The prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide. Glycemic control has been shown to prevent microvascular complications. Many oral hyperglycemic drugs and insulin are being used in the treatment of diabetes, but the effects of those treatments are suboptimal. The two incretin hormones GLP-1 and GIP are released from L- and K-cells, respectively, in response to nutrient intake. GLP-1 stimulates glucose-dependent insulin release. Recently, incretin hormone-based therapies, including GLP-1 agonists and DPP-4 inhibitors, have been used as new treatment options to control glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this article is to review the efficacy and safety of GLP-1 agonists in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1* ; Glucose ; Humans ; Incretins ; Insulin ; Prevalence

No abstract available.
Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis ; Hyperthyroidism ; Propylthiouracil

No abstract available.
Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis ; Hyperthyroidism ; Propylthiouracil

Primary aldosteronism, is defined as a group of disorders characterized by the excess of aldosteron, with suppressed rennin activity, resulting in hypertension and hypokalemia. In most cases, primary aldosteronism is sporadic due to a unilateral adrenal adenoma or bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. Familial hyperaldosteronism is a rare cause of primary aldosteronism and its prevalence has not been established well. We describe two cases of primary aldosteronism in a family involving a sister and brother due to an aldosterone producing adenoma in the left adrenal gland. Their hypokalemia and hypertension were cured by complete resection of the adrenal adenoma. Genetic analyses could not be done because of patients' rejection.
Adenoma ; Adrenal Glands ; Adrenocortical Adenoma ; Aldosterone ; Chymosin ; Humans ; Hyperaldosteronism ; Hyperplasia ; Hypertension ; Hypokalemia ; Prevalence ; Rejection (Psychology) ; Siblings

No abstract available.

Patients with hyperthyroidism can develop left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure, but severe pulmonary hypertension association with hyperthyroidism is rarely seen. Herein, we describe the case of a 27-year-old female who presented with abdominal distension accompanied by pulmonary arterial hypertension and Graves' disease. Her pulmonary arterial hypertension was improved by treating the hyperthyroidism and pulmonary artery hypertension. Additionally, the patient's symptoms of right-side heart failure improved after pulmonary arterial pressure was reduced. Hyperthyroidism should be regarded as a reversible cause of associated pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Adult ; Arterial Pressure ; Ascites ; Female ; Graves Disease ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Hyperthyroidism ; Pulmonary Artery ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left

PURPOSE: Adenoid hypertrophy is a physical alteration that may affect speech, and a speech disorder can have other negative effects on a child's life. Airway obstruction leads to constricted oral breathing and causes postural alterations of several oro-facial structures, including the mouth, tongue, and hyoid bone. The postural modifications may affect several aspects of speech production. METHODS: In this study, we compared articulation errors in 19 children with adenoid hypertrophy (subject group) to those of 33 children with functional articulation disorders independent of anatomical problems (control group). RESULTS: The mean age of the subject group was significantly higher (P=0.016). Substitution was more frequent in the subject group (P=0.003; odds ratio [OR], 1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-2.62), while omission was less frequent (P<0.001; OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.27-0.67). Articulation errors were significantly less frequent in the palatal affricative in the subject group (P=0.047; OR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.07-0.92). The number of articulation errors in other consonants was not different between the two groups. Nasalization and aspiration were significantly more frequent in the subject group (P=0.007 and 0.014; OR, 14.77 and 0.014; 95% CI, [1.62-135.04] and NA, respectively). Otherwise, there were no differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION: We identified the characteristics of articulation errors in children with adenoid hypertrophy, but our data did not show the relationship between adenoid hypertrophy and oral motor function that has been observed in previous studies. The association between adenoid hypertrophy and oral motor function remains doubtful.
Adenoids* ; Airway Obstruction ; Articulation Disorders ; Child* ; Humans ; Hyoid Bone ; Hypertrophy* ; Mouth ; Mouth Breathing ; Odds Ratio ; Respiration ; Tongue

Thyroid disorders and diabetes mellitus often coexist and are closely related. Several studies have shown a higher prevalence of thyroid disorders in patients with diabetes mellitus and vice versa. Thyroid hormone affects glucose homeostasis by impacting pancreatic β-cell development and glucose metabolism through several organs such as the liver, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, adipose tissue, skeletal muscles, and the central nervous system. The present review discusses the effect of thyroid hormone on glucose homeostasis. We also review the relationship between thyroid disease and diabetes mellitus: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes, as well as guidelines for screening thyroid function with each disorder. Finally, we provide an overview of the effects of antidiabetic drugs on thyroid hormone and thyroid disorders.

The aim of this study was to characterize a new fungal species, Acremonium conglutinatum, isolated from air samples collected in Wando, South Korea. Phylogenetic analysis based on the internal transcribed spacer and large subunit regions revealed its unique position within the genus Acremonium. The isolated strain displayed distinct morphological characteristics, including ellipsoid or bent-ellipsoid conidia formed in clusters on the phialides. These features differentiate the new species from closely related species within the genus. This study describes the morphological and molecular characteristics of A. conglutinatum and emphasizes its phylogenetic relationships with other Acremonium spp. The identification of this novel species contributes to our understanding of the diversity and ecological role of Acremonium.

PURPOSE: We investigated articulation patterns in children with ankyloglossia who developed articulation disorders in order to determine the relationship between ankyloglossia and articulation disorders, and to clinically detect children who have articulation disorders associated with ankyloglossia. METHODS: The participants of this study were 23 children with articulation disorders that accompanied ankyloglossia and 55 controls with functional articulation disorders independent of anatomical problems, who were admitted to our hospital from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2012. All children underwent speech-language pathologic evaluation using the Picture Consonant Articulation Test (PCAT; Young-Tae Kim, 1994). We retrospectively compared collected data between the subject and control groups using Fisher's exact test and odds ratio tests with a 95% confidential interval for categorical variables and the independent Mann-Whitney U-test for continuous variables. RESULTS: The number of patients with articulation errors in the velar nasal was lower significantly only in the subject group (P=0.038). The total numbers of articulation errors in the bilabial plosive, velar plosive and velar nasal also were lower (P=0.007, P<0.001, and P=0.034, respectively). There were no differences in the numbers of patients with articulation errors according to phonological changes between the two groups. However, the total numbers of fronting and frication were lower in the subject group (both P<0.001), but the total numbers of plosivation and tensing were higher (P=0.002 and P=0.008, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study showed that the relationship between an articulation disorder and ankyloglossia is doubtful, although some results suggest that ankyloglossia may cause articulation errors only in certain individuals. Therefore, clinicians should be careful when determining the relationship between ankyloglossia and articulation disorders and use caution when making a treatment decision.
Articulation Disorders* ; Child* ; Humans ; Odds Ratio ; Retrospective Studies ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation