The pyrimidine nucleoside uridine has recently been reported to have a protective effect on cultured human corneal epithelial cells, in an animal model of dry eye and in patients. In this study, we investigate the pharmacokinetic profile of uridine in rabbits, following topical ocular (8 mg/eye), oral (450 mg/kg) and intravenous (100 mg/kg) administration. Blood and urine samples were serially taken, and uridine was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. No symptoms were noted in the animals after uridine treatment. Uridine was not detected in either plasma or urine after topical ocular administration, indicating no systemic exposure to uridine with this treatment route. Following a single intravenous dose, the plasma concentration of uridine showed a bi-exponential decay, with a rapid decline over 10 min, followed by a slow decay with a terminal half-life of 0.36 +/- 0.05 h. Clearance and volume of distribution were 1.8 +/- 0.6 L/h/kg and 0.58 +/- 0.32 L/kg, respectively. The area under the plasma concentration-time curves (AUC) was 59.7 +/- 18.2microg.hr/ml, and urinary excretion up to 12 hr was ~7.7% of the dose. Plasma uridine reached a peak of 25.8 +/- 4.1 microg/ml at 2.3 +/- 0.8 hr after oral administration. The AUC was 79.0 +/- 13.9 microg.hr/ml, representing ~29.4% of absolute bioavailability. About 1% of the oral dose was excreted in the urine. These results should prove useful in the design of future clinical and nonclinical studies conducted with uridine.
Administration, Intravenous* ; Administration, Ophthalmic ; Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Area Under Curve ; Biological Availability ; Epithelial Cells ; Half-Life ; Humans ; Mass Spectrometry ; Models, Animal ; Pharmacokinetics* ; Plasma ; Rabbits* ; Uridine*

Menopause is a well-known risk factor for accelerating cognitive aging in women. This study aimed to assess differences in cognitive function and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) according to menopausal status to determine whether the menopause significantly affects the relationship between cognitive function and HRQOL.

Purpose: This study was done to analyze research articles and explore research trends in auriculotherapy between 2010 and 2019 in Korean academic journals. Methods: Domestic databases including KMbase, RISS, KISS, and NDSL were searched for studies published between 2010 and 2019. Research trends were analyzed according to The STandards Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) guidelines including research design, control group type, and intervention details from a total of 78 domestic papers. Descriptive statistics were analyzed by frequency and percentage. Results: Most studies were conducted in nursing. Regarding research design, a quasi-experimental design with a no-treatment control group was most common. There were 12 conditions with 4 participant categories. The most common intervention was four-point acupuncture-buried therapy. Interventions conducted weekly with cessation of 2 days for 6 weeks were popular. Regarding dropouts, few studies reported side-effects, with personal reasons being the most frequently reported. However, 50% of the studies failed to provide adequate information regarding intervention details according to the STRICTA guidelines, such as the practitioner background, ear point used for intervention, and a flow diagram. Conclusion Interventional studies on auriculotherapy have been steadily increasing and have included more diversified conditions. Future studies should investigate the effects of auriculotherapy with more rigorous design, and report more detailed information regarding interventions.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and incidence of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and stroke in Korean male adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors reviewed all medical certificates, medical records, and radiologic images from the examinations of Korean military conscription from January 2008 to May 2011. RESULTS: Of the 101156 examinees, 40 had CVD and stroke during adolescence. The overall prevalence and incidence of CVD and stroke was 39.54 cases per 100000 adolescents and 2.08 cases per 100000 adolescents per year, respectively and these were similar to the worldwide data. There were 3 cases of aneurysm, 3 cases of dural arteriovenous fistula, 11 cases of arteriovenous malformation, 4 cases of cavernous hemangioma, 4 cases of cerebrovascular infarction, 16 cases of Moyamoya disease, and 1 case of missing data. The incidence of arteriovenous malformation (0.57 cases per 100000 adolescents per year) was lower than the incidence for the worldwide general population. The incidence of Moyamoya disease was higher than that in any other country (15.82 cases per 100000 adolescents, vs. 0.83 cases per 100000 adolescents per year). CONCLUSION: We observed ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, each accounting for approximately half of cases, and high incidence of Moyamoya disease with low incidence of arteriovenous malformation in Korean male adolescents.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/*epidemiology ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Moyamoya Disease/epidemiology ; Stroke/*epidemiology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to examine the effects of various leisure activities on cognitive impairment in young-old (aged 65–74 years) and old-old (aged ≥ 75 years) adults. METHODS: In total, 10,279 elderly Korean individuals from the 2014 Korean National Survey on Older Adults’ cohort were enrolled in our study. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the standardized score of the Mini-Mental State Examination for Dementia Screening, whereas leisure activities were recorded via self-reporting of the extent and type of leisure activity the subjects involved in over the past year. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the effect of leisure activities on cognitive impairment, while controlling for potential covariates. RESULTS: The subjects were more likely to participate in cognitive activities than in non-exercise physical activities. After controlling for selected covariates, involvement in cognitive activities was found to be a significant predictor of cognitive impairment in both the groups, whereas involvement in non-exercise physical activities was not a predictor of cognitive impairment in individuals aged ≥ 75 years. Moreover, depressive symptoms, rural residence, and hearing difficulties were common predictors of cognitive impairment among elderly-Korean-individuals. CONCLUSION: Leisure activity involvement may help delay cognitive impairment, which is often concomitant with aging. Hence, an early intervention service may significantly benefit both young-old and old-old individuals.
Adult ; Aged* ; Aging ; Cognition Disorders ; Cognition* ; Cohort Studies ; Dementia ; Depression ; Early Intervention (Education) ; Hearing ; Humans ; Leisure Activities* ; Logistic Models ; Mass Screening ; Motor Activity

Background: Metabolic syndrome has been known as a risk of cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is used as a predictor of cardiovascular disease. In this paper, we aimed to investigate the association between hs-CRP and metabolic syndrome.Method: A total of 7,633 were chosen as the study population from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dataset (2016–2017). Our dependent variable was whether an individual had metabolic syndrome or not, and the independent variable of interest was hs-CRP which was categorized into three groups. The chi-square tests and hierarchical logistic regression analyses reflecting survey characteristics were conducted. All analyses were stratified by gender. Results: According to the adjusted model with all covariates, compared to individuals having the low risk of hs-CRP, those having its average risk were more likely to have metabolic syndrome in men (odds ratio [OR], 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12–1.76) and women (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.33–2.16). Individuals having the high risk was not significantly different in men; however, they were more likely to have metabolic syndrome in women (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.28–3.23). Conclusion In an upcoming aging society, it is important to reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome to improve population health. This study suggests that hs-CRP may be used as a marker of the risk of metabolic syndrome in a gender-specific way, thereby contributing to enhancing awareness of the risk of metabolic syndrome among the general public.

PURPOSE: Options for BRCA mutation carriers include close surveillance, chemoprevention, and risk-reducing surgery (RRS) for breast and ovarian cancer. However, chemoprevention and RRS for cancer prevention are not widely performed in Korea. The aim of this study was to investigate the usage patterns of surveillance, chemoprevention and RRS of breast and ovary in Korean BRCA mutation carriers. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical record of 67 women who were diagnosed with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation between January 2005 and May 2009 at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. RESULTS: Mean age was 46 years old (range, 27-73 years), and median follow-up period was 10 months. The numbers of affected and unaffected carriers were 50 (74.6%) and 17 (25.4%). In 47 women affected with breast cancer excluding 3 cases of concurrent breast/ovarian cancers, 42 (89.4%) have received intensive surveillance only, 2 (4.3%) have taken tamoxifen for chemoprevention, and 3 (6.4%) have undergone contralateral prophylactic mastectomies to prevent breast cancer. For ovarian cancer prevention, risk reducing salpingo-oophorectomy was performed in 11 (24.4%) of 45 affected carriers excluding 5 patients who had bilateral salphingo-oophorectomy previously. In 17 unaffected carriers, chemoprevention and RRS were not performed. Only 4 (23.5%) of these unaffected carriers have chosen surveillance for breast or ovarian cancer. Old age and no family history are related to the poor compliance (no follow-up) of the carriers only in the univariate analysis but not in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Most of the Korean affected BRCA mutation carriers in our study chose intensive surveillance rather than chemoprevention or RRS. We should take special effort to follow and educate unaffected carriers, especially for those with old age or no family history.
Female ; Humans ; Breast Neoplasms ; Ovarian Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Mupirocin, a topical antimicrobial agent has been used for patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and recently mupirocin resistance was issued in some studies. The objective of this study was to analyze prescription patterns of topical mupirocin, to evaluate appropriateness of prescriptions in the ambulatory setting, and to compare frequency of mupirocin usage in South Korea with that in United States. METHODS: Topical mupirocin prescription patterns (the number of prescription and a prescription period), and appropriateness of prescription (including a prescription rate over 10 days, a repeat prescription rate within 30 days and a prescription rate within labeled indications) were analyzed using the 2012 Health Insurance and Review and Assessment service-National Patient Sample dataset of South Korea. The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey dataset was used to quantify topical mupirocin prescription in United States for comparison. RESULTS: In South Korea, the prescriptions rate for use over 10 days was 3%, the repeat prescription rate within 30 days was 8.87% and the prescription proportion within labeled indications was 33.84%. The most frequent diagnostic code was nonbacterial infection. The prescription rate per 1000 population of topical mupirocin in South Korea was calculated to be 46.07, whereas in United States was calculated to be 13.10. CONCLUSION: Topical mupirocin has been used frequently and inappropriately, so further studies are required to investigate the rationale behind such prescribing mupirocin patterns.
Ambulatory Care* ; Dataset ; Health Care Surveys ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Mupirocin* ; National Health Programs* ; Prescriptions* ; United States

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) is often accompanied by Parkinson's disease (PD) and may predict the development of mild cognitive impairment or dementia, longitudinal brain perfusion changes in PD patients with SCI remain to be elucidated. The current prospective study examined cerebral perfusion changes in PD patients with SCI using technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). METHODS: Among 53 PD patients at baseline, 30 patients were classified into the PD with SCI group and 23 patients were assigned to the PD without SCI group. The mean follow-up interval was 2.3±0.9 years. The Mini-Mental State Examination, Clinical Dementia Rating, and Global Deterioration Scale were used to assess impairments in cognitive function. Brain SPECT images were acquired at baseline and follow-up. RESULTS: Significant differences between the two groups were not found for demographic variables, PD severity, or cognitive function at either baseline or follow-up. At baseline, the PD with SCI group showed decreased perfusion in the left angular gyrus compared to the PD without SCI group. Longitudinal analysis revealed widespread perfusion reductions primarily in the bilateral temporo-parieto-occipital areas and cerebellum in the PD with SCI group. Relative to the PD without SCI group, an excessive decrease of perfusion was found in the left middle frontal gyrus of the PD with SCI patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that perfusion deficits in the middle frontal area may play an important role in the pathophysiology of SCI in PD.
Brain ; Cerebellum ; Cognition ; Cognition Disorders* ; Dementia ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mild Cognitive Impairment ; Parietal Lobe ; Parkinson Disease* ; Perfusion* ; Prospective Studies ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

PURPOSE: The characteristics of hypoparathyroidism in patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) after total thyroidectomy are not well established. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between hypoparathyroidism and loss of parathyroid glands in patients with or without HT who underwent total thyroidectomy. METHODS: Patients who underwent total thyroidectomy were divided into two groups; with HT (n=166) and without HT (n=526). Clinicopathologic characteristics were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The mean numbers of parathyroid glands in specimens were significantly smaller in the with HT group than in the without HT group (0.34+/-0.51 vs. 0.42+/-0.58, P=0.003). The rate of transient hypoparathyroidism was significantly higher in the with HT group than in the without HT group (51.8% vs. 34.6%, P=0.000). Serum total calcium levels in patients who experienced transient hypoparathyroidism did not differ significantly between groups (P=0.335). The incidence of transient hypoparathyroidism of patients who preserved all four parathyroid glands or sacrificed one parathyroid gland was higher in the with HT group than in the without HT group, although that of patients who sacrificed two or more parathyroid glands was similar between groups. The incidence of permanent hypoparathyroidism in the two groups did not differ (P=0.546). CONCLUSION: Patients with HT had a higher rate of transient hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy, particularly patients who preserved all four or three parathyroid glands. It is likely that the blood supply to the parathyroid gland might be vulnerable in patients with HT. Therefore, even though all parathyroid glands were preserved, careful monitoring of hypoparathyroidism is necessary after total thyroidectomy in patients with HT.
Calcium ; Hashimoto Disease* ; Humans ; Hypoparathyroidism* ; Incidence ; Parathyroid Glands ; Thyroidectomy*