Difference in Serum Levels of Vitamin D Between Canalolithiasis and Cupulolithiasis of the Horizontal Semicircular Canal in Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

Background and Purpose: In the horizontal canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), cupulolithiasis shows apogeotropic direction changing nystagmus lasting more than 1 min, while canalolithiasis leads to geotropic direction changing nystagmus lasting < 1 min. The difference between cupulolithiasis and canalolithiasis is widely accepted to be the attachment of the displaced otoconia to the cupula of a semicircular canal. Several studies have shown a relationship between BPPV and vitamin D deficiency, but no studies have compared serum levels of vitamin D between canalolithiasis and cupulolithiasis patients. The purpose of this study was to clarify the difference in vitamin D serum level between canalolithiasis and cupulolithiasis of the horizontal canal.Methods: This retrospective study included 20 and 15 patients with canalolithiasis and cupulolithiasis of the horizontal canal, respectively. Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] during the acute phase of BPPV were measured.Results: The mean 25(OH)D serum level in patients with canalolithiasis and cupulolithiasis was 13.2 ± 1.4 and 20.4 ± 1.6 ng/mL, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.0014), also after adjusting for age and sex (p = 0.0351). Eighteen out of 20 (90%) and 5 of 15 (33%) patients were diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency in the canalolithiasis and cupulolithiasis groups, respectively, and this difference was also statistically significant (p = 0.0005).Conclusion: We found that serum vitamin D level in patients with canalolithiasis was significantly lower than that in patients with cupulolithiasis of the horizontal canal

Replication of Epstein-Barr Virus Primary Infection in Human Tonsil Tissue Explants

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may cause a variety of virus-associated diseases, but no antiviral agents have yet been developed against this virus. Animal models are thus indispensable for the pathological analysis of EBV-related infections and the elucidation of therapeutic methods. To establish a model system for the study of EBV infection, we tested the ability of B95–8 virus and recombinant EBV expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) to replicate in human lymphoid tissue. Human tonsil tissues that had been surgically removed during routine tonsillectomy were sectioned into small blocks and placed on top of collagen sponge gels in culture medium at the air-interface, then a cell-free viral suspension was directly applied to the top of each tissue block. Increasing levels of EBV DNA in culture medium were observed after 12–15 days through 24 days post-infection in tissue models infected with B95–8 and EGFP-EBV. Expression levels of eight EBV-associated genes in cells collected from culture medium were increased during culture. EBV-encoded small RNA-positive cells were detected in the interfollicular areas in paraffin-embedded sections. Flow cytometric analyses revealed that most EGFP+ cells were CD3− CD56− CD19+ HLA-DR+, and represented both naïve (immunoglobulin D+) and memory (CD27+) B cells. Moreover, EBV replication in this model was suppressed by acyclovir treatment in a dose-dependent manner. These data suggest that this model has potential for use in the pathological analysis of local tissues at the time of primary infection, as well as for screening novel antiviral agents

Suppression of the Fenton Reaction by Ceriporic Acids Produced by a Selective Lignin-Degrading Fungus, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora

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Intratympanic Injection of Dexamethasone for Treatment of Tinnitus in Patients with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of intratympanic dexamethasone injections as a treatment for severe tinnitus in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). We studied 37 patients who received intratympanic dexamethasone injections and 14 control patients who did not receive it, with severe tinnitus after onset of unilateral sudden SNHL. Hearing level did not change during this study in any patient. The relationship between the duration of tinnitus and effectiveness of treatment was investigated in sudden SNHL. We used a visual analogue scale to evaluate 51 patients with severe tinnitus at the stage of stable hearing level after idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Forty-one per cent of patients showed significant improvement after treatment. The average period between onset of sudden sensorineural hearing loss and initiation of intratympanic dexamethasone injection was significantly shorter (207 days) in the improved group than in the unchanged group (482 days) (P<0.001). In control group, one of 14 patients presented significant improvement spontaneously. Intratympanic dexamethasone treatment may be effective in treatment of severe tinnitus after sudden SNHL at the stage of stable hearing level, and the shorter the period from onset of sudden deafness to the start of intratympanic dexamethasone treatment, the greater the improvement in tinnitus that can be expected