The potential relationship between uric acid and the recovery in sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Abstract Objective Serum uric acid is proven to be associated with chronic hearing loss, but its effect on Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL) is unclear. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic values of serum uric acid levels in SSNHL patients. Methods The clinical records of SSNHL patients were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into different groups based on hearing recovery and audiogram type, and uric acid levels were compared. Based on uric acid levels, patients were categorized into normouricemia and hyperuricemia groups, and clinical features and hearing recovery were evaluated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors. Results In total, 520 SSNHL patients were included in this study, including 226 females and 294 males. In female patients, 186 patients were included in the normouricemia group, and 40 patients were enrolled in the hyperuricemia group. Significant differences were observed in uric acid levels, Total Cholesterol (TC), rate of complete recovery, and slight recovery between the two groups. In male patients, 237 subjects were categorized into the normouricemia group, and 57 patients were included in the hyperuricemia group. The rate of complete recovery and slight recovery was lower in the hyperuricemia group compared to the normouricemia group. All patients were further divided into good recovery and poor recovery groups based on hearing outcomes. The uric acid levels, initial hearing threshold, rate of hyperuricemia, and TC were lower in the good recovery group than the poor recovery group both in female and male patients. Binary logistic regression results showed that uric acid levels, initial hearing threshold, and hyperuricemia were associated with hearing recovery. Conclusion Hyperuricemia might be an independent risk factor for hearing recovery in SSNHL patients. Serum uric acid and initial hearing threshold possibly affected the hearing outcome in males and females with SSNHL. Level of evidence Level 4.

Differentially expressed genes in a flock of Chinese local-breed chickens infected with a subgroup J avian leukosis virus using suppression subtractive hybridization

Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) is a new type of virus that mainly induces myeloid leukosis (ML) in chickens. To further elucidate the pathogenesis of ALV-J infection and tumor development, expression profiles from the bone marrow tissue of 15 infected and 18 non-infected birds from a local-breed poultry-farm under naturally infected conditions, were analyzed by suppression-subtractive hybridization. The birds were diagnosed as ML+ (or ML-) by specific ALV-J detection methods, involving serological tests for antigens and antibodies, and RT-PCR to detect viral RNA. A total of 59 partial gene sequences were revealed by differential screening of 496 forward and 384 reverse subtracted cDNA clones. Of these, 22 identified genes, including 8 up-regulated and 14 down-regulated, were related to immune functions, these genes being, MHC B-G antigen, translationally-controlled tumor protein (TPT1/TPTC), transferrin and ferritin, hemoglobin and Carbonic anhydrase. Four of the down-regulated genes were selected for further analysis, in view of their predicted roles in infection and immunity by real-time qRT-PCR, using RNA collected from the same birds as those used for SSH. The four genes were expressed at significantly lower levels (p < 0.001) in ALV-J infected birds than in non-infected ones.