Objectives: This study aimed to examine sex differences in the risk factors associated with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) among Korean adolescents to provide insights for drafting more effective prevention strategies. Methods: Data from 51845 middle and high school students in the 18th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey were analyzed.GAD was assessed using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder tool, and factors such as grade, academic performance, economic status, living arrangements, smoking, drinking, sexual experience, and physical activity were included. The prevalence of GAD and its association with these factors were compared between male and female students using chi-square tests and logistic regression. Odds ratios were compared statistically to identify sex-specific differences. Results: GAD prevalence was higher among girls (42.1%) than boys (30.1%). Both sexes showed increased GAD risk with lower academic performance, lower economic status, smoking, drinking, and sexual experience. Boys living apart from their families had a higher GAD risk, but this was not significant for girls. Additionally, smoking and drinking were associated with a higher increase in GAD risk in girls than in boys. Conclusion This study underscores the importance of considering sex differences in the prevention of GAD among adolescents. Tailored sex-specific interventions are crucial for effective prevention and management of GAD in Korean adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Slit2 is a new secreted protein from adipose tissue that improves glucose hemostasis in mice; however, there is no study about the serum levels and precise role of Slit2 in human. The aim of this study is to explore the serum level of Slit2 in human, and to identify the role of Slit2 in diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: The participants of this study consist of 38 subjects with newly diagnosed DM, and 75 healthy subjects as a control group. Serum Slit2 levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Relationship between circulating Slit2 and diabetic related factors was investigated in diabetic group compared with non-diabetic group. Additionally, the correlations between the serum level of Slit2 and diverse metabolic parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: Circulating Slit2 level was more decreased in diabetic group than in control group, but there was no significant difference statistically. Interestingly, serum levels of Slit2 were significantly negatively correlated to the serum concentrations of fasting glucose (coefficient r=–0.246, P=0.008), the serum concentrations of postprandial glucose (coefficient r=–0.233, P=0.017), and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c; coefficient r=–0.357, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: From our study, the first report of circulating Slit2 levels in human, circulating Slit2 level significantly negatively correlated with serum glucose and HbA1c. Our results suggest that the circulating Slit2 may play a role in maintainence of glucose homeostasis in human, even though exact contribution and mechanism are not yet known.
Adipokines ; Adipose Tissue ; Adipose Tissue, Brown ; Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Diabetes Mellitus* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Healthy Volunteers ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Hemostasis ; Homeostasis ; Humans* ; Mice

BACKGROUND: Cushing syndrome is characterized by glucose intolerance, cardiovascular disease, and an enhanced systemic inflammatory response caused by chronic exposure to excess cortisol. Eosinopenia is frequently observed in patients with adrenal Cushing syndrome, but the relationship between the eosinophil count in peripheral blood and indicators of glucose level in patients with adrenal Cushing syndrome has not been determined. METHODS: A retrospective study was undertaken of the clinical and laboratory findings of 40 patients diagnosed with adrenal Cushing syndrome at Chungnam National University Hospital from January 2006 to December 2016. Clinical characteristics, complete blood cell counts with white blood cell differential, measures of their endocrine function, description of imaging studies, and pathologic findings were obtained from their medical records. RESULTS: Eosinophil composition and count were restored by surgical treatment of all of the patients with adrenal Cushing disease. The eosinophil count was inversely correlated with serum and urine cortisol, glycated hemoglobin, and inflammatory markers in the patients with adrenal Cushing syndrome. CONCLUSION: Smaller eosinophil populations in patients with adrenal Cushing syndrome tend to be correlated with higher levels of blood sugar and glycated hemoglobin. This study suggests that peripheral blood eosinophil composition or count may be associated with serum glucose levels in patients with adrenal Cushing syndrome.
Blood Cell Count ; Blood Glucose* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Cushing Syndrome* ; Eosinophils* ; Glucose ; Glucose Intolerance ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Leukocytes ; Medical Records ; Pituitary ACTH Hypersecretion ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: The significance of adiponectin levels in elderly individuals with prediabetes has yet to be determined. Thus, the present study was performed to evaluate the relationships between adiponectin levels and anthropometric variables, body composition parameters, insulin sensitivity, and lipid profiles in elderly prediabetic patients. METHODS: The present study included 120 subjects with prediabetes who were >65 years of age and were selected from among 1,993 subjects enrolled in the Korea Rural Genomic Cohort Study. All subjects underwent a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test and tests for measurement of insulin sensitivity. All diagnoses of prediabetes satisfied the criteria of the American Diabetes Association. RESULTS: Plasma adiponectin levels were lower in elderly prediabetic subjects than elderly subjects with normal glucose tolerance (P<0.01) as well as in elderly prediabetic patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) than in those without MetS (P<0.02). When the subjects were categorized into two groups according to plasma adiponectin levels, the waist-to-hip ratio and 2-hour insulin levels were significantly lower in individuals with high plasma adiponectin levels than in those with low plasma adiponectin levels. Additionally, the plasma adiponectin levels of elderly prediabetic subject were inversely correlated with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio, visceral fat, visceral fat ratio, and 2-hour insulin levels. CONCLUSION: The present findings demonstrated that the major factors correlated with adiponectin levels in elderly prediabetic subjects were BMI, WC, waist-to-hip ratio, visceral fat, visceral fat ratio, and 2-hour insulin levels.
Adiponectin* ; Aged* ; Body Composition ; Body Mass Index ; Cohort Studies ; Diagnosis ; Glucose ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Humans ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Korea ; Plasma* ; Prediabetic State* ; Waist Circumference ; Waist-Hip Ratio

BACKGROUND: Recent in vivo studies indicated that R-spondin 1 (RSPO1) regulates food intake and increases insulin secretion, but its role in humans remains unknown. This study investigated the association between serum levels of RSPO1 and diverse metabolic parameters in humans. METHODS: The study population consisted of 43 subjects with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus, and 79 non-diabetic participants. Serum levels of RSPO1 were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The relationships between circulating RSPO1 and diverse metabolic parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: Circulating RSPO1 levels increased to a greater extent in the obese group than in the lean group. Moreover, serum levels of RSPO1 were higher in the insulin-resistant group than in the insulin-sensitive group. Serum levels of RSPO1 were significantly correlated with a range of metabolic parameters including body mass index, fasting C-peptide, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index, and lipid profile. Moreover, levels were significantly associated with insulin resistance and obesity in non-diabetic subjects. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the association between serum levels of RSPO1 and a range of metabolic parameters in humans. Serum levels of RSPO1 are significantly related to obesity and insulin resistance, although the precise mechanisms remain unknown.
Biomarkers ; Body Mass Index ; C-Peptide ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Eating ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fasting ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; Insulin ; Obesity

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to contribute to the development of an oral health education program on organized professional toothbrushing by determining its effects on plaque control in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. METHODS: The subjects in the experimental group participated in the professional toothbrushing and oral health education weekly for 4 weeks, and those in the control group participated in the same program without professional toothbrushing education. RESULTS: The difference in knowledge, attitude, and behaviors on oral health was higher among the experimental group who underwent professional toothbrushing and oral health education program than those in the control group. The effects of toothbrushing time on the plaque index were significantly lower in experimental group than those in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that adequate oral health and professional toothbrushing education program should be implemented to improve oral health.
Education ; Humans ; Oral Health ; Toothbrushing

The authors confirm that the author name and the title were incorrect in the last isuse of the journal.

Background and Objectives: The association between multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and tumor aggressiveness remains controversial. The aim of study is to evaluate molecular subtypes of multifocal PTCs using multiplatform genomic analysis. Materials and Methods: Statistical analysis and genomic analysis were performed for gene expression data and clinical data of multifocal PTCs in The Cancer Genome Atlas data. Clinicopathologic findings, recurrence-free survival (RFS), copy number alteration and somatic mutation status in patients in relation to molecular subtypes were analyzed. Results: Multiplatform genomic analysis revealed that multifocal PTCs (n=226) were divided into two distinct molecular subgroups. Participants in cluster 2 showed significantly increased risk of extrathyroidal extension, lymph node metastasis, and BRAFV600E mutation compared to patients in cluster 1. To exclude the effect of BRAF mutation and RAS mutation on tumor aggressiveness, we compared clinical parameters between two clusters in patients without BRAF or RAS mutation. Cluster 2 showed significantly higher risk of lymph node metastasis compared to cluster 1. Conclusion Multifocal PTC has two distinct molecular subtypes with distinctive clinical behaviors. Our data suggested the clinical implications of the transcriptomic signature to predict clinical outcomes of multifocal PTC.

Background: Sleep duration is associated with hearing loss, especially presbycusis, which is the most common type of hearing loss; however, there is limited evidence regarding this association among the Korean population. We aimed to determine the relationship between sleep duration and high-frequency hearing loss in Korean adults aged ≥40 years. Methods: We examined 5,547 Korean adults aged ≥40 years who completed audiometric tests and questionnaires regarding sleep duration during the 2010–2012 cycle of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Mild presbycusis was defined as >25 decibels (dB) and <40 dB, whereas moderate-to-severe presbycusis was defined as >40 dB pure tone averages at high frequencies (3,000, 4,000, and 6,000 Hz) for both ears. Additionally, the sleep duration was divided into quartiles. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using multivariable logistic regression after adjusting for covariates. Results: The prevalence of presbycusis in South Korean adults was 62.1%, of which 61.4% showed moderate to severe presbycusis. The incidence of moderate-to-severe, but not mild, presbycusis showed a significant positive correlation with sleep duration. Conclusion Our findings suggest that sleep duration is associated with the prevalence of presbycusis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The relationships between the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) and the status of cirrhosis, complications of portal hypertension and the severity of cirrhosis are not clear. The aim of this study was to determine the relationships between HVPG and the complications or status of cirrhosis. METHODS: The HVPG, gastroesophageal varices, Child-Pugh score, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, presence of ascites, recent bleeding history and the status of cirrhosis were assessed in a cohort of 172 patients (156 males, 16 females) with liver cirrhosis. RESULTS: The HVPG was 15.6+/-5.1 (mean+/-SD) mmHg (4-33 mmHg) and was significantly higher in patients in the decompensated stage than in those in the compensated stage (16.6+/-4.3 vs. 10.8+/-6.1 mmHg, respectively; P<0.01). HVPG was higher in bleeders than in nonbleeders (16.9+/-4.5 vs. 12.8+/-5.3 mmHg, respectively; P<0.01), and in patients with ascites than in those without ascites (16.4+/-4.1 vs. 14.5+/-6.2 mmHg, respectively; P<0.05). HVPG was significantly lower in the presence of gastric varices than in their absence (14.0+/-3.4 vs. 16.0+/-5.3 mmHg, respectively; P<0.05); however, no significant correlation was detected between HVPG and the grade of esophageal varices (P>0.05). HVPG was significantly higher in Child's B cirrhosis (n=87, 15.6+/-4.7 mmHg) and Child's C cirrhosis (n=36, 18.4+/-4.7 mmHg) than in Child's A cirrhosis (n=49, 13.7+/-5.1 mmHg; P<0.01). HVPG also was strongly correlated with the MELD score (P<0.01). The time required to measure the HVPG was 11.2+/-6.4 min, and only three cases of minor complication occurred during the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: HVPG was correlated with the severity of liver cirrhosis, presence of ascites, and risk of variceal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis.
Adult ; Ascites/*complications ; Cohort Studies ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices/*complications/diagnosis ; Female ; Hepatic Veins/*physiopathology ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal/complications/*physiopathology ; Korea ; Liver Cirrhosis/complications/*diagnosis/physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Predictive Value of Tests ; ROC Curve ; Severity of Illness Index ; Venous Pressure