Epidemiologic survey of head and neck cancers in Korea.

Head and neck cancers have never been systematically studied for clinical purposes yet in Korea. This epidemiological survey on head and neck cancer patients was undertaken from January to December 2001 in 79 otorhinolaryngology resident-training hospitals nationwide. The number of head and neck cancer patients was 1,063 cases in the year.

Antimicrobial defensin peptides of the human nasal mucosa.

Defensins, a prominent group of antimicrobial peptides, are an important component of the innate immune response, particularly at mucosal surfaces that are vulnerable to colonization by potential pathogens. The present study was undertaken to investigate the expression of defensins in inferior turbinate mucosa of normal subjects and inferior turbinate mucosa and nasal polyps of patients with chronic sinusitis. Expression of beta-defensin 1 and 2 and alpha-defensin 5 and 6 messenger RNAs (mRNAs) was investigated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and their expression level was semiquantitatively evaluated by dot blot hybridization.