2.1 | Patients and specimens
Patients admitted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China, during the same period (from 1/1 2019 to 1/12 2020) were enrolled in the study. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects. The investigation was approved by the Ethics Committee for Human Study at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. We collected specimens from patients in the CRSwNP, CRSsNP, and control groups (n=15 each). Patients were selected based on the Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of CRS formulated by Europe (EPOS2012).30 The inclusion criteria were as follows: age, 18–60 years; systemic or local glucocorticoids, immunosuppressants, or nasal sprays had not been used by the subject within one month before the study. Patients with the following diseases/conditions were excluded: posterior nostril polyps; cystic fibrosis; fungal sinusitis; varus papilloma and other tumours; ciliary immobility syndrome; lower airway diseases, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema; infectious diseases, such as hepatitis and tuberculosis; acute infectious diseases; and severe systemic diseases.