Diabetes mellitus as a predictor for late recovery of vestibular neuritis

The time course of recovery in vestibular neuritis varies between individuals. The aim of this study was to identify the predictors for the early or late recovery of vestibular neuritis. The inclusion criteria were patients 1) who had an acute onset of vertigo lasting at least 24 hours, 2) with a horizontal-torsional unidirectional spontaneous nystagmus, and 3) with a canal paresis of 20% or more on the bithermal caloric tests. The primary endpoint for this study was an early or late recovery of vestibular neuritis as a dependent variable. A functional level scale was used to define the late recovery (5 or more points) at seven days after the symptom onset. The secondary endpoint was the duration of hospitalization. One hundred twenty eight patients met the inclusion criteria for this study, and among them, 71 patients had an early recovery. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that diabetes mellitus was the only independent significant variable for the prediction of a late recovery of vestibular neuritis. In addition, the diabetes mellitus was a predicting variable for long duration of hospitalization. Diabetes mellitus was a predictor for a late recovery of vestibular neuritis.

Concurrence of Membranous Glomerulonephritis and Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis / 대한내과학회지

Membranous glomerulonephritis is one of the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome in adults. Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare lung disease in which abnormal accumulation of surfactant occurs within the alveoli. We describe a 61-year-old man with concurrent membranous glomerulonephritis and PAP, which is very rare; both are pathophysiologically related to an abnormal immune response. A patient came to hospital with leg edema but no respiratory symptoms. Chest X-ray and CT showed classical PAP findings, which are ground-glass opacities with interlobular septal thickening, in both lung fields. A bubbly whitish secretion retrieved via broncho-alveolar lavage showed neutrophils and lymphocytes as well as Periodic acid-Schiff-positive proteinaceous materials. A kidney biopsy revealed findings of membranous glomerulonephritis with irregular subepithelial deposits by electron microscopy. At 1 year after diagnosis, the membranous glomerulonephritis was well under control with steroids and mycophenolate mofetil but PAP became aggravated gradually and whole-lung lavage was needed.

A Comparative Genome-Wide Analysis of GATA Transcription Factors in Fungi

GATA transcription factors are widespread eukaryotic regulators whose DNA-binding domain is a class IV zinc finger motif in the form CX(2)CX(17-20)CX(2)C followed by a basic region. In fungi, they act as transcriptional activators or repressors in several different processes, ranging from nitrogen source utilization to mating-type switching. Using an in-house bioinformatics portal system, we surveyed 50 fungal and 9 out-group genomes and identified 396 putative fungal GATA transcription factors. The proportion of GATA transcription factors within a genome varied among taxonomic lineages. Subsequent analyses of phylogenetic relationships among the fungal GATA transcription factors, as well as a study of their domain architecture and gene structure, demonstrated high degrees of conservation in type IVa and type IVb zinc finger motifs and the existence of distinctive clusters at least at the level of subphylum. The SFH1 subgroup with a 20-residue loop was newly identified, in addition to six well-defined subgroups in the subphylum Pezizomycotina. Furthermore, a novel GATA motif with a 21-residue loop (CX(2)CX(21)CX(2)C, designated 'zinc finger type IVc') was discovered within the phylum Basidiomycota. Our results suggest that fungal GATA factors might have undergone multiple distinct modes of evolution resulting in diversified cellular modulation in fungi.