BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The incidence of inflammatory heart diseases is not yet as high as those of other cardiovascular diseases; however, inflammatory heart diseases do have relatively high mortality rate. Therefore, update information on the economic burden of inflammatory heart diseases are necessary in order to appropriate policy making on these diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used a number of resources to obtain data, national health insurance statistics, the Korean Health Panel, and the causes of death report by the Korean National Statistical Office. The total costs of inflammatory heart diseases were estimated as the sum of direct medical care costs, direct non-medical care and indirect costs. RESULTS: The total direct cost of inflammatory heart disease was higher in Korean men than that of Korean women and cost due to inpatient was higher than that of outpatients cost. The costs to cover premature death were highest among all of the components used to determine the total costs for inflammatory heart disease, representing 66.3% of these costs in Korea. CONCLUSION: Inflammatory heart disease has a relatively high mortality rate, and the costs that are associated with premature deaths consume the greatest proportion of the costs associated with this disease. In spite of some limitations of study, this could be a reliable evidence of economic burden of inflammatory heart disease.
Cause of Death ; Cost of Illness ; Endocarditis ; Female ; Health Care Costs ; Heart ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Inpatients ; Korea ; Male ; Mortality, Premature ; National Health Programs ; Outpatients ; Policy Making

Secondary intracranial hypertension (IH) is a syndrome with various etiologies, including a brain tumor, head trauma, hypoparathyroidism, hydrocephalus, meningitis, drug use, or venous obstruction. It is reasonably straightforward to diagnose secondary IH induced by these diseases. However, diagnosing secondary IH induced by unpredictable extracranial lesion is difficult, and is based largely on subtle neurological symptoms or signs and usually can be achieved by an extracranial evaluation. Here we describe four cases of secondary IH with unusual causes.
Brain Neoplasms ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Headache ; Hydrocephalus ; Hypoparathyroidism ; Intracranial Hypertension ; Meningitis ; Spinal Cord Neoplasms

No abstract available.
Area Postrema ; Neuromyelitis Optica ; Vomiting

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop a nomogram that predicts ongoing pregnancy after in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) using patient age and serum hormonal markers. METHODS: A total of 284 IVF-ET cycles were retrospectively analyzed. At 14 days post-oocyte pick-up (OPU), the serum human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and progesterone levels were measured. The main predicted outcome was ongoing pregnancy. RESULTS: Patient age and serum of HCG and progesterone levels at 14 days post-OPU were good predictors of ongoing pregnancy. The cut-off value and area under the curve (AUC) (95% confidence interval) were 36.5 years and 0.666 (0.599–0.733), respectively, for patient age; 67.8 mIU/mL and 0.969 (0.951–0.987), respectively, for serum HCG level; and 29.8 ng/mL and 0.883 (0.840–0.925), respectively, for serum progesterone level. When the prediction model was constructed using these three parameters, the addition of serum progesterone level to the prediction model did not increase its overall predictability. Furthermore, a high linear co-relationship was found between serum HCG and progesterone levels. Therefore, we developed a new nomogram using patient age and HCG serum level only. The AUC of the newly developed nomogram for predicting ongoing pregnancy after IVF-ET cycles using patient age and serum HCG level was as high as 0.975. CONCLUSION: We showed that ongoing pregnancy may be predicted using only patient age and HCG serum level. Our nomogram could help clinicians and patients predict ongoing pregnancy after IVF-ET if the serum JCG level was ≥5 IU/L at 14 days post-OPU.
Area Under Curve ; Chorionic Gonadotropin ; Embryo Transfer* ; Embryonic Structures* ; Fertilization in Vitro* ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques* ; Nomograms* ; Pregnancy* ; Progesterone ; Retrospective Studies

We report a case of recurrent Streptococcus Pneumoniae meningoencephalitis with a transethmoidal meningoencephalocele (TEME) but without cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage. A 35-year-old man was admitted with S. pneumoniae meningitis. He had suffered from four episodes of recurrent pneumococcal meningitis during the previous 4 years. A computed tomography scan of the paranasal sinus showed the TEME protruding through a bony defect of the right frontal base. However, the patient did not have symptoms that could be attributable to CSF leakage, and radioisotope cisternography did not identify a leak. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed cortical lesions overlying the TEME, and electroencephalography revealed epileptiform discharges in frontal regions. Appropriate antibiotics therapy without steroids was given to improve his condition. The presented case suggests that even in the absence of clinically demonstrable CSF leakage, an occult skullbase defect and its associated meningoencephalocele should be considered in patients with recurrent bacterial meningitis.
Adult ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Brain ; Electroencephalography ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Meningitis ; Meningitis, Bacterial ; Meningitis, Pneumococcal ; Meningoencephalitis ; Pneumonia ; Steroids ; Streptococcus ; Streptococcus pneumoniae

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To provide the empirical basis for using ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs) in response to bone-conducted vibration (BCV) stimulation to indicate vestibular function in normal subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In response to bone-conducted tone burst (90 dB nHL and 100 dB nHL with frequencies 500 Hz and 1,000 Hz, the oVEMPs were measured in 45 healthy controls. The early negative component (n10) of the oVEMP to brief BCV of the forehead and at each mastoid process is recorded by surface electromyography electrodes just beneath the eyes. We used a hand-held vibrator (Bruel and Kjaer 4810 Mini-Shaker) placed on the forehead, in the midline at the hairline (Fz) and at each mastoid process and quantified the individual differences in n10 magnitude, latency and symmetry to Fz and mastoid BCV at each frequency. RESULTS: In normal subjects, n10 responses were symmetrical in the two eyes during Fz and both mastoid stimuli and the latencies of the onset were consistent among subjects. Response rate is similar between Fz and mastoid stimuli. However, at each stimulation site, response rate is higher on 500 Hz than on 1,000 Hz stimulation. During the mastoid stimuli, the onset latency is slightly shorter and amplitude is larger than the Fz stimuli. The average amplitudes decreased with age and average latency (to peak) increased slightly with increasing age. CONCLUSION: Clear oVEMP responses to bone-conducted Fz and mastoid stimuli were evoked from normal subjects. It is concluded that bone-conducted stimuli as well as air conduction can evoke myogenic potentials from the ocular muscles.
Electrodes ; Electromyography ; Eye ; Forehead ; Individuality ; Mastoid ; Muscles ; Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials ; Vibration

BACKGROUND: Age-related decreases in lean mass represent a serious health problem. We aimed to analyze the risks of rapid decreases in lean mass by age and sex in relatively young Korean adults during a 4-year follow-up study. METHODS: A total of 65,856 non-diabetic participants (59.5% men, mean age 39.1 years) in a health screening program were subjected to bioimpedance body composition analyses and metabolic parameter analyses at baseline and after 4 years. The participants were sub-divided according to age, and additionally to six groups by age and the degree of body weight change over the 4-year period. The actual changes in body weight, lean mass, and fat mass and the percent changes over the 4-year period were assessed. RESULTS: The percent change in lean mass decreased and the percent change of fat mass increased with increasing age in every age and sex group. However, the annual percent decrease in lean mass and percent increase in fat mass were significantly higher among women than among men (−0.26% vs. −0.15% and 0.34% vs. 0.42%, respectively; P<0.01). Participants who were older than 50 years and had a weight loss <−5% during the 4 years had significantly greater decreases in lean mass and smaller decreases in fat mass, compared to those who were younger than 50 years. An odds ratio analysis to determine the lowest quartile of the percent change in lean mass according to age group revealed that participants older than 60 years had a significantly increased risk of a rapid decrease in the lean mass percentage (2.081; 95% confidence interval, 1.678 to 2.581). CONCLUSION: Even in this relatively young study population, the lean mass decreased significantly with age, and the risk of a rapid decrease in lean mass was higher among women than among men. Furthermore, the elderly exhibited a significantly more rapid decrease in lean mass, compared with younger participants.
Adult* ; Aged ; Aging ; Body Composition* ; Body Weight ; Body Weight Changes ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Odds Ratio ; Sarcopenia ; Weight Loss

BACKGROUND: Hypertriglyceridemia is known to have an association with increased risks of insulin resistance and diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of diabetes mellitus, according to changes in the concentrations of triglycerides, over time. METHODS: A total of 15,932 non-diabetic participants (mean age 43.2 years, 68% men) who attended five consecutive annual health check-ups at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, between January 2010 and December 2014, were recruited. Participants were classified according to their triglyceride concentrations; normal ( < 150 mg/dL) and abnormal (≥150 mg/dL). According to the triglyceride levels in 2010 and 2012, subjects were divided into four groups: normal-normal, normal-abnormal, abnormal-normal, and abnormal-abnormal. The risk for incident diabetes was assessed in 2014. RESULTS: Among the total subjects, 67.5% belonged to the normal-normal group, 8.6% to the normal-abnormal group, 9.4% to the abnormal-normal group, and 14.5% to the abnormal-abnormal group. A total of 234 subjects (1.5%) were newly diagnosed with diabetes, between 2010 and 2014. Over 4 years, 1%, 1.5%, 2.1%, and 3.0% of the subjects developed diabetes in the normal-normal, normal-abnormal, abnormal-normal, and abnormal-abnormal groups, respectively. When the risk for incident diabetes was analyzed in the groups, after adjusting the confounding variables, a 1.58-fold increase in the risk of diabetes (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10 to 2.26) was observed in the participants with persistent hypertriglyceridemia (abnormal-abnormal group). This was attenuated by further adjustments for body mass index (BMI) (hazard ratio, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.86 to 1.80). CONCLUSION: In this large study population, persistent hypertriglyceridemia, over a period of 2 years, was significantly associated with the risk of incident diabetes, which was attenuated after adjustment for BMI.
Body Mass Index ; Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Hypertriglyceridemia* ; Insulin Resistance ; Triglycerides

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We sought to investigate an anti-atherosclerotic and anti-inflammatory effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors in normoglycemic atherosclerotic rabbit model. METHODS: Male New Zealand white rabbits (n=26) were fed with a 1% high-cholesterol diet for 7 weeks followed by normal diet for 2 weeks. After balloon catheter injury, the rabbits were administered with the Dapagliflozin (1mg/kg/day) or control-medium for 8 weeks (n=13 for each group). All lesions were assessed with angiography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and histological assessment. RESULTS: Atheroma burden (38.51±3.16% vs. 21.91±1.22%, p<0.01) and lipid accumulation (18.90±3.63% vs. 10.20±2.03%, p=0.047) was significantly decreased by SGLT-2 inhibitor treatment. The SGLT-2 inhibitor group showed lower macrophage infiltration (20.23±1.89% vs. 12.72±1.95%, p=0.01) as well as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α expression (31.17±4.40% vs. 19.47±2.10%, p=0.025). Relative area of inducible nitric oxide synthase+ macrophages was tended to be lower in the SGLT-2 inhibitor-treated group (1.00±0.16% vs. 0.71±0.10%, p=0.13), while relative proportion of Arg1⁺ macrophage was markedly increased (1.00±0.27% vs. 2.43±0.64%, p=0.04). As a result, progression of atherosclerosis was markedly attenuated in SGLT-2 inhibitor treated group (OCT area stenosis, 32.13±1.20% vs. 22.77±0.88%, p<0.01). Mechanistically, SGLT-2 treatment mitigated the inflammatory responses in macrophage. Especially, Toll-like receptor 4uclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway, and their downstream effectors such as interleukin-6 and TNF-α were markedly suppressed by SGLT-2 inhibitor treatment. CONCLUSIONS These results together suggest that SGLT-2 inhibitor exerts an anti-atherosclerotic effect through favorable modulation of inflammatory response as well as macrophage characteristics in non-diabetic situation.