Background: This study aimed to investigate real-world data of C-terminal telopeptide (CTX), propeptide of type I collagen (P1NP), and osteocalcin through present multicenter clinical study, and retrospectively analyze the usefulness of bone turnover markers (BTMs) in Koreans. Methods: The study focused on pre- and post-menopausal patients diagnosed with osteoporosis and excluded patients without certain test results or with test intervals of over 1 year. The demographic data and 3 BTMs (CTX, P1NP, and osteocalcin) were collected. The patients were classified by demographic characteristics and the BTM concentrations were analyzed by the group. Results: Among women with no history of fractures, the levels of P1NP (N=2,100) were 43.544±36.902, CTX (N=1,855) were 0.373 ±0.927, and osteocalcin (N=219) were 10.81 ±20.631. Among men with no history of fractures, the levels of P1NP (N=221) were 48.498±52.892, CTX (N=201) were 0.370±0.351, and osteocalcin (N=15) were 7.868 ±10.674. Treatment with teriparatide increased the P1NP levels after 3 months in both men and women, with a 50% increase observed in women. Similarly, treatment with denosumab decreased the CTX levels after 3 months in both men and women, with a reduction of 50% observed in women. Conclusions The results of this study can contribute to the accurate assessment of bone replacement status in Koreans. We also provide the P1NP level in the Korean population for future comparative studies with other populations.

Objectives: : This study aimed to characteristic the systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic pressure, pulse pressure, glucose, creatine, and lipid profile. This study also aimed to investigate the prevalence of hypertension and the relationship between hypertension and the lipid profile in Uzbekistan. Methods: The subjects consisted of 58 Uzbekistan subjects recruited from Ewha Medical Care patients. Blood samples were collected from the patients for the lipid profile and random glucose and creatinine levels. Paired t tests were used for the group means and a chi-square or Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: Among the 58 patients constituting the baseline population, hypertension developed in 42 patients. Among them, the triglyceride (TG) level was significantly higher in the hypertension group than normal group (173.19 vs. 127.06 mg/dL, P=0.014). The SBP had a positive correlation with the TG (r=0.979, P<0.01) and creatinine (r=0.002, P<0.05) levels and also, the pulse pressure had a positive correlation with the cholesterol level (r=0.539, P<0.05). A multivariate analysis (adjusted for age and sex) indicated that there was a positive correlation between the SBP and TG level (r=0.941, P<0.05). Conclusion There was a positive correlation between the SBP and TG level in the Uzbekistan population according to this study.

Objectives: : This study aimed to characteristic the systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic pressure, pulse pressure, glucose, creatine, and lipid profile. This study also aimed to investigate the prevalence of hypertension and the relationship between hypertension and the lipid profile in Uzbekistan. Methods: The subjects consisted of 58 Uzbekistan subjects recruited from Ewha Medical Care patients. Blood samples were collected from the patients for the lipid profile and random glucose and creatinine levels. Paired t tests were used for the group means and a chi-square or Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: Among the 58 patients constituting the baseline population, hypertension developed in 42 patients. Among them, the triglyceride (TG) level was significantly higher in the hypertension group than normal group (173.19 vs. 127.06 mg/dL, P=0.014). The SBP had a positive correlation with the TG (r=0.979, P<0.01) and creatinine (r=0.002, P<0.05) levels and also, the pulse pressure had a positive correlation with the cholesterol level (r=0.539, P<0.05). A multivariate analysis (adjusted for age and sex) indicated that there was a positive correlation between the SBP and TG level (r=0.941, P<0.05). Conclusion There was a positive correlation between the SBP and TG level in the Uzbekistan population according to this study.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological features and biological behaviors of Korean thyroid cancer patients with rare variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) to address the ambiguity regarding the prognostic consequences of these variants. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 5,496 patients who underwent thyroid surgery for PTC, between January and December 2012, in nine tertiary hospitals. Rare PTC variants included tall cell (TCV), columnar cell (CCV), diffuse sclerosing (DSV), cribriform-morular (CMV), solid (SV), hobnail, and Warthin-like variants. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was defined as the time from the date of thyroidectomy until recurrence. Results: Rare variants accounted for 1.1% (n=63) of the PTC patients; with 0.9% TCV, 0.02% CCV, 0.1% DSV, 0.1% CMV, and 0.1% SV. The mean age of patients and primary tumor size were 42.1±13.1 years and 1.3±0.9 cm, respectively. Extrathyroidal extension and cervical lymph node metastasis were observed in 38 (60.3%) and 37 (58.7%) patients, respectively. Ultrasonographic findings revealed typical malignant features in most cases. During a median follow-up of 7 years, 6.3% of patients experienced a locoregional recurrence. The 5-year RFS rates were 71.4% in patients with DSV or SV, 95.9% for TCV, or CCV, and 100% for other variants. DSV emerged an independent risk factor associated with shorter RFS. Conclusion In this multicenter Korean cohort, rare variants accounted for 1.1% of all PTC cases, with TCV being the most frequent subtype. DSV emerged as a significant prognostic factor for RFS.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological features and biological behaviors of Korean thyroid cancer patients with rare variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) to address the ambiguity regarding the prognostic consequences of these variants. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 5,496 patients who underwent thyroid surgery for PTC, between January and December 2012, in nine tertiary hospitals. Rare PTC variants included tall cell (TCV), columnar cell (CCV), diffuse sclerosing (DSV), cribriform-morular (CMV), solid (SV), hobnail, and Warthin-like variants. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was defined as the time from the date of thyroidectomy until recurrence. Results: Rare variants accounted for 1.1% (n=63) of the PTC patients; with 0.9% TCV, 0.02% CCV, 0.1% DSV, 0.1% CMV, and 0.1% SV. The mean age of patients and primary tumor size were 42.1±13.1 years and 1.3±0.9 cm, respectively. Extrathyroidal extension and cervical lymph node metastasis were observed in 38 (60.3%) and 37 (58.7%) patients, respectively. Ultrasonographic findings revealed typical malignant features in most cases. During a median follow-up of 7 years, 6.3% of patients experienced a locoregional recurrence. The 5-year RFS rates were 71.4% in patients with DSV or SV, 95.9% for TCV, or CCV, and 100% for other variants. DSV emerged an independent risk factor associated with shorter RFS. Conclusion In this multicenter Korean cohort, rare variants accounted for 1.1% of all PTC cases, with TCV being the most frequent subtype. DSV emerged as a significant prognostic factor for RFS.

Objective: To investigate the predictive value of intraplaque neovascularization (IPN) for cardiovascular outcomes. Materials and Methods: We evaluated 217 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) (158 men; mean age, 68 ± 10 years) with a maximal carotid plaque thickness ≥ 1.5 mm for the presence of IPN using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography. We compared patients with (n = 116) and without (n = 101) IPN during the follow-up period and investigated the predictors of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including cardiac death, myocardial infarction, coronary artery revascularization, and transient ischemic accident/stroke. Results: During the mean follow-up period of 995 ± 610 days, the MACE rate was 6% (13/217). Patients with IPN had a higher maximal thickness than those without IPN (2.86 ± 1.01 vs. 2.61 ± 0.84 mm, p = 0.046). Common carotid artery-peak systolic velocity, left ventricular mass index (LVMI), and ventricular-vascular coupling index were significantly correlated with MACE. However, on multivariate Cox regression analysis, increased LVMI was independently related to MACE (p < 0.05). The presence of IPN could not predict MACE. Conclusion The presence of IPN was related to a higher plaque thickness but could not predict cardiovascular outcomes better than conventional clinical factors in patients with CAD.

Growth hormone (GH) deficiency is caused by congenital or acquired causes and occurs in childhood or adulthood. GH replacement therapy brings benefits to body composition, exercise capacity, skeletal health, cardiovascular outcomes, and quality of life. Before initiating GH replacement, GH deficiency should be confirmed through proper stimulation tests, and in cases with proven genetic causes or structural lesions, repeated GH stimulation testing is not necessary. The dosing regimen of GH replacement therapy should be individualized, with the goal of minimizing side effects and maximizing clinical improvements. The Korean Endocrine Society and the Korean Society of Pediatric Endocrinology have developed a position statement on the diagnosis and treatment of GH deficiency. This position statement is based on a systematic review of evidence and expert opinions.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to compare differences in lifestyle diseases, musculoskeletal pain, psychosocial stress, and self-health awareness according to gender in Korean farmers. METHODS: The study population comprised 436 farmers residing in rural areas in Korea. A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey demographic characteristics, health-related behaviors, and musculoskeletal pain. The psychosocial well-being index short form (PWI-SF) was used to survey psychosocial stress, and the 12-item short form health survey (SF-12) was used to survey self-health awareness. In addition, a clinical examination was performed for each participant, and lifestyle diseases were identified through a health checkup. RESULTS: Among lifestyle diseases, females showed a significantly higher proportion than males for metabolic syndrome (OR: 4.57 [95% CI, 1.67–12.51]). For musculoskeletal pain, females again showed significantly higher proportion than males for hand pain (OR: 16.79 [95% CI, 3.09–91.30]), and pain in at least one body part (OR: 2.34 [95% CI, 1.16–4.70]). For psychosocial stress, females showed a significantly higher proportion than males for high-risk stress (OR: 3.10 [95% CI, 1.17–8.24]). Among the items in self-health awareness, females showed significantly higher proportion than males for mental component score (MCS) (OR: 3.10 [95% CI, 1.52–6.31]) and total score (OR: 2.34 [95% CI, 1.11–4.90]). CONCLUSIONS: For all items that showed significant differences, females showed higher proportion than males, which indicates that female farmers tended to have poorer overall health than male farmers. Therefore, specialized programs will have to be developed to improve the health of female farmers.
Farmers ; Female ; Hand ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Style ; Male ; Musculoskeletal Diseases ; Musculoskeletal Pain