Emphysematous gastritis is a rare disorder characterized by emphysematous change of the gastric wall due to infection with a gas-forming organism. Acute necrotizing esophagitis is a rare disorder with an unknown pathogenesis. Above two disorders rarely occur together, only three global cases have been reported to date. Such a case has never been reported in Korea, we report a novel case of severe emphysematous gastritis with concomitant portal venous air and acute necrotizing esophagitis in type 1 diabetes presenting with diabetic ketoacidosis. A 24-year-old man known to have type 1 diabetes and pulmonary tuberculosis was brought to the emergency room for epigastric pain with vomiting. His body mass index was 14.7, and the laboratory findings demonstrated leukocytosis and acidosis, as well as elevated serum glucose, ketone, and C-reactive protein levels. Enhanced computed tomography showed portal vein gas and edematous wall thickening without enhancement in the stomach wall, with air density along the stomach and esophageal wall. The patient required surgical intervention of total gastrectomy and cervical esophagostomy followed by esophagocolostomy and esophageal reconstruction. Early radiologic diagnosis and clinical suspicion of this disease and prompt intervention including antibiotics, decompression, and surgery are important for a good prognosis.
Acidosis ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Blood Glucose ; Body Mass Index ; C-Reactive Protein ; Decompression ; Diabetic Ketoacidosis* ; Diagnosis ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Esophagitis* ; Esophagostomy ; Gastrectomy ; Gastritis* ; Humans ; Korea ; Leukocytosis ; Portal Vein ; Prognosis ; Stomach ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; Vomiting ; Young Adult

Gynecomastia is a benign enlargement of the male breast caused by the proliferation of glandular breast tissue. Determining the various causes of gynecomastia such as physiological causes, drugs, systemic diseases, and endocrine disorders is important. Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) is a rare endocrine disorder presenting with gynecomastia and is a disorder of male sexual differentiation caused by mutations within the androgen receptor gene. All individuals with AIS have the 46 XY karyotype, although AIS phenotypes can be classified as mild, partial or complete and can differ among both males and females including ambiguous genitalia or infertility in males. We experienced a case of partial AIS presenting with gynecomastia and identified the androgen receptor gene mutation.
Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome* ; Breast ; Disorders of Sex Development ; Female ; Gynecomastia* ; Humans ; Infertility ; Karyotype ; Male ; Phenotype ; Receptors, Androgen ; Sex Differentiation

BACKGROUND: A1chieve(R) was a noninterventional study evaluating the clinical safety and efficacy of biphasic insulin aspart 30, insulin detemir, and insulin aspart. METHODS: Korean type 2 diabetes patients who have not been treated with the study insulin or have started it within 4 weeks before enrollment were eligible for the study. The patient selection and the choice of regimen were at the discretion of the physician. The safety and efficacy information was collected from the subjects at baseline, week 12, and week 24. The number of serious adverse drug reactions (SADRs) was the primary endpoint. The changes of clinical diabetic markers at week 12 and/or at week 24 compared to baseline were the secondary endpoints. RESULTS: Out of 4,058 exposed patients, 3,003 completed the study. During the study period, three SADRs were reported in three patients (0.1%). No major hypoglycemic episodes were observed and the rate of minor hypoglycemic episodes marginally decreased during 24 weeks (from 2.77 to 2.42 events per patient-year). The overall quality of life score improved (from 66.7+/-15.9 to 72.5+/-13.5) while the mean body weight was slightly increased (0.6+/-3.0 kg). The 24-week reductions in glycated hemoglobin, fasting plasma glucose and postprandial plasma glucose were 1.6%+/-2.2%, 2.5+/-4.7 mmol/L, and 4.0+/-6.4 mmol/L, respectively. CONCLUSION: The studied regimens showed improvements in glycemic control with low incidence of SADRs, including no incidence of major hypoglycemic episodes in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes.
Biphasic Insulins ; Body Weight ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Drug Toxicity ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Incidence ; Insulin ; Insulin Aspart ; Insulin, Isophane ; Insulin, Long-Acting ; Patient Selection ; Plasma ; Quality of Life ; Republic of Korea ; Treatment Outcome ; Insulin Detemir

Acute suppurative thyroiditis (AST) is a rare condition, as the thyroid gland is relatively resistant to infection. Thyroid function tests are usually normal in AST. A few cases of AST associated with thyrotoxicosis have been reported in adults. We report a case of AST that was associated with thyrotoxicosis in a 70-year-old woman. We diagnosed AST with thyroid ultrasonography and fine needle aspiration of pus. The patient improved after surgical intervention and had no anatomical abnormality. Fine needle aspiration is the best method for the difficult task of differentiating malignancy and subacute thyroiditis from AST with thyrotoxicosis. Earlier diagnosis and proper treatment for AST might improve the outcome.
Adult ; Aged ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Female ; Humans ; Suppuration ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis, Subacute ; Thyroiditis, Suppurative ; Thyrotoxicosis

Metformin is an oral antidiabetic drug in the biguanide class, which is used for type 2 diabetes. The side effects of metformin are mostly limited to digestive tract symptoms, such as diarrhea, flatulence and abdominal discomfort. The most serious potential adverse effect of metformin is lactic acidosis. A 51-year-old man was admitted due to hypoglycemia as a result of an overdose of antidiabetic drugs. He took massive dose of metformin. Conservative treatment failed for metabolic acidosis without lactic acidosis accompanied by acute kidney injury. Hemodialysis was executed to correct the high anion gap metabolic acidosis and acute kidney injury, and the patient recovered fully from metabolic acidosis. This case illustrates that the presence of clinical conditions, such as metformin-induced acute kidney injury and metabolic acidosis, can be developed without lactic acidosis. Prompt recognition of metabolic acidosis and early intervention with hemodialysis can result in a successful clinical outcome.
Acid-Base Equilibrium ; Acidosis ; Acidosis, Lactic ; Acute Kidney Injury ; Diarrhea ; Early Intervention (Education) ; Flatulence ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Hypoglycemia ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; Metformin ; Middle Aged ; Renal Dialysis

Polymorphisms of DNA repair genes, X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) might contribute to individual susceptibility to different types of cancers. We analyzed the relationship between XRCC1 polymorphisms and the risk of papillary thyroid carcinoma in a Korean sample. A hospital-based case-control study was performed in 111 papillary thyroid carcinoma patients and 100 normal control subjects. XRCC1 Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The XRCC1 Arg194Trp Arg/Trp genotype was significantly associated with a decreased risk of papillary thyroid carcinoma compared to that of Arg/Arg genotype (odds ratio [95% confidence intervals]; 0.550 [0.308-0.983]). There was no significant association between XRCC1 Arg399Gln genotypes and risk of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Based on these results, the XRCC1 Arg194Trp Arg/Trp genotype could be used as a useful molecular biomarker to predict genetic susceptibility for papillary thyroid carcinoma in Koreans.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Amino Acid Substitution ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/*genetics ; Case-Control Studies ; DNA-Binding Proteins/*genetics ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors ; Thyroid Neoplasms/*genetics

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Type 2 diabetes with microvascular complications is often accompanied by macrovascular complications. However, the relationship between the two complications is unclear. In this study, we determined the relationship between diabetic retinopathy and morphological changes of the carotid artery. METHODS: We analyzed the presence of plaque and mean carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 133) using high-resolution ultrasound. The presence and severity of retinopathy were graded according to fundus photographs. RESULTS: The mean CIMT of the diabetic retinopathy (DR) group (0.111 +/- 0.048 cm) was significantly greater than that of the nondiabetic retinopathy (No DR) group (0.074 +/- 0.039 cm, p = 0.007). An abnormal mean CIMT (> 0.08 cm) was more frequently observed in the DR group (76%) than that in the No DR group (23.1%; odds ratio, 10.609; 95% confidence interval, 3.072-36.639; adjusted by age, body mass index, hypertension, and diabetes duration). Although the mean CIMT in patients with plaque was significantly greater than that of patients without plaque, no significant difference was observed between the DR (36%, 17 patients) and NoDR (18.5%, 20 patients) groups in the presence of plaque. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic retinopathy was associated with an increased CIMT but not with atherosclerotic plaques. However, the increases in IMT were associated with the presence of plaques, which predispose patients to cardiovascular disease. These results imply that the microvascular complications of diabetes have indirect relationships with the cardiovascular complications of diabetes.
Atherosclerosis ; Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Odds Ratio ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic

Peripheral neuropathy is somewhat common in hypothyroidism. But, demyelinating peripheral neuropathy in Hashimoto's thyroiditis is extremely rare. The pathophysiology of demyelinating peripheral neuropathy associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis is unclear and complex and various mechanisms including the cell mediated and antibody mediated responses may be operative. We report a 68-year-old woman who presented with paresthesia and gait disturbance. She was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 7 years prior and has been on thyroid hormone. Serum antithyroglobulin antibody was significantly elevated. Nerve conduction studies revealed sensory-motor demyelinating polyneuropathy with prolonged distal latencies and reduced conduction velocities. She was under the suspicion of the lymphoma of thyroid. Surgery was performed which turned up to be Hashimoto's thyroiditis. With the impression of rare demyelinating peripheral neuropathy associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis after other causes were excluded, she was treated with steroid which ameliorated rapidly her neurological symptoms.
Aged ; Autoantibodies ; Female ; Gait ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Lymphoma ; Neural Conduction ; Paresthesia ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Polyneuropathies ; Polyradiculoneuropathy ; Steroids ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis

OBJECTIVES: Obesity and osteoporosis have been increasing for decades but their relationship to bone mineral density (BMD) and fat mass has not been defined. The aim of this study was to investigate how changes in body composition affect BMD after a weight reduction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed 48 middle-aged obese women who had participated in our diet program and succeeded in reducing their weight. Body composition was measured by the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry method, and metabolic syndrome was defined as described in the ATP-III guidelines. All differences between baseline and 12 weeks later were expressed as [{12th week data-baseline data}/baseline datax100]. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 38.29+/-10.89 years, and the mean follow-up time was 85 days. The mean body mass index was 31.50+/-5.19 kg/m2. Basal BMD decreased with age and increased with weight and appendicular lean mass. In a regression analysis, appendicular lean mass was positively correlated with leg BMD (R2=0.235, B=0.015, P<0.001) and age (B=-0.002, P=0.046), and appendicular lean mass (B=0.019, P=0.049) was the main determinant of total BMD (R2=0.272). After weight reduction, the total body BMD change ratio (R2=0.281) was negatively related to the change of fat mass, trunk fat mass (B=-0.042, P=0.087) and waist circumference (B=-0.108, P=0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that BMD is determined by muscle mass, and that changes in central obesity may also affect BMD.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Body Composition ; Body Mass Index ; Bone Density ; Diet ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Leg ; Muscles ; Obesity ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Osteoporosis ; Waist Circumference ; Weight Loss

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Thyroidectomy for Graves' disease is a rapid, safe, highly successful treatment modality. Also thyroidectomy allows pathological examination for diagnosis of suspected cancer. However, the extent of thyroidectomy in Graves' disease is still controversial. The aim of this study is to evaluate the appropriate surgical extent by comparing the postoperative outcomes of two groups of patients with Graves' disease who underwent total or less than total thyroidectomy. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We carried out a retrospective review of 33 patients who underwent thyroidectomy for Graves' disease from January 2001 to December 2010. We investigated the postoperative thyroid hormone function and complication rate according to the extent of thyroidectomy. RESULTS: Among the 33 patients with Graves' disease, 19 patients underwent total thyroidectomy, six patients bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy (BST) and eight patients lobectomy and contralateral subtotal lobectomy (LCSL). Postoperative hypothyroidism, euthyroidism, and hyperthyroidism occurred in 27 (81.7%), 2 (6.1%) and 4 (12.2%) patients, respectively. Postoperative recurrent hyperthyroidism was observed in 2 (33.3%) patients of BST and in 2 (25.0%) of LCSL. One patient was found with permanent hypoparathyroidism, and two with transient vocal cord paralysis. According to histopathologic report, nine patients were accompanied with thyroid cancer. CONCLUSION: Thyroidectomy for Graves' disease has high success rate, low recurrence rate and low complication rate. In terms of surgical extent, total thyroidectomy is a more appropriate procedure because of its low recurrence of hyperthyroidism.
Graves Disease ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; Hypoparathyroidism ; Hypothyroidism ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroidectomy ; Vocal Cord Paralysis