Soon Kwan Hong

Endoscopic Removal of the Antral Portion of Antrochoanal Polyp by Powered Instrumentation

Objectives To introduce a new surgical technique for endoscopic removal of the antral portion of antrochoanal polyp (ACP) by powered instrumentation and to determine its efficacy by measures of relevant patient outcome.

Increased expression of IL-4, IL-5, IFN-gamma, IL-6, IL-8, and TGF-beta mRNAs in maxillary mucosa of patients with chronic sinusitis.

This study aimed to investigate expression of various cytokine mRNAs, including IL-6, IL-8, TGF-β, IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-γ in maxillary sinus mucosa of patients with chronic sinusitis. Maxillary sinus mucosae of six patients with chronic sinusitis and turbinate mucosae of six healthy subjects were obtained. We performed RT-PCR and Southern blot to examine gene expression of the cytokines IL-6, IL-8, TGF-β, IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-γ in maxillary sinus mucosa and compared the results with cytokine gene expressions in normal turbinate mucosa. IL-6, IL-8, TGF-β, IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-γ mRNAs were expressed more frequently in maxillary sinus mucosa from patients with chronic sinusitis than in normal turbinate mucosa. All the maxillary sinus mucosa specimens revealed relatively higher mean density ratio for each cytokine investigated than did normal turbinate mucosa. IL-6, IL-8, TGF-β, IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-γ mRNAs were expressed simultaneously in maxillary sinus mucosa of chronic sinusitis. These cytokines may be responsible for recruitment of inflammatory cells and for mucosal thickening in chronic sinusitis, and thus chronicity of the disease.

Effects of IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, and TGF-beta on ciliary beat frequency of human nasal ciliated epithelial cells in vitro

Previous reports suggested that several cytokines may influence the ciliary beat of the airway ciliated epithelial cells. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of cytokines including IL-1β, TNF-α, and TGF-β on ciliary beat frequency (CBF) of human nasal ciliated epithelial cells. CBF of cultured human nasal ciliated epithelial cells was measured 24 hours after incubating with concentrations of 0.01 ng/mL, 0.1 ng/mL, 1 ng/mL, 10 ng/mL, and 100 ng/mL of each recombinant human (rh) cytokine including rhIL-1β, rhTNF-α, and rhTGF-β. CBF was measured with time at concentrations of 1 ng/mL of rhIL-1β, 10 ng/mL of TNF-α, and 1 ng/mL of TGF-β solutions. CBF of the human nasal ciliated epithelial cells increased after addition of rhIL-1β and rhTNF-α. Maximum CBF was observed at 1 ng/mL of rhIL-1β and at 10 ng/mL of rhTNF-α. CBF increased progressively to 4 hours after addition of rhIL-1β and rhTNF-α. Increased CBF sustained for 24 hours and decreased by 2 days. However, no variation of CBF was observed after addition of rhTGF-β, regardless of concentrations and time. The results of this study suggest that during acute inflammation, IL-1β and TNF-α may have a potential role in defense mechanism of human nasal epithelium by regulating CBF of the nasal ciliated epithelial cells.

Correlation between anthropometric measurements of the oropharyngeal area and severity of apnea in patients with snoring and obstructive sleep apnea

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between severity of apnea and anthropometric oropharyngeal measurements in patients with snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. A total of 22 patients complaining of snoring and apneic spell during sleep were evaluated by polysomnographic and anthropometric measurements of the oropharyngeal area. The horizontal width of the uvula at the mid-point and the length of the uvula were measured using a T-shaped ruler. The distance between the anterior pillars, posterior pillars and retromolar raphes were also measured. The correlation between these anthropometric measurements and polysomnographic parameters including the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) and the lowest arterial O2 saturation level (lowest SaO2) of the patients were analyzed. Of the anthropometric measurements, the horizontal width of the uvula showed a significant correlation with RDI and lowest SaO2. The results of the present study indicate that patients with broader uvula may have severer sleep apnea and that anthropometric oropharyngeal measurements may give additional information to polysomnographic findings for selecting surgical candidates.