Christina Yeras
Research Mentor: Amarbir Gill
Mentor Department: MM Otolaryngology, Medicine
Author(s): Christina Yeras, Amarbir Gill, Bangqiao Yin, Yiran Li
Session: Session 7 (4:00 PM – 4:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Poster 15
Abstract
Background Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammatory airway disease characterized by chronic sinonasal symptoms. It can present with polyps (CRSwNP) or without polyps (CRSsNP). CRS poses a clinical burden and economic impact due to healthcare costs including imaging, surgical interventions, and repeated management. Objective This study aimed to characterize histological and cellular differences – specifically tissue remodeling, immune cell composition, and mucus secretion – among anterior ethmoid sinus tissue samples from patients with CRSwNP and non-CRS controls. Methods Human tissue samples from control subjects and patients were analyzed using multiple histological stains. Masson’s trichrome stain was used to assess the epithelial basement membrane, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was used to identify immune cells, and periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) staining was used to evaluate mucus production. Stained cells were analysed using photographs from a light microscope. To quantify the differences between control and diseased tissue samples, three representative sections from each sample were randomly selected and analyzed. Analysis Basement membrane thickness was measured in each selected region, and mean values were calculated for control and diseased tissues. Immune cell populations were quantified by counting specific cell types visually within each region and comparing distributions between groups. Mucin production was assessed by quantifying PAS-positive cells and calculating average values per sample. The analysis process is ongoing, but based on interim findings we expect to see thinner epithelial basement membrane, increased inflammatory cell infiltration, particularly eosinophils and lymphocytes, and greater production of mucus in CRSwNP tissues compared to controls. Importantly, statistics have not been run on these findings and further statistical validation is required to confirm significance.
