Adequate Duration of Medical Therapy for Koreans with Graves' Disease / 대한내분비학회지

BACKGROUND: Graves' disease is an organ specific autoimmune disease. Three kinds of therapeutic modalities(antithyroid drugs, ablation with radioactive iodine and subtotal thyroidectomy) are frequently performed for the management of this disease. The most popular therapeutic policy for the disease in Korea is antithyroid treatment. We analysed and compared the remission rates of all three modalities for Graves' disease, and evaluated the antithyroid modality to determine the correct duration of treatment. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The medical records of 205 patients with Graves' disease were reviewed. For the evaluation of the antithyroid modality medical treatment, antithyroid drugs were administered for more than 1 year. The prognostic factors associated with remission were analysed by means of an ROC curve. RESULTS: 1) Of the 205 patients, proportions that received medical therapy, subtotal thyroidectomy and radioiodine therapy were 83.0, 14.1 and 2.9%, respectively. 2) The remission rates of the medical therapy, surgery and radioiodine therapy were 60.0, 96.5 and 83.0%, respectively. 3) The remission rate of the medical therapy was associated with the duration of medication and TBII activity. The determined proper duration for the antithyroid treatment was 26 months from the ROC curve analysis. CONCLUSION: The above results suggest that the proper duration of antithyroid treatment for Graves' disease is 26 months, after which time the subtotal thyroidectomy or radioiodine therapy should be considered if the disease has not remitted.

The Effects of Alendronate in Bone Metabolism of Primary Osteoporosis / 대한내분비학회지

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effects of alendronate in preventing bone loss at the spine and hip in Korean cases of primary osteoporosis, we treated 138 patients with 10 mg of alendronate daily. Of the 138 patients treated, 50 were treated for one complete year, and at their final visit, measurements were taken to assess the completed outcome of the reatment, and the results from this small group were compared with those of the rest. The way this has been written causes ambiguity concerning exactly who was being studied. Check that my rewrite of this section conveys correctly the group that was studied, and how. METHODS: The serum levels of calcium(Ca) and phosphorous(P), total alkaline phosphatase(ALP), the urine calcium creatinine ratio(Uca/cr) and urine deoxypyridinoline(DPD) were measured before, during, and after the 1 year treatment period. The bone mineral densities(BMDs) at the spine and hip were also measured before and after the treatment period. New clinical fractures and side effects, were evaluated during the treatment period. RESULTS: The total serum ALP and urine DPD were decreased significantly, after the treatment period, by 38.3 and 40.5% respectively. The bone mineral density at the spine and hip were significantly increased after 1 year, by 6.7 and 2.0%, respectively. Of the 50 subjects who had completed a full year of treatment, only 4(8%) had developed new clinical fractures. Of the 138 patients who had been treated, 8(5.8%) discontinued the medication due to side effects. Of these, 7 had gastrointestinal symptoms, and 1 had skin eruption. CONCLUSION: Alendronate significantly decreased the total serum ALP and urine DPD and significantly increased spine and hip bone mineral density. Alendronate 10mg was effective in preventing bone loss in Korean cases of primary osteoporosis.

The Effect of Intensive Education on Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetic Patients / 대한내분비학회지

BACKGROUND: To this date, efforts to develop effective methods for the education of diabetic patients have been limited. The important goal of self-management and weight control for diabetic treatment can not be attained without long and intensive period of education. This study was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of an intensive educational program, of behavior and diet control, which was carried out on subjects with type 2 diabetes, on an out-patient basis. We compared the effectiveness of an intensive education programme with that of a conventional education programme for the self-management of type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: Subjects with type 2 diabetes were randomly selected, and allocated to one of two groups. One group received a conventional education programme of self-management(the CE group), and the second group received an intensive education programmes for three months, after which the effectiveness of the programmes were evaluated. RESULTS: 1) The levels of fasting blood sugar(FBS), postprandial 2 hour blood sugar(PP2h) and HbA1c were significantly lowered in both groups following the intervention(p<0.05). In the IE group, the FBS declined from 12.4nmol/L to 7.7nmol/L, PP2h declined from 20.3nmol/L to 10.9nmol/L, and the HbA1c showed a similar decline from 9.4 to 7.0% after intervention(p<0.05). In the CE group, the FBS declined from 10.9 to 9.4nmol/l, the PP2h decreased from 17.1 to 14.6 nmol/l, and the HbA1c also decreased from 8.5 to 7.3% after intervention(p<0.05). The decrease in the FBS and HbA1c following the educational intervention was more pronounced in the IE group than the CE group (p<0.05). 2) The effectiveness of the education programmes in promoting appropriate dietary behavior in the diabetic subjects was assessed by a scoring system in three parts: a regularity score, a balance score and an attitude score. From a comparative study of the three scores, the patients attitudes were observed to be much improved in both the groups following the intervention compared to before the programmes, but the balance and total scores were significantly higher in the IE group than the CE group(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: We can conclude that the intensive diabetic education programme is more effective than a conventional programme, not only in improving the patients' levels of glucose, HbAlc, and dietary score, but also the diabetic patients self-control abilities, promoting behavioral change, and prompting problem solving capabilities in respect to the everyday problems that they have to face throughout their lives.

Insulin and Glucagon Secretions, and Morphological Change of Pancreatic Islets in OLETF Rats, a Model of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

This study was performed to observe the changes of glucose-related hormones and the morphological change including ultrastructure of the pancreatic islets in the male Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rat. Area under the curve (AUC) of glucose at the 30th (709 +/- 73 mg.h/dL) and at the 40th week (746 +/- 87 mg.h/ dL) of age were significantly higher than that at the 10th week (360 +/- 25 mg.h/ dL). AUC of insulin of the 10th week was 2.4 +/- 0.9 ng.h/mL, increased gradually to 10.8 +/- 8.3 ng.h/mL at the 30th week, and decreased to 1.8 +/- 1.2 ng.h/mL at the 40th week. The size of islet was increased at 20th week of age and the distribution of peripheral alpha cells and central beta cells at the 10th and 20th weeks was changed to a mixed pattern at the 40th week. On electron microscopic examination, beta cells at the 20th week showed many immature secretory granules, increased mitochondria, and hypertrophied Golgi complex and endoplasmic reticulum. At the 40th week, beta cell contained scanty intracellular organelles and secretory granules and apoptosis of acinar cell was observed. In conclusion, as diabetes progressed, increased secretion of insulin was accompanied by increases in size of islets and number of beta-cells in male OLETF rats showing obese type 2 diabetes. However, these compensatory changes could not overcome the requirement of insulin according to the continuous hyperglycemia after development of diabetes.

Impaired Metabolic Signal Transduction Networks in Isolated Skeletal Muscle in Korean type 2 Diabetic Patients / 대한내분비학회지

BACKGROUND: The glucose uptake rate is the limiting step in glucose utilization and storage. The failure of insulin to stimulate glucose uptake in muscle appears to be a primary defect of insulin resistance. This study was undertaken to examine the effect of physiological hyperinsulinemia on the phosphorylation of the insulin receptor (IR-beta), insulin receptor substrate (IRS), Akt kinase and GSK-3 in isolated skeletal muscle, in people with type 2 diabetes (n=9) and control subjects (n=11). METHODS: 75g OGTT and euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp test were done. And vastus lateralis muscle was obtained before and 30 min into the euglycemic clamp. Western blots were performed for tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate (IRS) and phosphorylation of the insulin receptor(IR-beta), Akt and GSK-3. RESULT: There were no statistical differences in the mean age, BMI and body fat between the control subjects and diabetic patients. The fasting blood sugar and HbA1c in controls and diabetic patients were 98.+/-1.3 and 208.1+/-16.5 ng/dl, and 5.4+/-0.5 and 9.2+/-0.6%, and 1.4+/-0.2 in the control subjects, and 72.2+/-52.3% (p<0.01) and 10.2+/-6.3 (p<0.01) in the diabetic patients, respectively. The insulin resistance from the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp tests were 8.2+/-0.6 mg/kg/min and 3.7+/-1.1 ng/kg/min in the control subjects and in the diabetic patients, respectively (p<0.01). Compared with the normal controls, insulin-stimulated IR phosphorylation was no different to that in the diabetic patients. However, insulin-stimulated IRS phosphorylation, insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation and insulin-stimulated GSK-3 phosphorylation were reduced in the diabetic patients compared with the normal controls by 24, 43 and 25%, respectively (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: In korean type 2 diabetic patients, the insulin resistance may be due to the impairment of the upstream insulin signal molecular network. Further studies will focus on determining whether these signaling defects are the cause of the development of insulin resistance, or secondary to the altered metabolic state, associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Effect of a traditional korean very-low-calorie diet on obese patients / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND: There is increasing interest in the use of a very low calorie diet (VLCD) as a treatment regimen for weight loss in obese subjects. This study was designed to investigate the effects and safety of a traditional Korean very-low-calory diet. METHODS: Twelve hospitalized obese patients at Dong Eui hospital in Busan city from May 1998 to December 1998 were selected. Height, body weight, blood lipids, blood insulin level, body fat, lean body mass, subcutaneous fat and visceral fat were measured. A traditional Korean VLCD was supplied for 14 days. RESULTS: Patient's body weight was significantly decreased from 83.8 kg to 78.6 kg, body fat from 32.2 kg to 28.6 kg, lean body mass from 32.2 kg to 28.6 kg, and BMI from 31.4 to 29.5, respectively (p<0.05). Total fat was significantly decreased from 807 cc to 659 cc, subcutaneous fat from 567 cc to 473 cc, visceral fat from 273 cc to 185 cc, respectively. However there were no significant changes in minerals. After VLCD intervention, total cholesterol was significantly decreased from 199 mg/dL to 166 mg/dL, HDL-cholesterol from 42 mg/dL, to 35 mg/dL, triglyceride from 158 mg/dL, to 75 mg/dL (p<0.05). The insulin area under the curve was also significantly decreased from 205 micro International-Unit/mL x 2hr to 168 micro International-Unit/mL x 2hr (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Above findings suggested that a traditional Korean VLCD is effective and safe for short term use in terms of reducing body fat and improving insulin resistance in obese patients.

A Case with Thyroid Tuberculosis Diagnosed by Non-operative Method / 대한내분비학회지

Tuberculosis of the thyroid gland is extremely rare, with a few surgically removed cases having been reported. The differential diagnosis, from malignancies and other non tuberculous granulomatous lesions, is impossible clinical grounds. We experienced a case of tuberculosis of the thyroid gland with palpable thyroid nodules, in a 23 year-old female patient. She was clinical and biochemically euthyroid. US and CT scans demonstrated a low density mass in the left low lobe of the thyroid gland. An FNAB showed caseous necrosis, and AFB stains demonstrated tuberculosis bacilli. We report a case of tuberculosis of the thyroid gland, diagnosed by a non-operative method.

An Unusual Case of Osteoblastic Metastasis from Gastric Carcinoma

We report an unusual case of osteoblastic metastasis from gastric carcinoma. In this case, bone metastasis was the initial manifestation of the cancer. The laboratory findings revealed mild hypocalcemia and markedly elevated alkaline phosphatase levels. Plain X-ray showed mottled osteoblastic changes in the pelvis. Bone marrow and bone biopsy of the pelvis revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma with increased osteoblastic activity. An extensive search for the primary site revealed advanced gastric carcinoma, which was confirmed by endoscopic biopsy.

An Unusual Case of Osteoblastic Metastasis from Gastric Carcinoma

We report an unusual case of osteoblastic metastasis from gastric carcinoma. In this case, bone metastasis was the initial manifestation of the cancer. The laboratory findings revealed mild hypocalcemia and markedly elevated alkaline phosphatase levels. Plain X-ray showed mottled osteoblastic changes in the pelvis. Bone marrow and bone biopsy of the pelvis revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma with increased osteoblastic activity. An extensive search for the primary site revealed advanced gastric carcinoma, which was confirmed by endoscopic biopsy.

Current Therapy of Thyroid-associated Ophthalmopathy / 대한내분비학회지

No abstract available.

Cyclic Pamidronate Infusion in Primary Osteoporotic Women / 대한내분비학회지

BACKGROUND: Bisphosphonates are now well established as successful antiresorptive agents for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. We investigated the effect of cyclic intravenous treatment with an aminobisphosphonate, pamidronate in cases of primary osteoporosis. METHODS: Eighteen patients with primary osteoporosis (bone mineral density BMD t-score < -2.5) received four courses of pamidronate (30 mg with 500 mL normal saline over 2 hours every 3 months). The serum biochemical parameters and bone turnover markers were measured before each treatment. The bone pain score, medication score, and the side effects were also monitored. BMD and simple spine X-ray were performed before and 1 year after of treatment. RESULTS: BMD at the lumbar spine (L2-4) significantly increased from 0.798+/-0.110 g/cm2 to 0.860+/-0.107 g/cm2 after 1 year of treatment with pamidronate: by +8.3+/-9.4% of baseline. BMDs at the femoral neck, Ward s triangle and the trochanter also increased, but not significantly. Serum total alkaline phosphatase (p<0.05) and urine deoxypyridinoline/creatinine (p=0.069) decreased with treatment. Other bone turnover markers were unchanged. The bone pain score decreased significantly. None of the patients experienced a new fracture during treatment. The frequency of the side effects following the first infusion was 61.1% (a transient fever and myalgia with flu-like symptoms in 10 patients and mild phlebitis in 1 patient). However, only two patients complained of flu-like symptoms after second infusion, and no patient complained following the third infusion. CONCLUSION: Cyclic intravenous treatment of pamidronate every three months was effective in increasing BMD and in the decreasing bone turnover rate, and was relatively well tolerated in primary osteoporotic women.

A case of slipped capital femoral epiphysis developed during growth hormone treatment / 대한내과학회지

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is the most common orthopedic hip disorder occuring in adolescence. In this condition, the femoral head (epiphysis) displaces, or slips on the femoral neck through the region of the growth plate. This condition can occur only before the epiphyseal plate closes. The exact etiology is unknown, although it has been associated with obesity, hanical abnormalities, physeal abnormalities, endocrine disturbances (hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiency, hypogonadism). Interestingly, SCFE was observed in growth hormone deficiency and in patients treated with growth hormone. We report a case of an adolescent male with glycogen storage disease Ia and growth hormone deficiency who developed SCFE during treatment with recombinant human growth hormone. A 17-year-old male was admitted for pain of left hip which was exacerbated by walking 15 days ago. He was diagnosed glycogen storage disease Ia and growh hormone deficiency 2 years ago and treated growth hormone therapy with recombinant human growth hormone at the dose of 2 unit/day. The diagnosis of SCFE was confirmed radiologically. From the time of admission, he received skin traction on the left hip joint and stopped to inject growth hormone and treated surgically with internal fixation of the epiphysis with use of 3-cannulated screw. The patient is followed at out-patient clinic without postoperative complication.

A case of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus caused by obstructive uropathy due to prostate cancer

Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (DI) secondary to chronic urinary tract obstruction is a rare disease. The exact cause is unknown but it is likely that increased collecting duct pressures cause damage to the tubular epithelium, resulting in insensitivity to the action of arginine-vasopressin (AVP). A 77-year-old man complaining of polyuria and polydipsia was treated with alpha glucosidase inhibitor under the impression of polyuria due to diabetes mellitus. But his symptoms did not improve. Water deprivation and AVP administration study revealed that the patient had nephrogenic DI. Urinary tract obstruction due to an enlarged prostate was suggested as a principal cause of nephrogenic DI. The patient underwent transurethral resection of the prostate and bilateral subcapsular orchiectomy. After surgery, the urine osmolarity was normalized and the patient became symptom-free. We report a case of nephrogenic DI due to obstructive uropathy which was cured by surgery eliminating obstruction.

Tissue Engineering for Dental Implants / 대한치과보철학회지

No abstract available.

The Clinical Utility of HBME - 1 Immunostaining in the Diagnosis of Follicular Carcinoma of Thyroid / 대한내분비학회지

BACKGROUND: Currently, in follicular lesion of aspirates of thyroid, pathologic evaluation of surgical specimen is the only diagnostic method whether the patient had follicular thyroid malignancy or not. The aim of this study is the evaluation of the clinical utility of HBME-1 immunostaining in the diagnosis of follicular thyroid malignancy in surgical specimen, and to establish the diagnostic guideline of HBME-1 immunostaining. METHODS: From 1994 to Sep. 1999, the 72 paraffin embedded tissue, which was already diagnosed as thyroid follicular carcinoma or adenoma through the pathologic evaluation of surgical specimen, were studied. Among 72 specimens, the 29 follicular carcinoma were included, and the others were follicular adenoma. The specimens were stained with HBME-1 monoclonal antibody by standard avidin-biotin peroxidase complex methods. One limited pathologist had read the findings of the immunostaining with a basis such as percent of tumor area. These percentage were divided to 4 grade as follows: 1) Grade 0: negative stained, 2) Grade 1: stained area or = 60%. After we had set a basis of follicular carcinoma as more than Grade 2, defined the clinical utility of HBME-1 immunostaining. The clinical utility was based that the concordance rate between pathologic diagnosis and the findings of immunostaining was more than 80% in both groups. RESULTS: 1) There was significant difference between two groups in intensity of cellular staining (p=0.04, x2). But, there might not be helpful to rule out follicular carcinoma of thyroid from adenoma in fine-needle aspirates. 2) In both groups, the percent of stained area of tumor was very diverse from 0% to 100%, and was statistically significant different (p=0.007). 3) Because the only 5 cases of normal tissue in both groups were stained weakly, the HBME-1 immunostaining was like to specific reaction with tumor tissue in both groups. 4) When we had set a basis of follicular thyroid carcinoma as more than Grade 2 (> or = 30%), the concordance rate between pathologic diagnosis and the findings of immuno- staining was 69.7% in follicular adenoma, 65.5% in follicular carcinoma, respectively. CONCLUSION: The HBME-1 immunostaining may not be help to differentiate follicular carcinoma from adenoma.

A Case of Synchronized Pineal and Suprasellar Germinoma / 대한내분비학회지

Pineal germinomas are the most common intracranial germ cell tumor and occur in relatively young age, with 26% between 10 and 12, 65% between 10 and 21 and 95% before age 27. Patients with pineal germinoma present headache, lethargy, nausea, and vomiting which result from raised intracranial pressure and Parinaud's syndrome secondary to midbrain tectal compression, and rarely endocrine dysfunction such as diabetes insipidus (DI), panhypopituitarism, and precocious puberty. We experienced a case of pineal and suprasellar germinoma presenting with central diabetes insipidus and panhypopituitarism.

Thyroid Acropachy / 대한정형외과학회잡지

Thyroid acropachy is a rare complication of Graves' disease, manifested by clubbing of the terminal phalanges, periosteal new bone formation and overlying soft tissue swelling, It may occur when the patient is hypothyroid, euthyroid or hyperthyroid. In most cases, it is a part of the syndrome, including exophthalmos and/or pretibial myxedema. The authors have experienced one case of thyroid acropachy and report with a review of the literature review. The patient a 56-year-old female with a characteristic feathery new bone formation on the medial side of the shaft of the left first metatarsal bone and overlying soft tissue swelling. However, there was no pretibial myxedema and clubbing of fingers. She was hypothyroid and treated with systemic corticosteroid for mild pain and persistent swelling. The treatment had temporarily improved the patient's condition.

Efficacy of questionnaire for the diagnosis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in koreans / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND: Discrepancies exist in the currently available data on the prevalence of diabetic neuropathy. Variations in the prevalence of diabetic neuropathy have reflected the different criteria used to form its diagnosis. The majority of diagnostic criteria are less practical in many routine clinical settings where there is a need for a simple assessment using widely available techniques to rapidly screen large numbers of patients. We already reported that the questionnaire of Feldman's two-step assessment was less useful in Koreans, because of the different expression of neuropathic symptoms. We proposed a representative questionnaire which was based on patients' own complaints, and assessed its clinical availability. METHODS: Ninety diabetic patients(45 cases with diabetic neuropathy, 45 cases without neuropathy) were included in this study. Diabetic neuropathy was diagnosed by neurologic examination and nerve conduction velocity. The questionnaire consisted of 7 questions on foot sensation (prickling, lancinating, burning, numb), which are frequent complaints of diabetic patients. All subjects were assessed with the questionnaire. RESULTS: 1. The most sensitive symptom was tingling sensation (75.6%) and the least sensitive one was numbness(28.9%). 2. The most specific symptom was numbness(82.2%) and the least specific one was tingling sensation(33.3%). 3. If we would assume that three or more of symptoms were diagnostic, the sensitivity and specificity were 66.7% and 53.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our new questionnaire can be used as a screening test or a follow-up tool for the diagnosis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in Koreans.

A case of primary bilateral adrenal lymphoma with partial adrenal insufficiency

Unilateral or bilateral non-Hodgkin's lymphomas arising primarily in the adrenal glands are extremely rare. These lymphomas are usually present with large, bilateral adrenal masses with or without lymphadenopathy, and may be accompanied by adrenal insufficiency in some cases. A review of the literature indicates that patients with primary lymphoma of the adrenal glands usually do not have disease elsewhere, and if present, it is frequently extranodal. We report here an unusual case of primary bilateral adrenal lymphoma with partial adrenal insufficiency.

Plasma Leptin, Insulin Resistance, and Obesity Index of Type 2 Diabetics and Normal Subjects among Koreans / 대한내분비학회지

BACKGROUND: Leptin has been reported to be correlated with the amount of adipose tissue in humans. The plasma leptin concentrations were not different between diabetics and non-diabetics in Mexican-Americans; however, the leptin might stimulate or diminish insulin secretion and induce insulin resistance. Then, it can be postulated that leptin may one of the key factors in the development of insulin resistance. Therefore we were to note any differences in FPL (fasting plasma leptin levels) between diabetics and normal subjects, and to investigate variables such as PBF (percentage body fat), BMI (body mass index), FPI (fasting plasma insulin) to determine their effects on the variation of FPL. We also were to investigate whether FPL influenced the GUR (glucose utilization rate). METHODS: The subjects were 116 type 2 diabetics and 45 normal subjects in Korean. PBF, BMI, WHR (waist hip ratio) were measured. Fasting plasma insulin and leptin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. Euglycemic and/or hyperglycemic clamp tests were performed in 19 diabetics and 16 normal subjects. RESULTS: 1. There was no difference in FPL between diabetics and normal subjects. 2. A significant difference was found in FPL between female and male subjects. 3. Gender and body composition such as PBF, BMI contributed plasma leptin levels. 4. FPL was associated with GUR (Insulin resiatance) only in male subjects. 5. During 2h clamp tests, the acute increments of insulin or glucose did not change the leptin levels. CONCLUSION: These data suggested that there was no difference in FPL between diabetics and normal subjects, whereas gender, body composition such as PBF, BMI contributed leptin levels.