Culprit behind chronic sinusitis found?

BALTIMORE, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Low levels of proteins that tell the nose's
immune system to zap bacteria may be the cause of chronic sinus
infections, say U.S. researchers.

A team at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore says it has
discovered that the condition is linked to the activity of at least four
genes in the nasal immune defense system.

The scientists, led by Andrew Lane, director of the rhinology and sinus
surgery center at Johns Hopkins, examined nasal epithelial tissue from
30 men and women who had obstruction-clearing surgery for chronic
sinusitis. Samples from 10 healthy controls were also studied.

The team found that people who did not benefit from surgery had levels
20 to 200 times below normal of two key proteins, human beta defensin 2
(HBD2) and mannose binding lectin (MBL).

HBD2 and MBL attach themselves to pathogens in the sinuses and release
natural antibiotics that kill invaders before they can cause infections.
The antibiotic proteins are activated by toll-like receptor proteins,
which the researchers discovered are 30 times lower than normal in
patients that did not benefit from surgery.

"The potential is there to manipulate these chemical receptors and
proteins to see if this makes patients more responsive to conventional
therapy," said Lane, who will describe his work Sept. 19 at the annual
meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.

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