A rapidly aging population in Korea has led to increased attention in the field of anti-aging medicine. The purpose of anti-aging medicine is to slow, stop, or reverse the aging process and its associated effects, such as disability and frailty. Anti-aging medicine is emerging as a growing industry, but many supplements or protocols are available that do not have scientific evidence to support their claims. In this review, the mechanisms of action and the clinical implications of anti-aging interventions were examined and explained. Calorie restriction mimetics define compounds that imitate the outcome of calorie restriction, including an activator of AMP protein kinase (metformin), inhibitor of growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 axis (pegvisomant), inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (rapamycin), and activator of the sirtuin pathway (resveratrol). Hormonal replacement has also been widely used in the elderly population to improve their quality of life. Manipulating healthy gut microbiota through prebiotic/probiotics or fecal microbiota transplantation has significant potential in anti-aging medicine. Vitamin D is expected to be a primary anti-aging medicine in the near future due to its numerous positive effects in the elderly population.
Aged ; Aging ; Fecal Microbiota Transplantation ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Hormone Replacement Therapy ; Humans ; Korea ; Protein Kinases ; Quality of Life ; Sirolimus ; Vitamin D

Background: This study aimed to examine the association between sitting time and handgrip strength in healthy Korean women. Methods: A total of 5,437 participants were included from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014–2016. The overall daily sitting time was estimated using health interview surveys, and handgrip strength was assessed using a digital hand dynamometer. The relationship between sitting time and handgrip strength was calculated with a weighted analysis of covariance after adjusting for confounding variables. Results: Participants in each age group (19–39, 40–64, ≥65 years) were divided into three categories according to sitting time: ≤5, 6–9, and ≥10 h/d. The handgrip strength tended to decrease as sitting time increased after adjusting for age, body mass index, alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, resistance exercise, aerobic physical activity, household income, education level, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and depression in all age groups (all P<0.001). Conclusion We observed the inverse relationship between sitting time and handgrip strength in healthy Korean women.

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Thyroid Gland*

Orbital solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) has recently been proposed as the encompassing terminology for hemangiopericytoma, giant cell angiofibroma (GCAF), and fibrous histiocytoma of the orbit. The lacrimal gland is a very rare location for both SFT and GCAF. A 39-year-old man presented with a painless left upper eyelid mass. An orbital computed tomography scan identified a 1.1 cm-sized well-defined nodule located in the left lacrimal gland. He underwent a mass excision. Histopathologic examination showed a proliferation of relatively uniform spindle cells with a patternless or focally storiform pattern. Dilated vessels were prominent, but angiectoid spaces lined with giant cells were absent. Floret-type giant cells were mostly scattered in the periphery. The tumor was immunoreactive for CD34 and CD99, but negative for smooth muscle actin and S-100 protein. This is the first Korean case of SFT of the lacrimal gland with overlapping features of GCAF, suggesting a close relationship between the two entities.
Actins ; Angiofibroma ; Eyelids ; Giant Cells ; Hemangiopericytoma ; Histiocytoma, Benign Fibrous ; Lacrimal Apparatus ; Muscle, Smooth ; Orbit ; S100 Proteins ; Solitary Fibrous Tumors

Background: Evidence regarding the association between handgrip strength (HGS) and insulin resistance in a non-diabetic population is scarce. This study aimed to investigate the association between relative HGS and insulin resistance in older men without diabetes, using a representative sample of the Korean male population. Methods: The study population comprised 206 participants aged 65–80 years, selected from the 2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Insulin resistance was defined as the upper tertile of the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for insulin resistance were assessed using multiple logistic regression analyses after adjusting for confounding variables. Results: The prevalence of insulin resistance decreased with increasing relative HGS. The prevalence in the T1, T2, and T3 groups was 46.0%, 32.2%, and 26.4%, respectively. Compared with the individuals in the highest tertile of relative HGS, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for insulin resistance in individuals in the lowest quartile was 2.82 (1.10–7.21) after adjusting for age, smoking, alcohol consumption, aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, residential area, household income, and education level. Conclusion Lower relative HGS was inversely associated with an increased risk of insulin resistance in older Korean men without diabetes. In clinical practice, relative HGS, which is a simple and inexpensive tool, could be a useful measure for identifying older men with insulin resistance. Moreover, these findings suggest that muscle strengthening exercises should be considered to reduce insulin resistance and increase insulin sensitivity.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the intraoperative and postoperative outcomes between robotic and laparoscopic transperitoneal adrenalectomies. Methods: In this retrospective study, 93 patients underwent adrenalectomy using 2 surgical modalities: 45 patients underwent adrenalectomy using the da Vinci Xi system (robotic group), and 48 patients using laparoscopic devices (laparoscopic group). We compared the operation time, intraoperative bleeding, and hospital stay according to the surgical modality and tumor characteristics. Results: There were no significant differences in the operative time (P = 0.827), hospital stay (P = 0.177), and intraoperative bleeding (P = 0.174) between the groups. However, the robotic group showed a lower coefficient of variation in total operative time than that of the laparoscopic group (100.6 ± 23.3 minutes vs. 101.9±32.7 minutes, 0.230 vs. 0.321). When divided into 2 subgroups based on the tumor size (<3 cm and ≥3 cm), the robotic group with a tumor sized >3 cm had a shorter operative time than that of the laparoscopic group (P = 0.032). The robotic group also had fewer cases of intraoperative bleeding (P = 0.034). Conclusions Compared to the laparoscopic transperitoneal adrenalectomy, the robotic one achieved a lower deviation in total operative time and showed less bleeding and a shorter operative time, especially for tumors sized >3 cm.

CCL5/regulated on activation, normal T expressed and secreted production (RANTES) is a principal CC chemokine, and can activate macrophages and Th1 lymphocytes, however, little is known about the CCL5 profiles associated with active tuberculosis (TB). In this study, we investigated the production of CCL5 by the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with active pulmonary TB after stimulation with Triton X-100 soluble proteins (TSP) or the 30-kDa antigen. The profiles of cytokines/chemokines [CXCL8/interleukin (IL)-8, IL-12 p40, and interferon (IFN)-gamma] were also examined by PBMCs from TB patients, and compared with those obtained from healthy tuberculin reactors (HTR). Concordant with earlier studies, IFN-gamma production was significantly depressed in the PBMCs from TB patients compared with those from HTR. In addition, the CCL5, but not CXCL8, levels in the PBMCs from TB patients were significantly depressed after stimulation for 18 hr compared to those in the PBMCs from HTRs. The CCL5 release was not significantly correlated with the release of IFN-gamma in the cells from TB patients and HTRs. Further, inhibitor studies show that the 30-kDa- or TSP-induced CCL5 mRNA expression is sensitive to inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) 1/2 and Janus kinase (JAK) 2, but not p38, pathway activation, suggesting a MEK1/2- or JAK2-based mechanism is responsible for modulating of the CCL5 expression in human PBMCs. Collectively, these data suggest that TB patients show depressed production of CCL5 secretion, which can be modulated by MEK- and JAK2-based transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, in response to the mycobacterial antigens.
Corynebacterium ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma ; Interferons ; Interleukin-12 ; Lymphocytes ; Macrophages ; Octoxynol ; Phosphotransferases ; Protein Kinases ; Proteins ; RNA, Messenger ; Tuberculin ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is oncogenic and can transform B cells from a benign to a malignant phenotype. EBV infection is also associated with lymphoid interstitial pneumonia (LIP). Here, we report the case of a 14-year-old boy who was diagnosed with a latent EBV infection and underlying LIP, without any associated immunodeficiency. He had been EBV-seropositive for 8 years. The first clinical presentations were chronic respiratory symptoms and recurrent pneumonia. The symptoms worsened in the following 2 years. The results of in situ hybridization were positive for EBV, which led to a diagnosis of LIP. The diagnosis was confirmed by the results of a thoracoscopic lung biopsy. The EBV titer of the bronchoalveolar lavage specimens obtained after acyclovir treatment was found to be fluctuating. The patient had latent EBV infection for 8 years, until presented at the hospital with intermittent abdominal pain and distension. Physical examination and pelvic computed tomography revealed a large mesenteric mass. A biopsy of the excised mass led to a diagnosis of Burkitt's lymphoma (BL). The patient received combination chemotherapy for 4 months, consisting of vincristine, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisolone. He is now tumor-free, with the LIP under control, and is being followed-up at the outpatient clinic. This is the first report of a Korean case of chronic latent EBV infection that developed into LIP and BL in a nonimmunocompromised child.
Abdominal Pain ; Acyclovir ; Adolescent ; Ambulatory Care Facilities ; B-Lymphocytes ; Biopsy ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Burkitt Lymphoma ; Child ; Cyclophosphamide ; Diagnosis ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections ; Herpesvirus 4, Human* ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; Lip ; Lung ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial ; Lymphoproliferative Disorders* ; Male ; Methotrexate ; Phenotype ; Physical Examination ; Pneumonia ; Prednisolone ; Vincristine

PURPOSE: Clinical features of peanut allergy can range from localized to systemic reactions. Because peanut and birch pollen have cross-reactivity, peanut can lead to localized allergic reaction in Fagales pollen-sensitized oral allergy syndrome (OAS) patients without peanut sensitization per se. The purpose of this study was to discriminate true peanut food allergy from cross-reactive hypersensitivity in birch-sensitized peanut allergy. METHODS: Birch-sensitized (n=81) and peanut anaphylaxis patients (n=12) were enrolled. Peanut-related allergic reactions and sensitization profiles were examined. Specific IgE to Fagales tree pollens (birch, oak), peanut, and their component allergens (Bet v 1, Bet v 2, Ara h 1, Ara h 2, Ara h 3, Ara h 8, and Ara h 9) were evaluated. Based on these specific IgEs and clinical features, the patients were classified into 4 groups: group 1 (Fagales pollen allergy without OAS), group 2 (Fagales pollen allergy with OAS), group 3 (OAS with peanut anaphylaxis), and group 4 (peanut anaphylaxis). RESULTS: After peanut consumption, one-third of OAS patients experienced oral symptoms not associated with peanut sensitization. Ara h 1 or Ara h 2 was positive in peanut anaphylaxis patients, whereas Ara h 8 was positive in OAS patients. There were 4 patients with both peanut anaphylaxis and OAS (group 3). Both Ara h 2 and Ara h 8 were positive in these patients. Foods associated with OAS in Korea showed unique patterns compared to Westernized countries. CONCLUSIONS: Ara h 2 and Ara h 8 may be important component allergens for discriminating peanut allergy.
Allergens* ; Anaphylaxis ; Arachis* ; Betula ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E ; Korea* ; Peanut Hypersensitivity* ; Pollen ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal ; Trees