Study on DWMRI in evaluating the influence of intensity modulated radiotherapy on salivary gland function of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the dynamic change of salivary gland function in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) before and after intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) by DWMRI.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-three NPC patients confirmed by pathology were enrolled. Male/Female: 19/4. The age was from 37 to 69 years. All cases underwent salivary glands examination by DWMRI before IMRT, at the end of IMRT, 6 months and 12 months after IMRT, at the same time the ADC value of salivary glands were calculated. The patients were divided into two groups: G1, Dmean < 26 Gy, G2, Dmean ≥ 26 Gy. SPSS 13.0 and SAS 8.2 software was used to analyze the date.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The ADC values of parotid in two group patients at rest were not significantly different between 6 months after and at the end of IMRT (t value was 0.732, 1.405, all P > 0.05). The ADC values of parotid in two group patients at rest were significantly lower in the 12 months after IMRT than at the end of IMRT (t value 2.621, 3.417, all P < 0.05). During the period of acid stimulation, A significant change of ADC in parotid was found in G1 (all P < 0.05) and no significant change of ADC in parotid was found in G2 at the various follow-up time after IMRT (all P > 0.05). At the various follow-up time after IMRT, the average ADC values of parotid were significantly higher in G2 than G1 in the same time points of acid stimulation (all P < 0.05). The ADC values of submandibular glands at rest were significantly higher at the various follow-up time after IMRT than before IMRT (t value was -9.782, -8.963, -7.722, all P < 0.05). During the period of acid stimulation no significant change of ADC in submandibular glands was found after IMRT (F = 1.124, P = -0.348).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The changes of salivary function can be well reflected by ADC values. There is a good clinical application value of DWMRI for evaluating radiation-induced salivary glands functional changes and observing salivary function recovery during the follow-up period after IMRT.</p>

A preliminary study on the role of substance P in histamine-nasal-spray-induced allergic conjunctivitis in guinea pigs / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of the non adrenergic non cholinergic nerve (NANC) and substance P (SP) in allergic rhinoconjunctivitis by observing histamine nasal provocation induced conjunctivitis in guinea pigs.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty male guinea pigs were randomly divided into five groups with each group consisting of eight guinea pigs. All anesthetized guinea pigs were exposed either to histamine (0.2%, 5 µl) (group B~E) or saline (5 µl, group A) via unilateral nostril. No pretreatment was done in group A and B while pretreatment was done in groups C~E through injection into the unilateral common carotid artery with cholinergic nerve inhibitor (atropine, 1 mg/kg, group C), cholinergic nerve inhibitor plus adrenergic nerve inhibitors (atropine, 1 mg/kg, phentolamine, 1 mg/kg plus Esmolol, 1 mg/kg, group D) and cholinergic nerve inhibitor, adrenergic nerve inhibitors plus SP receptor antagonist (the same treatment with group D plus D-SP 10(-6) mol/L, 1 µl/g, group E), respectively. To assess the ipsilateral conjunctival inflammatory reaction, conjunctiva leakage with Evans blue dye assessments and HE staining of conjunctival tissues were performed. The SP expression in ipsilateral conjunctival tissue in different groups of guinea pigs were assessed by immunofluorescence and RT-PCR. The activity of eosinophils was assessed by eosinophil major basic protein 1 (MBP1) with RT-PCR, meanwhile, the activity of mast cells was assessed by tryptase with RT-PCR. SPSS 17.0 software was used to analyze the data.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At 30 min after nasal application of histamine, ipsilateral conjunctivitis was successfully induced as shown by the change of conjunctiva leakage and histology. The content of Evans blue in ipsilateral conjunctival tissue of group A~E was (13.78 ± 2.48), (29.62 ± 3.31), (19.03 ± 1.47), (18.42 ± 2.52), (14.83 ± 2.14) µg/ml, respectively. There was statistically significant difference between group A and B (t = -10.66, P < 0.05), group B and C (t = 7.97, P < 0.05), group C and E (t = 4.51, P < 0.05). PT-PCR assays showed the relative expression of SP mRNA in ipsilateral conjunctival tissues of group A~E was (1.00 ± 0.04), (1.61 ± 0.09), (1.26 ± 0.03), (1.27 ± 0.06), (1.08 ± 0.05), respectively. There was statistically significant difference between group A and B (t = -22.04, P < 0.05), group B and C (t = 12.93, P < 0.05), group C and E (t = 11.85, P < 0.05). The expression of tryptase of ipsilateral conjunctiva was (1.00 ± 0.01), (1.01 ± 0.05), (1.02 ± 0.17), (1.00 ± 0.14), (1.01 ± 0.20), and the expression of MBP1 was (1.00 ± 0.03), (1.02 ± 0.15), (0.94 ± 0.08), (1.01 ± 0.07), (0.98 ± 0.13) in A~E groups. There was not statistically significant difference among five groups (F value was 1.93, 0.57, both P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Histamine nasal provocation induced allergic inflammatory response of ipsilateral conjunctiva in guinea pigs. Neural factors including NANC nerves and its medium SP participated this nose-ocular reflex process. These data help to develop a more scientific clinical treatment strategy.</p>