Vitamin D Deficiency as a Contributing Factor to Chronic Rhinitis in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: An Epidemiological Study.

Background: Recent studies suggest a critical role for vitamin D in respiratory diseases, including asthma and allergic rhinitis. However, the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and chronic rhinitis, particularly in middle- and older-aged populations, remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the association between vitamin D deficiency and chronic rhinitis in middle- and older-aged adults while controlling for lifestyle and physical status factors.

Intermittent hypoxia induces Th17/Treg imbalance in a murine model of obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by cyclic normoxic and hypoxic conditions (intermittent hypoxia, IH) induced by the repeated closure of the upper-airway respiratory tract. As a pathomechanism of OSA, IH results in various comorbidities via chronic inflammation and related pathways. However, the role of other inflammatory cells, such as lymphocytes, has not been well-explored.

Effect of monopolar diathermy power settings on postoperative pain, wound healing, and tissue damage after tonsillectomy: a randomized clinical trial.

This study aimed to assess the impact of varying monopolar diathermy power settings on postoperative pain, hemorrhage, and wound healing following tonsillectomy. A single-center, prospective, randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical study was conducted. During bilateral tonsillectomy procedures, one tonsil received low-power settings (15 W, cutting/blend) while the other tonsil received high-power settings (35 W, cutting/blend).

Role of TRPC3 in Right Ventricular Dilatation under Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia in 129/SvEv Mice.

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) exhibit a high prevalence of pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy. However, the exact molecule responsible for the pathogenesis remains unknown. Given the resistance to RV dilation observed in transient receptor potential canonical 3 mice during a pulmonary hypertension model induced by phenylephrine (PE), we hypothesized that TRPC3 also plays a role in chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) conditions, which lead to RV dilation and dysfunction.

KAAACI Allergic Rhinitis Guidelines: Part 2. Update in Non-pharmacological Management.

Allergic rhinitis is the most common chronic disease worldwide. Various upper airway symptoms lower quality of life, and due to the recurrent symptoms, multiple treatments are usually attempted rather than one definitive treatment. There are alternatives to medical (medication-based) and non-medical treatments.

Clinical Practice Guideline: Clinical Efficacy of Nasal Surgery in the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder characterized by upper airway obstruction during sleep. To reduce the morbidity of OSA, sleep specialists have explored various methods of managing the condition, including manifold positive airway pressure (PAP) techniques and surgical procedures. Nasal obstruction can cause significant discomfort during sleep, and it is likely that improving nasal obstruction would enhance the quality of life and PAP compliance of OSA patients.

KAAACI Allergic Rhinitis Guidelines: Part 1. Update in Pharmacotherapy.

The prevalence of allergic rhinitis (AR) and the socioeconomic burden associated with the medical cost and quality of life (QOL) of AR have progressively increased. Therefore, practical guidelines for the appropriate management of AR need to be developed based on scientific evidence while considering the real-world environment, values, and preferences of patients and physicians. The Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology revised clinical guidelines of AR to address key clinical questions of the management of AR.

Non-contact diagnosis of sleep breathing disorders using infrared optical gas imaging: a prospective observational study.

Full-night polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, PSG requires several sensors to be attached to the patient's body, which can interfere with sleep. Moreover, non-contact devices that utilize impulse radio ultra-wideband radar have limitations as they cannot directly measure respiratory airflow.

Clinical Practice Guideline: Nasal Irrigation for Chronic Rhinosinusitis in Adults.

The Korean Society of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Korean Rhinologic Society appointed a guideline development group (GDG) to establish a clinical practice guideline, and the GDG developed a guideline for nasal irrigation for adult patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The guideline focuses on knowledge gaps, practice variations, and clinical concerns associated with nasal irrigation. Nasal irrigation has been recommended as the first-line treatment for CRS in various guidelines, and its clinical effectiveness has been demonstrated through a number of studies with robust evidence.

Consumer-grade sleep trackers are still not up to par compared to polysomnography.

Purpose: Although polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard for monitoring sleep, it has many limitations. We aimed to prospectively determine the validity of wearable sleep-tracking devices and smartphone applications by comparing the data to that of PSGs.

Methods: Patients who underwent one night of attended PSG at a single institution from January, 2015 to July 2019 were recruited.

Validating respiratory index of auto-titrating positive airway pressure device with polysomnography.

Purpose: Positive airway pressure (PAP) devices have been widely used as the first line of treatment in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Most advanced PAP devices support the estimation of respiratory index (RI) using the patient's mask airflow. In addition to the compliance factor for PAP device use, which is important for monitoring patient sleep health, RI is also becoming important for monitoring.

The effects of intermittent hypoxia on human nasal mucosa.

Purpose: Intermittent hypoxia (IH) is characterized by hypoxia-reoxygenation, reported to be a critical risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This experiment aimed to evaluate the direct effects of IH on the human nasal mucosa.

Methods: The direct effects of IH on the human nasal mucosa was evaluated by measuring the ciliary beat frequency (CBF) and expression levels of inflammatory cytokines (granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, transforming growth factor-β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α).

A modified method of measuring plasma volume with indocyanine green: reducing the frequency of blood sampling while maintaining accuracy.

Among various methods for measuring the plasma volume (PV), the indocyanine green (ICG) dilution technique is a relatively less invasive method. However, the ICG method is rather cumbersome because 10 blood samples need to be obtained within a short time after ICG administration. Thus, reducing the frequency of blood sampling while maintaining the accuracy would facilitate plasma volume measurement in clinical situations.

Validity analysis of respiratory events of polysomnography using a plethysmography chest and abdominal belt.

Purpose: Respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP) is recommended as an alternative respiratory sensor for the identification of each apnea and hypopnea event in polysomnography. Using this sensor, the cumulative RIP results from the chest and abdomen (RIP sum) and time-derived results of the RIP sum (RIP flow) are calculated to track respiratory flow. However, the effectiveness of this sensor and the calculated respiratory results is still unclear, and validation studies for the scoring of respiratory events in polysomnography are rare.

Surgical outcomes of overlapping lateral pharyngoplasty with or without coblator tongue base resection for obstructive sleep apnea.

Purpose: Considerable number of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) failed to respond to positive airway pressure therapy and so turned to surgical procedures. A wide variety of surgical procedures have been developed and advanced, according to obstruction and target site through nasal cavity to trachea. We introduced our overlapping lateral pharyngoplasty (OLP) technique as a surgical option for OSA and evaluated its surgical outcomes both with and without endoscope-guided coblator tongue base resection (CobTBR).

Correlations between pediatric obstructive sleep apnea and longitudinal growth.

Objectives: Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea has a relatively high prevalence and has various negative health and behavioral consequences. Among the various complications of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea, growth disturbance is still controversial.

Method: 745 pediatric subjects with obstructive sleep apnea diagnosed by in-lab polysomnography were enrolled, after excluding ineligible subjects with abnormal growth related factors.

Guidelines for the Antibiotic Use in Adults with Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections.

These guidelines were developed as part of the 2016 Policy Research Servicing Project by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A multidisciplinary approach was taken to formulate this guideline to provide practical information about the diagnosis and treatment of adults with acute upper respiratory tract infection, with the ultimate aim to promote the appropriate use of antibiotics. The formulation of this guideline was based on a systematic literature review and analysis of the latest research findings to facilitate evidence-based practice, and focused on key questions to help clinicians obtain solutions to clinical questions that may arise during the care of a patient.

Alteration of Inflammatory Mediators in the Upper and Lower Airways under Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia: Preliminary Animal Study.

Purpose: We hypothesized that CIH may affect the upper airway immune system and aimed to verify whether CIH can induce airway inflammation in a murine obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) model.

Methods: C57BL6 male mice were exposed to intermittent hypoxia (CIH group; 5 ~ 21% FiO, 120 sec cycles, 12 h/d, = 6) or room air (Sham group, = 6) for up to 4 weeks in identical chambers. Nasal and lung tissues and lavage fluid were collected and analyzed by multiplex assay.

Superior Branch Palsy of the Oculomotor Nerve Caused by Frontal Sinusitis.

Chronic rhinosinusitis is one of the most common inflammatory diseases with a significant impact on the affected patients. Orbital complications, one of the emergent complications of chronic rhinosinusitis, can be occurred in frontal sinusitis. For early diagnosis and therapy of orbital complications, proper evaluation is essential to prevent loss of vision.

Correlation between symptoms and objective findings may improve the symptom-based diagnosis of chronic rhinosinusitis for primary care and epidemiological studies.

Background: In primary care and epidemiological studies of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), symptom-based diagnosis is common, yet limited, because endoscopic and radiological signs are not considered.

Objectives: To evaluate the correlation between symptoms and objective findings of CRS to improve its symptom-based diagnosis for primary care and epidemiological studies by using data from a large-scale nationwide epidemiological study, the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Association of body mass index and other factors with histamine skin reactivity in adults with allergic nasal symptoms.

Background: The skin-prick test is the most commonly used method to diagnose allergy. In addition, histamine skin reactivity is used as a positive control for the skin-prick test. However, there is individual variation in histamine skin reactivity.