Urinary angiotensinogen (AGT) is potentially a specific biomarker for the status of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in patients with diabetes mellitus. We explored whether changes in urinary AGT excretion levels were associated with the deterioration of kidney function in type 2 diabetes patients with preserved kidney function. Urinary baseline AGT levels were measured in 118 type 2 diabetic patients who were not taking RAS blockers and who had estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m². A total of 91 patients were followed-up for 52 months. Changes in urinary levels of AGT (ΔAGT) were calculated by subtracting urinary AGT/creatinine (Cr) at baseline from urinary AGT/Cr after 1 year. ΔAGT was significantly inversely correlated with annual eGFR change (β = −0.29, P = 0.006; β = −0.37, P = 0.001 after adjusting for clinical factors). RAS blockers were prescribed in 36.3% of patients (n = 33) during follow-up. The ΔAGT values were lower in the RAS blockers users than in the non-RAS blockers users, but the differences were not statistically significant (7.37 ± 75.88 vs. 22.55 ± 57.45 μg/g Cr, P = 0.081). The ΔAGT values remained significantly correlated with the annual rate of eGFR change (β = −0.41, P = 0.001) in the patients who did not use RAS blockers, but no such correlation was evident in the patients who did. ΔAGT is inversely correlated with annual changes in eGFR in type 2 diabetes patients with preserved kidney function, particularly in RAS blocker-naïve patients.
Angiotensinogen* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Kidney* ; Renin-Angiotensin System

In case of loss of many teeth due to dental caries or periodontal disease, improvement of masticatory function and aesthetics can be obtained through implant treatment. However, if the patient does not have a normal intercondylar relationship, it is difficult to achieve an ideal occlusal relationship with only prosthetic treatment. In particular, oral reconstruction with orthodontic treatment or orthognathic surgery is necessary for patients with mandibular prognathism. However, if the posterior occlusion collapses due to severe caries or periodontal disease, orthognathic surgery may be difficult. The occlusal vertical stop is very important for the stability of the mandibular position during occlusal reconstruction through orthognathic surgery. The patient in this case had posterior occlusion collapsed due to the caries of a large number of posterior teeth, and showed mandibular prognathism and long face. We planned a full arch restoration with orthognathic surgery and extracted the hopeless teeth. To secure the vertical stop required for orthognathic surgery, the implant was placed before surgery. After the orthognathic surgery and the final prosthesis application, the results were satisfactory for the improvement of the aesthetics and the restoration of the masticatory function.
Dental Caries ; Dental Implants ; Esthetics ; Humans ; Malocclusion ; Malocclusion, Angle Class III ; Orthognathic Surgery* ; Periodontal Diseases ; Prognathism* ; Prostheses and Implants ; Tooth*

BACKGROUND: In cirrhotic patients, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is associated with poor outcomes. Diastolic wall strain (DWS) is a new index of left ventricular diastolic function that correlates with the myocardial stiffness. In this study, we aimed to determine whether DWS calculated from preoperative transthoracic echocardiography can predict the survival of liver transplantation recipients. METHODS: A total of 981 patients who underwent liver transplantation were enrolled. We collected the clinical, laboratory and echocardiographic data retrospectively. The left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end-systole (LVPWs) and end-diastole (LVPWd) were measured using M-mode imaging. DWS was calculated as follows: DWS = (LVPWs – LVPWd) / LVPWs. As previously reported, DWS ≤ 0.33 was defined as low DWS and DWS > 0.33 was defined as normal DWS. The primary outcome of this study was 2-years survival after liver transplantation. RESULTS: The 2-years mortality rate following liver transplantation was higher in low DWS group than normal DWS group (14.6% vs.10.0%, P = 0.038). In univariate Cox regression analysis, age, model for end-stage liver disease score, Child-Turcotte-Pugh score, creatinine, b-type natriuretic peptide, heart rate, left ventricular end-diastolic volume index, left ventricular stroke volume index, left ventricular ejection fraction, E/A ratio, e′, E/e′ ratio, and DWS were associated with 2-years survival after liver transplantation. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, DWS was an independent predictor of 2-years survival after adjusting significant univariate covariates. CONCLUSIONS: This study results indicated that the DWS is an independent prognostic predictor in liver transplantation recipients.
Creatinine ; Diastole ; Echocardiography* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Transplantation* ; Liver* ; Mortality ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke Volume ; Survival Rate*

OBJECTIVES: Malignant external otitis (MEO) is a potentially fatal infection of the external auditory canal, temporal bone, and skull base. Despite treatment with modern antibiotics, MEO can lead to skull base osteomyelitis. Until now, there have been few studies on the prognostic factors of MEO. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study to identify prognostic factors of MEO, and a meta-analysis of other articles investigating MEO. On the basis of disease progression the 28 patients in our study were divided into ‘controlled’ and ‘uncontrolled’ groups, consisting of 12 and 16 patients, respectively. We identified three categories of prognostic factors: those related to patient, disease, and treatment. We compared these prognostic factors between the controlled and uncontrolled groups. RESULTS: In our study, the duration of diabetes mellitus (DM), presence of inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate), and computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging findings influenced the prognosis of MEO. In contrast, prognosis was unrelated to age, gender, mean glucose level, hemoglobin A1c level, pathogen, comorbidity, or cranial nerve involvement. No factor related to treatment modality was correlated with prognosis, such as surgery, steroid therapy, or interval to the first appropriate treatment. Cranial nerve involvement has been proven to be associated with disease progression, but the relationship between cranial nerve involvement and the prognosis of MEO remains controversial. As a part of this study, we conducted a meta-analysis of cranial nerve involvement as a prognostic factor of MEO. We found that cranial nerve involvement has a statistically significant influence on the prognosis of MEO. CONCLUSION: We found that glycemic control in diabetes mellitus, cranial nerve involvement, and the extent of disease determined from various imaging modalities influence the prognosis of MEO. We suggest that significant prognostic factors should be monitored to determine the prognosis of patients with MEO.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Blood Sedimentation ; Comorbidity ; Cranial Nerves ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Disease Progression ; Ear Canal ; Glucose ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Osteomyelitis ; Otitis Externa* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Skull Base ; Temporal Bone

PURPOSE: This study estimated the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in Korean men and the conditions for being diagnosed with or treated for LUTS/benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional data collected from 69,851 Korean men who were 40 years of age or older and had participated in the Korean Community Health Survey performed in 2011. Interviewers performed face-to-face surveys that included sociodemographic questions, the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), and questions regarding whether the subjects had been diagnosed with or treated for LUTS/BPH. We estimated the prevalence of LUTS and assessed whether the subjects had been diagnosed with or treated for LUTS/BPH. RESULTS: Moderate to severe LUTS, storage symptoms, and voiding symptoms increased with age. The IPSS quality of life score was 1.5±0.004 in the mild LUTS group (n=57,701), 3.3±0.01 in the moderate LUTS group (n=9,203), and 4.3±0.02 in the severe LUTS group (n=2,947) (P<0.0001). The prevalence of moderate to severe LUTS in those who had not been diagnosed with LUTS/BPH was 64.5% (7,847 of 12,150), and the prevalence of moderate to severe LUTS in those who had been diagnosed with LUTS/BPH but had not been treated was 23.5% (2,853 of 12,150). CONCLUSIONS: The severity of LUTS in Korean men increased with age, and the IPSS quality of life score increased with the severity of LUTS. Many Korean men with moderate to severe LUTS had not been diagnosed or treated for LUTS/BPH. Socioeconomic conditions played an important role in health-seeking behavior among patients with LUTS/BPH.
Health Surveys* ; Humans ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms* ; Male ; Prevalence ; Prostate ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Quality of Life

OBJECTIVE: To compare the oncologic and obstetric outcomes in reproductive-age females with borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) treated with cyst enucleation (CE) or unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (USO). METHODS: The medical records of patients with BOTs treated between 1998 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. The recurrence rates in the USO and CE groups were compared, and the postoperative obstetric outcomes were assessed via telephone survey. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients with BOTs underwent USO, and 19 underwent CE. Of these, six patients had recurrent BOTs. The recurrence rate was significantly lower in the USO group (3/89, 3.4%) than in the CE group (3/19, 15.8%) (P=0.032). All patients with recurrent disease were successfully treated with further surgery. Of the 76 patients interviewed by telephone, 71 (93.4%) resumed regular menstruation after surgery. Twenty-six of the 32 patients (81.3%) who attempted to conceive had successful pregnancies. USO (19/24, 79.2%), like CE (7/8, 87.5%), resulted in favorable pregnancy rates for patients with BOTs. CONCLUSION: USO is a suitable fertility-preserving surgery for women with BOTs. CE is also an acceptable option for select patients.
Female ; Fertility Preservation ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Menstruation ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Telephone

OBJECTIVE: Failure of first-line anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents in in rheumatoid arthritis patients leads to decisions among second-line biologic agents. To better inform these decisions, the therapeutic effectiveness of rituximab is compared with other second-line biologic agents in this observational study. METHODS: Between November 2011 and December 2014, study subjects were observed for 12 month periods. Patients with an inadequate response to initial anti-TNF agent received either rituximab or alternative anti-TNF agents (adalimumab/etanercept/infliximab) based on the preference of patients and physicians. The efficacy end point of this study was the change in 28-joint count Disease Activity Score (DAS28) at six and 12 months from baseline. Safety data were also collected. RESULTS: Ninety patients were enrolled in the study. DAS28 at six months did not change significantly whether the patients were treated with rituximab or alternative anti-TNF agents in intention-to-treat analysis (n=34, −1.63±0.30 vs. n=31, −2.05±0.34) and standard population set analysis (n=31, −1.51±0.29 vs. n=24, −2.21±0.34). Similarly, the change in DAS28 at 12 months did not reach statistical significance (−1.82±0.35 in the rituximab vs. −2.34±0.44 in the alternative anti-TNF agents, p=0.2390). Furthermore, the incidences of adverse events were similar between two groups (23.5% for rituximab group vs. 25.8% for alternative anti-TNF agents group, p=0.7851). CONCLUSION: Despite the limitations of our study, switching to rituximab or alternative anti-TNF agents after failure of the initial TNF antagonist showed no significant therapeutic difference in DAS28 reduction.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Biological Factors ; Biological Products* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Necrosis* ; Observational Study* ; Rituximab*

Simvastatin is used to reduce plasma cholesterol by inhibiting 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase and is primarily used to treat hypercholesterolemia. This study was conducted to assess the bioequivalence between the generic formulation of simvastatin 20 mg and the branded formulation of simvastatin 20 mg. A generic formulation of simvastatin 20 mg tablet was developed and the pharmacokinetics of the generic formulation were compared with those of the branded formulation of simvastatin 20 mg tablet in 33 healthy male volunteers after a single oral dose in a randomized, open-label, two-period, two-sequence, crossover study. The reference (Zocor®, MSD Korea LTD.) and test (Simvarotin®, Korea Arlico Pharm Co., Ltd.) formulations, two 20 mg tablets each, were administered to all subjects in fasting status. The serial blood samples for pharmacokinetic analysis were collected before dosing and up to 24 hours post-dose, and plasma concentrations of simvastatin were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The pharmacokinetic parameters including T(max), C(max), AUC(last), AUC(inf) and t½ were calculated for both formulations by non-compartmental method, and the log-transformed C(max) and AUC(last) were compared statistically. Geometric mean ratios (90% confidence intervals) of the test to the reference formulation in C(max) and AUC(last) were 0.9652 (0.8302–1.1223) and 0.9891 (0.8541–1.1455), respectively. No significant differences in tolerability profiles were noted between the two formulations. The two formulations of simvastatin 20 mg tablets exhibited comparable pharmacokinetic profiles and 90% confidence intervals were within the acceptable range of bioequivalence criteria.
Cholesterol ; Coenzyme A ; Cross-Over Studies ; Fasting ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Korea ; Male* ; Mass Spectrometry ; Methods ; Oxidoreductases ; Pharmacokinetics ; Plasma ; Simvastatin* ; Tablets ; Therapeutic Equivalency ; Volunteers*

Tensiomyography (TMG) is used to evaluate the contraction characteristics of the thigh muscles according to gender. Our hypothesis is that male's maximal displacement (Dm) will be lower than the control because the Dm increases when the muscle becomes stiff or hypertrophied. TMG evaluated 15 males and 12 females. The biceps femoris, semitendinosus, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and rectus femoris were evaluated. The TMG parameters obtained for each muscle were Dm and contraction time (Tc). And we calculated contraction velocity (Vc) as the rate of the radial displacement occurring during the time period of Tc with respect to Tc. Dm and Vc values of biceps femoris muscles were significantly lower in males than in controls, whereas Dm and Vc values of vastus medialis muscles were significantly lower in females than males. The Tc values of males were significantly higher in right and bilateral sum than females. This is the first report on TMG assessment by gender. We found that it is the most effective in finding muscle contraction characteristics according to gender and can induce the difference between the Dm and Vc of each muscle.
Female ; Humans ; Lower Extremity* ; Male ; Muscle Contraction ; Muscles ; Quadriceps Muscle ; Thigh

Humeral shaft fracture sustaining arm wrestling is rare, but occurs intermittently. We treated 15 cases of humeral shaft spiral fractures occurred during arm wrestling for fun since 2007. Average age was 22.47±2.69 years, average body mass index was 22.67±2.06 kg/m2. There was no prominent tendency for the fractures to occur at a certain phase of the match. Fractured level and length of each case were measured in the plain radiographs and compared with those of previous reports. Eight cases (53.3%) had an associating medial butterfly fragment, and the time taken until the fracture occurred was longer than that of simple spiral fracture (15.62±9.03 seconds vs. 7.85±2.67 seconds, p=0.048). Fractures were distributed mid to distal one third of humerus, the length of fracture was 7.93±2.69 cm and involved 25.43%±8.24% of humeral length. All cases except one treated surgically using plate and screws and returned their full activities within postoperative 3 months. Although arm wrestling is a simple and joyful sport, participants should be aware of the risks of injury during arm wrestling, especially for the amateur players.
Arm* ; Body Mass Index ; Butterflies ; Humans ; Humeral Fractures ; Humerus ; Male* ; Sports ; Wrestling*