The findings on how the white blood cells are triggered in the mucous membrane lining, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, may help find drugs that combat chronic inflammation.

Specifically, holding back B7-related proteins -- called B7 homologs -- which are responsible for starting up the white blood cell response in a pathogen attack may help combat the cascade of "feel-awful" symptoms associated with sinusitis and asthma.

"The inside surface of our nose and sinuses is much more than a protective cover, and we have good scientific evidence to show that epithelial cells on these mucosal membranes are very powerful mediators -- middlemen -- in diseases that result in inflammation," senior study investigator Dr. Jean Kim of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in says in a statement.

The study already helps in understanding why some people are not helped by corticosteroid drugs or why the effectiveness of these drugs wanes with time. One of these drugs used in these cell studies failed to stop overproduction of either B7-H1 or B7-DC.