Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH), characterized by elevated serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and normal free thyroxine levels, usually presents without symptoms, and is often discovered incidentally during routine blood test. The Task Force of the Korean Thyroid Association Committee of Clinical Practice Guidelines has established a guideline to evaluate and manage SCH; the guideline emphasizes the implementation of diagnostic criteria based on the TSH reference range for Koreans and focuses on the proven health benefits of levothyroxine (LT4) treatment. Based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2015), serum TSH level of 6.8 mIU/L is considered the reference value for SCH. SCH can be categorized as mild (TSH 6.8-10.0 mIU/L) or severe (TSH ＞10.0 mIU/L), and patients are classified as adults (age ＜70 years) or elderly patients (age ≥70years) depending on the health effects of LT4 treatment. An initial increase in serum TSH levels should be reassessed with a subsequent measurement, along with the thyroid peroxidase antibody test, preferably 2-3 months after the initial evaluation. Usually, LT4 treatment is not recommended for mild SCH in adults; however, treatment is necessary for severe SCH in patients with underlying coronary artery disease or heart failure and can be considered for coexisting dyslipidemia. LT4 treatment is not recommended for mild or even severe SCH in elderly patients, in general. Patients with SCH who receive LT4 treatment, the LT4 dosage should be personalized, and serum TSH levels should be monitored to ensure optimal LT4 dosage (dosage that is neither excessive nor insufficient). Patients with SCH who do not receive LT4 treatment require periodic follow-up at appropriate testing intervals determined by disease severity. The guideline also provides several educational points applicable in clinical settings.

The accuracy and convenience of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), which efficiently evaluates glycemic variability and hypoglycemia, are improving. There are two types of CGM: professional CGM and personal CGM. Personal CGM is subdivided into real-time CGM (rt-CGM) and intermittently scanned CGM (isCGM). CGM is being emphasized in both domestic and foreign diabetes management guidelines. Regardless of age or type of diabetes, CGM is useful for diabetic patients undergoing multiple insulin injection therapy or using an insulin pump. rt-CGM is recommended for all adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D), and can also be used in type 2 diabetes (T2D) treatments using multiple insulin injections. In some cases, short-term or intermittent use of CGM may be helpful for patients with T2D who use insulin therapy other than multiple insulin injections and/or oral hypoglycemic agents. CGM can help to achieve A1C targets in diabetes patients during pregnancy. CGM is a safe and cost-effective alternative to self-monitoring blood glucose in T1D and some T2D patients. CGM used in diabetes management works optimally with proper education, training, and follow up. To achieve the activation of CGM and its associated benefits, it is necessary to secure sufficient repetitive training and time for data analysis, management, and education. Various supports such as compensation, insurance coverage expansion, and reimbursement are required to increase the effectiveness of CGM while considering the scale of benefit recipients, policy priorities, and financial requirements.

A food exchange system for diabetes is a useful tool for meal planning and nutritional education. The first edition of the Korean food exchange lists was developed in 1988 and the second edition was revised in 1995. With recent changes in the food marketplace and eating patterns of Koreans, the third edition of food exchange lists was revised in 2010 by the Korean Diabetes Association, the Korean Nutrition Society, the Korean Society of Community Nutrition, the Korean Dietetic Association and the Korean Association of Diabetes Dietetic Educators through a joint research effort. The third edition is based on nutritional recommendations for people with diabetes and focuses in adding foods to implement personalized nutrition therapy considering individual preferences in diverse dietary environment. Foods were selected based on scientific evidence including the 2007 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data analysis and survey responses from 53 diabetes dietetic educators. While a few foods were deleted, a number of foods were added, with 313 food items in food group lists and 339 food items in the appendix. Consistent with previous editions, the third edition of the food exchange lists included six food categories (grains, meat, vegetables, fats and oils, milk, and fruits). The milk group was subdivided into whole milk group and low fat milk. The standard nutrient content in one exchange from each food group was almost the same as the previous edition. Korea Food & Drug Administration's FANTASY(Food And Nutrient daTA SYstem) database was used to obtain nutrient values for each individual food and to determine the serving size most appropriate for matching reference nutrients values by each food group. The revised food exchange lists were subjected to a public hearing by experts. The third edition of the food exchange lists will be a helpful tool for educating people with diabetes to select the kinds and amounts of foods for glycemic control, which will eventually lead to preventing complications while maintaining the pleasure of eating.
Appendix ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Eating ; Fats ; Hearing ; Humans ; Joints ; Korea ; Meals ; Meat ; Milk ; Nutrition Surveys ; Nutrition Therapy ; Oils ; Pleasure ; Statistics as Topic ; Vegetables

A food exchange system for diabetes is a useful tool for meal planning and nutritional education. The first edition of the Korean food exchange lists was developed in 1988 and the second edition was revised in 1995. With recent changes in the food marketplace and eating patterns of Koreans, the third edition of food exchange lists was revised in 2010 by the Korean Diabetes Association, the Korean Nutrition Society, the Korean Society of Community Nutrition, the Korean Dietetic Association and the Korean Association of Diabetes Dietetic Educators through a joint research effort. The third edition is based on nutritional recommendations for people with diabetes and focuses on adding foods to implement personalized nutrition therapy considering individual preferences in diverse dietary environment. Foods were selected based on scientific evidence including the 2007 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data analysis and survey responses from 53 diabetes dietetic educators. While a few foods were deleted, a number of foods were added, with 313 food items in food group lists and 339 food items in the appendix. Consistent with previous editions, the third edition of the food exchange lists included six food categories (grains, meat, vegetables, fats and oils, milk, and fruits). The milk group was subdivided into whole milk group and low fat milk. The standard nutrient content in one exchange from each food group was almost the same as the previous edition. Korea Food & Drug Administration's FANTASY (Food And Nutrient daTA SYstem) database was used to obtain nutrient values for each individual food and to determine the serving size most appropriate for matching reference nutrients values by each food group. The revised food exchange lists were subjected to a public hearing by experts. The third edition of the food exchange lists will be a helpful tool for educating people with diabetes to select the kinds and amounts of foods for glycemic control, which will eventually lead to preventing complications while maintaining the pleasure of eating.
Appendix ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Eating ; Fantasy ; Fats ; Hearing ; Humans ; Joints ; Korea ; Meals ; Meat ; Milk ; Nutrition Surveys ; Nutrition Therapy ; Oils ; Pleasure ; Statistics as Topic ; Vegetables

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between thromboembolic complications and antiplatelet drugs before and after neurointervention. METHODS: Blood samples and radiographic data of patients who received a neurointervention (coil embolization, stent placement or both) were collected prospectively. Rapid platelet function assay-aspirin (RPFA-ASA) was used to calculate aspirin resistance in aspirin reaction units (ARU). For clopidogrel resistance, a P2Y12 assay was used to analyze the percentage of platelet inhibition. ARU > 550 and platelet inhibition < 40% were defined as aspirin and clopidogrel resistance, respectively. RESULTS: Both aspirin and clopidogrel oral pills were administered in fifty-three patients before and after neurointerventional procedures. The mean resistance values of all patients were 484 ARU and < 39%. Ten (17.0%) of 53 patients showed resistance to aspirin with an average of 597 ARU, and 33 (62.3%) of 53 patients showed resistance to clopidogrel with an average of < 26%. Ten patients demonstrated resistance to both drugs, 5 of which suffered a thromboembolic complication after neurointervention (mean values : 640 ARU and platelet inhibition < 23%). Diabetic patients and patients with hypercholesterolemia displayed mean aspirin resistances of 513.7 and 501.8 ARU, and mean clopidogrel resistances of < 33.8% and < 40.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Identifying individuals with poor platelet inhibition using standard regimens is of great clinical importance and may help prevent cerebral ischemic events in the future. Neurointerventional research should focus on ideal doses, timing, choices, safety, and reliable measurements of antiplatelet drug therapy, as well as confirming the clinical relevance of aggregometry in cerebrovascular patients.
Aspirin ; Blood Platelets ; Drug Resistance ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; Prospective Studies ; Stents ; Ticlopidine

BACKGROUND: This study is aimed to investigate the effect of tramadol on the bispectral index (BIS) during anesthesia with desflurane. METHODS: One hundred fifty adults, ASA class 1 and 2 patients, scheduled for general anesthesia for elective surgical procedures were included in this study. None of the patients were premedicated and anesthesia was induced with propofol 2 mg/kg and maintained with air-oxygen (FiO2 0.5) and desflurane, adjusted to keep the BIS between from 50 and 60. Forty minutes before completing surgery, the subjects were randomly allocated into 3 groups to receive saline (control group), tramadol 1.5 mg/kg (T1 group) or 3.0 mg/kg (T2 group) intravenously. Hemodynamics and BIS values were then recorded every 5 minutes until completion of the operation, during which time the concentrations of desflurane were not modified. RESULTS: The mean BIS values after tramadol administration weren't significantly different from the control group throughout the period of observation. No significant changes in the hemodynamics were noted, except systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure in the T1 and T2 groups significantly increased in the first 5 minutes after the tramadol injection. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the administration of tramadol while maintaining anesthesia with desflurane, adjusted to keep the BIS between 50 and 60, does not modified BIS values. So, we propose that tramadol can be safely administered as an immediate postoperative analgesia without concern about intra-operative awareness.
Adult ; Analgesia ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Arterial Pressure ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Isoflurane ; Propofol ; Surgical Procedures, Elective ; Tramadol

BACKGROUND: Intrathecal opioids in combination with bupivacaine has been shown to provide adequate sensory blockade and early recovery from spinal anesthesia. This study was investigated the added effects of intrathecal fentanyl 10 microgram to bupivacaine for spinal anesthesia. METHODS: Sixty patients undergoing lower extremity surgery were into three groups. Group I received bupivacaine 10 mg (0.5%), gruop II received bupivacaine 5 mg with normal saline 1 ml, and group III received bupivacaine 5 mg with fentanyl 10 microg and normal saline 0.8 ml. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between group I and group III in the peak level and duration of sensory block. But the intensity of motor blockade was decreased in group III compared with group I and side effects of spinal anesthesia with local anesthetics was decreased in group III compared with group I. In Group II, 7 patients were complained the pain during surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Intrathecal fentanyl 10 microgram with bupivacaine 5 mg on spinal blockade provide reliable anesthesia for lower extremity surgery.
Analgesics, Opioid ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Spinal ; Anesthetics, Local ; Bupivacaine ; Fentanyl ; Humans ; Lower Extremity

Stem cells can give rise to various cell types and are capable of regenerating themselves over multiple cell divisions. Pluripotency and self-renewal potential of stem cells have drawn vast interest from different disciplines, with studies on the molecular properties of stem cells being one example. Current investigations on the molecular basis of stem cells pluripotency and self-renewal entail traditional techniques from chemistry and molecular biology. In this mini review, we discuss progress in stem cell research that employs proteomics approaches. Specifically, we focus on studies on human stem cells from proteomics perspective. To our best knowledge, only the following types of human stem cells have been examined via proteomics analysis: human neuronal stem cells, human mesenchymal stem cells, and human embryonic stem cells. Protein expression serves as biomarkers of stem cells and identification and expression level of such biomarkers are usually determined using two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled mass spectrometry or non-gel based mass spectrometry.
*Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Genetic Techniques ; Humans ; Mass Spectrometry/*methods ; Neurons/*cytology/physiology ; Proteomics/*methods ; Stem Cells/*metabolism

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary fiber supplementation with snack type on functional constipation. We conducted a double blind case-control study with 3 groups; placebo, low dose group (LD: insoluble fiber 7 g/d + soluble fiber 1.2 g/d) and high dose group (HD: insoluble fiber 14 g/d + soluble fiber 2.4 g/d), which were randomly assigned out of subjects with functional constipation, defined by modified Rome II criteria. We measured anthropometric parameters and evaluated the bowel movement frequency, stool type, straining, sense of complete evacuation, abdominal discomfort/pain, abdominal inflation, relief and colon transit time before, during the supplementation. Both LD and HD groups had significant improvement in straining, sense of complete evacuation and satisfactory relief compared with placebo group (p<0.05). When subdivide by baseline colon transit time (less than 24 hrs/24 hrs or more and less than 72 hrs/72 hrs or more) , only HD group had significantly improvement; colon transit time recovered near by 24 hrs in subjects of 'less than 24 hrs' (from 7.57+/-1.40 hrs to 25.2+/-3.91 hrs, p<0.01) and reduced in those of '24hr or more and less than 72 hr' (from 47.0+/-3.36 hrs to 31.3+/-4.31 hrs, p<0.01) and '72 hr or more' (from 106.7+/-10.7 hrs to 85.0+/-13.1 hrs, p<0.05) subjects. Particularly, positive effect of fiber supplementation on straining and sense of complete evacuation in test groups seemed to be greater in subjects of '24 hrs or less' and '24 hrs or more and less than 72 hrs' than those of '72 hrs or more'. In conclusion, subjects with functional constipation, particularly those having colon transit time less than 72 hrs can significantly improve, at least in part, symptom related to constipation by fiber supplementation of snack type without serious side effects.
Case-Control Studies ; Colon ; Constipation* ; Dietary Fiber ; Inflation, Economic ; Snacks