Menopause is a normal phenomenon in a woman’s life cycle involving multiple health-related issues that contribute to physical instability. Changes in the immune system in postmenopausal women are caused by estrogen deprivation along with age. Increased proinflammatory serum marker levels, cytokine responses in body cells, decreased CD4 T and B lymphocyte levels, and natural killer cell cytotoxic activity are also observed during postmenopause. Moreover, vitamin D, in addition to its classical effects on calcium homeostasis and bone density, plays an important role. Current evidence indicates that vitamin D regulates innate and adaptive immune responses; however, vitamin D deficiency is linked to increased autoimmune activity and infection susceptibility. This review provides an overview of the consequences of immune alterations as an outcome of aging in postmenopausal women and the benefit of vitamin D supplementation.

Polycythemia vera is a chronic progressive myeloproliferative disease characterized by increased circulating red blood cells, and the hyperviscosity of the blood can lead to an increased risk of arterial thrombosis. In a previous survey regarding postoperative outcomes in polycythemia vera patients, an increased risk of both vascular occlusive and hemorrhagic complications have been reported. Aortic surgery involving cardiopulmonary bypass may be associated with the development of a coagulopathy, and as a result, the occurrence of thrombotic complications should be avoided after coronary anastomosis. Thus, optimizing the hemostatic balance is an important concern for anesthesiologists. However, only a few cases of anesthetic management in polycythemia vera patients undergoing concomitant aorta and coronary arterial bypass surgery have ever been reported. Here, we experience a polycythemia vera patient who underwent an emergency repair of a type-A aortic dissection and concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting, and report this case with a review of the relevant literature.
Aorta ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Emergencies* ; Erythrocytes ; Humans ; Polycythemia Vera* ; Polycythemia* ; Thrombelastography ; Thrombosis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Information regarding the efficacy of early infliximab treatment in pediatric patients with Crohn's disease (CD) is limited. We aimed to evaluate the impact of early combined immunosuppression on linear growth in pediatric patients with CD by performing step-up comparisons. METHODS: This retrospective study included pediatric patients with moderate-to-severe CD, who received a combination therapy with infliximab and azathioprine for at least 3 years and sustained corticosteroid-free remission without loss of response. The z-scores of the growth indicators obtained at the time of diagnosis and annually for 3 years thereafter were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The early combined immunosuppression group displayed significantly increased linear growth 3 years after diagnosis (p=0.026). A significant difference was also observed in the linear growth 3 years after diagnosis between subgroups of Tanner stages 1–2 (p=0.016). CONCLUSIONS: The early introduction of biologics should be considered to improve linear growth in pediatric patients with CD.
Azathioprine ; Biological Products ; Crohn Disease* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Infliximab* ; Retrospective Studies

Leukemia is a hematological malignant disease with various clinical symptoms. Due to the fatal nature of the disease, early detection is important. Oral manifestations include ulcers and gingival enlargement with bleeding. Moreover, myeloid sarcoma or opportunistic infections may also occur. This report introduces a 31-year-old male presenting with generalized gingival enlargement with bleeding and another 81-year-old female with neoplasm on the left retromolar area. Both were diagnosed as acute monocytic leukemia. These cases implicate that gingival enlargement or mucosal lesion in the oral cavity may represent underlying systemic diseases. Related to this, it has to be reminded that making timely diagnosis and referral according to the clinical findings is crucial.
Adult ; Aged, 80 and over ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Leukemia ; Leukemia, Monocytic, Acute ; Male ; Mouth ; Opportunistic Infections ; Oral Manifestations ; Referral and Consultation ; Sarcoma, Myeloid ; Ulcer

No abstract available.
Infarction ; Stroke, Lacunar

No abstract available.
Cerebral Infarction ; Humans ; Intracranial Arteriosclerosis ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to examine the correlation between physical activity and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in Korean adults.METHODS: We selected 6,546 adults aged >19 years from among the participants of the 2016 National Health and Nutrition Survey. Physical activity and sedentary time were measured using the global physical activity questionnaires developed by the World Health Organization. eGFR was calculated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. After adjustment for covariates (age, marital status, hypertension, diabetes, myocardial infarction, drinking, smoking, total cholesterol level, body mass index, and C-reactive protein level), the correlations among physical activity, sedentary time, and eGFR were analyzed using multivariate linear regression analysis.RESULTS: No correlation was found between physical activity level and eGFR. However, sedentary time was significantly correlated with eGFR. The result showed that eGFR increased as sedentary time decreased.CONCLUSION: No correlation was found between physical activity level and eGFR in adults aged >19 years, but sedentary time was significantly correlated with eGFR. Further research is needed to clarify the relationship between physical activity and eGFR, using other physical activity indicators and changing the physical activity criteria.
Adult ; Body Mass Index ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Drinking ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Linear Models ; Marital Status ; Motor Activity ; Myocardial Infarction ; Nutrition Surveys ; Smoke ; Smoking ; World Health Organization

Background: Dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids have been suggested for their protective role against cardiovascular disease. However, findings from recent studies have been inconsistent. Thus, we investigated the association between dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids and the 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods: We analyzed data from 17,390 adults who were aged 30–64 years and free of CVD using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2012–2016. Dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids was calculated by using food-frequency questionnaire, and the 10 year risk of CVD was calculated by Framingham general cardiovascular disease risk score (2008) model. We analyzed the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from logistic regression to evaluate the association between dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids and the 10-year risk of CVD. Results: Logistic regression anlaysis showed that dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids was not significantly associated with the 10-year risk of CVD, after adjusting for confounders (OR=0.91; 95% CI, 0.77–1.07). But higher dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids was associated with reduced the 10-year risk of CVD for the female (OR=0.74; 95% CI, 0.58–0.95). Conclusion Our research indicated no significant association between dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids and the 10-year risk of CVD. But the inverse association was observed in the female.

Purpose: This study compared the clinical and radiology results of arthrodesis between the anterior and transfibular approaches with a lateral malleolar-saving procedure in ankle arthritis. Materials and Methods: This study was a retrospective study of 31 cases who underwent ankle arthrodesis with the anterior approach (14 cases) and trans-fibular approach (17 cases). The remnant lateral malleolus was fixed during the trans-fibular procedure. The patients included 17 females and 14 males with a mean age of 57.2 (range 41~73) years; the mean follow-up was 30.4 (range 15~68) months. The clinical and radiology outcomes, including the American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores, visual analog scale (VAS), and union time, were recorded. The complications and subjective satisfaction degrees were also recorded and compared between the two groups. Results: Clinically, the preoperative mean AOFAS score and VAS in the anterior approach group were 39.3 and 7.4, respectively, which changed to 61.9 and 3.1 postoperatively. In the trans-fibular approach group, the mean AOFAS score and VAS increased from 36.6 to 64.2 and 7.1 to 2.4, respectively. On the other hand, no significant differences in the clinical results were observed between the two groups. The time to achieve union was 9.2 and 11.6 weeks in the anterior and transfibular approach groups, respectively. Three patients (21%) complained of tenderness and discomfort around the fibular tip in the anterior approach group, and seven patients (41%) showed a gap between the talus and remnant lateral malleolus in the trans-fibular approach group. Conclusion There was no difference in the clinical and radiological results between the anterior and transfibular approaches with a lateral malleolar saving procedure in ankle arthrodesis. Careful selection of the approach method according to the patient's preoperative condition is needed to prevent remnant discomfort or nonunion around the lateral malleolus.

Background: It has been 10 years since the outbreak of lung disease caused by humidifier disinfectants in Korea, but the health effects have not yet been summarized. Therefore, this study aims to systematically examine the health effects of humidifier disinfectants that have been discovered so far. Methods: All literature with humidifier disinfectants and their representative components as the main words were collected based on the web, including PubMed, Research Information Sharing Service, and government publication reports. A total of 902 studies were searched, of which 196 were selected. They were divided into four groups: published human studies (group 1), published animal and cytotoxicology studies (group 2), technical reports (group 3), and gray literature (group 4). Results: Out of the 196 studies, 97 (49.5%) were published in peer-reviewed journals as original research. Group 1 consisted of 49 articles (50.5%), while group 2 consisted of 48 articles (49.5%). Overall, respiratory diseases such as humidifier disinfectant associated lung injury, interstitial lung disease, and asthma have a clear correlation, but other effects such as liver, heart, thymus, thyroid, fetal growth, metabolic abnormalities, and eyes are observed in toxicological experimental studies, but have not yet been identified in epidemiologic studies. Conclusion The current level of evidence does not completely rule out the effects of humidifier disinfectants on extrapulmonary disease. Based on the toxicological evidence so far, it is required to monitor the population of humidifier disinfectant exposure continuously to see if similar damage occurs.