BACKGROUND: Recently-developed equipment based on bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) not only measures total body fat but also displays several estimated indicators that reflect intra-abdominal fat, such as waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). This study examined the usefulness of these indicators in the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome (MS). METHODS: A total of 632 people over 20 years of age (355 men and 277 women, mean age 48.61+/-11.08 years, mean BMI 23.62+/-3.00 kg/m2, 117 MS patients) were enrolled in the study. Measurements of WC and hip circumference were measured by one individual, and WHR was calculated. BIA was performed to estimate waist circumference (BIAWC) and waist-to-hip ratio (BIAWHR). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to examine the usefulness of BIAWC and BIAWHR in diagnosing MS. RESULTS: The areas under the curve (AUCs) were 0.836 (95% CI 0.805-0.864) for WC, 0.814 (95% CI 0.782-0.844) for BIAWC, 0.815 (95% CI 0.782-0.844) for WHR, and 0.805 (95% CI 0.772-0.835) for BIAWHR. The difference between the AUCs of WC and BIAWC (0.022, 95% CI -0.004 to 0.048) and the difference between the AUCs of WHR and BIAWHR (0.010, 95% CI -0.015 to 0.034) were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The indices for central obesity estimated by BIA had high agreement with the direct method, and they were not inferior to direct measured indices for predicting metabolic syndrome.
Adipose Tissue ; Area Under Curve ; Electric Impedance ; Female ; Hip ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Male ; Obesity, Abdominal ; ROC Curve ; Waist Circumference ; Waist-Hip Ratio

Due to its serious comorbidities and high prevalence, obesity is one of the heaviest burdens for public health. Although diet, exercise and behavioral modification are the first-line treatment for obesity, their outcomes are not satisfactory. The goal of this article is to review currently available anti-obesity drugs so that physicians may apply the principle of pharmacologic treatment for obesity to obese patients in the real clinical situation. Orlistat, phentermine, diethylpropion, mazindol, and phendimetrazine have been approved as anti-obesity drugs by Korea food and drug administration and administered to patients in Korea. Besides, several non-approved drugs, including fluoxetine, bupropion, topiramate and zonisamide, are being used for weight reduction. Among these drugs, orlistat has been studied most and is the only approved drug for long-term weight management. On the other hand, the rest of the approved drugs lack the evidence of safety issues on the long-term administration. Considering that the non-approved drugs have only a small body of clinical trial results for their efficacy and safety as anti-obesity drugs, it is not appropriate to use them as a first-line therapy in obesity. Because several new medicines and combination therapies are under investigations, more drug therapy options seem to be available in this field in coming years. Although the properly executed pharmacologic treatment is a good option for weight reduction, physicians should recognize that diet, exercise, and behavioral modification are essential to all obese patient and that pharmacologic treatment has several limitations until now.
Anti-Obesity Agents ; Bupropion ; Comorbidity ; Diet ; Diethylpropion ; Fluoxetine ; Fructose ; Hand ; Humans ; Isoxazoles ; Korea ; Lactones ; Mazindol ; Morpholines ; Obesity ; Phentermine ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; United States Food and Drug Administration ; Weight Loss

Obesity is a chronic relapsing disease associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer with a growing incidence. Since obesity is a complex disease that is affected by a variety of factors, including social, cultural, and environmental factors, it should be approached by establishing an integrated and comprehensive treatment strategy. It is difficult to achieve a sufficient amount of weight loss in most obese patients through lifestyle interventions alone, so pharmacotherapy in primary care should be actively considered as an additional treatment. Currently, there are four drugs that can be used for long-term weight management in Korea: orlistat, naltrexone/bupropion, phentermine/topiramate, and liraglutide. Sympathomimetics, such as phentermine, diethylpropion, phendimetrazine, and mazindol, can only be used for short-term treatment. These drugs can induce weight loss by suppressing appetite or inhibiting fat absorption in the gut. The prescription of such drug treatments should be based on evidence-based clinical care and tailored to the patient. Patient-tailored obesity drug treatments should be performed taking into consideration the advantages, side effects, and safety issues of each drug. Considering that obesity is a chronic disease that must be controlled for a lifetime, obese patients should be guided by clinicians to maintain their weight sustainably by setting common and realistic goals.

Because of the widespread use of ant-obesity medications, bariatricians need to be aware not only of common adverse events but also uncommon serious events in the pharmacotherapy of obesity. Safety and tolerability must be considered in selecting the drug, titrating the dosage, and monitoring patients. In Korea, orlistat and lorcaserine are the two anti-obesity drugs that can be used for long-term treatment, and in the US, liraglutide, phentermine/topiramate, and naltrexone/bupropion have been recently approved. In general, all of these drugs have very good safety and tolerability profiles. Common adverse events of these drugs are well understood, and they can be coped with or prevented by adjusting the dosage properly. In addition, patients can recover from serious events by stopping the medication. However, there are other serious side effects that need to be monitored for. These include liver injury, acute kidney injury, and pancreatitis for orlistat; valvulopathy for lorcaserine; thyroid C-cell pathology and pancreatitis for liraglutide; metabolic acidosis, urolithiasis, acute angle closure glaucoma, and teratogenic effects for phentermine/topiramate; and severe nausea and heart disease for naltrexone/bupropion.
Acidosis ; Acute Kidney Injury ; Anti-Obesity Agents ; Drug Therapy ; Glaucoma, Angle-Closure ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver ; Liraglutide ; Nausea ; Obesity ; Pancreatitis ; Pathology ; Thyroid Gland ; Urolithiasis

Over the last 5 years, the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has approved four anti-obesity drugs for long-term weight management. In this review, the mechanisms of action and clinical applications of lorcaserin, naltrexone/bupropion, liraglutide, and phentermine/topiramate have been clarified. Lorcaserin stimulates proopiomelanocortin/cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript neurons in the arcuate nucleus. Naltrexone/bupropion reduces body weight by controlling the hedonic reward system of food intake. The hypophagic effect of liraglutide depends on the direct activation of the proopiomelanocortin/cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript neurons and indirect suppression of neuropeptide Y/agouti-related peptide neurons through gammaaminobutyric acid-dependent signaling, with an additional thermogenic effect. Phentermine/topiramate induces weight loss by elevating the norepinephrine levels in the hypothalamus, reducing energy deposition in the adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, and elevating the corticotropin-releasing hormone in the hypothalamus. In patients with high cardiovascular risks or type 2 diabetes mellitus, lorcaserin and liraglutide are appropriate. In patients with mood disorders, naltrexone/bupropion could be considered as the first choice of therapy. Notably, lorcaserin and liraglutide are neutral in the aspect of sleep disorder. In case of obese individuals with obstructive sleep apnea, liraglutide or phentermine/topiramate would be selected as the treatment option. These four drugs should be used after considering the patients' co-morbidities of obesity.
Adipose Tissue ; Anti-Obesity Agents ; Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus ; Body Weight ; Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Eating ; Humans ; Hypothalamus ; Korea ; Liraglutide ; Mood Disorders ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Neurons ; Neuropeptides ; Norepinephrine ; Obesity ; Pharmacology ; Reward ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Weight Loss

Over the last 5 years, the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has approved four anti-obesity drugs for long-term weight management. In this review, the mechanisms of action and clinical applications of lorcaserin, naltrexone/bupropion, liraglutide, and phentermine/topiramate have been clarified. Lorcaserin stimulates proopiomelanocortin/cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript neurons in the arcuate nucleus. Naltrexone/bupropion reduces body weight by controlling the hedonic reward system of food intake. The hypophagic effect of liraglutide depends on the direct activation of the proopiomelanocortin/cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript neurons and indirect suppression of neuropeptide Y/agouti-related peptide neurons through gammaaminobutyric acid-dependent signaling, with an additional thermogenic effect. Phentermine/topiramate induces weight loss by elevating the norepinephrine levels in the hypothalamus, reducing energy deposition in the adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, and elevating the corticotropin-releasing hormone in the hypothalamus. In patients with high cardiovascular risks or type 2 diabetes mellitus, lorcaserin and liraglutide are appropriate. In patients with mood disorders, naltrexone/bupropion could be considered as the first choice of therapy. Notably, lorcaserin and liraglutide are neutral in the aspect of sleep disorder. In case of obese individuals with obstructive sleep apnea, liraglutide or phentermine/topiramate would be selected as the treatment option. These four drugs should be used after considering the patients' co-morbidities of obesity.

In Korea, the prevalence of obesity, morbid obesity with serious complications, and childhood obesity are rapidly increasing. To control the obesity pandemic, both prevention and treatment are essential strategic targets. While lifestyle modification is fundamental in obesity treatment, due to the complex appetite-controlling system in the body and the rapidly Westernizing environment, more effective treatment tools are required.Current Concepts: There are 4 types of drugs that have been approved for the treatment of obesity in Korea. They are (1) appetite suppressants for short-term therapy, (2) dietary fat absorption inhibitors, (3) glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, and (4) fixed-dose combination drugs for appetite control. However, a large amount of weight reduction cannot be achieved with these drugs. The greatest amount of weight reduction of approximately 11% has been reported for phentermine/topiramate combination treatment. Recently, peptide agents have been under development and 2 of these agents, semaglutide, a second generation GLP-1 receptor agonist, and tirzepatide, a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/GLP-1 receptor dual agonist, are expected to be available in the near future.Discussion and Conclusion: Both semaglutide and tirzepatide are more effective than currently available anti-obesity drugs. Semaglutide and tirzepatide reduced the body weight of people with obesity without diabetes by 14.9% and 20.9%, respectively. However, because of the mechanism of GLP-1 receptor agonism, gastrointestinal adverse events, including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, were problematic in many patients, although these adverse events were generally acceptable. Both drugs will be excellent options for obesity treatment in the near future.

Aspirin is well known for its central role in preventing cardio cerebrovascular diseases as an antiplatelet agent. However besides its favorable effects, one must also be fully aware of its side effects such as gastrointestinal complications or cerebral hemorrhage. Particularly when prescribing to Koreans, one must be highly cautious, considering the higher prevalence of helicobacter pylori infection and the contribution of hemorrhagic stroke as a major part of cerebral disease in Korean. Currently the guideline for secondary prevention of cardio cerebrovascular diseases is relatively well established, while the consensus for primary prevention is still controversial. The purpose of this paper would be to summarize the evidence of aspirin usage in preventing cardio cerebrovascular diseases, examine the additional factors one must consider, and help primary physician prescribing aspirin appropriately.
Aspirin ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Consensus ; Helicobacter pylori ; Prevalence ; Primary Prevention ; Secondary Prevention ; Stroke

PURPOSE: To assess the usefulness of CT scanning in the differentiation of stage T3a from T2 in renal cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among patients with pathologically proven renal cell carcinoma, 114 at stages T2 and T3a were divided into three groups, as follows: intact capsule (T2) n=40, capsular involvement (T2) n=38, and capsular penetration (T3a) n=36. By referring to contrast-enhanced CT scans, we retrospectively compared the groups in terms of tumor margin, the frequency with which a tumor bulged more than 3 cm beyond the renal contour, the presence or absence of peritumoral collateral vessels, thickening of Gerota 's fascia, and perinephric strands. RESULTS: An irregular margin was more common in the capsular penetration group than in the other two groups (p<0.05). With regard to frequency of tumor bulging, the presence of peritumoral collateral vessels, thickening of Gerota 's fascia, and perinephric strands, these characteristics were more frequently noted in the capsular penetration group (T3a) and capsular involvement group (T2) (p<0.05) than in the intact capsule group. The difference between the capsular penetration group (T3a) and the capsular involvement group (T2) was not significant, however (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: In determining the tumor stage of renal cell carcinoma, CT is not helpful in differentiating between a tumor with capsular penetration (T3a) and one with capsular invasion (T2), though differentiation of the T3a stage from the T2 stage, without capsular invasion, is reliable. When a tumor has an irregular margin, however, the possibility that it is at stage T3a should be considered.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Fascia ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed*

The author analyzed 169 cases of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhages at the basal ganglia and thalamus, who had been admitted to Jeonju Presbyterian Medical Center from 1975 to 1979. Intracerebral hematoma was confirmed by angiography and the amount of hematoma was divided as small, medium or large according to the angiographic evidence. Among the 169 cases, 145 cases underwent appropriate medical or surgical treatment. 63 cases were treated conservatively and 82 cases were operated ; 22 cases of frontal approach, 51 cases of temporal approach, and 9 cases of extraventricula diainage of clot. Results obtained are as follows : 1. The common pridiection age group was from the fifth to the seventh decades, which was 90.5% of all cases. The ratio of male to female was about 2 to 1. 2. putaminal hemorrhage was 65.1%, and thalamic hemorrhage was 16.6%. 3. Angiographic evidence of arteriosclerosis was seen in 86.4%. 4. The worse prognostic factors were related to age(over 65), site and size of hematoma, and mental state on admission. 5. With conservative management 49.2% were improved, 6.3% not improved, 44.4% moribund or dead. 6. With surgical treatment 58.5% were improved, 3.7% not improved, 37.8% moribund or dead. 7. Microsurgical temporal approach proved to have the following advantages over frontal approach. (1) Better outcome was found in this approach(64.7% vs 54.4%). (2) The distance to the hematoma was closer in temporal approach, and so total removal of hematoma and complete control of bleeding sources with less surrounding structural damages were possible. 8. Early operation seems to be more effective than delayed operation in the cases of large hematoma with deteriorating neurological signs.
Angiography ; Arteriosclerosis ; Basal Ganglia* ; Cerebral Hemorrhage* ; Female ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Jeollabuk-do ; Male ; Protestantism ; Putamen ; Putaminal Hemorrhage ; Thalamus*