High fructose diet is associated with the global metabolic syndrome (MtS) pandemic. MtS develops in early life, depending on prenatal and postnatal nutritional status. We hypothesized that ovariectomy increases the chances of developing MtS in adult offspring following high fructose intake by the mother. Pregnant C57BL/6J mouse dams drank water with or without 20% fructose during pregnancy and lactation. After weaning, the pups were fed regular chow. The offspring were evaluated until they were 7 months of age after the mice in each group, both sexes, were gonadectomized at 4 weeks of age. The offspring (both sexes) of the dams who had high fructose intake developed MtS. In the offspring of dams who drank tap water, orchiectomy increased the body weight gain and body fat accumulation, while ovariectomy increased the body fat accumulation as compared to the sham controls.In the offspring of dams with high fructose intake, orchiectomy decreased the body weight gain, body fat accumulation, visceral adiposity, and glucose intolerance, while ovariectomy exacerbated all of them as compared to the sham operations.These data indicate that ovariectomy encourages the development of MtS in adult offspring after maternal high fructose intake, while orchiectomy prevents the development of MtS. The sex difference indicates that male and female sex hormones play contradictory roles in the development of MtS.

High fructose diet is associated with the global metabolic syndrome (MtS) pandemic. MtS develops in early life, depending on prenatal and postnatal nutritional status. We hypothesized that ovariectomy increases the chances of developing MtS in adult offspring following high fructose intake by the mother. Pregnant C57BL/6J mouse dams drank water with or without 20% fructose during pregnancy and lactation. After weaning, the pups were fed regular chow. The offspring were evaluated until they were 7 months of age after the mice in each group, both sexes, were gonadectomized at 4 weeks of age. The offspring (both sexes) of the dams who had high fructose intake developed MtS. In the offspring of dams who drank tap water, orchiectomy increased the body weight gain and body fat accumulation, while ovariectomy increased the body fat accumulation as compared to the sham controls.In the offspring of dams with high fructose intake, orchiectomy decreased the body weight gain, body fat accumulation, visceral adiposity, and glucose intolerance, while ovariectomy exacerbated all of them as compared to the sham operations.These data indicate that ovariectomy encourages the development of MtS in adult offspring after maternal high fructose intake, while orchiectomy prevents the development of MtS. The sex difference indicates that male and female sex hormones play contradictory roles in the development of MtS.

Background: Research has reported that atopic dermatitis degrades the quality of life of adults in their 20s and 30s. This study, therefore, explored factors associated with improvement of atopic dermatitis in adults in their 20s and 30s. Methods: Three hundred and forty-eight adults who had been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis (recovery group, 146; atopic group, 202) in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016–2018) were selected for this study. Complex sample descriptive, crosstab, and logistic analyses were used to identify significant factors associated with improvement of atopic dermatitis in adults in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, mental health, and physical activity. Results: Among several sociodemographic characteristics, the significant factors were age, sex, and marital status. When these factors were included as covariates in logistic regression models, adults were more likely to be in the recovery group if they thought positively about their health condition, if their stress recognition was low, and if they had enough sleep time during the week. Furthermore, adults were more likely to be in the recovery group if they were engaged in high- and moderate-intensity activities at work and leisure. Conclusion This study showed that positive mental health, sufficient sleep time, and high- and middle-intensity activities are important factors associated with improvement of atopic dermatitis in adults in their 20s and 30s. We expect that these findings will help improve the quality of life in young working adults who suffer from atopic dermatitis.

Herein, we report a case of unusually elevated serum insulin level as a result of increased anti-insulin antibody (IA)-bound insulin after continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion therapy. Detecting free insulin (unbound IAs) levels after polyethylene glycol pre-treatment could be useful to assess functional insulin levels in diabetic patients receiving insulin therapy. The E170 insulin assay can estimate total insulin (bound IAs and free insulin) levels, but it does not measure the levels of exogenous insulin analogues.
Humans ; Insulin ; Insulin Antibodies ; Polyethylene Glycols

The primary goal in transfusion medicine is to promote high standards of quality in all aspects of transfusion, including production, management, and transfusion of blood components. To achieve this goal, a transfusion service quality management system should be established. Such a system should include several organizational structures, responsibilities, policies, processes, procedures, and resources with provided specifications and regulations. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge and practices regarding the quality management of hematology tests applied to the donor selection and production of blood components, including red blood cells, platelets, fresh frozen plasma, and cryoprecipitates in the field at blood centers.
Donor Selection ; Erythrocytes ; Hematology* ; Humans ; Plasma ; Social Control, Formal ; Tissue Donors ; Transfusion Medicine

Background: This study aimed to determine whether the levels of healthcare indicators vary according to the duration of diabetes in diabetic people. Methods: From the 2018 Korean Community Health Survey, a total of 20,113 diabetic people aged 40-79 years were analyzed. The distribution of people with diabetes and its corresponding diabetes duration were as follows: 34.9%, less than 4 years; 22.4%, 5-9 years; 18.9%, 10-14 years; 9.4%, 15-19 years; and 14.1%, more than 20 years. Outcome variables included eight health behavior indicators and seven diabetes management indicators. Results: After adjusting for the sociodemographic characteristics, the longer the duration of diabetes, the less alcohol drinking and the more influenza vaccination was availed, whereas the regular tooth brushing, perceived usual stress, and perceived depressive symptoms tended to be unhealthy. Smoking, regular walking, and utilizing food nutrition label did not differ based on the duration of diabetes. Moreover, blood glucose control was evaluated to be poorly controlled as the duration of diabetes lengthened; however, diabetes management education and medical institution services (glycated hemoglobin measurement, diabetic retinopathy screening, and diabetic nephropathy screening) tended to increase significantly. There was also no difference in relation to diabetes duration in the recognition of early symptoms of myocardial infarction and stroke, which are the major complications of diabetes. Conclusions People with long-lasting diabetes are at a higher risk of developing diabetes-related complications; therefore, more active community strategies are needed to improve their health behavior.

This study aimed to identify and assess the differences in psychological health problems between families living with stroke survivors (FwSS) and the general population without stroke families (GwoSF). A total of 4,514 cases of FwSS were selected for analysis from the 2013 Korea Community Health Survey. In order to determine control groups in GwoSF, propensity scores were generated based on the sociodemographic characteristics of age, gender, residential region, marital status, educational level, monthly household income, and employment status. Each FwSS was matched to 3 controls of GwoSF (13,542 controls) using a greedy matching algorithm with 8 to 1 digit matching. After propensity score-matching, the proportion of usual stress (30.2% vs 24.6%), depressive mood (7.1% vs 6.1%), and suicidal ideation (13.0% vs 11.1%) in FwSS were all significantly higher than those in GwoSF (Ps<0.05). Compared to GwoSF, the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for psychological health problems in FwSS were calculated using multiple logistic regression analysis. The aORs for usual stress (aOR 1.32, 95% CI 1.21-1.42), depressive mood (aOR 1.14, 95% CI 0.99-1.31; borderline significance), and suicidal ideation (aOR 1.17, 95% CI 1.05-1.30) were significantly higher among FwSS than GwoSF. Moreover, the psychological health problems of FwSS were more evident in females than in males. This study shows that FwSS have poorer psychological health outcomes than GwoSF with similar sociodemographic characteristics. Community-based strategies and family support programs, especially for female family members of stroke survivors, are essential to improve the psychological health of stroke families.

This study examined the gender-specific association between stroke status and depression in South Korea. A total of 5,746 men and 7,608 women aged ≥30 years who participated in the 2014, 2016, and 2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included in the analysis. The cross-sectional surveys targeted the general population consisting of nationally representative adults (≥19 years) residing in Korea. A 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire score of 10 or more was regarded as depression. A higher risk of depression in stroke survivors compared to the non-stroke population was not observed in men (odds ratio [OR], 1.51; 95% confidence intervals [CI], 0.82-2.81), while it was observed in women (OR, 2.49; 95% CI, 1.64-3.77). Compared to non-stroke women, women stroke survivors with a younger age at diagnosis (＜60 years) (OR, 4.05; 95% CI, 2.28-7.20) and stroke with duration of ≥10 years (OR, 3.12; 95% CI, 1.63-5.97) had a higher risk for depression. Gender aspects should be more intensively considered in the association between stroke status and depression in community settings.

This study aimed to identify and assess the differences in psychological health problems between families living with stroke survivors (FwSS) and the general population without stroke families (GwoSF). A total of 4,514 cases of FwSS were selected for analysis from the 2013 Korea Community Health Survey. In order to determine control groups in GwoSF, propensity scores were generated based on the sociodemographic characteristics of age, gender, residential region, marital status, educational level, monthly household income, and employment status. Each FwSS was matched to 3 controls of GwoSF (13,542 controls) using a greedy matching algorithm with 8 to 1 digit matching. After propensity score-matching, the proportion of usual stress (30.2% vs 24.6%), depressive mood (7.1% vs 6.1%), and suicidal ideation (13.0% vs 11.1%) in FwSS were all significantly higher than those in GwoSF (Ps<0.05). Compared to GwoSF, the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for psychological health problems in FwSS were calculated using multiple logistic regression analysis. The aORs for usual stress (aOR 1.32, 95% CI 1.21-1.42), depressive mood (aOR 1.14, 95% CI 0.99-1.31; borderline significance), and suicidal ideation (aOR 1.17, 95% CI 1.05-1.30) were significantly higher among FwSS than GwoSF. Moreover, the psychological health problems of FwSS were more evident in females than in males. This study shows that FwSS have poorer psychological health outcomes than GwoSF with similar sociodemographic characteristics. Community-based strategies and family support programs, especially for female family members of stroke survivors, are essential to improve the psychological health of stroke families.

Background: Methods of determining proper endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff pressure to prevent air leakage include the minimal occlusive volume (MOV) technique, which uses auscultation, and the spirometer technique, which directly measures inspiratory and expiratory breathing volumes. Spirometers may measure even small air leakage, therefore, the spirometer technique requires a higher cuff pressure than the MOV technique to completely seal the airway. This study aimed to evaluate the difference in cuff pressure between the two techniques used to seal the airway. Methods: Thirty-five female patients were intubated using an ETT with a cuff, and cuff inflation was performed with both techniques at a 10-min interval in random order—the MOV technique and then the spirometer technique or vice versa. The cuff pressure was measured at each period. Results: The cuff pressures were 16.7 ± 1.2 cm H2O and 18.7 ± 1.3 cm H2O for the MOV and spirometer techniques, respectively. The cuff pressure for the spirometer technique was 2 cm H2O higher than that for the MOV technique and this difference was statistically significant (95% confidence interval, 0.7–3.3; P = 0.003). Considering the upper end (3.3 cm H2O) of the 95% confidence interval and the size of one scale unit (2 cm H2O) of a manometer, the difference in cuff pressure was up to 4 cm H2O in practice. Conclusions Even though the air leakage sound disappears on auscultation, unlike the previous recommendation, the airway sealing would be completed only by increasing the cuff pressure by approximately 4 cm H2O.