The Effect of Body Fat Disribution on Glucose, Lipid Metabolism and Grewth Hormone Secretion in Obesity / 대한내분비학회지

BACKGROUND: Body fat distribution, rather than the level of obesity per se, appears to be a strong predictor of abnormalities in metabolic complication. Visceral fat accumulation is significantly correlated with glucose intolerance and constitutes as an independent risk factor for the diabetes mellitus. METHODS: We investigated the impact of body fat distribution on the glucose, lipid metabolism and growth hormone secretion in obese subjects with varying glucose tolerance and lean controls matched with sex and age. 69 obese Koreans (34 men, 35 women; 43.8 yrs) and 21 lean Koreans (10 men, 11 women; 40.8 yrs) were recruited. Anthropometric measurement and impedence for measurement of total body fat, and computed tomography for visceral and subcutaneous fat area at umbilicus level were performed. All subjects underwent a standard oral glucose tolerance test and GH stimulation test by L-dopa. RESULTS: The results are summarized as follows. 1. Obese patients had greater ideal body weight (%, IBW) and lean body mass (LBM) than lean controls. But no significant differences were found in IBW and LBM between 3 obese groups. 2. The 25 obese NIDDM had the highest FFA-AUC during OGTI and the lowest GH-AUC to L-Dopa stimulation test. The insulin-AUC during OGTT was the highest in 24 obese subjects with normal glucose tolerance. 3. All male groups have VSR of more than 0.4, which has been designated visceral fat obesity. In contrast all female groups have VSR of lesser than 0.4 but obese DM subjects have the highest VSR. Visceral fat area per body weight ratio(VWR) showed increasing tendency in obese, IGT, and DM group. 4. Waist circumference and VWR showed strong correlation with metabolic parameters among anthropometric parameters. They were positively correlated with FFA-AUC during OGTT and negatively correlated with GH-AUC to L-dopa stimulation. CONCLUSION: Visceral fat accumulation are associated with insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and impairment of growth hormone secretion via increase of free fatty acid. The simple waist circumference may provide a more practical indicator that correlated with aMominal fat distribution and metabolic complications associated with obesity.

A Case of microscopic pulmonary metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma / 대한내과학회지

Although the papillary thyroid carcinoma generally follows an indolent course characterized by slow growth and abscence of distant metastasis, distant metastases to extrathyroid organ may occur in the lung, bone and brain in about 5% of patients. The lung metastases are usually diagnosed by plain X-ray, chest CT and 131I whole body scan. However, we present a case of papillary thyroid carcinoma with microscopic pulmonary metastasis that could not be detected by conventional method, such as chest X-ray, chest CT and 131I whole body scan. A 62-year-old female visited due to traumatic hemopneumothorax. In the pathology of resected tissues from lacerated lung parenchyme, metastatic papillary carcinoma was diagnosed without evidence of abnormality in radiologic examination and we diagnosed and treated an asymptomatic papillary thyroid carcinoma.

A Case of Well-Differentiated Thymic Carcinoma with Extensive Cystic Degeneration / 결핵

Thymoma is the most common tumor in the compartment of anterior mediastinum. The malignant thymoma is classified into invasive thymoma( category I ) and thymic carcinoma( category II ). Recently, well-differentiated thymic carcinoma is a proposed category 1.5 used to describe a subset of thymic epithelial tumors, allowing for the existence of intermediate form based on the clinical features and the histological characteristics. Thymic cyst is a congenital or a acquired disorder. Congenital thymic cyst may develop due to failure of the thymopharyngeal duct to obliterate and acquired thymic cyst develops from inflammation( multilocular thymic cyst ), or neoplasm( cystic thymoma ). Cystic degeneration in thymoma is a relatively frequent but focal event. In rare cases, the process proceeds to the extent that most or all of the lesion becomes cystic. Until now, well-differentiated thymic carcinoma with extensive cystic degeneration has not been reported in our country. We experienced a case of 14 year-old female patient showing extensive cystic degeneration in well-differentiated thymic carcinoma. and so we report it with review of the articles related.

Pulmonary Endometriosis / 결핵

Endometriosis is defined as an extrauterine growth of endometrial tissue and it is primarily limited in the pelvis but it can also occur in the pleural cavity as well as pulmonary parenchyme. The diagnosis of pulmonary endometriosis is usually based on the clinical history of recurrent hemoptysis in association with menstrual cycle and by histopathologic confirmation of endometrial tissue in the lung parenchyme. Pulmonary endometriosis was first reported by Lattes in 1956, and dozens of cases have been reported so far. We experienced a case of 25 year old single woman with a history of hemoptysis in association with her menstruation. The bleeding focus was localized with chest CT scan and repeated fibrooptic bronchoscopy and basal segmentectomy of the right lower lobe was performed. The resected specimen shows endometrial stroma and glands of early proliferative phase with respiratory epithelium on the laterobasal bronchus. Her postoperative course was uneventful with no recurrence of hemoptysis during 6 months of follow-up in the outpatient clinic.

Clinical use of Urinary Androgen Metabolites in Hyperprolactinemia / 대한내분비학회지

BACKGROUND: Hyperprolactinemia has been linked with hyperandrogenism and hirsutism in some women. High plasma Dihydroandrosterone and DHA-S levels were reported in patients with hyperprolactinemia and a dissociation of adrenal androgen and cortisol secretion occurs in normal subjects. The mechanism has not been elucidated, but it has been suggested that pituitary factors other than ACTH modulate adrenal androgen synthesis, One candidate hormone is prolactin. Adrenal tissue has been found to possess prolactin receptors and prolactin has been shown to act synergistically with ACTH and lowers the activity of the enzyme 5a-reductase or 3B-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3B-HSD). The aim of this study was to investigate the secretion of adrenal androgen metabolites in patients with idiopathic hyperprolactinemia and prolactinoma and to deterrnine the relationship with prolactin and androgens. METHODS: We measured 24 hour-urinary DHEA, androstenedione, androsterone, pregnenolone, tetrahydrocorticoid and cortisol in 16 normal controls and 5 patients with idiopathic hyperprolac-tinemia (HP) and 12 patients with prolactonoma in the early follicular phase. RESULTS: Urinary DHEA, AD (androsteredione), and androsterone, the metabolites of adrenal androgen, were significantly higher in both patients with idiopathic HP and prolactinoma compared with those in normal controls (p<0.05), whereas they were not different in both disease groups. Urinary pregnenolone levels, early metabolite of adrenal steroid synthesis, were lower in patients. In contrast, urinary tetrahydorcortisol and cortisol were higher in patients compared to controls. There was no difference in DHEA:androsterone ratio between patients and controls. And there were no correlation between prolactin levels and the levels of androgenic metabolites or clinical symptoms. CONCLUSION: Prolactin has a tropic effct on the secretion of androgens and steroids by the adrenal cortex. But prolactin levels were not correlated with androgen levels or clinical symptoms (amenorrhea), and it might have little effect on lowering the activity of 3B-HSD.