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. Immunohistochemical analysis was used for detection of alpha-defensins 1, 2, and 3 in tissue sections. Beta-defensin 1 mRNA was expressed in all tissue samples, at levels that did not differ significantly. Beta-defensin 2 mRNA was detected in the turbinate mucosa and nasal polyps of patients with chronic sinusitis, but not in normal mucosa. Its expression level was significantly higher in nasal polyps than in turbinate mucosa. Alpha-defensin 5 and 6 mRNAs were not expressed in any tissues, but alpha-defensins 1, 2, and 3 were detected in all tissue samples obtained from patients with chronic sinusitis. These results suggest that beta-defensin 1 may play a constitutive role in nasal defenses, whereas alpha-defensins 1, 2, and 3 and beta-defensin 2 may be induced in response to local infection or inflammation.

No abstract

As the age distribution in Korean society has gotten gradually older, the morbidity of cancer in Korea has increased accordingly. This also derives from the increase of smoking, drinking, and air pollution. Since the 1980s, in spite of the substantial expansion of surgical aspect and radiotherapy, significant number of people has still been suffering from cancer, which often ends up with death. The data of cancer registry reports the current status of nationwide cancers under the guidance of central committee of the Korean Cancer Registry in the Ministry of Health and Welfare. However, this implies several limitations because it is focused too much on the diagnosis itself. Thus, in our epidemiologic survey, we intend to develop various items to add, such as classification of anatomical primary site, staging of head and neck cancers, correlation between smoking or drinking and head and neck cancer, double primary cancers, and treatment modality by site and stage. We further expect to accomplish the accuracy and the completion of the survey data by allowing otolaryngologists let input the data, who are in charge of head and neck cancers. We truly hope that we could understand head and neck cancers of Korea systematically and precisely through this data. This understanding could hopefully make analysis of survival rate, and treatment result possible. Finally, we expect that this data could serve as an important sour- Epidemiologic Survey of Head and Neck Cancers in KoreaHead 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. The largest proportion of cases arose in the larynx, as many as 488 cases, which accounted for 45.9%. It was followed by, in order of frequency, oral cavity (16.5%), oropharynx (10.0%), and hypopharynx (9.5%). The male:female ratio was 5:1, and the mean age was 60.3 yr. Surgery was the predominant treatment modality in head and neck cancers: 204 (21.5%) cases were treated with only surgery, 198 (20.8%) cases were treated with surgery and radiotherapy, 207 cases (21.8%) were treated with combined therapy of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Larynx and hypopharynx cancers had a stronger relationship with smoking and alcohol drinking than other primary site cancers. Of them, 21 cases were found to be metastasized at the time of diagnosis into the lung, gastrointestinal tract, bone, or brain. Coexisting second primary malignancies were found in 23 cases. At the time of diagnosis, a total of 354 cases had cervical lymph node metastasis accounting for 42.0%.

Sixty-three biopsy specimens were obtained from the olfactory region of 15 patients with persistent anosmia and 6 patients with normosmia after sinus surgery. Immunohistochemical examination of all specimens with microtubule-associated protein 5 (MAP5) antisera demonstrated olfactory epithelium in 11 of 18 specimens from normosmic patients and in 12 of 45 samples from anosmic patients. There was a significant difference in the proportion of specimens containing olfactory epithelium between the two groups of patients. In normosmic patients, most of the biopsy samples contained normal-appearing olfactory tissue. However, 2 main patterns of histologic findings were noted in the olfactory mucosa of anosmic patients. First, the olfactory receptor cells were remarkably decreased in number. Second, the orderly arrangement of cells characteristic of normal olfactory epithelium was lost, demonstrating a degenerative appearance. These data suggest that olfactory epithelium can be degenerated even in chronic sinusitis and thereafter extensively replaced with respiratory epithelium, resulting in increased sampling error. Moreover, an unimproved olfactory deficit after sinus surgery may be due to the abnormalities observed at the olfactory epithelium level.

We suggest that p27(Kip1) is a reliable independent marker of tumor progression, invasiveness, and prognosis in the mucoepidermoid carcinomas.