Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a prevalent condition linked to IgE-mediated immune responses. T follicular helper (TFH) cells, particularly the TFH2 subset, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of AR due to their role in promoting IgE production. However, the number, functional gene expression, and differences among the three TFH subsets in AR patients remain unclear. Methods: This study recruited six AR patients and three healthy controls. Flow cytometry and single-cell sequencing were used to identify and analyze subsets of TFH cells. TFH1, TFH2, and TFH17 subsets were identified based on CXCR3 and CXCR6 expression. Functional gene expression in TFH subsets of AR patients and healthy controls was analyzed to explore differences in immune responses. Results: AR patients exhibited a significant increase in circulating TFH2 cells compared to healthy controls, correlating with disease severity. Additionally, precursor memory TFH cells were higher in AR patients. However, no significant differences were found in the expression of functional membrane molecules on TFH cells between the two groups.. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed nine TFH clusters with differential expression of functional genes, including a GZMK + TFH subset. The increased proportion of TFH1 and TFH2 subsets in AR compared to controls suggests their significant involvement in the pathogenesis of AR. Conclusions: Our study reveals increased TFH2 cells and differential TFH subset distributions in AR patients, especially the discovery of the GZMK + TFH subset, providing insights into TFH-mediated mechanisms in AR. These findings suggest potential therapeutic targets for AR treatment.

Single-cell transcriptomics reveals the alteration of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in AR patient challenge by allergen

Abstract Objectives: To assess the impact of risk factors on the disease control among CRS patients, following 1 year of functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), and combining the risk factors to formulate a convenient, visualized prediction model. Design: A retrospective and nonconcurrent cohort study Setting and Participants: A total of 325 patients with Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) from June 2018 to July 2020 at the First Affiliated Hospital, the Third Affiliated Hospital, and the Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. Main Outcomes Measures: Outcomes were time to event measures: the disease control of CRS after surgery 1 year. The presence of nasal polyps, smoking habits, allergic rhinitis (AR), the ratio of tissue eosinophil (TER), and peripheral blood eosinophil count (PBEC)and asthma was assessed. The logistic regression models were used to conduct multivariate and univariate analyses. Asthma, TER, AR, PBEC were also included in the nomogram. The calibration curve and AUC (Area Under Curve) were used to evaluate the forecast performance of the model. Results: In univariate analyses, most of the covariates had significant associations with the endpoints, except for age, gender, and smoking. The nomogram showed the highest accuracy with an AUC of 0.760 (95% CI, 0.688-0.830) in the training cohort. Conclusions: In this cohort study that included the asthma, AR, TER, PBEC had significantly affected the disease control of CRS after surgery. The model provided relatively accurate prediction in the disease control of CRS after FESS and served as a visualized reference for daily diagnosis and treatment.

S) score, posterior ethmoid sinus (PES) score, sphenoid sinus (SS) score, ethmoid sinus score/maxillary sinus score (ES/MS) ratio and posterior ethmoid sinus score/anterior ethmoid sinus score (PES/AES) ratio were significantly higher in the B-high subgroup. Logistic regression analyses disclosed that comparing with other sinus CT parameters, OC score was an independent predictor for systemic eosinophilia. There was a moderate correlation between OC score and the level of blood eosinophil (r=0.57, P<0.001). Conclusion: Olfactory cleft opacification shown in paranasal sinus CT may be a marker for the phenotype of CRSwNP with systemic eosinophilia, which appears to be closely related to olfactory dysfunction.