Objective: : We performed an expanded multi-ethnic meta-analysis to identify associations between inflammation-related loci with intracranial aneurysm (IA) susceptibility. This meta-analysis possesses increased statistical power as it is based on the most data ever evaluated. Methods: : We searched and reviewed relevant literature through electronic search engines up to August 2022. Overall estimates were calculated under the fixed- or random-effect models using pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analyses were performed according to ethnicity. Results: : Our meta-analysis enrolled 15 studies and involved 3070 patients and 5528 controls including European, Asian, Hispanic, and mixed ethnic populations. Of 17 inflammation-related variants, the rs1800796 locus (interleukin [IL]-6) showed the most significant genome-wide association with IA in East-Asian populations, including 1276 IA patients and 1322 controls (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.56–0.75; p=3.24×10-9) under a fixed-effect model. However, this association was not observed in the European population (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.80–1.47; p=0.5929). Three other variants, rs16944 (IL-1β), rs2195940 (IL-12B), and rs1800629 (tumor necrosis factor-α) showed a statistically nominal association with IA in both the overall, as well as East-Asian populations (0.01Conclusion : Our updated meta-analysis with increased statistical power highlights that rs1800796 which maps on the IL-6 gene is associated with IA, and in particular confers a protective effect against occurrence of IA in the East-Asian population.

Objectives: . Age-related hearing loss (ARHL), or presbycusis, is caused by disorders of sensory hair cells and auditory neurons. Many studies have suggested that the accumulation of mitochondrial DNA damage, the production of reactive oxygen species, noise, inflammation, and decreased antioxidant function are associated with subsequent cochlear senescence in response to aging stress. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been reported to play important roles in various diseases. However, the function of lncRNA in ARHL remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the common expression profiles of messenger RNA (mRNA) and lncRNA through ARHL-related RNA-sequencing datasets. Methods: . We selected and downloaded three different sets of RNA-sequencing data for ARHL. We performed differential expression analysis to find common mRNA and lncRNA profiles in the cochleae of aged mice compared to young mice. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was used for functional exploration. Real-time quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to validate mRNAs and lncRNAs. In addition, we performed trans target prediction analysis with differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs to understand the function of these mRNAs and lncRNAs in ARHL. Results: . We identified 112 common mRNAs and 10 common lncRNAs in the cochleae of aged mice compared to young mice. GO analysis showed that the 112 upregulated mRNAs were enriched in the defense response pathway. When we performed qRT-PCR with 1 mM H2O2-treated House Ear Institute-Organ of Corti 1 (HEI-OC1) cells, the qRT-PCR results were consistent with the RNA-sequencing analysis data. lncRNA-mRNA networks were constructed using the 10 common lncRNAs and 112 common mRNAs in ARHL. Conclusion . Our study provides a comprehensive understanding of the common mRNA and lncRNA expression profiles in ARHL. Knowledge of ARHL-associated mRNAs and lncRNAs could be useful for better understanding ARHL and these mRNAs and lncRNAs might be a potential therapeutic target for preventing ARHL.

Microglia, similar to peripheral macrophages, are the primary immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS). Microglia exist in the resting state in the healthy CNS, but can be activated and polarized into either M1 or M2 subtypes for immune defense and the maintenance of CNS homeostasis by multiple stimuli. Several long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) mediate human inflammatory diseases and neuropathologies by regulating their target genes. However, the function of common lncRNAs that contribute to microglial activation remains unclear. Thus, we used bioinformatic approaches to identify common lncRNAs involved in microglial activation in vitro. Our study identified several lncRNAs as common regulators of microglial activation. We identified 283 common mRNAs and 53 common lncRNAs during mouse M1 microglial activation processes, whereas 26 common mRNAs and five common lncRNAs were identified during mouse M2 microglial activation processes. A total of 648 common mRNAs and 274 common lncRNAs were identified during the activation of human M1 microglia. In addition, we identified 1,920 common co-expressed pairs in mouse M1 activation processes and 25 common co-expressed pairs in mouse M2 activation processes. Our study provides a comprehensive understanding of common lncRNA expression profiles in microglial activation processes in vitro. The list of common lncRNAs identified in this study provides novel evidence and clues regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying microglial activation.

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation (KT) is the treatment of choice for end-stage renal disease patients. The spouse is a major donor in living KT. Clinical outcomes of spousal donor KT are not inferior to those of living related donor KT. In this study, we compared clinical outcomes between ABO-compatible (ABOc) and ABO-incompatible (ABOi) spousal donor KTs. METHODS: Thirty-two cases of spousal donor KT performed from January 2011 to August 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. Twenty-one ABOc KTs and 11 ABOi KTs were performed. We investigated patient survival, graft survival, acute rejection, graft function, and complications. RESULTS: During follow-up, patient and graft survival rates were 100% in both groups. There were no significant differences in the incidence of delayed graft function, acute rejection, and the change in graft function between the 2 groups. Medical and surgical complications were not significantly different between the groups. CONCLUSION: The clinical outcomes of ABOc and ABOi spousal donor KTs were equivalent. In ABOi KT, an emotionally motivated spousal donor KT may be a good alternative to the problem of the absolute shortage of kidney donations.
Blood Group Incompatibility ; Delayed Graft Function ; Follow-Up Studies ; Graft Rejection ; Graft Survival ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Kidney* ; Retrospective Studies ; Spouses ; Tissue Donors* ; Transplants

Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae), a bacterium that is part of the normal flora of the upper respiratory tract, can cause pneumonia, bacteremia, otitis media, and meningitis. There are few reports of infected abdominal aortic aneurysms due to S. pneumoniae, especially in Korea. We here present a 53-year-old male with an infected abdominal aortic aneurysm caused by S. pneumoniae. This patient had no previous history of atherosclerosis or infection of other organs such as the lungs, heart, or bones. He underwent resection of the abdominal aorta and iliac artery as well as bypass surgery, with maintenance of peri-operative intravenous antibiotics for 6 weeks. He has shown favorable outcomes after a 3-month follow-up.
Aneurysm, Infected* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Aorta, Abdominal* ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal ; Atherosclerosis ; Bacteremia ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart ; Humans ; Iliac Artery ; Korea ; Lung ; Male ; Meningitis ; Middle Aged ; Otitis Media ; Pneumonia ; Respiratory System ; Streptococcus pneumoniae* ; Streptococcus*

BACKGROUND: In this report, we present the annual data of the intensive care unit (ICU) module of the Korean Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (KONIS) from July 2013 through June 2014. METHODS: We performed a prospective surveillance of nosocomial urinary tract infections (UTIs), bloodstream infections (BSIs), and pneumonia (PNEU) in 166 ICUs of 94 hospitals using the KONIS. Nosocomial infection (NI) rate was defined as the number of infections per 1,000 patient-days or device-days. RESULTS: A total of 2,843 NIs were found during the study period: 861 UTIs (846 were urinary catheter-associated), 1,173 BSIs (1,021 were central line-associated), and 809 PNEUs (498 were ventilator-associated). The rate of urinary catheter-associated UTIs was 1.21 per 1,000 device-days (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.13-1.29), and the urinary catheter utilization ratio was 0.84 (95% CI=0.839-0.841). The rate of central line-associated BSIs was 2.33 per 1,000 device-days (95% CI=2.20-2.48), and the utilization ratio was 0.53 (95% CI=0.529-0.531). The rate of ventilatorassociated PNEUs (VAPs) was 1.46 per 1,000 device-days (95% CI=1.34-1.60), and the utilization ratio was 0.41 (95% CI=0.409-0.411). In hospitals with more than 900 beds, although the ventilator utilization ratio was highest, the rate of VAPs was lower than in hospitals with 300-699 or 700-899 beds. CONCLUSION: BSIs were the most commonly reported nosocomial infections. Although device utilization ratios had increased, nosocomial infection rates did not differ significantly from those during the previous period (July 2012 through June 2013).
Cross Infection* ; Intensive Care Units* ; Critical Care* ; Pneumonia ; Prospective Studies ; Urinary Catheters ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Ventilators, Mechanical

OBJECTIVES: While a severe to profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) may cause serious disability in verbal communication, there have been little studies focusing on this high degree SSNHL. The present study was aimed to investigate the characteristics of hearing recovery in a high degree SSNHL (>70 dB). METHODS: Three hundred and two SSNHL patients were enrolled. For a long-term follow-up, 46 patients were evaluated. Hearing level was examined by pure tone audiometry on day 1, week 3, month 3, month 6, and year 1 or after. According to the degree of the initial hearing loss, the patients were divided into 4 groups from 70 to > or =100 dB. RESULTS: After 3 weeks, the recovery rate and mean hearing gain was 61%, 23.85 dB in the 70 dB group, whereas 10%, 6.61 dB in the > or =100 dB group. There was a significant correlation between 3-week recovery and final hearing outcome. However, there was almost no recovery after 3 months. CONCLUSION: An early recovery can be a prognostic factor for the final recovery in severe to profound SSNHL. Since recovery after 3 months is rare, an early hearing intervention like hearing aid or cochlear implantation should be considered in the high degree SSNHL to restore the patient's verbal communication.
Audiometry ; Cochlea ; Cochlear Implantation ; Cochlear Implants ; Ear, Inner ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hearing ; Hearing Aids ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural* ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; Humans ; Treatment Outcome

Despite the well-established nature of bromate-induced ototoxicity, cochlear implantation after bromate intoxication has been rarely documented. We hereby present a case of a 51-year-old female deafened completely after bromate ingestion. Her hearing was not restored by systemic steroid treatment and hearing aids were of no use. A cochlear implantation was performed on her right ear 3 months after the bromate ingestion. In bromate intoxication cases, early monitoring of hearing level is necessary and other drugs with potential ototoxicity should be avoided. The outcome of cochlear implantation was excellent in this case of bromate-induced deafness.
Cochlear Implantation* ; Cochlear Implants* ; Deafness ; Ear ; Eating ; Female ; Hearing ; Hearing Aids ; Hearing Loss, Sudden* ; Humans ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a medical emergency when an individual experiences at least 30 dB (decibels) of sudden SSNHL, occurring over a time period of three days or less. Pure tone audiometry (PTA) is by far the most widely used to diagnose SSNHL. Besides PTA, auditory steady-state response (ASSR) is also generally accepted to predict the hearing of SSNHL patients objectively and effectively. We analyzed correlation between ASSR and PTA in SSNHL patients, compared that with the corresponding data in non-SSNHL patients, and studied the usefulness of correlation between ASSR and PTA to forecast prognosis of SSNHL in clinical applications. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We retrospectively analyzed the charts of SSNHL patients. We analyzed the correlation between the thresholds of PTA, ASSR, and audiotory brainstem response (ABR) in SSNHL, compared that with corresponding data in non-SSNHL patients. RESULTS: There was a very strong positive linear correlation between the average hearing threshold of ASSR and PTA among the non-SSNHL patients. Furthermore, there was relatively strong positive linear correlation between the average hearing threshold of ASSR and PTA among SSNHL patients. Also there was a normal positive linear correlation between the average hearing threshold of ABR and PTA among SSNHL patients. The average hearing threshold difference between ASSR and PTA among SSNHL patients was smaller compared with non-SSNHL patients, and this was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: There was a strong correlation between the average hearing threshold of ASSR and PTA among non-SSNHL & SSNHL patients. Compared to ABR, ASSR showed greater correlation with PTA in the SSNHL patients. We concluded that ASSR could be a useful diagnostic tool in SSNHL.
Audiometry ; Brain Stem ; Emergencies ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural* ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Osteoma of the temporal bone most commonly occurs in the external ear. Osteomas in the middle ear are not common, and only 25 relevant cases (18 papers) have been reported in the English literature. With only 5 cases reported to date, osteoma of the promontory in the middle ear is rare. This study reports a case of asymptomatic osteoma of the promontory in the middle ear mimicking a congenital cholesteatoma in a 4-year-old girl.
Child, Preschool ; Cholesteatoma* ; Ear, External ; Ear, Middle ; Female ; Humans ; Osteoma* ; Temporal Bone