title: Different types of tissue composition in inflammatory or reparative upper airway disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Composition changes of extracellular matrix (ECM) can lead to functional disorders of the upper airways (UA). The aim of this study was to systematically measure both the association patterns and the correlation degree between tissue composition parameters in UA inflammatory diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nasal samples were obtained from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with (CRS+NP), without nasal polyps (CRS), with post-operative adhesions (S) and normal nasal mucosa (NM). A reproducible semi-quantitative method, which takes epithelial and lamina propria damages into account was applied for haematoxylin and eosin, alpha-smooth muscle actin, reticulin, elastin, laminin and collagen type IV stainings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most severe cases of epithelial shedding have been found in a significant higher amount in CRS+NP when compared with NM. The most severe cases of inflammatory reaction were mainly found in CRS+NP. CRS+NP had significantly more severe cases of oedema than NM. Excluding elastin, networks in other ECM proteins were found modified in fibrotic fields but to a lesser extend in oedematous regions in all conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although non specific, oedema in the lamina propria is a key-feature of CRS+NP, while fibrosis, massively present in CRS and S, affects profoundly the distribution of ECM proteins in these areas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Coster
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eloy
authors.forename: Liesbeth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferdinande
authors.forename: Jasmien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Taildeman
authors.forename: Claude A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Cuvelier
authors.forename: Jean-Baptiste
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Watelet
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D024141:Collagen Type IV / Q000378:metabolism; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D004487:Edema / Q000378:metabolism; D004549:Elastin / Q000378:metabolism; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007797:Laminin / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D009298:Nasal Polyps / Q000378:metabolism*; D012155:Reticulin / Q000378:metabolism; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C541116:ACTA2 protein, human; D000199:Actins; D024141:Collagen Type IV; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D007797:Laminin; D012155:Reticulin; D004549:Elastin