Characteristic alterations of gut microbiota in uncontrolled gout.

Microbiome research has been on the rise recently for a more in-depth understanding of gout. Meanwhile, there is a need to understand the gut microbiome related to uric acid-lowering drug resistance. In this study, 16S rRNA gene-based microbiota analysis was performed for a total of 65 stool samples from 17 healthy controls and 48 febuxostat-treated gout patients (including 28 controlled subjects with decreased uric acid levels and 20 uncontrolled subjects with non-reduced uric acid levels).

Prevalence, incidence, and risk factors of malignancy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a nationwide cohort study from Korea.

Background/aims: This study aims to evaluate the incidence of malignancy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to investigate risk factors for such in a nationwide, population-based cohort.

Methods: In a large, prospective, observational cohort study, 5,077 patients with RA were enrolled from July 2009 to December 2011 and followed until February 2017. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for malignancy were calculated using age- and sex-specific cancer rates in the Korean general population.

Real-world experiences of the diagnosis process in Korean patients with ankylosing spondylitis based on a self-report questionnaire.

Objectives: The diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is often delayed, which affects various clinical outcomes. This study examined the real-world situation of patients with AS during diagnosis and treatment.

Methods: Data were obtained from 26 tertiary care hospitals in Korea using a self-report questionnaire.

Contribution of Personality Traits, Psychological Factors, and Health-Related Quality of Life to Medication Adherence in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Purpose: This study sought to investigate the associations between personality traits and medication adherence and to identify predictors of good medication adherence in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

Materials And Methods: A total of 207 RA patients using disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs were invited for an interview and questionnaire study. Medication adherence was measured using the Compliance Questionnaire for Rheumatology (CQR).

Association between Body Weight Changes and Menstrual Irregularity: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010 to 2012.

Background: Menstrual irregularity is an indicator of endocrine disorders and reproductive health status. It is associated with various diseases and medical conditions, including obesity and underweight. We aimed to assess the association between body weight changes and menstrual irregularity in Korean women.

The impact of kidney transplantation on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure in end-stage renal disease patients.

In this study, we prospectively investigated the impact of kidney transplantation (KT) on the status of hypertension, including circadian rhythm in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. We performed 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring and office BP measurement in 48 patients before and 1 year after KT. According to the nocturnal reduction in systolic BP (ΔSBP), the patients were divided into dippers, non-dippers, and reverse dippers.

A case of labyrinthine fistula by cholesteatoma mimicking lateral canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Acute peripheral vestibulopathy, of which the chief complaint is positional vertigo, comprises benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), labyrinthitis, labyrinthine fistula, and cerebellopontine angle tumors. Since the typical presentation of labyrinthine fistulas may be sensorineural hearing loss, positional vertigo, or disequilibrium, it is often difficult to distinguish from BPPV or Meniere's disease. Herein we report a 61-year-old female patient with typical symptoms and signs attributable to geotropic type variant of the lateral semicircular canal BPPV on the left side, who eventually was confirmed as having a labyrinthine fistula from chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma on the left side.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo with simultaneous involvement of multiple semicircular canals.

Background And Objectives: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) generally involves a single semicircular canal (single canal BPPV) but it has been reported that more than one semicircular canal on either the same or the opposite side can be involved in 6.8-20% of the cases (multiple canal BPPV). In this study, the clinical characteristics of multiple canal BPPV were analyzed and compared to those of single canal BPPV.

Natural history of horizontal canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is truly short.

The objective of the study is to characterize the natural course of positional vertigo and nystagmus in patients with horizontal canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (h-BPPV) and to analyze the difference in the natural course between the two variants of h-BPPV. We conducted a prospective study in 106 patients with geotropic type h-BPPV [h-BPPV (Geo)] (n = 43) and apogeotropic type h-BPPV [h-BPPV (Apo)] (n = 63) who agreed and signed the written informed consent of no treatment. All patients were asked to answer a detailed interview about the onset time of positional vertigo and to visit the hospital every 1-3 days.

Persistent spontaneous nystagmus following a canalith repositioning procedure in horizontal semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Importance: Nystagmus can occur spontaneously from multiple causes. Direction-changing positional nystagmus on the supine roll test is a characteristic clinical feature in horizontal semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. One of several mechanisms of spontaneous nystagmus is plugging of the otoconia, which has been described as a canalith jam.

Can the affected semicircular canal be predicted by the initial provoking position in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo?

Objectives/hypothesis: The study evaluated the relationship between the position that initially provoked vertigo and the affected semicircular canal (SCC) in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), and aimed to predict the side affected by BPPV through history taking regarding the provoking position.

Study Design: Prospective study at a tertiary hospital.

Methods: A total of 521 patients with BPPV involving the posterior or horizontal SCCs performed questionnaires at initial visit asking to choose the initial provoking position among the 10 positions corresponding to one of the three planes (roll, pitch, or yaw).

DHS-21, a dicarbonyl/L-xylulose reductase (DCXR) ortholog, regulates longevity and reproduction in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Dicarbonyl/L-xylulose reductase (DCXR) converts l-xylulose into xylitol, and reduces various α-dicarbonyl compounds, thus performing a dual role in carbohydrate metabolism and detoxification. In this study, we identified DHS-21 as the only DCXR ortholog in Caenorhabditis elegans. The dhs-21 gene is expressed in various tissues including the intestine, gonadal sheath cells, uterine seam (utse) cells, the spermathecal-uterus (sp-ut) valve and on the plasma membrane of spermatids.

Novel calcineurin interacting protein-2: the functional characterization of CNP-2 in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Calcineurin (Cn) is a serine/threonine phosphatase implicated in a wide variety of biological responses. To identify proteins that mediate Cn signaling pathway effects, we used yeast two-hybrid assays to screen for Cn interacting proteins, discovering a protein encoded by the gene, cnp-2 (Y46G5A.10).

A novel calcineurin-interacting protein, CNP-3, modulates calcineurin deficient phenotypes in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Calcineurin (Cn) is a calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine protein phosphatase that has diverse functions in different cell types and organisms. We screened proteins interacting with the C. elegans CnA homolog, TAX-6, by the yeast two-hybrid system.

Membrane proteomic analysis of human mesenchymal stromal cells during adipogenesis.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have proven useful for cell and immune therapy, but the molecular constituents responsible for their functionalities, in particular, those on the plasma membrane, remain largely unknown. Here we employed both gel and nongel based MS to analyze human MSCs' membrane proteome before and after adipogenesis. 2-DE of cells that were pretreated with membrane impermeable fluorescent dyes revealed that both the whole cell proteome and the cell surface subproteome were independent of donors.

PYP-1, inorganic pyrophosphatase, is required for larval development and intestinal function in C. elegans.

Inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPase) catalyzes the hydrolysis of inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) into phosphate (Pi), which provides a thermodynamic driving force for important biosynthetic reactions. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans gene C47E12.4 encodes a PPase (PYP-1) which shows 54% amino acid identity with human PPase.

Genome-wide differential gene expression profiling of human bone marrow stromal cells.

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) reside in bone marrow and provide a lifelong source of new cells for various connective tissues. Although human BMSCs are regarded as highly suitable for the development of cell therapeutics and regenerative medicine, the molecular factors and the networks of signaling pathways responsible for their biological properties are as yet unclear. To gain a comprehensive understanding of human BMSCs at the transcriptional level, we have performed DNA microarray-based, genome-wide differential gene expression analysis with the use of peripheral blood-derived mononuclear cells (MNCs) as a baseline.

Functional importance of polymerization and localization of calsequestrin in C. elegans.

Dual roles of calsequestrin (CSQ-1) being the Ca2+ donor and Ca2+ acceptor make it an excellent Ca2+-buffering protein within the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). We have isolated and characterized a calsequestrin (csq-1)-null mutant in Caenorhabditis elegans. To our surprise, this mutant csq-1(jh109) showed no gross defects in muscle development or function but, however, is highly sensitive to perturbation of Ca2+ homeostasis.

Caenorhabditis elegans PMR1, a P-type calcium ATPase, is important for calcium/manganese homeostasis and oxidative stress response.

The Caenorhabditis elegans PMR1, a P-type Ca2+/Mn2+ ATPase, is expressed in hypodermal seam cells, intestinal cells and spermatheca; localized in Golgi complex. Knock down of pmr-1 as well as overexpression of truncated Caenorhabditis elegans PMR1, which mimics dominant mutations observed in human Hailey-Hailey disease, renders the worm highly sensitive to EGTA and Mn2+. Interestingly, pmr-1 knock down not only causes animals to become resistant to oxidative stress but also suppresses high reactive oxygen species sensitivity of smf-3 RNA-mediated interference and daf-16 worms.