demographic data, medical history, rhinoscopy, clinical assessment of pharyngeal obstruction (Mueller's maneuver), as well as anterior rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry were used to identify typical findings correlating with a positive effect of the Breathe Right nasal strips on the RDI: 1. Hyperplasia or hypertrophy of the lower turbinates, septal deviation, and/or allergic rhinitis. 2. None or only minor pharyngeal obstruction. 3. Age less than 55 years. If a positive effect is seen during polysomnography with the strips in place, patients will most likely profit from an improvement of nasal ventilation. This may help to target more effectively septal or turbinate surgery if applicable. In other cases, if a significant RDI reduction is obtained by the use of the nasal strips, they could also offer a noninvasive modality of treatment, especially since the high degree of co-morbidity in this group of patients can sometimes make a surgical approach less favorable.

Acoustics↗