No abstract available.
Fasting* ; Glucose*

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to develop a common health information exchange (HIE) platform that can provide integrated services for implementing the HIE infrastructure in addition to guidelines for participating in an HIE network in South Korea. METHODS: By exploiting the Health Level 7 (HL7) Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) and Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Cross-enterprise Document Sharing-b (XDS.b) profile, we defined the architectural model, exchanging data items and their standardization, messaging standards, and privacy and security guidelines, for a secure, nationwide, interoperable HIE. We then developed a service-oriented common HIE platform to minimize the effort and difficulty of fulfilling the standard requirements for participating in the HIE network. The common platform supports open application program interfaces (APIs) for implementing a document registry, a document repository, a document consumer, and a master patient index. It could also be used for testing environments for the implementation of standard requirements. RESULTS: As the initial phase of implementing a nationwide HIE network in South Korea, we built a regional network for workers' compensation (WC) hospitals and their collaborating clinics to share referral and care record summaries to ensure the continuity of care for industrially injured workers, using the common HIE platform and verifying the feasibility of our technologies. CONCLUSIONS: We expect to expand the HIE network on a national scale with rapid support for implementing HL7 and IHE standards in South Korea.
Computer Security ; Computer Systems ; Continuity of Patient Care ; Delivery of Health Care ; Electronic Health Records ; Health Level Seven ; Humans ; Information Services* ; Korea ; Privacy ; Referral and Consultation ; Workers' Compensation

BACKGROUND: Fine needle aspiration(FNA) is an accurate and safe method for the diagnosis of thyroid nodules. One of the limitations of FNA is the variable rate of unsatisfactory specimens, especially in small sized, deep seated or complex cystic nodules. To overcome this problem, ultrasound-guided FNA(US-FNA) has been widely used. In this study, the adequacy of cytologic specimens by US-FNA was compared with that of conventional palpation-guided FNA(P-FNA). METHODS: The medical records of all patients who were engaged in FNA due to thyroid nodules at Chungnam National University Hospital from January 2003 to July 2004 were retrospectively examined. The US-FNA and P-FNA were performed in 114 and 185 patients, respectively. RESULTS: Comparison of the adequacy of the two techniques in providing sufficient material for the cytologic diagnosis showed that specimens in 24(13.0%) and 6(5.3%) patients collected by P-FNA and US-FNA, respectively, were unsatisfactory(P=0.031). A total of 23 patients underwent thyroid surgery due to strong suspicion of malignancy at cytologic finding and/or on clinical judgement. Seventeen patients belonged to the P-FNA group and 6 patients to the US-FNA group. In the P-FNA group, a histologic diagnosis revealed two false-negative cytologic findings, but no false-negative findings were found in the US-FNA group. CONCLUSION: Compared with P-FNA, US-FNA may reduce the possibility of unsatisfactory cytologic specimens and the rate of false-negative diagnosis, and may improve the diagnostic accuracy in investigating thyroid nodules
Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Needles ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Nodule*

BACKGROUND: Recent guidelines recommend that all cirrhotics undergo screening upper endoscopy to identifly risk patients for bleeding from varices. The aim of this study was to determine whether clinical and laboratory variables were predictive of the occurrence and progression of esophageal varices. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of cirrhotics who had a screening upper endoscopy during 10 years after liver biopsy. Fifty-eight patients were recruited. Univariate/multivariate analysis was used to evaluate associations between the development and progression of esophageal varices and patients characteristics including platelet count, liver chemistry value, prothrombin time, shunt index(heart to liver uptake ratio) through transrectal TI-201 liver scan, probability(P)-value (Y=3.3431-0.8160 x ALT/AST ratio-0.0343 x prothrombin time+2.6963 x shunt index, P=e(y)/(e(y)+1)), ascites, splenomegaly, hepatic encephalopathy. RESULTS: There were 36 patients without esophageal varices or with stable varices during 10 years and 22 patients with new developed esophageal varices or progressive varices during 10 years as determined by upper endoscopy. On multivariate analysis, patients with a probability(P)-value of > or = 0.647 and a platelet count of < or = 100,500/mm3 had a risk of the development and progression of esophageal varices. CONCLUSIONS: Non-endoscopic predictors (probability(P)-value and platelet count) could be used to stratify patients with cirrhosis for the risk of the development and progression of esophageal varices and such stratification could be used to improve the effectiveness of screening upper endoscopy for esophageal varices.
Ascites ; Biopsy ; Blood Platelets ; Chemistry ; Endoscopy ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Fibrosis ; Hemorrhage ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver* ; Mass Screening ; Multivariate Analysis ; Platelet Count ; Prothrombin ; Prothrombin Time ; Retrospective Studies ; Splenomegaly ; Varicose Veins

Electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) has been suggested as a noninvasive diabetic screening tool. We examined the relevance of ESC method for screening type 2 diabetes. A meal tolerance test (MTT) was conducted for 40 diabetic and 42 control subjects stratifi ed by age, sex and body mass index (BMI). The glucose levels and ESC were measured before the MTT and every 30 min after meal intake up to 120 min. There was no correlation between the blood glucose level and ESC (r = 0.249) or ESC variability (ESCV) (r = −0.173). ESC (ESCV) was higher (lower) in diabetic patients than in normal control (p = 0.02 for ESC and p = 0.06 for ESCV). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) values of the ESC and ESCV were 0.654 and 0.691, respectively. The novel variable, ESCV, showed 5.7% higher AUC than ESC. Contrary to some previous reports, ESC values in diabetic patients was higher than in age, sex and BMI matched control group. In our study, ESC or ESCV showed a marginal accuracy to be used as a screening tool for diabetes mellitus.
Area Under Curve ; Blood Glucose ; Body Mass Index ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Glucose ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Meals ; Methods ; ROC Curve ; Skin

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and most frequently diagnosed neurodegenerative disorder. However, there is still no drug preventing the progress of this disorder. β-Amyrin, an ingredient of the surface wax of tomato fruit and dandelion coffee, is previously reported to ameliorate memory impairment induced by cholinergic dysfunction. Therefore, we tested whether β-amyrin can prevent AD-like pathology. β-Amyrin blocked amyloid β (Aβ)-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) impairment in the hippocampal slices. Moreover, β-amyrin improved Aβ-induced suppression of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling.LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor, blocked the effect of β-amyrin on Aβ-induced LTP impairment. In in vivo experiments, we observed that β-amyrin ameliorated object recognition memory deficit in Aβ-injected AD mice model. Moreover, neurogenesis impairments induced by Aβ was improved by β-amyrin treatment. Taken together, β-amyrin might be a good candidate of treatment or supplement for AD patients.

Members of the inhibitors of differentiation (Id) family of helix-loop-helix (HLH) proteins are known to play important roles in the proliferation and differentiation of many cell types. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) regulates proliferation and differentiation by activating TSH receptor (TSHR) in thyrocytes. In this study, we found that Id2, one of the Id family proteins, is a major target for regulation by TSH in FRTL-5 thyroid cells. TSH rapidly increases the Id2 mRNA level in FRTL-5 thyroid cells but the Id2 protein showed biphasic regulatory patterns, being transiently reduced and subsequently induced by TSH treatment. Transient reduction of Id2 protein was noted within 2 hr of TSH treatment and was mediated by proteasomal degradation. Moreover, reduced Id2 expression correlated with the activity of the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase pathway, which is activated by TSH. Although TSH increases the activity of the Id2 promoter, TSH-induced activation of this promoter was independent of c-Myc. Id2 did not alter TTF-1- and Pax-8-mediated effects on the regulation of the Tg promoter. Thus, in summary, we found that TSH regulates Id2 expression, but that Id2 does not alter the expression of thyroid-specific genes, such as Tg, in FRTL-5 thyroid cells.
1-Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/metabolism ; Animals ; Cattle ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Proliferation ; *Gene Expression Regulation ; Inhibitor of Differentiation Protein 2/metabolism ; Insulin/metabolism ; Paired Box Transcription Factors/metabolism ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc/metabolism ; Rats ; Thyroglobulin/metabolism ; Thyroid Gland/*cytology ; Thyrotropin/*metabolism

BACKGROUND: Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15) is a protein that belongs to the transforming growth factor beta superfamily. An elevated serum level of GDF15 was found to be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). T2DM is an inflammatory disease that progresses from normal glucose tolerance (NGT) to impaired fasting glucose (IFG). Hence, we aimed to validate the relationship between GDF15 and IFG. METHODS: The participants were divided into the following three groups: NGT (n=137), IFG (n=29), and T2DM (n=75). The controls and T2DM outpatients visited the hospital for routine health check-ups. We used fasting blood glucose to detect IFG in nondiabetic patients. We checked the body mass index (BMI), C-reactive protein level, metabolic parameters, and fasting serum GDF15 level. RESULTS: Age, BMI, triglyceride, insulin, glucose, homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and GDF15 levels were elevated in the IFG and T2DM groups compared to the NGT group. In the correlation analysis between metabolic parameters and GDF15, age and HOMA-IR had a significant positive correlation with GDF15 levels. GDF15 significantly discriminated between IFG and NGT, independent of age, BMI, and HOMA-IR. The serum levels of GDF15 were more elevated in men than in women. As a biomarker for IFG based on the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the cutoff value of GDF15 was 510 pg/mL in males and 400 pg/mL in females. CONCLUSION: GDF15 had a positive correlation with IR independent of age and BMI, and the serum level of GDF15 was increased in the IFG and T2DM groups. GDF15 may be a novel biomarker for detecting IFG in nondiabetic patients.
Biomarkers ; Blood Glucose ; Body Mass Index ; C-Reactive Protein ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Fasting* ; Female ; Glucose* ; Growth Differentiation Factor 15 ; Humans ; Insulin ; Male ; Outpatients ; Prediabetic State ; ROC Curve ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; Triglycerides

BACKGROUND: Thyroid cancers account for about 1% of all human malignancies, with papillary thyroid carcinomas being the most common istotype. Several investigators have recently identified the most common BRAF mutation, the T1796A transversion mutation, in 29~69% of papillary thyroid cancers. The BRAF mutation has been demonstrated as a novel prognostic biomarker for the prediction of poor clinicopathological outcomes, such as increased incidence of extrathyroid invasion and distant metastasis of the tumor. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of the BRAF mutation of thyroid tissues obtained by a thyroidectomy, and its correlation with the clinicopathological outcomes. METHODS: We studied 36 thyroid tissues obtained from 24 women and 12 men by thyroidectomies, including 30 papillary carcinomas, 3 follicular carcinomas, 1 medullary carcinoma and 2 nodular hyperplasia. The mutation was sought in all specimens using DNA sequencing. RESULTS: We studied the BRAF exon 15 T1796A in these 36 thyroid tissues. The mean age at surgery was 46.6, ranging from 18 to 72 years, with a median tumor size of 2.79, ranging from 1.5 to 4.5cm. At the time of diagnosis, 27 of the 34 patients presented with some kind of extrathyroidal invasion of the tumor, and 16 had lymph node metastases. 16, 2 and 16 patients were in stages I, II and III, respectively. There was no distant metastasis. A missense mutation was found at T1796A in exon 15 in 21 of the 30 papillary carcinomas(70%). The other thyroid diseases, including the 3 follicular carcinomas, 1 medullary carcinoma and 2 nodular hyperplasia show no exon 15 T1759A transversion mutation. No statistically significant association was found between the BRAF mutations and clinicopathological characteristics of papillary carcinomas. CONCLUSION: The BRAF mutation is a important genetic alteration, with a high prevalence in papillary thyroid carcinomas. However, there was no significant association between the BRAF mutation and any of the clinicopathological factors. Further, large scale studies will be needed to evaluate the correlation between the BRAF mutation and the clinicopathological factors
Carcinoma, Medullary ; Carcinoma, Papillary* ; Diagnosis ; Exons ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Mutation, Missense ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prevalence ; Research Personnel ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroidectomy

BACKGROUND: Thyroid cancers account for about 1% of all human malignancies, with papillary thyroid carcinomas being the most common istotype. Several investigators have recently identified the most common BRAF mutation, the T1796A transversion mutation, in 29~69% of papillary thyroid cancers. The BRAF mutation has been demonstrated as a novel prognostic biomarker for the prediction of poor clinicopathological outcomes, such as increased incidence of extrathyroid invasion and distant metastasis of the tumor. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of the BRAF mutation of thyroid tissues obtained by a thyroidectomy, and its correlation with the clinicopathological outcomes. METHODS: We studied 36 thyroid tissues obtained from 24 women and 12 men by thyroidectomies, including 30 papillary carcinomas, 3 follicular carcinomas, 1 medullary carcinoma and 2 nodular hyperplasia. The mutation was sought in all specimens using DNA sequencing. RESULTS: We studied the BRAF exon 15 T1796A in these 36 thyroid tissues. The mean age at surgery was 46.6, ranging from 18 to 72 years, with a median tumor size of 2.79, ranging from 1.5 to 4.5cm. At the time of diagnosis, 27 of the 34 patients presented with some kind of extrathyroidal invasion of the tumor, and 16 had lymph node metastases. 16, 2 and 16 patients were in stages I, II and III, respectively. There was no distant metastasis. A missense mutation was found at T1796A in exon 15 in 21 of the 30 papillary carcinomas(70%). The other thyroid diseases, including the 3 follicular carcinomas, 1 medullary carcinoma and 2 nodular hyperplasia show no exon 15 T1759A transversion mutation. No statistically significant association was found between the BRAF mutations and clinicopathological characteristics of papillary carcinomas. CONCLUSION: The BRAF mutation is a important genetic alteration, with a high prevalence in papillary thyroid carcinomas. However, there was no significant association between the BRAF mutation and any of the clinicopathological factors. Further, large scale studies will be needed to evaluate the correlation between the BRAF mutation and the clinicopathological factors
Carcinoma, Medullary ; Carcinoma, Papillary* ; Diagnosis ; Exons ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Mutation, Missense ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prevalence ; Research Personnel ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroidectomy