Tubulysins are a group of bioactive secondary metabolites from myxobacteria exhibiting strong anticancer activity against various cancer cell lines. In this study, we describe the identification of ...putative tubulysin biosynthetic gene clusters (tubA~tubF) in the genome sequences of two tubulysin-producing myxobacterial strains, Archangium gephyra MEHO_002 and MEHO_004. The inactivation of the putative tubulysin biosynthetic genes resulted in a tubulysin-production defect. The DNA sequences of the A. gephyra MEHO_002 and MEHO_004 tubulysin biosynthetic genes were 97% identical, and the amino acid sequences of the encoded proteins shared a similarity of 97−100%. The nucleotide sequences of the tubulysin biosynthetic gene clusters in MEHO_002 and MEHO_004 were 86% identical to that in Cystobacter sp. SBCb004 known as a tubulysin-producing myxobacterium, and the organization of the clusters was identical except for the lack of a tubZ gene in the clusters in MEHO_002 and MEHO_004. The amino acid sequences of the proteins encoded by each gene were 88-97% similar to those encoded by SBCb004, and the domain compositions of the proteins were also identical. KCI Citation Count: 0
Although prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a very useful screening tool, prostate biopsy is still necessary to confirm prostate cancer (PCA). However, it is reported that PSA is associated with a ...high false-positive rate and prostate biopsy also has various procedure-related complications. Therefore, the authors have devised a nomogram, which can be used to estimate the risk of PCA, using available clinical data for men with a serum PSA less than 10 ng/mL. Prostate biopsies were obtained from 2,139 patients from January 1998 to March 2011. Of them, 1,171 patients with a serum PSA less than 10 ng/mL were only included in this study. Patient age, PSA, free PSA, prostate volume, PSA density and percent free PSA ratio were analyzed. Among 1,171 patients, 255 patients (21.8%) were diagnosed as PCA. Multivariate analyses showed that patient age, prostate volume, PSA and percent free PSA had statistically significant relationships with PCA (P < 0.05) and were used as nomogram predictor variables. The area under the (ROC) curve for all factors in a model predicting PCA was 0.759 (95% CI, 0.716-0.803).
Objectives. Fibro-osseous lesions of the paranasal sinuses can present various clinical manifestations. This study aimed to report the long-term clinical course of benign fibro-osseous lesions ...(BFOLs) in the paranasal sinuses, including clinical and radiologic features.Methods. Radiologically confirmed BFOLs between 1994 and 2016, with the exclusion of osteoma cases, were retrospectively reviewed. We compared demographic characteristics between the surgery and observation groups. The reasons for the imaging study, radiographic features, histopathology, and clinical course based on serial image scans were analyzed.Results. In total, 183 subjects were selected from a thorough review of head and neck radiologic tests (n=606,068) at a tertiary referral hospital over 22 years. Patients’ mean age was 28.6±18.1 years, and 56.3% were males. A diagnostic imaging workup was performed in 55.7% of patients due to facial asymmetry, headache, skull mass, or other symptoms related to BFOLs. In other patients (37.7%), BFOLs were found incidentally on computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. The most common diagnosis was fibrous dysplasia, followed by ossifying fibroma, based on both radiologic exams and histopathologic results. In total, 42.6% of the patients underwent surgery because of subjective symptoms or esthetic concerns. The patients who underwent surgery were younger (P<0.001) and had a longer follow-up duration (P<0.001) than those who underwent observation. Patients who experienced lesion growth (11.5%) were younger (P<0.001) and had more lesion sites (P=0.018) than those who did not, regardless of surgical treatment. Five patients underwent optic nerve decompression, and one patient experienced malignant transformation.Conclusion. BFOL in the paranasal sinuses is a rare disease, and most cases were observed without specific treatment. Surgical treatment should be considered in symptomatic patients with aggressive clinical features. Regular observation and management are needed, particularly in younger patients in their teens.
We compared changes in nocturia and sleep-related parameters between daytime and nighttime solifenacin dosing in patents with overactive bladder (OAB) and nocturia. We comparatively analyzed the data ...of a 12-week prospective, open-label, multicenter, randomized study. All 127 patients who presented to 5 centers in Korea for the treatment of OAB with nocturia between January 2011 and December 2013 were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into 2 groups by medication timing: group 1, daytime (n = 62); and group 2, nighttime (n = 65). The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS), and Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) were used to assess OAB symptoms and sleep quality. We evaluated the parameter changes before and 12 weeks after daytime or nighttime solifenacin administration. Baseline data, which included sex, age, body mass index (BMI), total AIS, IPSS, and OABSS, did not differ between the 2 groups. Total IPSS, OABSS, and total AIS significantly improved after solifenacin administration regardless of timing (P < 0.001). After solifenacin administration, the number of nocturia episodes decreased in the group 1 and 2 (P < 0.001). There were no significant intergroup differences in changes in AIS, IPSS, OABSS, and number of nocturia episodes 12 weeks after solifenacin administration. Treating OAB with solifenacin may improve nocturia and sleep quality, but advantages did not differ significantly by medication timing.
Purpose: To investigate the clinicopathologic effects of cyclosporine A (CsA) in children with diseases characterized by mesangial immunoglobulin A deposits such as immunoglobulin A nephropathy ...(IgAN) and Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSPN).
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinicopathologic outcomes of 54children (IgAN, 36; HSPN, 18) treated with CsA. The starting dose of CsA was 5mg/kg per day, and it was administered in 2 divided doses. The degree of proteinuria and pathologic changes in renal biopsies were evaluated before and after CsA treatment.
Results: The mean protein to creatinine ratio decreased from 3.7±1.5 to 0.6±0.4(P <0.001), and 32 (59.2%) children achieved complete remission of proteinuria after 1-year CsA treatment. Among the 54 children, 24 maintained normal renal function and 25 exhibited microscopic hematuria or proteinuria at the end of CsA treatment. In the HSPN group, 3 children whose initial biopsies indicated class IIIb disease showed class II disease on follow-up, and the follow-up biopsies of 2children who had class II disease indicated the same class II disease. In the IgAN group, cortical tubular atrophy occurred in 1 child, and no child with IgAN had cortical interstitial fibrosis or tubular atrophy after 1-year CsA treatment. No significant complications were found in the children treated with CsA.
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that CsA treatment is effective and beneficial in reducing massive proteinuria and preventing progression to end-stage renal failure in children with glomerular diseases characterized by IgA deposits, such as IgAN and HSPN, within 1 year of treatment. KCI Citation Count: 0
Background and Objectives: To investigate the common site of recurrent epistaxis after initial intervention such as packingand cauterization had failed and to evaluate the efficacy of surgical ...endoscopic electrocautery.
Subjects and Method: Retrospective review of 47 patients with recurrent and uncontrolled idiopathic epistaxis betweenOctober 1995 and March 2016. All patients underwent endoscopic examination in the operating room after hospitalization. Weperformed electrocautery when a bleeding site was found.
Results: The most common sites of bleeding were the inferior meatus (28%), sphenoethmoid recess (23%), superior septumaround the olfactory cleft (13%), and the posterior end of the middle turbinate (15%). There was no serious complication duringthe one week after surgery. In 46 (98%) patients, refractory epistaxis was successfully controlled. One patient had recurrent epistaxisafter electrocautery and underwent endoscopic sphenopalatine artery ligation.
Conclusion: In patients with refractory idiopathic epistaxis after failure of first-line treatment, endoscopic examinationthrough a surgical approach and electrocautery for suspected bleeding are effective. KCI Citation Count: 0
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