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Background and Objectives@#The serum galactomannan test (GM test) and the (1,3)-β-D-glucan test (G test) are utilized in diagnosing invasive fungal sinusitis. However, their effectiveness in detecting paranasal sinus fungus balls (FBs) has not been established. This study aimed to explore their diagnostic value in patients with FBs. @*Methods@#We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 105 patients (42 with FBs and 63 with chronic rhinosinusitis [CRS]) who underwent serum GM and G tests between June 2020 and May 2021. Olfactory test results and demographics were also analyzed. @*Results@#There were 42 FB patients (10 men, 32 women) and 63 CRS patients (27 men, 36 women). The positivity rates for serum GM (7.1% in the FB group vs. 3.2% in the CRS group, p=0.640) and G test (9.5% in the FB group vs. 11.1% in the CRS group, p=0.482) did not differ significantly between groups. The sensitivities of the GM and G tests were 7.1% and 9.5%, respectively, and their specificities were 96.8% and 88.9%, respectively. The positive predictive values were 60.0% for the GM test and 36.3% for the G test, and the negative predictive values were 61.0% for the GM test and 59.6% for the G test. @*Conclusion@#Serum GM and G tests demonstrated low sensitivity and high specificity, indicating limited effectiveness in differentiating between patients with FBs and those with CRS. Histological examination remains the gold standard for the definitive diagnosis of FBs.

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Background and Objectives@#This retrospective study, conducted at a single tertiary medical center, aimed to investigate the correlation between the severity of allergic rhinitis (AR) based on subjective symptoms and the severity assessed through laboratory data. @*Methods@#In total, 584 patients who were diagnosed with AR by a multiple-allergen simultaneous test were included. Patients were classified into four groups according to the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) classification guideline. The visual analog scale (VAS) score for overall discomfort and laboratory parameters, including the serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) level and peripheral blood eosinophil count, were evaluated in all patients. An analysis was conducted to examine the differences in VAS scores and laboratory findings among the four groups. Additionally, the correlations between the laboratory findings and VAS score were analyzed. @*Results@#The serum total IgE level and the percentage and count of peripheral blood eosinophils showed no significant differences among the groups. However, the VAS score for overall discomfort exhibited notable between-group differences. The average VAS score was 6.14 (95% confidence interval 5.94–6.34) in the overall group. The mean scores of each group showed a noticeable increasing trend from the mild intermittent group to the mild persistent, moderate to severe intermittent, and moderate to severe persistent groups (p<0.001), although there was no clear correlation between the increase in VAS scores and laboratory parameters. @*Conclusion@#Neither the symptom-based ARIA guideline nor the VAS score correlated with the AR laboratory test measurements. The current laboratory data alone may not be sufficient to reflect the severity of AR based on subjective symptoms.

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Gossypiboma, an infrequent surgical complication, describes a mass of cotton material inadvertently left in the body cavity after an operation. It is an extremely rare iatrogenic complication of nasal surgery, with only a few cases reported in literature to date. Here we present a case of gossypiboma in the nasal septum of a 35-year-old male patient who previously underwent septorhinoplasty fourteen years prior. He was treated by endoscopic endonasal surgery to remove the lesion. Pathologic findings showed a foreign body (gauze filament) with a giant cell reaction. This report will be helpful for treating patients with similar histories in the future.

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Olfaction is an important aspect of quality of life, beyond simply smelling food and recognizing danger. Recently, research has focused on its association with various diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases or viral infections. The evaluation of olfactory function must take into consideration the cultural experience of the target group. A new Korean culturefriendly olfactory function test, the YSK olfactory function test (YOF test, Kimex Co.), uses safe odorants, such as phenyl-ethyl alcohol (PEA) (not n-butanol), for the threshold test. Furthermore, odorants in the YOF identification test reflect each of eight major chemical functional groups. The diagnostic cut-off for anosmia was a Threshold Discrimination Identification (TDI) score of ≤14.5 and that for hyposmia was 14.5

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Background@#Galeal or temporalis muscle flaps have been traditionally used to reconstruct skull base defects after tumor removal. Unfortunately, these flaps do not provide sufficient vascularized tissue for a dural seal in extensive defects. This study describes the successful coverage of large skull base defects using anterolateral thigh (ALT) free flaps. @*Methods@#This retrospective study included five patients who underwent skull base surgery between June 2018 and June 2021. Reconstruction was performed using an ALT free flap to cover defects that included the intracranial space and extended to the frontal sinus and cribriform plate. @*Results@#There were no major complications, such as ascending infections or cerebrospinal leakage. Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging showed that the flaps were well-maintained in all patients. @*Conclusion@#Successful reconstruction was performed using ALT free flaps for large anterior skull base defects. In conclusion, the ALT free flap is an effective option for preventing communication between the nasal cavity and the intracranial space.

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Background/Aims@#Weather and air pollution are associated with the exacerbation of respiratory diseases. We investigated patterns of medical care use according to meteorological factors and air pollution in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). @*Methods@#We analyzed the medical care utilization patterns of patients with asthma or COPD registered in the Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment database for the period 2007 to 2013. The patterns were divided into hospitalization and emergency department (ED) use. @*Results@#The medical care use of patients with asthma or COPD increased when the mean temperature and relative humidity were lower, and the temperature difference and atmospheric pressure were greater. Medical care use increased with the concentrations of particulate matter and ozone. Among age groups, sensitivity to pollutants was greatest in patients aged ≥ 65 years. The effect of being elderly was greater for asthma than for COPD, with a higher hospitalization rate. ED utilization affected by environmental factors was significantly greater for females and hospitalization was significantly more common for males. @*Conclusions@#Meteorological factors and air pollutants were shown to contribute to increased medical care utilization by patients with asthma and COPD, particularly elderly patients. The overall effect was greater for COPD, but the effect in elderly patients was greater for asthma. In addition, the patterns of change in medical care use due to environmental factors differed according to sex.

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Background/Aims@#Weather and air pollution are associated with the exacerbation of respiratory diseases. We investigated patterns of medical care use according to meteorological factors and air pollution in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). @*Methods@#We analyzed the medical care utilization patterns of patients with asthma or COPD registered in the Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment database for the period 2007 to 2013. The patterns were divided into hospitalization and emergency department (ED) use. @*Results@#The medical care use of patients with asthma or COPD increased when the mean temperature and relative humidity were lower, and the temperature difference and atmospheric pressure were greater. Medical care use increased with the concentrations of particulate matter and ozone. Among age groups, sensitivity to pollutants was greatest in patients aged ≥ 65 years. The effect of being elderly was greater for asthma than for COPD, with a higher hospitalization rate. ED utilization affected by environmental factors was significantly greater for females and hospitalization was significantly more common for males. @*Conclusions@#Meteorological factors and air pollutants were shown to contribute to increased medical care utilization by patients with asthma and COPD, particularly elderly patients. The overall effect was greater for COPD, but the effect in elderly patients was greater for asthma. In addition, the patterns of change in medical care use due to environmental factors differed according to sex.

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PURPOSE: Simple and reliable animal models of human diseases contribute to the understanding of disease pathogenesis as well as the development of therapeutic interventions. Although several murine models to mimic human asthma have been established, most of them require anesthesia, resulting in variability among test individuals, and do not mimic asthmatic responses accompanied by T-helper (Th) 17 and neutrophils. As dendritic cells (DCs) are known to play an important role in initiating and maintaining asthmatic inflammation, we developed an asthma model via adoptive transfer of allergen-loaded DCs.METHODS: Ovalbumin (OVA)-loaded bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) (OVA-BMDCs) were injected intravenously 3 times into non-anesthetized C57BL/6 mice after intraperitoneal OVA-sensitization.RESULTS: OVA-BMDC-transferred mice developed severe asthmatic immune responses when compared with mice receiving conventional OVA challenge intranasally. Notably, remarkable increases in systemic immunoglobulin (Ig) E and IgG1 responses, Th2/Th17-associated cytokines (interleukin [IL]-5, IL-13 and IL-17), Th2/Th17-skewed T-cell responses, and cellular components, including eosinophils, neutrophils, and goblet cells, were observed in the lungs of OVA-BMDC-transferred mice. Moreover, the asthmatic immune responses and severity of inflammation were correlated with the number of OVA-BMDCs transferred, indicating that the disease severity and asthma type may be adjusted according to the experimental purpose by this method. Furthermore, this model exhibited less variation among the test individuals than the conventional model. In addition, this DCs-based asthma model was partially resistant to steroid treatment.CONCLUSIONS: A reliable murine model of asthma by intravenous (i.v.) transfer of OVA-BMDCs was successfully established without anesthesia. This model more accurately reflects heterogeneous human asthma, exhibiting a robust Th2/Th17-skewed response and eosinophilic/neutrophilic infiltration with good reproducibility and low variation among individuals. This model will be useful for understanding the pathogenesis of asthma and would serve as an alternative tool for immunological studies on the function of DCs, T-cell responses and new drugs.

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Objectives@#. Cultural familiarity and safety must be considered when assessing olfactory ability. The YSK olfactory function (YOF) test is a new olfactory function test using culturally familiar odorants to Koreans. @*Methods@#. The YOF test comprises three subtests for threshold (T), discrimination (D), and identification (I). The identification test included eight universal and four Korean culture-friendly odorants, which were selected considering eight major functional groups. Data were obtained from 1,127 subjects over 19 years old. Subjects were classified as having normosmia (n=542), hyposmia (n=472), and anosmia (n=113) by self-reported olfactory function. The YOF test and the Korean version of the Sniffin’ stick test (KVSS-II) were performed on the same day in random order. Diagnostic cutoffs for anosmia and hyposmia were calculated using the Youden index (J). @*Results@#. The mean values for each T/D/I subtest and the total TDI score were as follows: normosmia (T, 4.6±2.3; D, 8.6±2.1; I, 11.1±1.7; TDI score, 24.2±4.5); hyposmia (T, 3.3±2.2; D, 7.1±2.5; I, 9.2±3.1; TDI score, 19.5±6.4); and anosmia (T, 1.7±1.2; D, 5.1±2.5; I, 5.0±3.2; TDI score, 11.8±5.6). The correlation coefficients between the YOF test and KVSS-II were 0.57, 0.65, 0.80, and 0.86 for T, D, I, and the TDI score, respectively (P<0.001). The diagnostic cutoffs were a TDI score ≤14.5 (J=0.67) for anosmia and 14.5(TDI score ≤21.0 (J=0.38) for hyposmia. The diagnostic efficacy of the YOF test (area under the curve [AUC], 0.88) was equivalent to that of the KVSS-II (AUC, 0.88; P=0.843; DeLong method). @*Conclusion@#. The YOF test is a new olfactory test using safe and Korean culture-friendly odorants. It showed equivalent validity with the conventional olfactory function test. Furthermore, the YOF test provides information on the major functional groups of odorants, potentially enabling a more comprehensive interpretation for patients with olfactory disorders.

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PURPOSE: To obtain validated clinical values suitable for developing a gustatory function test, including umami taste, in a Korean population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The investigation involved 297 participants with self-reported normal sense of taste and smell. Liquid solutions were used for the assessment of gustatory function. The test consisted of 30 taste solutions [six concentrations of five tastants (sweet, bitter, salty, sour, and umami)]. For evaluation of overall gustatory function, the number of detected or correctly recognized taste thresholds was combined to form a “taste score.” RESULTS: Mean values of each detection and recognition threshold for the five tastes in men were consistently lower than those of women. The 10th percentile of taste score for recognition was used as the cut-off value for distinguishing normogeusia from hypogeusia. In subgroup analysis, total taste score from recognition thresholds revealed a significant negative correlation with age, indicating lower scores for increasing age. Taste score for non-smokers was significantly higher than that of smokers, in terms of detection and recognition of taste sensitivities. CONCLUSION: This gustatory function test was easy to perform, affordable, and time-saving, with the capacity to self-produce and obtain reliable data. Gustatory function was more sensitive in young people, women, and non-smokers.

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Endoscopic repair of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak can avoid morbidity of open approaches and has shown a favorable success rate. Free mucosal graft is a good method, and multi-layered repair is more favorable. The inferior turbinate has been commonly utilized for the free mucosal graft, but we newly designed it as a bone-periosteal-mucosal composite graft for multilayered reconstruction. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Four subjects with a skull base defect were treated with this method. The inferior turbinate was partially resected including the conchal bone and was trimmed according to defect size. Both bony parts and periosteum were preserved on the basolateral side of the mucosa as a composite graft. The graft was applied to the defect site using an overlay technique. RESULTS: All cases were successfully repaired without any complications. Three of them had a defect size greater than 10–12 mm, and the graft stably repaired the CSF leakage. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic repair of CSF leakage using inferior turbinate composite graft is a simple and easy method and would be favorable for defect sizes greater than 10 mm.

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The present study evaluated the results of skin prick test using 55 allergens at 20 centers in the Republic of Korea in 2006, 2010, and 2014–2015. The aim was to assess changes in the positive rate of allergens according to temporal, regional, and environmental factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 20 hospitals were selected based on the population distribution in the Republic of Korea. A skin prick test panel comprising 55 aeroallergens was distributed to 18 hospitals for this prospective study. The 2006 and 2010 skin prick test results were collected and analyzed retrospectively from 20 hospitals, while the 2014/2015 skin prick test results (from June 2014 to May 2015) were collected prospectively from 18 hospitals. RESULTS: A total of 14,897 SPT test results were analyzed: 4,319 in 2006, 7,431 in 2010, and 1,852 in 2014/2015. The overall rate of skin prick test positivity to more than two allergens was significantly higher in males than females. The positive rates of alder pollens and birch, oak and ragweed pollen positivity were increased in older patients. Several positive rates were increased according to the temperature in spring. The positive rates for beech pollen, birch pollen, hazel pollen, oak pollen, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, mugwort, cat, Acarus siro, Lepidoglyphus destructor and Tyrophagus putrescentiae were significantly increased, while those of Cult rye pollen and dandelion were significantly decreased over the three test periods. The overall positive rate for allergens in Jeju province varied significantly from Seoul and other cities. CONCLUSION: Change in the positive rate of multiple aeroallergens was evaluated in the Republic of Korea over time. Our findings can be used to recommend aeroallergens suitable for inclusion in skin prick test panels in the Republic of Korea and will facilitate further investigation of changes in the patterns of allergic diseases.

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Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are a useful source of cells for exploring the role of genes related with early developmental processes and specific diseases due to their ability to differentiate into all somatic cell types. Recently, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) protein 9 system has proven to be a robust tool for targeted genetic modification. Here, we generated miR-451-deficient PSCs using the CRISPR/Cas9 system with PCR-based homologous recombination donor and investigated the impact of its deletion on self-renewal and hematopoietic development. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated miR-451 knockout did not alter the gene expressions of pluripotency, cellular morphology, and cell cycle, but led to impaired erythrocyte development. These findings propose that a combination of PSCs and CRISPR/Cas9 system could be useful to promote biomedical applications of PSCs by elucidating the function and manipulating of specific miRNAs during lineage specification and commitment.

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The main treatment modality of sinonasal benign tumor is surgical resection, and the endoscopic intranasal approach has been commonly performed since the 1990s. The objective of this study was to evaluate the recurrence rates of different sinonasal benign tumors and to analyze the diverse approaches used in their surgical treatment. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: In 270 patients who were histopathologically diagnosed with sinonasal benign tumor during a period of 20 years, histopathologic type, treatment approach, interval between first treatment and recurrence, and recurrence rate according to treatment approach were analyzed. RESULTS: Recurrence rate was higher with the intranasal approach than with the extranasal approach in inverted papilloma and angiofibroma, but the differences were not statistically significant. The proportion of the intranasal approach during the latter 10 years was higher than that during the former 10 years. There was no significant differences between the recurrence rate during the former 10 years and that during the latter 10 years for both intranasal and extranasal approaches. CONCLUSION: Based on tumor location and stage and skill of the surgeon, the intranasal approach can replace the extranasal approach with no major changes in treatment outcome.

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No abstract available.

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Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a rare type of fibro-osseous lesion characterized by progressive replacement of normal bone with immature tissue. The involvement of craniofacial bones is reported in 10% of FD cases, while the involvement of sinonasal cavity is extremely rare. We report a unique case of FD in which the primary complaint was nasal obstruction. As FD cases involving the turbinate bones are very rare, we also reviewed all reported cases of FD involving the inferior or middle turbinates. Based on our experience and a review of the relevant literature, we conclude that inferior and/or middle turbinectomy via endoscopic approach and septoplasty can improve nasal symptoms.

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PURPOSE: Although differentiated normal human nasal epithelial (NHNE) cells can be used to study the role of human nasal epithelium, there is a need for effective culture models of nasal epithelium in sinonasal disease status, including allergic rhinitis (AR). We aimed to examine the feasibility of intranasal brushing for culture of nasal epithelial cells in AR patients and to verify the hypothesis that allergic nasal epithelial (ARNE) cells differ in histologic and physiologic characteristics. METHODS: We established a system for isolating (via intranasal brushing) and culturing (with air-liquid interface, ALI) nasal epithelial cells from healthy volunteers (n=8) and AR patients (n=8). We used this system to compare the histologic findings and physiologic characteristics of NHNE and ARNE. RESULTS: The histology results showed that fully differentiated ALI culture was obtained at least 14 days after confluence and that both ciliated and secretory cells were well differentiated in ALI culture using nasal brushing. The histology results of ARNE culture were significantly different from NHNE. The number of ciliated cells was lower, and secretory cells were more dominant in ARNE cell culture compared to NHNE cells. We also observed, by electron microscopy, loose tight junctions and short cilia in cultured ARNE cells. In addition, the mRNA level of TSLP which was one of the epithelial-derived allergic cytokines was significantly higher, and the expressions of genes involved in ciliogenesis were lower in cultured ARNE cells without allergen stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that ALI culture of ARNE cells using intranasal brushing may be an alternative method for epithelial cell culture in AR patients and that cultured ARNE cells will be useful for in vitro studies of the mechanisms at play during AR because they maintain unique allergic characteristics.

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Three-dimensional (3D) imaging is gaining popularity and has been partially used in robotic surgery but not in sinonasal surgery owing to technical problems. This is not only the first pilot study to evaluate the usefulness of newly-developed ‘twin lens’ HD-3D endoscope (Machida), but also the first clinical study to compare this instrument with the pre-existing ‘insect eye’ 3D endoscope (Visionsense). MATERIALS AND METHOD: A total of 45 surgeries for cerebrospinal fluid leakage, angiofibroma, or sinonasal malignancy were performed using a 3D endoscope between November 2011 and October 2013 (‘insect eye’ Visionsense VSII 3D: 29 cases, ‘twin lens’ Machida HD-3D: 16 cases). RESULTS: Depth perception and recognition of anatomical structures were all excellent in the two 3D methods. The ‘twin lens’ HD-3D endoscope provided better image resolution and naturalness of color and showed less unfavorable phenomena such as image blurring and blackout than the ‘insect eye’ 3D endoscope. CONCLUSION: If the technical limitations are solved, the 3D endoscope will be used as a substitute and a standard tool in endoscopic sinonasal surgery rather than as supplement to the two-dimensional (2D) endoscope in the near future.

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Cholesterol granuloma is a histopathological diagnosis with features of cholesterol clefts, foreign body giant cells, and macrophages filled with hemosiderin. It is commonly found in the mastoid or petrous apex, but the involvement of paranasal sinuses is very rare. Radiologically, cholesterol granuloma show typical findings of hyperintense signals on both T1- and T2-weighted images on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We report two cases of cholesterol granuloma in the sphenoid sinus, which were first misinterpreted as mucoceles due to unusual MRI images.

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PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of once-daily ciclesonide in comparison to both levocetirizine alone, and a ciclesonide/levocetirizine combination in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) and perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR). METHODS: Subjects exhibiting moderate to severe allergic rhinitis for longer than 1 year were randomized in an open-label, 3-arm, parallel group, multicenter study. Subjects received 200 microg ciclesonide, 5 mg levocetirizine, or a combination of both. Changes from baseline until the end-of-study visit (2 weeks following) were evaluated by reflective total nasal symptom scores (rTNSSs), reflective total ocular symptom scores (rTOSSs), physician-assessed overall nasal signs and symptoms severity (PANS), and rhinoconjunctivitis quality-of-life questionnaires (RQLQ). RESULTS: Significant improvements in rTNSS, PANS, and RQLQ in the ciclesonide monotherapy group were observed in comparison to the levocetirizine alone group. Three individual symptoms of rTNSS, including runny nose, nasal itching, and congestion, were improved in the ciclesonide-treated group. rTOSS scores for ciclesonide monotherapy improved from baseline, but no superiority over levocetirizine was shown. The absolute score and changes in rTNSS and PANS were positively correlated. Ciclesonide spray was more effective than levocetirizine in reducing nasal symptoms in both SAR and PAR patients. Ciclesonide and levocetrizine were well tolerated alone and in combination. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide support for an AR and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) recommendation stipulating that ciclesonide is superior to levocetirizine for the treatment of AR, with tolerable safety. Addition of levocetirizine to ciclesonide did not give further clinical benefit over monotherapy.

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