Purpose: The prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) and the status of M. bovis BCG vaccination may affect host immune responses to M.tb antigens. Understanding of the predominant local M. tb strain and immune signatures induced by its strain-specific antigens may contribute to an improved diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). The aim of this study was to determine immune responses to M. tb antigen which was identified from the hyper-virulent Beijing/K strain in South Korea. Materials and Methods: Pulmonary TB patients (n=52) and healthy subjects (n=92) including individuals with latent TB infection (n=31) were recruited, and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube tests were performed. The Beijing/K-antigen specific immune signatures were examined by diluted whole blood assays and multiplex bead arrays in a setting where nationwide BCG vaccination is employed. Results: Statistical analyses demonstrated that three [C-X-C motif chemokine (CXCL10), interleukin (IL)-6, interferon (IFN)-α] of 17 cytokines/chemokines distinguished active cases from healthy controls following stimulation with the Beijing/K-specific antigen. IFN-α also differentiated between active diseases and latent TB infection (p<0.01),and the detection rate of TB was dramatically increased in combination with IL-6 and CXCL10 at the highest levels of specificity (95–100%). Conclusion Our data indicate that immune signatures to the M. tb Beijing/K-specific antigen can provide useful information for improved TB diagnostics. The antigen may be developed as a diagnostic marker or a vaccine candidate, particularly in regions where the M. tb Beijing/K strain is endemic.

The Committee on Pediatric Bone Health of the Korean Society of Pediatric Endocrinology has newly developed evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for optimizing bone health in Korean children and adolescents. These guidelines present recommendations based on the Grading of Recommendations, which includes the quality of evidence. In the absence of sufficient evidence, conclusions were based on expert opinion. These guidelines include processes of bone acquisition, definition, and evaluation of low bone mineral density (BMD), causes of osteoporosis, methods for optimizing bone health, and pharmacological treatments for enhancing BMD in children and adolescents. While these guidelines provide current evidence-based recommendations, further research is required to strengthen these guidelines.

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) often suffer from diverse skin disorders, which might be attributable to skin barrier dysfunction. To explore the role of lipid alterations in the epidermis in DM skin disorders, we quantitated 49 lipids (34 ceramides, 14 free fatty acids (FFAs), and cholesterol) in the skin epidermis, liver, and kidneys of db/db mice, a Type 2 DM model, using UPLC-MS/MS. The expression of genes involved in lipid synthesis was also evaluated. With the full establishment of hyperglycemia at the age of 20 weeks, remarkable lipid enrichment was noted in the skin of the db/db mice, especially at the epidermis and subcutaneous fat bed. Prominent increases in the ceramides and FFAs (>3 fold) with short or medium chains ( Animals ; Ceramides ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Epidermis ; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Kidney ; Liver ; Mice ; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear ; Skin ; Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase ; Subcutaneous Fat

OBJECTIVE: To investigate alterations in the expression of the main regulators of neuronal survival and death related to astrocytes and neuronal cells in the brain in a mouse model of spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: Eight-week-old male imprinting control region mice (n=36; 30–35 g) were used in this study and randomly assigned to two groups: the naïve control group (n=18) and SCI group (n=18). The mice in both groups were randomly allocated to the following three time points: 3 days, 1 week, and 2 weeks (n=6 each). The expression levels of regulators such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1), and methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP 2) in the brain were evaluated following thoracic contusive SCI. In addition, the number of neuronal cells in the motor cortex (M1 and M2 areas) and the number of astrocytes in the hippocampus were determined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: BDNF expression was significantly elevated at 2 weeks after injury (p=0.024). The GDNF level was significantly elevated at 3 days (p=0.042). The expression of HDAC1 was significantly elevated at 1 week (p=0.026). Following SCI, compared with the control the number of NeuN-positive cells in the M1 and M2 areas gradually and consistently decreased at 2 weeks after injury. In contrast, the number of astrocytes was significantly increased at 1 week (p=0.029). CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that the upregulation of BDNF, GDNF and HDAC1 might play on important role in brain reorganization after SCI.
Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Astrocytes* ; Brain ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Epigenomics* ; Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Hippocampus ; Histone Deacetylase 1 ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein 2 ; Mice ; Motor Cortex ; Nerve Growth Factor ; Neurons* ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord* ; Up-Regulation

Spinal fractures have been recognized as a major health concern. Our purposes were to evaluate the trends in the incidence and mortality of spinal fractures between 2008 and 2012 and predict the number of spinal fractures that will occur in Korea up to 2025, using nationwide data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). A nationwide data set was evaluated to identify all new visits to medical institutes for spinal fractures in men and women aged 50 years or older between 2008 and 2012. The incidence, mortality rates and estimates of the number of spinal fractures were calculated using Poisson regression. The number of spinal fractures increased over the time span studied. Men and women experienced 14,808 and 55,164 vertebral fractures in 2008 and 22,739 and 79,903 in 2012, respectively. This reflects an increase in the incidence of spinal fractures for both genders (men, 245.3/100,000 in 2008 and 312.5/100,000 in 2012; women, 780.6/100,000 in 2008 and 953.4/100,000 in 2012). The cumulative mortality rate in the first year after spinal fractures decreased from 8.51% (5,955/69,972) in 2008 to 7.0% (7,187/102,642) in 2012. The overall standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of spinal fractures at 1 year post-fracture was higher in men (7.76, 95% CI: 7.63-7.89) than in women (4.70, 95% CI: 4.63-4.76). The total number of spinal fractures is expected to reach 157,706 in 2025. The incidence of spinal fractures increased in Korea in the last 5 years, and the socioeconomic burden of spinal fractures will continue to increase in the near future.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Databases, Factual ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Insurance Claim Review ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Fractures/*epidemiology/mortality ; Survival Rate

Background: Glomus tumors are benign mesenchymal neoplasms originating from the subcutaneous glomus body. It is often described as a painful nodule accompanied by tenderness and temperature sensitivity. Objective: To analyze the clinicopathologic features of glomus tumors and determine the correlations between the characteristics of glomus tumors and those of the patients. Methods: We reviewed the medical records and biopsy specimens of 29 cases of glomus tumors diagnosed between June 2006 and May 2021 at a single tertiary hospital. Results: The male to female ratio was 2.6:1, and the mean age of onset was 44.3 years. All cases presented with a solitary lesion, and the most common location was the fingernail (15 cases, 51.7%). Sixteen tumors (55.2%) were located in the digits, all of which were subungual tumors. Among these, nine tumors (56.3%) were observed in the nail bed, and seven (43.7%) were observed in the nail matrix. Thirteen patients (44.8%) had extradigital tumors.Histopathologically, 12 cases were solid glomus tumors (41.4%), 15 were glomangiomas (51.7%), and one was a glomangiomyoma (3.4%). Myxoid stromal changes were observed in nine cases (31.0%), all of which were subungual tumors. All tumors were removed. Postoperative nail deformities were observed in eight cases (50% of subungual tumors). Conclusion At our clinic, glomus tumors were commonly seen as solitary nodules accompanied by pain or tenderness. More than half of the tumors were located in the subungual area, mostly in the fingernails. Tumor removal alleviated the symptoms in most cases, but often resulted in residual nail dystrophy.

PURPOSE: To determine the relationship between uterine leiomyoma and female sexual dysfunction (FSD) among premenopausal and postmenopausal women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population consisted of consecutive women who underwent gynecologic screening tests, including transvaginal ultrasound, and completed the questionnaires on FSD. A total of 841 women were included from January 2010 to December 2011. FSD was defined as Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) ≤26.55. The relationship between uterine leiomyoma and FSD were compared according to menopausal status. RESULTS: In premenopausal group (n=564), there were no differences in the frequency of FSD (55.0% vs. 58.8%, p=0.387) and total FSFI score. However, in postmenopausal group (n=277), women with uterine leiomyoma had a lower frequency of FSD than those without uterine leiomyoma (71.3% vs. 86.4%, p=0.003). This relationship between uterine leiomyoma and lower frequency of FSD in postmenopausal women remained significant after adjusting for confounding variables. CONCLUSION: The relationship between uterine leiomyoma and FSD is different depending on the menopausal status.
Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Dyspareunia ; Female ; Humans ; Leiomyoma ; Mass Screening ; Menopause ; Sexual Behavior ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate ichroma™ IGRA-TB, a novel point-of-care platform for assaying IFN-γ release, and to compare it with QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) for identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recruited 60 healthy subjects, and blood samples were obtained in QFT-GIT blood collection tubes. The blood collection tubes were incubated at 37℃, and culture supernatant was harvested after 18–24 hours. IFN-γ responses were assessed by the ichroma™ IGRA-TB cartridge and the QFT-GIT IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Three active TB patients were recruited as a positive control for M. tb infection. RESULTS: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the ichroma™ IGRA-TB test for differentiating between infected and non-infected individuals was 0.9706 (p < 0.001). Inconsistent positivity between the two tests was found in three participants who showed weak positive IFN-γ responses ( < 1.0 IU/mL) with QFT-GIT. However, the two tests had excellent agreement (95.2%, κ=0.91, p < 0.001), and a very strong positive correlation was observed between the IFN-γ values of both tests (r=0.91, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The diagnostic accuracy demonstrated in this study indicates that the ichroma™ IGRA-TB test could be used as a rapid diagnostic method for detecting latent TB infection. It may be particularly beneficial in resource-limited places that require cost-effective laboratory diagnostics.
Diagnosis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Feasibility Studies ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Korea ; Latent Tuberculosis ; Methods ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Point-of-Care Systems ; ROC Curve ; Tuberculosis