Evidence from several studies indicates that obesity and weight gain are associated with an increased risk of diabetes. Obesity occurs when energy intake exceeds energy expenditure over a protracted period of time. The energy expenditure associated with everyday activity is commonly referred to as Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT). Increasing NEAT, improving diet, and sustaining these lifestyle changes can reduce body weight. This paper provides evidence that NEAT is important in understanding the cause of weight gain and in developing effective treatments for weight control.
Body Weight ; Diet ; Energy Intake ; Energy Metabolism ; Life Style ; Motor Activity ; Obesity ; Thermogenesis ; Weight Gain

PURPOSE: To explore the expressions of P53 and phosphorylation-H2AX in varicocele-induced rat testes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 16 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent an operation; 12 underwent an experimental varicocele and 4, as controls, were sham-operated. Groups of 4 varicocele-induced rats underwent a left orchiectomy after 2 or 3 weeks, or both orchiectomies after 4 weeks. The sham-operated rats underwent both orchiectomies after 4 weeks. Sections of both testes from each animal were studied. The changes in the expressions of P53 and phosphorylation of H2AX were determined using immunohistochemistry and western blot. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining of the left testes in the varicocele- induced rats showed that the expressions of P53 and phosphorylation of H2AX had not begun 2 weeks postoperatively, but remarkable results were observed after 3 and 4 weeks. Both testes of the varicocele-induced rats showed the expressions of P53 and phosphorylation of H2AX after 4 weeks, with the left testes being more distinctive in immunohistochemical staining compared to the right. Western blot of the left testes in the varicocele- induced rats also showed unclear expressions of P53 and gamma-H2AX after 2 weeks. Considerable distinction was seen after 3 and 4 weeks compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that experimental varicocele is associated with increased sperm DNA damage. These changes may be related to abnormal spermatogenesis.
Adult ; Animals ; Blotting, Western ; DNA Damage ; Germ Cells* ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Orchiectomy ; Phosphorylation* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spermatogenesis ; Spermatozoa ; Testis ; Varicocele*

The superior canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS) is a rare disorder caused by the dehiscence of the temporal bone overlying the superior semicircular canal. It has become apparent that SCDS can lead to a variety of clinical manifestations, vestibular and/or auditory, in contrast to the typical symptoms, as initially described. We recently examined a 54-year-old woman with unilateral stepsynchronous tinnitus without any vestibular symptoms. Tinnitus is a quite unremarkable finding among variable symptoms of the syndrome; however, it can be one of the clues to identify SCDS when it is accompanied by low-frequency conductive hearing loss. Therefore, in diagnosing SCDS, attention must be also paid to those patients with nonspecific complaints, for example, stepsynchronous tinnitus.
Female ; Hearing Loss, Conductive ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Semicircular Canals ; Temporal Bone ; Tinnitus

BACKGROUND: Insulin assays are affected by varying degrees of interference from anti-insulin antibodies (IAs) and by cross-reactivity with recombinant insulin analogues. We evaluated the usefulness of the E170 insulin assay by assessing IA effects and cross-reactivity with 2 analogues. METHODS: Sera were obtained from 59 type 2 diabetes patients receiving continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion and 18 healthy controls. Insulin levels were determined using an E170 analyzer. To investigate the effects of IAs, we performed IA radioimmunoassays, and analyzed the differences between directly measured insulin (direct insulin) and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-treated insulins (free, IA-unbound; total, IA-bound and unbound insulin). We performed in-vitro cross-reactivity tests with insulin aspart and insulin glulisine. RESULTS: In IA-positive patients, E170 free insulin levels measured using the E170 analyzer were significantly lower than the direct insulin levels. The mean value of the direct/free insulin ratio and IA-bound insulin, which were calculated as the difference between total and free insulin, increased significantly as endogenous IA levels increased. The E170 insulin assay showed low cross-reactivities with both analogues (< 0.7%). CONCLUSIONS: IAs interfered with E170 insulin assay, and the extent of interference correlated with the IA levels, which may be attributable to the increase in IA-bound insulin, and not to an error in the assay. The E170 insulin assay may measure only endogenous insulin since cross-reactivity is low. Our results suggest that the measurement of free insulin after PEG pre-treatment could be useful for beta cell function assessment in diabetic patients undergoing insulin therapy.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cross Reactions ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/blood/immunology ; Female ; Humans ; Infusions, Subcutaneous ; Insulin/analogs & derivatives/*blood/chemistry/immunology ; Insulin Antibodies/*blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polyethylene Glycols/chemistry ; Radioimmunoassay/instrumentation/*methods ; Recombinant Proteins/analysis/immunology/metabolism

A 41-year-old female complaining of easy fatigue, headache, thickened extremities and deepened facial folds was admitted to the hospital. As early as 6 years ago, she had been told by family members that her voice was changed and both hands was thickened. Cranial plain radiography indicated ballooning of sella turcica. Sella MRI disclosed 2.2cm sized pituitary tumor with suprasellar extension. The pituitary tumor with hypothalamic extension was removed via a transsphenoidal approach. The postoperative course was uneventful until hyponatremia with sudden headache and respiratory arrest was developed. The case was due to hyponatremic encephalopathy on the basis of the clinical course and symptoms, and 3% hypertonic saline was infused for 12 hours until the hyponatremia was corrected. We have experienced a mortality case of hyponatremic encephalopathy in which surgieal removal of a pituitary tumor from a female acromegalic patient in menstruant period was followed by the sudden occurrence of hyponatremia, which in turn was later associated with marked brain edema.
Adult ; Brain Edema ; Extremities ; Fatigue ; Female ; Hand ; Headache ; Humans ; Hyponatremia ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mortality ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Radiography ; Sella Turcica ; Voice

BACKGROUND: Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) levels have rarely been determined in an Asian population. We evaluated the analytical performance of a test for measuring CDT levels by using capillary electrophoresis (EP). METHODS: We determined the precision of CDT measurement by using capillary EP and nephelometry and compared the CDT values obtained using both the methods. We included healthy control subjects, abstinent patients with liver disease, and individuals consuming varying amounts of alcohol. RESULTS: The CDT measurement by using capillary EP were correlated well with those CDT measurement by using nephelometry, N Latex CDT assay, Y=0.5706X+1.581, R=0.930. The results obtained from both methods showed good qualitative agreement with each other (kappa coefficient=0.61). Genetic variants of transferrin isoforms were detected in 4.1% of the tested population. Both the CDT and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) levels in the abstinent patients with liver disease were significantly higher than those in healthy abstinent individuals (0.9% vs. 0.5%, 109.5 mg/dL vs. 28.5 mg/dL, respectively), but the difference in CDT values in the 2 groups was less pronounced for the CDT values. Individuals who had a mean daily alcohol intake of more than 60 g/day showed significantly higher CDT levels than those who had a mean daily alcohol intake of less than 60 g/day (1.9% vs. 0.7%, P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The CDT test using capillary EP showed good performance, and this method has several advantages such as automation and detection of variant forms. Thus, CDT can be a more useful marker than GGT for monitoring alcohol abstinence, especially in patients with liver disease.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Automation ; Electrophoresis, Capillary/*methods ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Humans ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic/diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephelometry and Turbidimetry/methods ; Protein Isoforms/analysis ; ROC Curve ; Republic of Korea ; Transferrin/*analogs & derivatives/analysis ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase/analysis

OBJECTIVE: To compare the morbidity and treatment outcomes of mid urethral sling procedures for older women and younger women, and to evaluate whether mid urethral sling procedures can be effectively used in older women. METHODS: This retrospective study included 381 patients who underwent mid urethral sling procedures, tension free vaginal tape (TVT) or transobturator tape (TOT) for urodynamic stress urinary incontinence from March 2000 to June 2006. The patients were divided into two age groups: younger women (30~69 years old) and older women (70~90 years old). Patients were followed up with clinic visits at 1, 3, 6, 12 months, and every year thereafter. RESULTS: 341 (89.7%) were in younger women, 40 (10.5%) in older women. The rates of intra and perioperative complications including hemoglobin difference, urinary retention, UTI, mesh erosion, wound infection were no significant differences between the groups. De novo urgency was more common in older women than younger women (15.9% vs. 30.0%: P<0.001). The subjective cure rate at 1 year follow up (82.2% vs. 91.3%: P>0.05) showed no significant differences. CONCLUSION: Our data showed subjective cure rates without any significant increase in intraoperative complications in older women. Postoperative complications of de novo urgency were more common in the older women. Hospital stay and recovery period were short, making TVT and TOT a suitable procedure for all ages.
Ambulatory Care ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Intraoperative Complications ; Length of Stay ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Suburethral Slings ; Urinary Incontinence ; Urinary Retention ; Urodynamics ; Wound Infection

Red cell antigens, A, B, and H can be weakened or lost especially in patients with hematologic malignancies. We report a 42-year-old female patient with acute myeloid leukemia, who showed loss of A antigen on her red cells. She showed the persistence of leukemia in spite of three cycles of induction chemotherapy. Her ABO blood group showed a discrepancy: the cell type was O and the serum type was A. Adsorption/elution test could not identify the presence of A antigen on her red cells, and the test for A and B transferases was negative. ABO genotyping using PCR/restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing of exons 6 and 7 of the ABO gene demonstrated 467 C>T substitution in exon 7 and confirmed the genotype of A102/O01. She was transfused with leukapheresis products collected from donors with blood group A, but expired of severe sepsis. This is the first Korean case, in which red cell A antigen loss was genetically proven using sequencing, and underscores the necessity of ABO genotyping to solve the ABO discrepancy and to transfuse effectively.
Adult ; Exons ; Female ; Genotype ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Humans ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Leukapheresis ; Leukemia ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Sepsis ; Tissue Donors ; Transferases

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the appropriate exercise intensity associated with maximum fat oxidation, improvement of body composition, and metabolic status in Korean women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: The study included a T2DM group (12 women) and a control group (12 women). The groups were matched in age and body mass index. The subjects performed a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer to measure their maximal fat oxidation (Fatmax). We also measured their body composition, metabolic profiles, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). RESULTS: The exercise intensity for Fatmax was significantly lower in the T2DM group (34.19% maximal oxygen uptake [VO2 max]) than the control group (51.80% VO2 max). Additionally, the rate of fat oxidation during exercise (P<0.05) and mtDNA (P<0.05) were significantly lower in the T2DM group than the control group. The VO2 max level (P<0.001) and the insulin level (P<0.05) were positively correlated with the rate of fat oxidation. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest lower exercise intensity that achieves Fatmax is recommended for improving fat oxidation and enhancing fitness levels in Korean women with T2DM. Our data could be useful when considering an exercise regimen to improve health and fitness.
Body Composition ; Body Mass Index ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; Exercise Test ; Female ; Humans ; Insulin ; Metabolome ; Oxygen

Total abdominal hystrectomy is the most common surgery of Gynecology. It's complication are taken very important. Although neuropathy, especially femoral nerve injury, is rare, recently we have experienced a case of femoral neuropathy after total abdominal hystrectomy. We present this case with a brief review of literature.
Femoral Nerve* ; Femoral Neuropathy ; Gynecology