Evaluation of olfactory loss in patients with allergic rhinitis

In this study, 50 patients reporting allergic rhinitis manifestations were examined by history, nasal endoscopic examination, olfactory testing, skin testing with allergens and CT scan of the paranasal sinuses and nose. Twenty normal subjects free from current or past history of nasal disease served as a control group. The results indicated that the mean olfactory score for the allergic rhinitis group was low compared with the control group. There was a significant statistical difference between alcohol, cinnamon, cocoa and coffee olfaction in patients with allergic rhinitis with symptoms for over five-year duration in comparison with patients with symptoms of less than five years, in those who received treatment for allergy in comparison with those who did not and in those with a high number of positive skin tests in comparison with those with a low number of positive skin tests

Clinical significance of urinary neopterin in chronic liver disease

Increased neopterin concentration in serum, urine and other biological fluids have been reported in conditions causing stimulation of cellular immunity with increased macrophage activity. Assessment of neopterin production in these conditions conveys useful information on disease activity and prognosis. In our study, urinary neopterin was measured in 40 patients with liver cirrhosis of different etiologies other than hepatitis B infection and 30 controls. The results showed high significant statistical difference between group I [HCV with viremia], group II [HCV without virenlia], group III [HCV+viremia+Bilharziasis] [P<0.001] and significant statistical difference for group IV [Bilhraziasis without HCV] [P<0.05] compared with the control group. The highest mean value of urinary neopterin was in group 1 [299.98 +/- 94.785] which was significantly higher than group II [216.18 +/- 37.55] and group IV [201.29 +/- 52.46] [P<0.05] no statistical difference with group III [226.56 +/- 80.18] [P> 0.05]. In conclusion, urinary neopterin has proved to be a simple and reliable method which helps in the diagnosis of activity in chronic HCV infection in patients with chronic liver disease