Sneezing is a special mechanism that allows to "restart" the system of cells of the nasal cavity.
For example, if a person has sinusitis (an inflammation of the sinuses of the nose), then the system will function incorrectly and cause sneezing to get the job done, say researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.
When the system is overloaded, the person sneezes. Then the environment in the nasal cavity is restored to normal, and the sensors can again analyze the inhaled particles. It is microscopic hairs, located on the cells lining the nasal cavity, cause sneezing.
Scientists conducted an experiment during which watched the nasal cells from mice rid of mucus for sinusitis.
So, when the cells were exposed to the air flow during sneezing, their biochemical reaction system "rebooted". An experiment with humans showed that tissues taken from sinusitis patients did not react to the sneeze simulator in the normal way.
Perhaps patients with sinusitis often sneeze, as the cells are not able to update normally. This discovery in the future can be used to treat various diseases of the nasal cavity, scientists believe.
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