No abstract available.
Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins* ; Kidney Failure, Chronic*

PURPOSE:Ghrelin is an endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, and stomach is the major site of ghrelin secretion. The purpose of this study is to compare the serum ghrelin concentrations between patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and normal adults. We studied also whether serum ghrelin levels in the patients with type 2 DM are correlated with body mass index (BMI), serum insulin, lipid profiles, and creatinine levels. METHODS:Forty patients with type 2 DM and forty normal adults were included in this study. We measured heights and weights of the subjects and calculated their BMIs. Blood samples were obtained to measure the ghrelin concentration and their sera were stored at -20degreeC until used. In all subjects, serum ghrelin levels were measured using the commercially available Ghrelin(human) EIA kit. RESULTS:No differences of mean values were detected between the control group and the type 2 diabetic group for age, body weight, BMI, and the levels of serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, and creatinine. But ghrelin level of the type 2 diabetic group (71.1+/-30.5 ng/L) was significantly lower than the control group (139.7+/-36.9 ng/L). In the control group, the ghrelin level showed positive correlation with HDL cholesterol (Pearson's correlation coefficient=0.37, P<0.05). In the diabetic group, the ghrelin level showed weakly positive correlation with insulin concentration. However, there was no significant relationship between serum ghrelin and various parameters in the diabetic patients group. CONCLUSION: In this study, ghrelin concentration in type 2 diabetic patients was lower than that in the control group. In the control group, serum ghrelin concentrations were positively correlated with HDL cholesterol. In the type 2 diabetic group, there was no significant correlation between insulin and ghrelin concentrations.
Adult ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Creatinine ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Ghrelin* ; Humans ; Insulin ; Receptors, Ghrelin ; Stomach ; Triglycerides ; Weights and Measures

Neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM) is defined as hyperglycemia that presents clinical symptoms within the first month of life and requires insulin therapy to maintain euglycemia. The diabetic condition may be transient, permanent, or transient with recurrence later in life. NDM is a rare clinical disorder. Three cases of NDM have been reported in Korea so far. We experienced two cases of NDM in twin brothers who were born with small for gestational ages. Their HLA typings were DR9 and DR14, and insulin autoantibody, islet cell antibody, GAD-reactive autoantibody, and insulin receptor antibody were not found. The genetic analysis with polymorphic DNA markers for chromosome 6 indicated paternal uniparental isodisomy.
Chromosomes, Human, Pair 6 ; Diabetes Mellitus* ; Genetic Markers ; Gestational Age ; Histocompatibility Testing ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Insulin ; Islets of Langerhans ; Korea ; Receptor, Insulin ; Recurrence ; Siblings* ; Twins* ; Uniparental Disomy

Background: Understanding adolescents’ mental health during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and identifying those most at risk is an urgent public health challenge.This study explored the trend of suicide attempts and the association between loneliness, family financial stress, and suicide attempts during the COVID-19 pandemic among adolescents. Methods: Data of the 2020 to 2022 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Surveys for adolescents aged 13–18 years were used. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between suicide attempts, family financial stress, and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The trend of suicide attempt rates was lowest in 2020 (1.9%, 1,034 out of 53,534) and it showed an increasing trend with rates of 2.2% (1,159 out of 53,445) in 2021 and 2.5% (1,271 out of 50,455) in 2022. The risk of suicide attempt was higher among adolescents who experienced financial stress (in 2020: adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26–1.88; in 2021: AOR, 1.63, 95% CI, 1.03–1.54) and felt lonely (in 2020: AOR, 2.19, 95% CI, 1.78–2.70; in 2021: AOR, 2.65, 95% CI, 2.16–3.26; in 2022: AOR, 1.3, 95% CI, 1.04–1.55) than those who did not. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic affected the suicide attempts of adolescents, with financial stress and feelings of loneliness closely linked to this impact. Although the pandemic nears its end, the persistent risk of suicide attempts among adolescents remains a concern. Therefore, it is imperative to implement targeted screening and interventions to address adolescent suicide risk.

BACKGROUND: More than 70% of morbidity and mortality of diabetes mellitus is due to macrovascular complications. These complications may be associated with defect of endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation. There have been suggestions that this defect might be due to direct toxicities of oxygen-free radical. So in this study ascorbic acid was used as a dietary supplement in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats to correct this defect. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. They were divided into control and experimental groups. Streptozotocin was injected to the 33 rats of experimental group and then divided into two the other receiving subgroups; one receiving ascorbic acid supplement(1 g/l in drinking water); and nosupplements. At 6, 9 and 12 weeks, abdominal aortic rings were obtained to make tissue preparations for evaluation of vascular smooth muscle contractility. RESULT: While control group showed good response to acetylcholine induced relaxation, diabetic group showed decreased relaxation regardless of ascorbic acid supplement at the experiments 6 weeks after streptozotocin treatment. This abnormal endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation was markedly reversed at 9 and 12 weeks into the diabetic group with ascorbic acid supplement. There were no differences in sodium nitroprusside induced relaxation responses between control and experimental groups; also, norepinephrine induced contractile responses did not show any remarkable effects. CONCLUSION: These results strongly suggest that the endothelial cells have defects in diabetic rats. Dietary supplement of ascorbic acid can reverse the defects of diabetic endothelial cells through its antioxidant effects and it may further protect against vascular disease in diabetic patients.
Acetylcholine ; Animals ; Antioxidants ; Ascorbic Acid* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Dietary Supplements ; Drinking ; Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Male ; Mortality ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Nitroprusside ; Norepinephrine ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Relaxation ; Streptozocin ; Vascular Diseases

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) in pediatric and adolescent patients is rare, and it is associated with various clinical symptoms. We introduce the case of an 8-year-old boy with ACC who presented with peripheral precocious puberty at his first visit. He displayed penis enlargement with pubic hair and facial acne. His serum adrenal androgen levels were elevated, and abdominal computed tomography revealed a right suprarenal mass. After complete surgical resection, the histological diagnosis was ACC. Two months after surgical removal of the mass, he subsequently developed central precocious puberty. He was treated with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist to delay further pubertal progression. In patients with functioning ACC and surgical removal, clinical follow-up and hormonal marker examination for the secondary effects of excessive hormone secretion may be a useful option at least every 2 or 3 months after surgery.
Acne Vulgaris ; Adolescent ; Adrenocortical Carcinoma* ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Hair ; Humans ; Male ; Penis ; Puberty, Precocious* ; Virilism

PURPOSE: Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and II are potent mitogens, postulated to exert autocrine and paracrine effects on growth regulation in human gastric cancer. In this study, we evaluated the expression of IGF-I, -II and IGFBPs in a panel of human gastric cancer cell lines. We also evaluated whether high expression of IGFBP-3 in human gastric cancer cells may increase the sensitivity to the anti-proliferative agents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 10 human korean gastric cancer ceIl lines and 1 Caucacian gastric adenocarcinoma cell line were used for this study. IGF and IGFBP expressions were evaluated by RT-PCR. IGFBP proteins in conditioned media were detected by Western Ligand Blot. Cell survival after treatment of anti-proliferative agents was assessed by MTT assay. RESULTS: IGF-I and II were expressed in all gastric cancer cell lines. In addition, IGF-I and II stimulated the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. The expression of IGFBP-2 was found in all gastric cancer cell lines. IGFBP-4 was expressed in the most of cell lines. IGFBP-3, -4 and -6 were expressed in about 50% of cell lines. The growth inhibition of IGFBP-3 expressing cells by anti- proliferative agents was more significant than that of IGFBP-3 nonexpressing cells. Cell growth inhibition with treatment of these agents was accompanied by increased IGFBP-3 mRNA level. CONCLUSION: These data confirm that IGF-I, -II, and certain IGFBPs were expressed in gastric cancer cells, and gastric cancer cells show the differential growth inhibition by anti-proliferative agents. The differential growth inhibitory effect of anti-proliferative agents is, at least in part, mediated through up-regulation of IGFBP-3 expression.
Adenocarcinoma ; Carrier Proteins* ; Cell Line* ; Cell Survival ; Culture Media, Conditioned ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2 ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3* ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 4 ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Mitogens ; RNA, Messenger ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Up-Regulation

Congenital thoracic ectopic kidney is a very rare developmental disorder and the rarest type of ectopic kidney. This condition is usually asymptomatic and detected incidentally on routine chest radiography. Most cases of thoracic ectopic kidney develop in adulthood and during the neonatal period, and congenital thoracic ectopic kidney rarely develops in children. Most patients are asymptomatic, and the treatment depends on the diagnosis. Herein, we report a rare case of ectopic thoracic kidney associated with a diaphragmatic hernia in a 15-month-old male infant, who presented with periodic severe irritability. The thoracic ectopic kidney was detected as a mass in the right base of the chest on routine chest radiography.
Child ; Diagnosis ; Hernia, Diaphragmatic* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Kidney* ; Male ; Radiography ; Thorax

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of tamsulosin, 0.2mg/day on sexual function in Korean BPH patients. Patients and Methods: 116 patients (mean age: 60 yrs) with BPH were enrolled in this study and 0.2mg of tamsulosin was administrated every night for 3 months. Primary efficacy was evaluated with changes of IIEF and GEQ. Secondary efficacy parameters were changes of IPSS and QoL, uroflowmetry, changes of total IIEF and IIEF domain score according to the severity of IPSS, and retrograde ejaculation. RESULTS: Before treatment, patients of moderate IPSS (8-19) and severe IPSS (20-35) were 56% and 44% and QoL<3 and QoL>3 were 33.6% and 66.4%. In primary efficacy evaluation, total IIEF score was significantly increased from 37.0+/- 18.2 to 40.5+/- 18.9 (p<0.01). All domains of IIEF except orgasmic function were significantly improved. GEQ showed improvement of erection in 34.4% and intercourse ability in 30.1%. In secondary efficacy evaluation, IPSS was significantly decreased from 18.4+/- 6.9 to 12.9+/- 6.7 (p<0.01) and QoL was significantly improved from 3.8+/- 1.1 to 2.7+/- 1.4 (p<0.01). Qmax significantly increased from 14.2+/- 8.3 to 16.5+/- 11.3 ml/sec (p<0.01). Total IIEF score and EF domain score were significantly improved from 36.8+/- 18.5 to 41.8+/- 19.1 (p<0.01) and from 13.0+/- 7.1 to 14.7+/- 7.9 (p<0.01) in patients of moderate IPSS but no improvement in severe patients. Retrograde ejaculation occurred in 2 patients (2%). No serious adverse reactions were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Tamsulosin, 0.2mg/day was effective and safe dose for the improvement of LUTS and sexual function for Korean BPH/LUTS patients.
Ejaculation ; Humans ; Male ; Orgasm ; Prospective Studies ; Sulfonamides

OBJECTIVE: A probable diagnosis of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome(WAS) should be considered in any boy presenting with unusual bleeding, congenital thrombocytopenia and small platelets. The definitive diagnosis of WAS is usually made by the detection of WASP gene mutation or a decrease or absence of the WAS protein(WASP) in blood cells using molecular genetic analysis. However, these methods are too time-consuming and difficult. In this study, therefore, we tried to compare various diagnostic methods and establish the molecular screening steps for the definitive diagnosis of WAS. METHODS: Peripheral blood was drawn from WAS patient with clinical characteristic symptoms, and analyzed with automated complete blood cell count analysis, immunological analysis, and molecular analysis. The morphologic change of WAS patient's blood cell membrane was examined by scanning electron microscopy(SEM). Protein analysis for the expression of WASP protein in PBMC cells was evaluated by FACS and Western immunoblot. Genetic analysis for the detection of a mutation of the WASP gene was performed by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformational polymorphism analysis(PCR-SSCP) and direct sequencing of PCR products. RESULTS: In addition to microthrombocytopenia, our investigation revealed morphologic defects in WAS lymphocytes by SEM and abnormal mobility shifting in WAS patients by PCR-SSCP. Sequencing the WASP gene detected a specific single base mutation in exon 2, resulting in missense substitution of adenine for guanine 208(G208A, Gly70Arg). FACS and Western immunoblot demonstrated absent expressions of WASP in WAS patients and reduced expression of WASP in carrier when compared with normal controls. CONCLUSION: From these results, we suggested the following diagnostic approaches in patients suspected of having WAS. Protein-based analysis such as FACS and Western immunoblot should be employed as the first line of investigation. The second line genetic analyses should employ second- step approaches with localization of mutation by screening exons, typically by PCR-SSCP, followed by direct sequencing.
Adenine ; Blood Cell Count ; Blood Cells ; Blotting, Western ; Diagnosis ; Exons ; Guanine ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Membranes ; Molecular Biology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Thrombocytopenia ; Wasps ; Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome Protein ; Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome*