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We present a case of primary systemic amyloidosis diagnosed by endoscopic sinus surgery. A 75-year-old woman had blurred vision in her left eye; computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed shadows of the bilateral paranasal sinuses. Endoscopic sinus surgery was performed, and amyloidosis was diagnosed by histopathology. She had previously been diagnosed with amyloidosis of the stomach, and therefore, she was diagnosed with primary systemic amyloidosis. A systemic workup for additional amyloid deposits revealed no evidence of other diseases. The patient remained under follow-up without further treatment, as no further amyloid deposition or progression of the lesions was seen. Amyloidosis is a rare condition characterized by the deposition of abnormal protein filaments in the extracellular tissue. Generally, systemic amyloidosis does not involve the head and neck region, and the presence of amyloid in the nasal and paranasal sinus mucosa is more likely to be indicative of a localized process. However, in our patient, the lesions were located in both the sinonasal tract and the stomach, indicating systemic amyloidosis. To our knowledge, there have been no previous reports of systemic amyloidosis involving the sinonasal tract, and therefore, we consider this case to be extremely rare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Ambient particulate matter (PM) epidemiologically exacerbates respiratory and immune health, including allergic rhinitis (AR) and bronchial asthma (BA). Although fine and coarse particles can affect respiratory tract, the differences in their effects on the upper and lower respiratory tract and immune system, their underlying mechanism, and the components responsible for the adverse health effects have not been yet completely elucidated. In this study, ambient fine and coarse particles were collected at three different locations in Japan by cyclone technique. Both particles collected at all locations decreased the viability of nasal epithelial cells and antigen presenting cells (APCs), increased the production of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-1β from bronchial epithelial cells and APCs, and induced expression of dendritic and epithelial cell (DEC) 205 on APCs. Differences in inflammatory responses, but not in cytotoxicity, were shown between both particles, and among three locations. Some components such as Ti, Co, Zn, Pb, As, OC (organic carbon) and EC (elemental carbon) showed significant correlations to inflammatory responses or cytotoxicity. These results suggest that ambient fine and coarse particles differently affect nasal and bronchial epithelial cells and immune response, which may depend on particles size diameter, chemical composition and source related particles types. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Cyclone technique is an efficient technique for particle sampling. • Investigated ambient particles affected cell viability and inflammation. • Investigated ambient particles induced surface expression of mouse dendritic cell. • Biological responses depend on particles size, chemical composition and locations. We showed for the first time in the world that ambient fine and coarse particles collected from Japan by the new technique using cyclone have different effects on the epithelium cells of the upper and lower respiratory tract and elicit varying immune response, which may depend on particles size diameter, chemical composition and source related particles types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]