PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of short segment fixation in flexion-distraction injuries of thoracolumbar junction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients with a flexion-distraction injury in thoracolumbar junction confirmed by radiogram or MRI and stabilized with a short construct spanning short segment were included in this study. We investigated the location of fractures, type of fractures, anterior or posterior vertebral body height, and preoperative and postoperative kyphotic angle of injuried motion-segments on radiologic examinations and clinical outcome on the Oswestry score. RESULTS: A significant correction of deformity was achieved, from a mean preoperative kyphosis of 17.3 degrees to a mean postoperative kyphosis of 8.4 degrees. The loss of correction were minimal. The mean Oswestry score was 6.9, with 84% of patients having minimal disability (<20%) and no correlation with age, sex, the location of fractures, type of fractures, change of kyphotic angle. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the efficacy of posterior open reduction and short segment fixation of flexion-distraction injuries.
Body Height ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Humans ; Kyphosis ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Spine*

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance is a major pathogenic hallmark of impaired glucose metabolism. We assessed the accuracy of insulin resistance and cut-off values using homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) to classify type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and dysglycemia according to age and sex. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed 4,291 anti-diabetic drug-naïve adults (≥20 years) from the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2015. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) was defined by the modified National Cholesterol Education Program III guideline. Diagnosis of dysglycemia and T2DM were based on fasting glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels. The receiver operating characteristic curve and optimal cut-off values of HOMA-IR were assessed to identify T2DM/dysglycemia according to sex and were further analyzed by age. RESULTS: Sex differences were found in the association of MetS and the different MetS components with T2DM/dysglycemia. The overall optimal cut-off value of HOMA-IR for identifying dysglycemia was 1.6 in both sex. The cut-off values for T2DM were 2.87 in men and 2.36 in women. However, there are differences in diagnostic range of HOMA-IR to distinguish T2DM according to sex and age, and the accuracy of HOMA-IR in identifying T2DM gradually decreased with age especially in women. CONCLUSION: Insulin resistance is closely associated with the risk for T2DM/dysglycemia. The accuracy of HOMA-IR levels is characterized by sex- and age-specific differences in identifying T2DM. In addition to insulin resistance index, insulin secretory function, and different MetS components should be considered in the detection of early T2DM, especially in elderly.
Adult* ; Aged ; Cholesterol ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Fasting ; Female ; Glucose ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Insulin Resistance* ; Insulin* ; Korea ; Male ; Metabolism ; Nutrition Surveys ; ROC Curve ; Sex Characteristics

BACKGROUND: The causative pathogens of and prevalence of antibiotic resistance in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) varies across countries. We evaluated the patterns of antibiotic prescriptions for adult CAP patients, and physician satisfaction with the form and content of the 2009 Korean CAP treatment guidelines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We designed an online survey for clinical physicians who treat CAP (infectious disease specialists, pulmonologists, and other physicians). We e-mailed the online survey to physicians and gathered results from December 2011 to January 2012, and then analyzed their responses. RESULTS: A total of 157 physicians responded to our survey: 61 (38.9%) infectious disease specialists, 33 (21.0%) pulmonologists, and 63 (40.1%) other physicians. Two-thirds (96/157, 61.2%) had positions in tertiary and secondary hospitals; the others (61, 38.8%) worked in primary clinics (hospitals and private clinics). One hundred and eight (68.8%) were aware of the Korean CAP clinical guidelines; of these, 98 (62.4%) applied the guidelines to their practice. Among physicians using them, 86.7% (85/98) reported the guidelines to be most useful for empirical selection of antibiotics, and 75.2% (118/157) said the guidelines were useful and satisfactory. Sixty-eight (43.3%) respondents indicated that they had not used aminoglycosides as an initial empirical CAP treatment, while 51 (32.5%) had combined aminoglycosides with other antibiotics to treat patients with CAP. Seventy-three (46.5%) physicians often combined macrolides with beta-lactam antibiotics for empirical treatment of CAP, and 21 (13.4%) reported using macrolide monotherapy (which is not recommended in the 2009 Korean CAP treatment guidelines) for CAP patients. The most commonly used beta-lactams were third-generation cephalosporins (72, 45.9%) and ampicillin/sulbactam or amoxicillin/clavulanate (28, 17.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Some physicians remain unaware of the 2009 Korean treatment guidelines for CAP and do not use them in clinical practice. In addition, aminoglycoside combination therapy is frequently and inappropriately used in practice. In some cases, CAP is treated with macrolide monotherapy. Thus, the Korean CAP clinical guidelines must be more aggressively and continuously publicized.
Adult ; Aminoglycosides ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; beta-Lactams ; Cephalosporins ; Communicable Diseases ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Electronic Mail ; Humans ; Macrolides ; Pneumonia* ; Prescriptions ; Prevalence ; Specialization ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Serial nerve conduction studies (NCSs) are recommended for differentiating axonal and demyelinating Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), but this approach is not suitable for early diagnoses. This study was designed to identify possible NCS parameters for differentiating GBS subtypes. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 70 patients with GBS who underwent NCS within 10 days of symptom onset. Patients with axonal GBS and acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP) were selected based on clinical characteristics and serial NCSs. An antiganglioside antibody study was used to increase the diagnostic certainty. RESULTS: The amplitudes of median and ulnar nerve sensory nerve action potentials (SNAPs) were significantly smaller in the AIDP group than in the axonal-GBS group. Classification and regression-tree analysis revealed that the distal ulnar sensory nerve SNAP amplitude was the best predictor of axonal GBS. CONCLUSIONS: Early upper extremity sensory NCS findings are helpful in differentiating axonal-GBS patients with antiganglioside antibodies from AIDP patients.
Action Potentials ; Antibodies ; Axons* ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Electrodiagnosis ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome* ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Neural Conduction ; Retrospective Studies ; Ulnar Nerve ; Upper Extremity*

A 32-year-old pregnant woman (34 + 5 weeks) was admitted with dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. Previously, she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus at 28 weeks with 100 g-OGTT and insulin therapy was started. Her average fasting glucose level was 97 mg/dL and postprandial 1-hour glucose level was 130 mg/dL with basal-bolus insulin therapy (total dose of 28-30 IU/day). At 34 + 0 weeks of gestational age, polyuria and unexpected weight loss (2 kg/week) with hyperglycemia occurred, and total dose of daily insulin requirement was increased up to 50 IU/day. At admission, her serum glucose level was high (502 mg/dL), and urinalysis revealed ketonuria +3. Arterial blood gas analysis revealed pH of 6.83, pCO2 of 9 mmHg, and bicarbonate of 2 mmol/L with an anion gap of 23.5 mmol/L. The diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis was established and emergency caesarean section was conducted due to fetal distress. She was finally diagnosed with fulminant type 1 diabetes mellitus, and multiple daily insulin injection therapy was continued after delivery.
Acid-Base Equilibrium ; Adult ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Blood Glucose ; Cesarean Section ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; Diabetes, Gestational* ; Diabetic Ketoacidosis ; Diagnosis ; Dizziness ; Emergencies ; Fasting ; Female ; Fetal Distress ; Gestational Age ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Hyperglycemia ; Insulin ; Ketosis ; Nausea ; Polyuria ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Urinalysis ; Vomiting ; Weight Loss

We compared the glycemic efficacy of treatment intensification between quadruple oral antidiabetic drug therapy and once-weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA)-based triple therapy in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus refractory to triple oral therapy. For 24 weeks, changes in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) from baseline were compared between the two treatment groups. Of all 96 patients, 50 patients were treated with quadruple therapy, and 46 were treated with GLP-1RA therapy. Reductions in HbA1c for 24 weeks were comparable (in both, 1.1% reduction from baseline; P=0.59). Meanwhile, lower C-peptide level was associated with a lower glucose-lowering response of GLP-1RA therapy (R=0.3, P=0.04) but not with quadruple therapy (R=–0.13, P=0.40). HbA1c reduction by GLP-1RA therapy was inferior to that by quadruple therapy in the low C-peptide subgroup (mean, –0.1% vs. –1.3%; P=0.04). Treatment intensification by switching to quadruple oral therapy showed similar glucose-lowering efficacy to weekly GLP-1RA-based triple therapy. Meanwhile, the therapeutic response was affected by C-peptide levels in the GLP-1RA therapy group but not in the quadruple therapy group.

Background: We evaluated the validity and reliability of the operational definition of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) based on the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database. Methods: Adult subjects (≥40 years old) included in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2008 to 2017 were merged with those from the NHIS health check-up database, producing a cross-sectional dataset. We evaluated the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and agreement of the NHIS criteria for defining T2DM by comparing them with the KNHANES criteria as a standard reference. Results: In the study population (n=13,006), two algorithms were devised to determine from the NHIS dataset whether the diagnostic claim codes for T2DM were accompanied by prescription codes for anti-diabetic drugs (algorithm 1) or not (algorithm 2). Using these algorithms, the prevalence of T2DM was 14.9% (n=1,942; algorithm 1) and 20.8% (n=2,707; algorithm 2). Good reliability in defining T2DM was observed for both algorithms (Kappa index, 0.73 [algorithm 1], 0.63 [algorithm 2]). However, the accuracy (0.93 vs. 0.89) and specificity (0.96 vs. 0.90) tended to be higher for algorithm 1 than for algorithm 2. The validity (accuracy, ranging from 0.91 to 0.95) and reliability (Kappa index, ranging from 0.68 to 0.78) of defining T2DM by NHIS criteria were independent of age, sex, socioeconomic status, and accompanied hypertension or dyslipidemia. Conclusion The operational definition of T2DM based on population-based NHIS claims data, including diagnostic codes and prescription codes, could be a valid tool to identify individuals with T2DM in the Korean population.

Trisomy 18 is the second most common chromosomal anomaly that reach to live birth after Down syndrome. Several methods were proposed to screen patients on the risk of Edward syndrome like maternal serum levels using total human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and unconjugated estriol (uE3), or free beta hCG with AFP, but the serum screening has only 50-60% detection rate with a 1-2% of false positive rate. So to cover the limitations that serum marker has, detailed ultrasound examination is also necessary and sensitivities of 65-70% were reported. We report a case of trisomy 18 fetus in which second trimester triple markers of maternal serum was normal, but by detailed ultrasound examination, unilateral radius aplasia was diagnosed cytogenetic study confirmed the fetus as trisomy 18.
alpha-Fetoproteins ; Biomarkers ; Chorionic Gonadotropin ; Cytogenetics ; Down Syndrome ; Estriol ; Female ; Fetus ; Humans ; Live Birth ; Mass Screening ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Radius* ; Trisomy ; Ultrasonography

It was sometimes difficult to differentiate between acute-onset chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (A-CIDP) and subacute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (SIDP). The CNS involvement of these polyneuropathies has rarely reported in the literature. We present the case of a 42-year-old man who developed rapidly developing inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy followed by right optic neuritis. This case showed progressive motor weakness and sensory dysfunction with time to nadir at 8 weeks, demyelination in nerve conduction study, no other etiology of neuropathy, no relapse during follow-up of 18 months, good response to steroid and complete recovery which favor SIDP more than A-CIDP. We experienced the case of SIDP associated with optic neuritis.
Demyelinating Diseases ; Follow-Up Studies ; Neural Conduction ; Optic Neuritis ; Polyneuropathies ; Recurrence

The incidence of malaria in Korea is significantly on the rise since its reemergence in 1993 and no screening test that can prevent the infection has been available. Very low birth weight infants are especially susceptible to malaria infection due to transfusions from multiple donors. We report a case of transfusion transmitted Plasmodium vivax infection in a 120-day-old infant of a gestational age 24 weeks with birth weight of 700 gm who was successfully treated with hydroxychloroquine.
Birth Weight ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Hydroxychloroquine ; Incidence ; Infant* ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Korea ; Malaria* ; Mass Screening ; Plasmodium vivax ; Tissue Donors