Bacterial biofilms in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis: a confocal scanning laser microscopy study.

BACKGROUND: Recent research into the pathophysiology of chronic rhinosinusitis suggests an important role for biofilms. They can be detected in both healthy and diseased nasal mucosa. Several different methods of detecting biofilms have been described. This study investigates the presence of biofilm in a larger group of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis undergoing primary functional endoscopic surgery. METHODS: Sixty-one patients with chronic rhinosinusitis and 25 controls, with septal deviation, were included from 2010 to 2012. Endonasal biopsies were harvested during surgery, snap frozen in isopentane, cooled on dry ice and stored at -80oC. The samples were prepared with Invitrogens' BacLight LiveDead kit, and investigated with confocal scanning laser microscopy for the presence of biofilm. RESULTS: In the chronic rhinosinusitis group 55/61 were biofilm positive as opposed to 14/25 in the control group. The difference was highly significant. The odds ratio was 7.2. CONCLUSION: Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis have a highly significant increased point prevalence of biofilms compared to controls.

High-resolution integrated map encompassing the breast cancer loss of heterozygosity region on human chromosome 16q22.1.

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on the long arm of human chromosome 16 is a common genetic alteration observed in both invasive ductal and invasive lobular breast carcinomas. We have generated a high-resolution integrated map encompassing the smallest region of LOH overlap within chromosome 16q22.1 (SRO2). Southern hybridization experiments using more than 140 probes resulted in the assembly of 152 bacterial large-insert clones into a 2.8-Mb contig covering SRO2. The structure of the contig was verified by long-range mapping using total human genomic DNA, and the contig orientation was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization. A total of 68 transcripts have been identified in the map. One of the genes residing within SRO2 is the E-cadherin gene, CDH1, which has previously been shown to be mutated in lobular breast carcinomas, resulting in loss of E-cadherin expression. In most cases of ductal carcinoma, which is the major mammary cancer type, E-cadherin is normally expressed, suggesting that other genes within 16q22.1 are involved in the development of this tumor subtype. The high-resolution map presented in this study provides a valuable resource for identification of tumor suppressor genes expected to be involved in the etiology of breast carcinomas.

[An open advisory telephone for allergy and indoor climate problems. A sensible use of expertise?]. / Apen rådgivningstelefon for allergi- og inneklimaspørsmål. En fornuftig bruk av ekspertise?

An open telephone service for hypersensitivity diseases and indoor environment has been available for professional and lay people five hours a week. Two years experience comprising 1,074 calls and a total of 2,147 questions are described. Almost 15% of the questions were asked because the caller had not received sufficient information when consulting the local health services about defined health problems. Many questions were concerned with primary or secondary prophylactic measures or both. Some calls could have been answered by local health or building services, if these had been available. However, the majority of questions demanded advanced and expert knowledge of the matter. The service has not been systematically evaluated, but feedback from users indicates that this manner of using expertise is very much appreciated by the public. It probably has an important prophylactic effect.

[Children's indoor environment. A study of Norwegian dwellings]. / Barns innemiljø. En undersøkelse av norske boliger.

The indoor environment was investigated in 112 Norwegian dwellings where either healthy children or children with asthma were living. Compared with the official guidelines for indoor air quality, more than 50% of the children's rooms had unacceptable indoor air. Continuous monitoring of carbon dioxide showed unacceptably high levels in 69% of the children's bedrooms at night. Levels of volatile organic compounds exceeded the guideline in 53% of the dwellings. More than 60% of the children were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke, as identified by nicotine in hair and cotinine in urine samples. Levels of house dust mites in excess of the guideline were found in 45% of the dwellings. The results indicated a need to improve the indoor environment in the homes of children.

[Illness caused by water-based paints?]. / Sykdom på grunn av vannbasert maling?

Illness caused by the indoor environment is a challenging and complicated field to investigate. Emissions from paints may contribute to the problems. Several components of water-based paints evaporate for a long time after painting, and some of them may affect human biology. We describe one patient who has experienced symptoms caused by water-based paint. Different reaction mechanisms may be involved, and these are discussed. Components which may elicit biological effects are listed and discussed. Physicians should be aware of the possibility that a few patients may suffer from illness caused by emissions from modern paints.

Experimental colonic inflammation and ulceration. Permeation of a water-soluble contrast medium as a measure of 'disease' activity.

The aim of this study was to investigate the permeation of an isosmolar water-soluble X-ray contrast medium (CM) from the unperforated colon after experimental induction of inflammation and ulceration. One hundred and sixty-five male rats were included. In 110 rats 0.25 ml of 40% ethanol + 15 mg or 30 mg trinitrobenzene (TNB) was instilled into the colon, 7-9 cm proximal to the anus, inducing different degrees of inflammation. Fifty-five rats served as controls and had 0.25 ml saline instilled with the same procedure. At 7, 14, 21, and 28 days 3 ml of the non-ionic CM iodixanol was applied as an enema, and subsequently all urine was collected for the next 4 h. High-performance liquid chromatography analyses of the urine showed a positive relation between the severity of inflammation/ulceration in the colonic wall as assessed by a macroscopic damage score and the amount of CM excreted in the urine. Water-soluble contrast media may have prospects of combining functional tests of intestinal membrane dysfunction with segmental exposure control.

[The child with bronchial obstruction in general practice. Need for better follow-up]. / Barn med bronkial obstruksjon i allmennpraksis. Behov for bedre oppfølging.

Early diagnosis and adequate follow-up routines are important in giving children with bronchial asthma good care and treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate how children with bronchial obstruction and possible asthma were detected and treated in general practice. Children with bronchial obstruction (78) were registered in two municipalities in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The data were supplemented by data from children with asthma (392) describing the situation before they received the diagnosis. In regard to frequency of symptoms and symptoms without infection, too few reported having bronchial asthma. Most children with repeated contacts because of bronchial obstruction had been examined by different doctors, and only seldom was a follow-up appointment made. Not all children with bronchial asthma had been referred to a paediatrician. The study shows that follow-up routines for children with bronchial obstruction are inadequate.

Clinical effects of hyposensitization using a purified allergen preparation from Timothy pollen as compared to crude aqueous extracts from Timothy pollen and a four-grass pollen mixture respectively.

Most extracts used in hyposensitization are complex and ill-defined mixtures of a large number of antigenic components. A highly refined (purified) and well-characterized allergen preparation from Timothy pollen (Phleum pratense) is now available. This paper describes the results of hyposensitization for 3 years comparing the purified preparation Timothy N, the crude extract Timothy O and a four-grass mix in sixty patients with allergic rhinitis due to grass pollen. The sixty patients were randomized into three groups and compared with a control group not hyposensitized. All three groups showed a significant decrease in clinical symptoms compared with the control group. The Timothy N group had a significantly higher nasal tolerance shown by nasal challenge test after 3 years' treatment than the group treated with the crude extract (P = 0.05). In addition, the Timothy-N-treated patients needed significantly less antihistaminic medication than the patients having received the crude extract or the four-grass mix (P = 0.02 and P = 0.01, respectively).