Junko Nakata

Ciliary activity on adenoids of patients with otitis media with effusion

Ciliary activity of the adenoidal surface in patients with otitis media with effusion (OME) was evaluated by a photoelectric method. Three groups of patients were compared: a non-OME group whose members had experienced no episode of OME; a middle ear effusion (MEE)-negative OME group whose members had an episode of recurrent OME but no MEE during the month preceding the operation; and an MEE-positive OME group whose members were experiencing an episode of recurrent OME with MEEs when tissue was taken for examination. To serve as a comparison, the ciliary activity in the central pharynx of normal guinea pigs was evaluated using the same technique. The ciliary activity in all patients was significantly lower than that in normal guinea pigs. No significant difference in ciliary activity was apparent between the non-OME group and the MEE-negative OME group. However, both were significantly higher than the ciliary activity of the MEE-positive OME patients. The following findings are drawn from our data: ciliary activity on the surface of hypertrophic adenoids is depressed, and patients with OME have reduced ciliary activity compared with those who have no otitis media or those who have otitis media without effusion.

Topical immunology of nasal allergy and mucosal IgE antibodies

SummaryIn the present study, the in vitro tissue-radioallergosorbent test (t-RAST) was performed in two groups of patients: one with perennial attacks of sneezing, serous hypersecretion and nasal congestion, the other with nasal congestion only. The results obtained were compared with those obtained by a series of conventional allergy tests. We then found that t-RAST provided objective data comparable to those obtained with serum-RAST and that the t-RAST is a reliable means of quantitatively detecting specific IgE antibodies in the nasal mucosa. t-RAST is of special value to diagnosticians because it is able to discern unequivocally and easily those patients with localized nasal allergy.

Nasal Allergen Sensitivity and Mucosal IgE Antibodies

Skin tests, nasal provocation tests, nasal smear tests, and serum-radioallergosorbent tests were performed on 17 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis, who had suffered nasal congestion without receiving any antiallergic treatment. After the above tests, tissue-radioallergosorbent tests (t-RAST) were conducted to determine IgE antibody levels in inferior turbinate mucosal samples taken peroperatively. The results obtained in this study suggest that the allergen sensitivity of the nasal mucosa correlates to some extent with the mucosal IgE antibody level, and that the t-RAST can provide us with objective data about nasal allergen sensitivity.

Nasal allergy and nasal polyp with special reference to the mucosal IgE antibodies.

Immunologic conditions were studied in 8 patients with nasal allergies and nasal polyps and in 20 patients with nasal polyps. The present study showed the following: Nasal polyp mucosa contains a low level of mucosal IgE antibodies; nasal polyp mucosa is devoid of or deficient in the capacity of producing IgE antibodies; the presence of mucosal IgE antibodies in nasal polyp mucosa does not always imply the clinical manifestation of nasal allergies, and the antigen and antibody interaction does not always result in nasal symptoms.

IgG subclass deficiency in patients with upper respiratory tract infection.

Immunodeficiency syndromes are considered to be responsible for some intractable infections of the ear, nose or throat.In Japan, however, there have been only a few reports of IgG subclass deficiency.This is a report of four cases of chronic or recurrent respiratory infection considered to be related to low serum levels of IgG subclass.In two patients with purulent rhinorrhea and productive cough the diagnosis was chronic sinusitis, bronchiectasis and OME. Haemophilus influenza was isolated in sputum cultures. One patient had selective IgG2 deficiency and the other patient had a low serum IgG4.The third patient had prolonged otitis media, had low serum IgG3 and a diagnosis of Prader-Willi syndrome, the fourth had recurrent otitis media, low serum IgG4 and a diagnosis of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.Monthly intravenous injections of human immunoglobulin with high concentrations of the deficient subclass and appropriate antibiotic therapy brought about cures of their infections.

A Comparative Study with Vestibular Tests of Patients with Ménière's Disease in Uppsala University and Osaka City University

1980年12月より1981年7月までのウプサラ大と1981年10月より1982年12月までの大阪市大の2施設のメニエール病患者47名と34名にっき, 神経耳科学的検査を, 同一方法を用いて行い, その結果を比較した.1) 性別, 年齢, 罹病期間, 検査時期については統計的有意差を認めなかった.2) 純音聴力検査では, 平均聴力損失, 聴力像共に有意差を認めなかった.3) 自発眼振, 頭位胆振の出現率に有意差を認めなかった.4) カロリック検査のCP, DP, OKNのDPの出現率に有意差を認めなかった.