Relationship between Degenerative Disc Disease and Lipid Profiles in Older Adults

BACKGROUND: Lumbar degenerative disc disease (LDDD) is associated with obesity; however, there are only a few studies on the relationship between LDDD and the specific risk of obesity, such as dyslipidemia. We aimed to identify the independent association between LDDD and serum lipid profiles in older adults.METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was performed with the patients with LDDD, such as spinal stenosis and lumbosacral disc prolapse, and control patients. Sixty-eight patients with LDDD aged 65–85 years were recruited in the LDDD group. Thirty-seven age- and sex-matched controls without LDDD were also enrolled. Logistic regression analysis was performed after adjusting for age, sex and body mass index to assess the association between LDDD and serum lipid profiles.RESULTS: Total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly higher in the LDDD group. The subjects with abnormal triglyceride level (>150 mg/dL) showed a significant odds ratio (7.274, 95% confidence interval [1.552–34.095], P-value=0.012) for LDDD.CONCLUSION: The study findings suggest that higher total cholesterol level may be associated with the patients with LDDD. Therefore, the association between serum triglyceride level and risk of LDDD must be studied further.

The Relationship between Thyroid Nodules Detected through Ultrasonography and Thyroid Function Test Results in Healthy Individuals

BACKGROUND: The detection of thyroid nodules through ultrasonography (US) has improved with the development of imaging technologies and thyroid cancer screening in Korea. We evaluated the relationship between the presence of thyroid nodules on US and thyroid function test (TFT) results in healthy individuals.METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of data from 449 adults (313 men and 136 women) who underwent tests to evaluate serum thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxine levels, thyroid US, and if needed, fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC).RESULTS: Of the 449 subjects, 144 subjects (32.1%) had thyroid nodules. Among the 144 with thyroid nodules, 24 (16.7%) were advised to undergo FNAC, and all of them showed normal serum TSH levels. Logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of thyroid nodules was not related to abnormalities noted on TFTs after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, and presence of risky drinking behavior and hypertension (P=0.647).CONCLUSION: The presence of thyroid nodules on US in healthy adults was not associated with abnormal TFT results. Serum TSH check-ups during the evaluation of thyroid nodules discovered through US in asymptomatic individuals living in areas with a low prevalence of autonomous functioning thyroid nodules might not be necessary from the perspective of cost-effectiveness and subject convenience.

Health Literacy and Its Related Factors in North Korean Refugees

BACKGROUND: In September 2016, the number of North Korean refugees living in South Korea was 29,688. They have been struggling with health problems due to their poor health status and the differences in medical system and terminology between South and North Korea. We aimed to investigate the level of health literacy and its related factors in North Korean refugees. METHODS: This study was conducted with 142 patients who visited North Korean refugees' counseling center at Seoul Medical Center and National Central Medical Center and 100 South Korean patients who visited outpatient clinics or Health Promotion Center of Seoul Medical Center. General and health-related characteristics were surveyed through a questionnaire and health literacy was measured by using ‘Korean Adult Health Literacy Scale’. RESULTS: The average age of North Korean refugees was 48.92±11.49 years old. Almost 95% reported that their monthly income was less than 2 million KRW. The survey showed that North Korean refugees obtain health information mainly through TV, radio, and acquaintances and more than half (54.9%) said their health was bad or very bad. The mean score of North Korean refugees' health literacy was much lower than that of South Koreans (12.42±7.58 vs. 25.3±5.7, P<0.001). This discrepancy was maintained after adjusting related factors such as age, sex, and socioeconomic status with stratified analysis. CONCLUSIONS: It suggest the urgent need for policies which support for futher researches and development of education system, which may lead to the improvememt of the health literacy of North Korean regugees.

Association between Living Arrangements and Influenza Vaccination Rates among Elderly South Korean People: The Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-2) / 가정의학회지

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the association between living arrangements and influenza vaccination among elderly South Korean subjects. METHODS: We used data from the fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants older than 65 years were included and categorized into 4 groups according to the type of living arrangement as follows: (1) living alone group; (2) living with a spouse group; (3) living with offspring (without spouse) group; and (4) living with other family members group. A total of 1,435 participants were included in this cross-sectional analysis. RESULTS: A lower vaccination rate was observed in the living with offspring (without spouse) group, whereas the living with a spouse group had higher rates of both seasonal and H1N1 influenza vaccination. After adjusting for age, sex, region, education level, income level, and number of comorbidities, the living with offspring (without spouse) group had a higher H1N1 vaccination non-receipt rate than the living alone group (odds ratio, 2.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-3.82). CONCLUSION: Influenza vaccination rates differed according to the type of living arrangement. Particularly, those living with offspring (without spouse) had the lowest H1N1 influenza vaccination rate compared to those with other living arrangements, and this difference was significant. Interventions to improve influenza vaccination coverage should target not only elderly persons who live alone, but also those living with offspring.

Cystatin C as an Early Biomarker of Nephropathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

This study was done to evaluate clinical usefulness of cystatin C levels of serum and urine in predicting renal impairment in normoalbuminuric patients with type 2 diabetes and to evaluate the association between albuminuria and serum/urine cystatin C. Type 2 diabetic patients (n = 332) with normoalbuminuria (n = 210), microalbuminuria (n = 83) and macroalbuminuria (n = 42) were enrolled. Creatinine, urinary albumin levels, serum/urine cystatin C and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR by MDRD [Modification of Diet in Renal Disease] and CKD-EPI [Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration] equations) were determined. The cystatin C levels of serum and urine increased with increasing degree of albuminuria, reaching higher levels in macroalbuminuric patients (P < 0.001). In multiple regression analysis, serum cystatin C was affected by C-reactive protein (CRP), sex, albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) and eGFR. Urine cystatin C was affected by triglyceride, age, eGFR and ACR. In multivariate logistic analysis, cystatin C levels of serum and urine were identified as independent factors associated with eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 estimated by MDRD equation in patients with normoalbuminuria. On the other hand, eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 estimated by CKD-EPI equation was independently associated with low level of high-density lipoprotein in normoalbuminuric patients. The cystatin C levels of serum and urine could be useful markers for renal dysfunction in type 2 diabetic patients with normoalbuminuria.

New Onset Diabetic Ketoacidosis Associated with Quetiapine

New onset diabetes and diabetic ketoacidosis have been reported with administering atypical antipsychotics. Whereas clozapine and olanzapine are associated with a relatively high incidence of new onset diabetes and diabetic ketoacidosis, there are few case reports that have has been documented implicating quetiapine as the contributor to causing diabetes and diabetic ketoacidosis. I report here on a case of diabetic ketoacidosis that developed in a patient who was associated with quetiapine therapy. A 32-year-old woman with schizophrenia was transferred to the emergency room with diabetic ketoacidosis and vaginal bleeding. Seventeen months before this episode, she was hospitalized in an inpatient psychiatric institution and treated with quetiapine 1200mg, haloperidol 3mg, diazepam 5mg and benztropine 3mg with normal blood glucose levels. She had no personal and familial history of diabetes mellitus. She had no risk factors for diabetes mellitus and she also had no precipitating factor for diabetic ketoacidosis except for taking the atypical antipsychotic quetiapine. I believe that this case is the first case report of quetiapine associated diabetic ketoacidosis in Korea. Considering the unpredictability of hyperglycemia associated with quetiapine, monitoring the blood glucose should be part of the routine care when administering quetiapine.

Complementary Medicine of Atopic Dermatitis / 소아알레르기및호흡기학회지

PURPOSE: The prevalence rate of atopic dermatitis which is a common disease as is 10-20%. By the questionnaire survey, many patients used or have been used complementary medicine which has not been verificated. We review to look around the studies in complementary medicine of atopic dermatitis. METHODS: We searched the journals through Entrez Pubmed within the limits: recent 5 years and atopic dermatitis complementary/alternative medicine. And then, we selected and reviewed the journals which introduced treatment for atopic dermatitis by drugs or herbs within terms which was not overlapped. RESULTS: There were 4 randomized clinical trials about Chinese herbs that had possible effects on relieving symptoms and self-satisfaction, but they were inconsistent. Examinations would be required through well-designed and clinical trials with a large sample size. There were relatively a lot of studies of homeopathy in the foreign countries, but had no consistent and definite effects. Especially, there were few studies of homeopathy in atopic dermatitis patients. In addition, experimental studies in extracts from plants such as flavonoids have proceeded mostly (ex. chemical experiment), but there were few clinical trials which were well-designed or sufficient sample size. CONCLUSION: Complementary medicine has been used by many people for scientific verification, and economic costs for it were so considerable that systematic approaches from experimental trials to clinical trials would be needed.

Aneurysm of the inferobasal wall and ventricular septal rupture complicated with inferior myocardial infarction / 대한내과학회지

The incidence of left ventricular aneurysm following acute myocardial infarction is 5 to 10 percent. Eighty % of aneurysms involve the anteroapical wall of the left ventricle: They are four times more frequent in this wall than in the inferior or posterior wall. Anterior myocardial infarction causes aneurysm in the anteroapical wall of the left ventricle, while inferior myocardial infarction causes aneurysm in the posterobasal wall of the left ventricle. Yet the aneurysmal complications in the interventricular septum after myocardial infarction are very rare. A 74-year-old woman with inferior myocardial infarction presented with both an aneurysm of the inferobasal wall and a ventricular septal rupture, and these were detected by two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography. The aneurysm originated from the inferobasal portion of the left ventricular wall. The short-axis view of the two-dimensional echocardiography revealed an abrupt discontinuity of the junctional area of the inferoseptum and the inferior segment, and a large aneurysm at the inferior portion of the left ventricular cavity. The communication orifice was 4 cm wide. Color Doppler echocardiography showed a left-to-right shunt flow from the aneurysm to the right ventricle. We report here on a case of an aneurysm of the inferobasal wall and a ventricular septal rupture, and these lesions were detected by two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography.

Treatment of Gastric Outlet Obstruction by Stomach Cancer with using Double-layered Pyloric Stent / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Backgroud/Aims: Endoscopic stent placement is widely used to treat an unresectable malignant gastric outlet obstruction. The covered stent has the disadvantage of an increased risk of migration, and the uncovered stent has an increased risk of ingrowth. This study examined the technical and clinical efficiency of stent placement of a double-layered combination pyloric stent that was newly designed to reduce tumor ingrowth and stent migration. METHODS: Fifteen patients with a gastric outlet obstruction caused by unresectable stomach cancer were treated with the endoscopic placement of a double-layered combination pyloric stent (an outer uncovered stent to reduce migration and an inner PTEF-covered stent to prevent tumor ingrowth). The technical success, clinical success, and complication especially tumor ingrowth and stent migration were analyzed. RESULTS: Technical success was achieved in 15 out of 15 (100%) patients. Among the 15 patients in whom endoscopic stenting was placed successfully, the clinical success rate was 93.3%, the incidence of tumor ingrowth was 0%, the rate of migration was 6.7%, and tumor overgrowth was observed in 13.3%. The median stent patency period was 105 days. CONCLUSIONS: The placement of a double- layered pyloric combination stent appears to be effective in overcoming the disadvantage of the increased migration observed for a covered stent and the increased ingrowth observed for the uncovered stent.

A Case of Adult Idiopathic Ileocecal Intussusception Reduced by Colonoscopy / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Intussusception frequently occurs in children as the main causes of intestinal obstruction in childhood but relatively rare in adult. A 65-year-old male visited our hospital because of abrupt onset right lower quadrant pain with tenderness for three days. He had a previous history of appendectomy and alcoholic liver cirrhosis. On physical exam, bowel sound was decreased. Abdomen ultrasonography showed a kidney like mass and abdominal computed tomography revealed the typical target lesion in the ileocecal area. Colonoscopy was performed which failed to find any lesion leading to intussusception. After the colonoscopy, the abdminal pain had disappeared, and we would not find any intussusception sign by abdominal ultrasonography. Colonocopy was done two weeks later. No pathologic lesion was found, then. We report a case of adult idiopathic ileocecal intussusception reduced by colonoscopy.