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Multiciliated epithelial cells in the airway are essential for mucociliary clearance. Their function relies on coordinated, metachronal and directional ciliary beating, appropriate mucus secretion and airway surface hydration. However, current conventional methods for observing human airway ciliary movement require ciliated cells to be detached from airway tissues. Determining the directionality of cilia is difficult. We developed a novel method to stain airway epithelial cilia to observe their movement without releasing ciliated cells. Human tracheae were obtained from patients (n = 13) who underwent laryngectomies to treat malignancies or swallowing disorders. The tracheae were treated with fluorescently labeled wheat germ agglutinin, which interacts with the acidic mucopolysaccharides present on the cilia. Epithelial surfaces were observed using an epi-fluorescence microscope equipped with a water-immersion objective lens and a high-speed camera. Ciliary movement was observable at 125 fps (13/13 samples). Ciliated cells in close proximity mostly exhibited well-coordinated ciliary beats with similar directionalities. These findings indicated that wheat germ agglutinin renders ciliary beats visible, which is valuable for observing human airway ciliary movements in situ.

Background Planar cell polarity (PCP) coordinates the patterning and orientation of cells and their structures along tissue planes, and although its acquisition during the formation of airway epithelium has been described, the mechanisms for its maintenance and reconstruction are poorly understood. We aimed to clarify whether ambient environment change by orthotropic autologous transplantation affected PCP at the cellular level. Methods We performed orthotropic autologous transplantation by inverting tracheal segments in rats, and then performed morphological evaluation by microscopy. The PCP of the tracheal epithelium was assessed over time by analyzing the directions of mucociliary transport and ciliary beat, the positional relationship between the basal body and basal foot, and the bias of Vang-like protein 1 (Vangl1) at 2, 4, and 6 months postoperatively. Results After 2 months, the directions of mucociliary transport and ciliary beat were preserved toward the lung in the inverted tracheal segments. The positional relationship between the basal body and the basal foot, and the bias of Vangl1, also indicated preservation of PCP in the inverted tracheal segments. Similar results were obtained at 6 months. Conclusion The PCP of ciliated epithelium was preserved in reversed trachea, even after long-term observation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12931-018-0726-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Intersinus septal cells (ISSC) are defined as cells confined to the thin septum separating the frontal sinuses. In 2008, Som et al. first described four cases with a mucocele proved to have arisen in ISSC. Here, we report two cases with a mucocele in ISSC, representing the second report to appear in the English literature. Case 1 involved a mucocele in the center of the frontal lesion with rudimentary bilateral frontal sinuses, which suggested that the ISSC mucocele occurred during very early development of the frontal sinuses. Case 2 concerned a mucocele in the unilocular frontal sinus invading the left orbit. The frontal sinus septum was destroyed with partial ‘Y’-shaped remnants, which implied the ballooning and bursting of the ISSC mucocele into both sides of the frontal sinus. The two different mechanisms of development of the ISSC mucoceles may vary in relation to the time of onset.

To investigate the hypothesis that prophylactic triamcinolone modulates acute vocal fold inflammatory and profibrotic signaling during acute phonotrauma.In vivo rabbit phonation model.Academic medical center.Forty New Zealand white breeder rabbits were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: control (no intervention), no treatment (30 minutes of raised intensity phonation), sham treatment (bilateral intralaryngeal triamcinolone acetonide injection at 0 µg/25 µL followed by 30 minutes of raised intensity phonation), or steroid treatment (bilateral intralaryngeal triamcinolone acetonide injection at 400 µg/25 µL followed by 30 minutes of raised intensity phonation). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to investigate gene expression levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), interleukin (IL)-1β, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1.Results revealed a significant main effect for COX-2 (P = .002). Post hoc testing revealed that rabbits receiving no treatment (15.10) had higher COX-2 gene expression than control (5.90; P.001). There were no significant differences in COX-2 expression between treatment groups. Results revealed a significant main effect for IL-1β (P.001). Post hoc testing revealed that rabbits receiving no treatment (14.70) had higher IL-1β gene expression than control (6.30) (P = .001). There were no significant differences in IL-1β gene expression between treatment groups. There were no significant differences in TGF-β1 gene expression (P = .525) between treatment and control groups.Given conflicting evidence, further studies are necessary to investigate vocal fold steroid injections prior to and following the induction of phonotrauma. Prophylactic administration of triamcinolone immediately prior to acute phonotrauma resulted in no significant changes in COX-2, IL-1β, and TGF-β1 gene transcript levels.