Wu J, et al. - Considering the association between several proinflammatory cytokines and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), researchers determined their expression within the olfactory cleft microenvironment and association with olfactory function. They collected mucus from the olfactory cleft and middle meatus of 31 CRS without nasal polyps subjects, 36 CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) subjects, and 12 healthy controls and noted that the inflammatory microenvironment within the olfactory cleft mirrors that within the middle meatus. CRS patients demonstrated reduced olfactory identification scores in association with elevated levels of interleukin [IL]-2, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-13 in olfactory cleft mucus. Observations suggested a potential deleterious effect of the altered levels of select olfactory mucus cytokines on olfactory neuron function and turnover.