Causes of benign positional vertigo (BPV) are mostly unknown. The aim of this study was to elucidate an association of osteoporosis with idiopathic BPV.
Two hundred nine consecutive patients with a ...confirmed diagnosis of idiopathic BPV underwent bone mineral densitometry of anterior-posterior lumbar spine and femur. The T scores were compared with those of 202 controls without a history of dizziness. Recurrence was defined when the patients reported two or more previous episodes of positional vertigo similar to those experienced at the time of diagnosis.
In both women and men, the lowest T scores were decreased in patients with BPV compared with those in controls. Furthermore, the prevalences of osteopenia (-2.5 < T score < -1.0) and osteoporosis (T score < or =-2.5) were higher in both women and men with BPV than in controls. Multiple logistic regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, alcohol, smoking, and hyperphosphatemia showed that only the existence of osteopenia/osteoporosis was associated with an increased risk of BPV (adjusted odds ratio of osteopenia = 2.0, 95% confidence interval 1.2-3.4, p = 0.011; adjusted odds ratio of osteoporosis = 3.1, 95% confidence interval 1.4-7.2, p = 0.007). In women aged > or =45 years, the lowest T scores were also decreased in the recurrent group, compared with those in the de novo group.
Osteopenia/osteoporosis may be associated with idiopathic benign positional vertigo (BPV). The effectiveness of measuring bone mineral densitometry and restoring normal calcium metabolism for preventing recurrences of BPV requires further validation.
Summary
To review the effect of teriparatide as an adjunctive modality for bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ), we describe a series of cases of teriparatide therapy for the ...treatment of BRONJ and serial changes of serum osteoclacin (s-OC) and serum C-terminal telopeptide cross-link of type I collagen (s-CTX).
Introduction
Management of BRONJ is quite challenging and the currently recommended modalities for BRONJ are still suboptimal. For the improvement of bony remodeling, some clinicians advocated bisphosphonate holiday although validity of this drug holiday has been debated so far. Recently, the use of teriparatide was introduced in several cases, but the number of the publication is limited and mostly anecdotal so far.
Method
Bisphosphonate was suspended and teriparatide was given to six patients diagnosed with BRONJ by single bone specialist. Medical record review and interviews were carried out. S-CTX and s-OC were measured at the baseline, 2 months and 3 months later teriparatide therapy. The outcome of the treatment and the change of biochemical markers were compared.
Result
In all six patients, s-OC values were significantly elevated within 2 months after teriparatide treatment and the BRONJ lesions were healed. S-CTX values were also elevated in four patients, whereas those of the rest two patients stayed within minimal change. The change was marginally significant at 3 months.
Conclusion
In terms of the multifactorial etiology of BRONJ, bone formation suppression was noticed in the patients. Based upon this finding, the short-term use of teriparatide might be beneficial to the resolution of BRONJ lesions by improving suppressed bone remodeling.
Summary
Background Although asthma is a common cause of morbidity in adults, relatively few objectively measured population studies of asthma prevalence in adult populations have been conducted.
...Objective To evaluate the prevalence of asthma, based on both a questionnaire and methacholine bronchial provocation test, and to determine the risk factors of asthma prevalence in an adult population.
Methods A total of 2467 adults, who were randomly selected from metropolitan urban, non‐metropolitan urban and rural areas, responded to the modified ISAAC questionnaire, and underwent methacholine bronchial provocation tests and skin prick tests to locally common aeroallergens.
Results The prevalence of current asthma based on the questionnaire and the methacholine challenge was 2.0% in adults younger than 40, 3.8% in 40‐ to 54‐year‐olds, 7.7% in 55‐ to 64‐year‐olds and 12.7% in those aged 65 or higher. For subjects of 55–64 years, active smoking was found to be significantly related with the prevalence of current asthma and bronchial hyper‐responsiveness, although smoking was positively associated with percentage predictive value of forced expiratory volume of 1 s (FEV1).
Conclusion The prevalence of current asthma is common among the elderly, and active smoking may play an important role in the development of asthma and bronchial hyper‐responsiveness among the elderly.
Background
House dust mites (HDMs) are the most important source of indoor aeroallergens that contribute to the rising incidence of allergic diseases such as allergic asthma. The major HDM, Der f 2, ...induces inflammatory cytokine expression. Little is known about the signaling pathway involved.
Objective
We wanted to define the Der f 2 signaling pathway from its receptor to the transcription factor responsible for IL‐13 expression and production.
Methods
Human bronchial epithelial cells were stimulated with Der f 2. The release and gene expression of IL‐13 were measured by means of ELISA and RT‐PCR, respectively. In the airway inflammation mouse model, airway responses were assessed using ELISA, histology, BAL fluid, and methacholine responsiveness.
Results
Here, we show that Der f 2 binds to TLR4 and induces IL‐13 expression and production. In the airway inflammation mouse model, Der f 2‐induced IL‐13 production significantly decreased with treatment of TAK‐242, a novel TLR4 inhibitor. Activation of TLR4 by Der f 2 requires the recruitment and activation of Syk, which leads to phosphorylation of PLCγ and membrane translocation of PKCα. p38 MAPK is then activated by PKCα and stimulates PLD1 activity by phosphorylating the Thr147 residue of PLD1. PLD1 activation enhanced binding of ROCK1 to ATF‐2 and leads to increased expression of IL‐13.
Conclusion
Our data extend the knowledge for a variety of possible roles of PLD1 in allergic disorders including asthma pathogenesis and suggest possible candidacy of PLD1 as a molecular target for novel therapeutic approaches.
Plant homeodomain finger 2 (PHF2) has a role in epigenetic regulation of gene expression by demethylating H3K9-Me2. Several genome-wide studies have demonstrated that the chromosomal region including ...the PHF2 gene is often deleted in some cancers including colorectal cancer, and this finding encouraged us to investigate the tumor suppressive role of PHF2. As p53 is a critical tumor suppressor in colon cancer, we tested the possibility that PHF2 is an epigenetic regulator of p53. PHF2 was associated with p53, and thereby, promoted p53-driven gene expression in cancer cells under genotoxic stress. PHF2 converted the chromatin that is favorable for transcription by demethylating the repressive H3K9-Me2 mark. In an HCT116 xenograft model, PHF2 was found to be required for the anticancer effects of oxaliplatin and doxorubicin. In PHF2-deficient xenografts, p53 expression was profoundly induced by both drugs, but its downstream product p21 was not, suggesting that p53 cannot be activated in the absence of PHF2. To find clinical evidence about the role of PHF2, we analyzed the expressions of PHF2, p53 and p21 in human colon cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues from patients. PHF2 was downregulated in cancer tissues and PHF2 correlated with p21 in cancers expressing functional p53. Colon and stomach cancer tissue arrays showed a positive correlation between PHF2 and p21 expressions. Informatics analyses using the Oncomine database also supported our notion that PHF2 is downregulated in colon and stomach cancers. On the basis of these findings, we propose that PHF2 acts as a tumor suppressor in association with p53 in cancer development and ensures p53-mediated cell death in response to chemotherapy.
Summary
Background
Recent studies suggest that Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin sensitization is a risk factor for asthma. However, there is a paucity of epidemiologic evidence on adult‐onset asthma ...in community‐based populations.
Objective
We sought to evaluate the epidemiology and the clinical significance of staphylococcal enterotoxin sensitization in community‐based adult populations.
Methods
The present analyses were performed using the baseline data set of Korean adult population surveys, consisting of 1080 adults (mean age = 60.2 years) recruited from an urban and a rural community. Questionnaires, methacholine challenge tests, and allergen skin tests were performed for defining clinical phenotypes. Sera were analysed for total IgE and enterotoxin‐specific IgE using ImmunoCAP.
Results
Staphylococcal enterotoxin sensitization (≥ 0.35 kU/L) had a prevalence of 27.0%. Risk factors were identified as male sex, current smoking, advanced age (≥ 61 years), and inhalant allergen sensitization. Current asthma was mostly adult onset (≥ 18 years old) and showed independent associations with high enterotoxin‐specific IgE levels in multivariate logistic regression tests. In multivariate linear regressions, staphylococcal enterotoxin‐specific IgE level was identified as the major determinant factor for total IgE level.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance
Staphylococcal enterotoxin sensitization was independently associated with adult‐onset asthma in adult community populations. Strong correlations between the enterotoxin‐specific IgE and total IgE levels support the clinical significance. The present findings warrant further studies for the precise roles of staphylococcal enterotoxin sensitization in the asthma pathogenesis.
Background
ABO‐incompatible (ABO‐I) living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has a high success rate. There are few detailed comparisons regarding biliary complications, infective complications and ...patient survival between ABO‐compatible (ABO‐C) and ABO‐I LDLT. The aim was to compare the outcomes of ABO‐I LDLT with those of ABO‐C LDLT using the matched‐pairs method.
Methods
Patients who underwent ABO‐I LDLT procedures between 2010 and 2013 were studied. They were matched for significant variables with patients who had ABO‐C LDLT (1 : 2 matching).
Results
Forty‐seven ABO‐I LDLT procedures were included. Ninety‐four patients who had ABO‐C LDLT were selected as a comparator group. The incidence of cytomegalovirus, bacterial and fungal infections during the first 3 months was similar after ABO‐I LDLT and ABO‐C LDLT (85 versus 76 per cent, 28 versus 37 per cent, and 13 versus 20 per cent, respectively). Antibody‐mediated rejection occurred after two procedures within 2 weeks of transplantation, but liver function improved with plasma exchange in both patients. There were no differences in the rate of acute rejection and biliary complications between ABO‐I and ABO‐C groups (P = 0·478 and P = 0·511 respectively). Three patients who had ABO‐I LDLT developed diffuse intrahepatic biliary complications and progressed to graft failure. The 1‐, 2‐ and 3‐year patient survival rates after ABO‐I LDLT and ABO‐C LDLT were 89 versus 87 per cent, 85 versus 83 per cent, and 85 versus 79 per cent, respectively.
Conclusion
The short‐term outcomes of ABO‐I LDLT were comparable to those of ABO‐C LDLT in this study. ABO‐I LDLT is an effective and safe transplant option with the potential to expand the pool of live donors.
Similar short‐term outcomes
Objectives
This study aimed to examine the association between statin exposure and dementia risk in individuals with hypercholesterolaemia using data from the NHIS‐HEALS database between 2002 and ...2015.
Methods
Subjects were classified into statin exposure and statin nonexposure groups according to medication possession ratio. Dementia was defined as those with primary diagnostic dementia codes such as F00‐F03, G30, G31.1, G31.9 or G31.82. Cox proportional hazards regression models were adopted after stepwise adjustment for confounders to investigate the prospective association between statin exposure and dementia risk.
Results
During the follow‐up period (median follow‐up 11.7 years), 711 cases of dementia occurred, accounting for 11.5% of the total study population (statin exposure group, 8.2%; statin nonexposure group, 12.9%). Compared to the statin nonexposure group, fully adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence intervals CIs) for overall dementia in the statin exposure group were 0.63 (0.43–0.91) and 0.62 (0.50–0.78) in men and women, respectively. Compared to the statin nonexposure group, the HRs (95% CIs) for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, vascular dementia and other types of dementia in the statin exposure group were 0.54 (0.32–0.91), 2.45 (0.69–8.68) and 0.59 (0.32–1.07), respectively, in men and 0.53 (0.38–0.73), 1.29 (0.42–3.96) and 0.70 (0.51–0.96), respectively, in women.
Conclusions
Hypercholesterolaemic individuals exposed to statin had a lower risk of overall dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia in both sexes, and a lower risk of other types of dementia in women, than subjects who were not exposed to statins.
Abstract Objective Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been studied in regenerative medicine because of their unique immunologic characteristics. However, before clinical application in humans, animal ...models are needed to confirm their safety and efficacy. To date, appropriate methods and sources to obtain mouse MSCs have not been identified. Therefore, we investigated MSCs isolated from 3 strains of mice and 3 sources for the development of MSCs in a mouse model. Materials and Methods Male BALB/c, C3H and C57BL/6 mice were used to isolate MSCs from various tissues including bone marrow (BM), compact bone, and adipose tissue. The MSCs were maintained in StemXVivo medium. Immunophenotypes of the MSCs were analyzed by FACS and their growth potential estimated by the number of colony-forming unit fibroblasts. Results All MSCs that were isolated from BM, compact bone, and adipose tissue showed plastic-adherent, fibroblastic-like morphologic characteristics regardless of the mouse strain or cell source. However, culture of BM MSCs was less successful than the other tissue types. The FACS phenotype analysis revealed that the MSCs were positive for CD29, CD44, CD105, and Sca-1, but negative for CD34, TER-119, CD45, and CD11b. According to the results of the characterization, the adipose tissue MSCs showed higher growth potential than did other MSCs. Conclusion The results of this study showed that culture of adipose tissue and compact bone-MSCs was easier than BM MSCs. Based on the results of immunophenotype and growth potential, C57BL/6 AT-MSCs might be a suitable source to establish a mouse model of MSCs.
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