Aims: The present study is to investigate the effect of Lipoteichoic Acid (LTA) on the secretion of MUC5AC by nasal mucosa cells, as well as the underlying mechanism. Methods: Human nasal epithelial cell line HNEpC was incubated with 10, 20 or 30 μg/ml LTA for 0-24 h. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the concentrations of secreted MUC5AC and Transforming Growth Factor (TG...

UNLABELLED Antihistamines and nasal decongestants are well-established therapeutics in allergic rhinitis. However, no data are available which directly compare the effect size of the single substances with their combination in a single study including placebo (PLA) treatment. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a combination of cetirizine (CET) and pseudoephedrine (P...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether non-secretion of blood group antigens is associated with respiratory virus diseases. DESIGN Study of secretor status in patients with respiratory virus diseases determined by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) developed to identify Lewis (Le) blood group antigen phenotypes (Le(a) non-secretor; Le(b) secretor). SUBJECTS Patients aged 1 month to 90 yea...

Phl p5 is a major allergen of timothy grass and causes rhinitis and bronchial asthma in nearly all patients allergic to grass pollen. The biochemical processing of this molecule by the nasal mucosa at its first encounter and possible changes of its biologic activity are unknown. Two isoforms of the allergen were expressed in Escherichia coli and subsequently purified. Conversion of these prepar...

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), which is present with acetylcholine in parasympathetic nerve fibers, may have important regulatory functions in mucous membranes. The potential roles for VIP in human nasal mucosa were studied using an integrated approach. The VIP content of human nasal mucosa was determined to be 2.84 +/- 0.47 pmol/g wet weight (n = 8) by RIA. VIP-immunoreactive nerve fiber...

Dear Sirs, I would like to reply to Bachmann and Petereit: Beta-trace protein as sensitive marker for liquorrhea. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica 2004; 110: 337–338. A number of recent publications (1–3) deal with the beta-trace protein concentration in nasal secretions as a sensitive marker for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorhea and CSF otorhea. In their letter to the editor (4) Bachmann and Pe...

To test whether a major contribution of airways epithelial ion transport to lung defense reflects the regulation of airway surface liquid (ASL) ionic composition, we measured ASL composition using the filter paper technique. On nasal surfaces, the Cl- concentration (approximately 125 meq/liter) was similar to plasma, but the Na+ concentration (approximately 110 meq/liter) was below plasma, and ...