PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine whether insulin resistance may be present and to analyze factors affecting the development of insulin resistance in children and adolescents born small for gestational age (SGA). METHODS: This study includes 24 children and 18 SGA adolescents and 13 children and 14 control adolescents. All patients underwent a standard, 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Serum levels of fasting blood sugar, insulin, leptin, adiponectin, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA- IR), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI), insulin sensitivity index (ISI), mean serum insulin (MSI) and mean serum glucose (MSG) were evaluated. RESULTS: The insulin responses at 30 min and 120 min after glucose load were significantly higher in pubertal SGA than control groups (P<0.05). Impaired glucose tolerance was found from 2 subjects (8.7 %) in prepubertal SGA group and from 3 subjects (15.0%) in pubertal SGA group. None of the patients had developed type 2 diabetes. MSI levels during OGTT were higher in pubertal SGA than in control. Pubertal SGA group had a significantly lower mean serum adiponectin level than control group (9.04+/-4.51 vs. 18.83+/-11.65 microgram/mL, P<0.05). Adiponectin level was correlated with HOMA-IR, QUICKI and ISI (r=-0.37, r=0.32, r=0.51, respectively, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Adiponectin level was correlated with HOMA-IR, QUICKI and ISI. Pubertal SGA group had a significantly lower mean serum adiponectin level than control group. We suggest the check of insulin resistance using HOMA-IR, QUICKI, ISI and adiponectin is important for the prevention of metabolic syndrome (MS) in adolescents born SGA.
Adiponectin ; Adolescent ; Blood Glucose ; Child ; Fasting ; Gestational Age ; Glucose ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Infant ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Leptin ; Succinimides

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to assess the usefulness of skin test by an inactivated, 1/50 diluted solution of attenuated varicella vaccine in evaluating the immune status to varicella. METHODS: Total 41 subjects (22 males, 19 females, aged 1-32 years) were enrolled from July to August, 2005. Past medical history including varicella infection, varicella vaccination were investigated through questionnaires. The skin test solution was prepared from solution of attenuated varicella vaccine(Oka strain) which was inactivated by exposure to room temperature for 10 days and diluted at 1/50 with normal saline. Skin test was done by injecting 0.1 mL of the solution intradermally into the volar surface of the right forearm and sterile normal saline was used as a control on the left forearm. Positive reaction was defined when the transverse diameter of the induration was 5 mm or more. Serum varicella zoster virus specific IgG antibody test by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) was done. RESULTS: In adults, the sensitivity of the varicella zoster virus skin test compared to ELISA was 94.7% and the positive predictive value was 100%. In children, both the positive predictive value and specificity were 100% but the sensitivity and the negative predictive value were 50% and 30.7% respectively. Children showed smaller skin test reactivity compared to adults. CONCLUSION: The varicella zoster virus skin test using inactivated, 1/50 diluted solution of attenuated varicella vaccine was proved as one of the useful tools for evaluating the immunity and susceptibility of the varicella zoster virus.
Adult ; Aged ; Chickenpox ; Chickenpox Vaccine ; Child ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Forearm ; Herpesvirus 3, Human ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Male ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Skin ; Skin Tests ; Vaccination

It is defined as the paradoxical response when the clinical or radiologic worsening of old lesions or the development of new lesion occur in spite of appropriate antituberculous therapy. The paradoxical response can occur as an intracranial tuberculoma, pleurisy, pericarditis and contralateral new parenchymal lesions. However, poor compliance with therapy, drug resistance, non-tuberculous mycobacterium, or another underlying condition as lung cancer should be ruled out before concluding that the treatment is the cause of the exacerbation. The case reports of paradoxical response have been mainly reported in adults, but extremely rare in children. We report a case of paradoxical response in which a new parenchymal lung lesion developed during antituberculous therapy in a 14-year-old female patient with tuberculous pleurisy. She experienced clinical improvement with steroid therapy in addition to antituberculous therapy.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Compliance ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Mycobacterium ; Pericarditis ; Pleural Effusion ; Pleurisy ; Tuberculoma, Intracranial ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pleural

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxation (tLESR) is the main cause of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in both healthy subjects and patients with GER disease. Unfortunately, we have no data on tLESR and its relationship with GER in Korea. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the characteristics of tLESR in Korean subjects and the mechanisms of GER after Korean meals. METHODS: Eight healthy volunteers (8 men, 23 to 25 yrs) received a Korean meal (laver-rolled rice, fried egg, sweet rice juice, 640 Kcal). A mylohyoid electromyogram, LES pressure using a Dent sleeve and esophageal pH were simultaneously recorded for 1 hour while fasting and 3 hours after the meal. We compared the manometric profile of swallow-induced LES relaxation (sLESR) with the manometric profile of tLESR and evaluated the frequency of tLESR and reflux episodes, and their relationship. RESULTS: Compared with sLESR, tLESR showed longer time onset to completion, slower relaxation rate, longer duration of relaxation, and a lower nadir pressure. Incidence of tLESR increased after the meal, which was mostly accompanied by GER. Also, the frequency of GER increased after the meal, which mostly occurred during tLESR. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that tLESR is a main cause of GER in healthy Korean adults, which is a similar result to studies of Westerners.
Adult* ; Esophageal Sphincter, Lower* ; Fasting ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Meals ; Ovum ; Relaxation*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic mucosal resection can cure early gastric cancer. The risk of lymphatic metastasis is related to the depth of submucosal invasion by the mucosal malignancy, with a resection depth of 500 micrometer generally accepted as a safe cut-off. However, excessive thinning induced by stretching of the resected tissue sometimes preventing a precise diagnosis. We studied the effects of stretching on different layers and sites of gastric tissue. METHODS: Porcine stomachs were cut into 2.0x2.0 cm pieces, and pieces from body were stretched to 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 cm. Pieces from the cardia, body, and antrum were also stretched to 3.0 cm. The thickness of each layer was measured and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: Whole gastric wall and submucosal layers showed gradual thinning, with stretching to 3.5 cm tearing the tissues and resulting in imperfect extension. The submucosa was thinner in body tissue than in cardia and antrum tissues. Stretching to 3.0 cm induced a consistent decrease in submucosal thickness (30-70%). The change in thickness varied widely between individual samples. CONCLUSIONS: A resection margin of 500 micrometer might be insufficient for the complete removal of malignancy. Moreover, the thickness of the submucosal layer differs with the gastric site and between individuals. Future studies are needed to confirm the findings in human tissue.
Cardia ; Gastric Mucosa ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Since endoscopes are reusable apparatus classified as semicritical item, thorough reprocessing to achieve high-level disinfection is of utmost importance to prevent spread of infection. To improve disinfection efficacy and safety, disinfectants and endoscope reprocessors are continuously evolving. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of the combination of polyhexamethylenebiguanide hydrochloride-alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (PHMB-DBAC) and orthophthalaldehyde (OPA) used respectively in ultrasonographic cleaning incorporated automated endoscope reprocessors: COOLENDO (APEX Korea) or OER-A (Olympus Optical). METHODS: A total of 86 flexible upper endoscopes were randomly reprocessed with either COOLENDO/PHMB-DBAC or OER-A/OPA. Culture samplings were done at two sites (endoscope tip and working channel) which were later incubated on blood agar plate. Bacterial colonies were counted and identified. RESULTS: The culture-positive rate at the endoscope tip and working channel was 0% and 2.33% for COOLENDO/PHMB-DBAC and 4.65% and 0% for OER-A/OPA. Staphylococcus hominis was cultured from one endoscope reprocessed with COOLENDO/PHMB-DBAC and Pseudomonas putida was isolated from two endoscopes reprocessed with OER-A/OPA. CONCLUSIONS: The reprocessing efficacy of COOLENDO/PHMB-DBAC was non-inferior to that of OER-A/OPA (p=0.032; confidence interval, -0.042 to 0.042). During the study period, significant side effect of PHMB-DBAC was not observed.
Agar ; Disinfectants ; Disinfection ; Endoscopes ; Pseudomonas putida ; Staphylococcus hominis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Several studies suggested that serum cystatin C (CysC) is more useful than serum creatinine (Cr) for the assessment of renal function in patients with liver cirrhosis. This study evaluated the clinical significance of CysC in patients with cirrhotic ascites and normal Cr level. METHODS: We enrolled patients with cirrhotic ascites and a normal serum Cr level (<1.2 mg/dL). GFR was measured by 99mTc-DTPA renal scan. Serum Cr, CysC, and Cr clearance (CCr) were measured on the same day. Significant renal impairment and severe renal impairment were defined as GFR <60 mL/min and GFR <30 mL/min, respectively. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients with cirrhotic ascites were enrolled in the study (63 men and 26 women; age, 55+/-11 years). Forty-seven (52.8%) and 42 (47.2%) patients were in Child-Pugh grade B and C, respectively. Serum Cr and CysC levels and GFR were 0.8+/-0.2 mg/dL, 1.1+/-0.3 mg/L, and 73.4+/-25.5 mL/min, respectively. Significant and severe renal impairment were noted in 28 (31.5%) and 2 (2.2%) patients, respectively. GFR was well correlated with serum Cr, CysC, and e-GFRMDRD, while it was not correlated with e-GFRC&G. In multivariate analysis, only CysC was significantly correlated with GFR (beta, 45.620; 95% CI, 23.042-68.198; P<0.001). Serum CysC level was the only independent predictor for significant renal impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Significant renal dysfunction was not rare in patients with cirrhotic ascites, even their serum Cr level is normal. Serum CysC is a useful marker for detecting significant renal dysfunction in these patients.
Adult ; Aged ; Area Under Curve ; Biological Markers/blood ; Creatinine/blood ; Cystatin C/*blood ; Female ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Kidney Diseases/complications/*diagnosis/metabolism ; Kidney Function Tests ; Liver Cirrhosis/*complications/metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; ROC Curve ; Severity of Illness Index ; Technetium Tc 99m Pentetate/diagnostic use

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was done to compare the effects of Omeprazole (OMD) 10 or 20 mg with Ranitidine(RAN) 300 mg on intragastric acidity and gastroesophageal reflux in healthy subjects. METHODS: Ten healthy male volunteers were studied after administrations of 5 days dosing with either RAN 300 mg, OMD 10 mg or 20 mg, once each morning. On the 5(th) day, intragastric pH and lower esophageal pH were measured by a dual channel antimony pH catheter for 10 hours. RESULTS: Gastroesophageal reflux was reduced after administrations of RAN 300 mg, OMD 10 mg or 20 mg (p < 0.05) and there was no significant difference among the three drugs (p > 0.05). The gastric holding time of pH > 4 was significantly prolonged over fasting and postprandial periods after RAN 300 mg, OMD 10 mg or 20 mg administrations (p < 0.05). OMD 20 mg showed the most potent effect on gastric acid suppression (p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference between RAN 300 mg and OMD 10 mg (p > 0.05). OMD administrations (10 mg or 20 mg) exhibited a more potent effect on gastric acid suppression during the postprandial period than RAN 300 mg (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: OMD 10 mg was as potent as RAN 300 mg on inhibition of gastric acid, but less potent than OMD 20 mg. There was no difference among the three drugs in regard to gastroesophageal reflux in healthy subjects.
Antimony ; Catheters ; Fasting ; Gastric Acid ; Gastroesophageal Reflux* ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration* ; Male ; Omeprazole* ; Postprandial Period ; Ranitidine* ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The incidence of colorectal cancer is increasing in Korea, but the epidemiology of colorectal neoplasm is not clearly defined. We aimed to elucidate the prevalence of colorectal neoplasm in average-risk Koreans and explore the underlying risk factors. METHODS: A large-scale, multicenter, prospective study was conducted. Of the 19,460 subjects who underwent colonoscopy at 11 university hospitals, we analyzed 3,951 consecutive asymptomatic adults with no risk factors for colorectal cancer. RESULTS: The subjects were aged 52.1+/-11.6 years (mean+/-SD) and 60.1% of them were men. The prevalences of colorectal neoplasm and advanced neoplasm were 33.3% and 2.2%, respectively. The prevalence of a neoplasm increased with age (trend: p<0.001) and was higher in males (p<0.001). The prevalence of a proximal neoplasm was higher in subjects with a distal neoplasm than in those without a distal neoplasm (11.9% vs. 5.4%, p<0.001). However, 150 (52.1%) of the 288 subjects with a proximal neoplasm had no distal neoplasm. CONCLUSIONS: The overall prevalence of colorectal neoplasm in asymptomatic average-risk Koreans is comparable with that in Western countries. Being male and older are associated with a higher risk of colorectal neoplasm. Over half of proximal neoplasms are not associated with any distal sentinel lesions.
Adult ; Aged ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Nitriles ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Pyrethrins ; Risk Factors

Background: Hereditary hemolytic anemia (HHA) is a rare disease characterized by premature red blood cell (RBC) destruction due to intrinsic RBC defects. The RBC Disorder Working Party of the Korean Society of Hematology established and updated the standard operating procedure for making an accurate diagnosis of HHA since 2007. The aim of this study was to investigate a nationwide epidemiology of Korean HHA. Methods: We collected the data of a newly diagnosed pediatric HHA cohort (2007–2016) and compared this cohort's characteristics with those of a previously surveyed pediatric HHA cohort (1997–2006) in Korea. Each participant's information was retrospectively collected by a questionnaire survey. Results: A total of 369 children with HHA from 38 hospitals distributed in 16 of 17 districts of Korea were investigated. RBC membranopathies, hemoglobinopathies, RBC enzymopathies, and unknown etiologies accounted for 263 (71.3%), 59 (16.0%), 23 (6.2%), and 24 (6.5%) of the cases, respectively. Compared to the cohort from the previous decade, the proportions of hemoglobinopathies and RBC enzymopathies significantly increased (P < 0.001 and P = 0.008, respectively). Twenty-three of the 59 hemoglobinopathy patients had immigrant mothers, mostly from South-East Asia. Conclusion In Korea, thalassemia traits have increased over the past 10 years, reflecting both increased awareness of this disease and increased international marriages. The enhanced recognition of RBC enzymopathies is due to advances in diagnostic technique; however, 6.5% of HHA patients still do not have a clear diagnosis. It is necessary to improve accessibility of diagnosing HHA.