We assessed the glycaemic durability with early combination (EC; vildagliptin+metformin [MET], n=22) versus MET monotherapy (n=17), among newly-diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) enrolled (between 2012 and 2014) in the VERIFY study from Korea (n=39). Primary endpoint was time to initial treatment failure (TF) (glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1c] ≥7.0% at two consecutive scheduled visits after randomization [end of period 1]). Time to second TF was assessed when both groups were receiving and failing on the combination (end of period 2). With EC the risk of initial TF significantly reduced by 78% compared to MET (n=3 [15%] vs. n=10 [58.7%], P=0.0228). No secondary TF occurred in EC group versus five patients (29.4%) in MET. Patients receiving EC treatment achieved consistently lower HbA1c levels. Both treatment approaches were well tolerated with no hypoglycaemic events. In Korean patients with newly diagnosed T2DM, EC treatment significantly and consistently improved the long-term glycaemic durability as compared with MET.

Sarcopenia-related falls and fractures are increasing worldwide due to the aging population. The purpose of this study was to 1) evaluate anthropometric characteristics related to hip fracture in Korean patients, 2) investigate sarcopenia prevalence in hip fracture (HF) and non-hip fracture (NF) groups, and 3) investigate the correlation between sarcopenia and osteoporosis. This case-control study examined 359 HF and 1,614 NF normal populations using Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. We performed whole-body dual energy X-ray absorptiometry to analyze body composition using the skeletal muscle mass index (SMI: lean mass/height2) and bone mineral density (BMD). In the HF group, using the AWGS definition, the prevalence of sarcopenia in women and men was 44.3% and 68.2%, respectively; in the NF group, it was 7.1% and 16.1%, respectively. Lower appendicular SMI (P < 0.001), leg muscle mass (P < 0.001), and higher prevalence of sarcopenia (P < 0.001) were observed in the HF group after adjustment for age and gender. In multivariate analysis, sarcopenia (OR = 6.52; 95% CI = 4.67-9.09), age (OR = 1.15; 95% CI = 1.13-1.17), and osteoporosis (OR = 1.87; 95% CI = 1.35-2.58) were associated with the occurrence of a hip fracture. This study showed a higher prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with hip fractures compared with a normal population, and higher prevalence of sarcopenia in men.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Accidental Falls ; Aging ; Body Composition ; Bone Density ; Case-Control Studies* ; Female ; Hip Fractures ; Hip* ; Humans ; Korea ; Leg ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Nutrition Surveys ; Osteoporosis ; Prevalence* ; Sarcopenia*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the radiologic and functional outcomes of medial open wedge high tibial osteotomy (HTO) combined with arthroscopic procedure in patients with medial osteoarthritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 1996 to March 2010, 26 patients (32 knees) who underwent medial open wedge osteotomy and arthroscopic operation for medial osteoarthritis were retrospectively reviewed. Measurements included hip-knee-ankle (HKA) angle, femorotibial angle, medial proximal tibial angle, posterior tibial slope angle, and Kellgren-Lawrence grade. Clinical evaluation was performed using Lysholm knee scoring scale and knee and function score of the American Knee Society. RESULTS: Differences between the mean preoperative and postoperative measurements were significant in all angles including the HKA angle (−5.7° and +5.5°), femorotibial angle (−1.9° and +9.8°), and medial proximal tibial angle (82.9° and 90.5°) (p<0.05). Mean Lysholm knee scoring scale was 63.6 preoperatively and 88.7 at the last follow-up, mean Knee Society knee score was 61.2 and 86.6, and mean function score was 59.3 and 87.2, respectively. All differences were significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Medial open wedge HTO in combination with arthroscopic procedure is an effective treatment method for medial osteoarthritis to treat varus deformity and an intra-articular lesion.
Arthroscopy ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee ; Lysholm Knee Score ; Methods ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteotomy ; Retrospective Studies

Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease for which glucocorticoids are the mainstay of treatment. Cushing's syndrome is caused by glucocorticoid excess, which can be either exogenous or endogenous. Although iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome is the most common form, especially in patients undergoing glucocorticoid treatment, endogenous glucocorticoid excess should be considered because it has a different treatment strategy. We describe a 51-year old woman with a longstanding history of SLE. She was treated with steroid and cytoxan pulse therapy and plasmapheresis. Her lupus activity had been stable for 7 years with low-dose glucocorticoid treatment. She showed excessive weight gain, easy bruising, moon facies, truncal obesity, acne, and menstrual disorder. Given her history of long-term steroid therapy, iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome was considered the most likely diagnosis; however, worsening features of Cushing's syndrome with a minimal dose of glucocorticoid led us to diagnose endogenous Cushing's syndrome due to a left adrenal adenoma. The patient underwent laparoscopic left adrenalectomy. Her SLE was controlled with transient low-dose glucocorticoid treatment, and her lupus activity remained stable without glucocorticoid treatment. This is the first reported case of concomitant endogenous Cushing's syndrome in a patient with preexisting SLE in Korea. This case shows the importance of differential diagnosis including exogenous Cushing's syndrome and endogenous Cushing's syndrome in autoimmune disease patients with glucocorticoid therapy.
Acne Vulgaris ; Adenoma ; Adrenalectomy ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Cushing Syndrome ; Cyclophosphamide ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Facies ; Female ; Glucocorticoids ; Humans ; Korea ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Moon ; Obesity ; Plasmapheresis ; Weight Gain

PURPOSE: Although allogeneic blood transfusion is the most common method of transfusion in total knee arthroplasty (TKA), there are reports showing significant decrease in the amount of allogeneic transfusion and incidence of side effects after combined use of autologous transfusion. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of using an autologous transfusion device in TKA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent TKA at our institution from January 2003 to January 2014 were divided into two groups: group A (n=127) who received allogeneic transfusion only in TKA and group B (n=118) who received autologous transfusion via an autologous transfusion device and allogeneic transfusion. In both groups, the patients were transfused when the hemoglobin level was below 9 g/dL. In group B, blood collected by the autologous transfusion device was transfused only once after surgery. The total blood loss volume, total transfusion volume, and the presence of side effects were assessed based on medical records. RESULTS: Group A received 294.6 mL more allogeneic transfusion than group B (p<0.001). There were no significant differences with regard to the development of side effects between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Application of an autologous transfusion device during TKA can be effective in reducing the allogeneic transfusion volume. Moreover, allogeneic transfusion was not necessary after autologous transfusion in some patients.
Arthroplasty ; Blood Transfusion ; Humans ; Incidence ; Knee ; Medical Records ; Osteoarthritis

No abstract available.
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Baker's cyst is a distension of the gastrocnemius-semimembranosus bursa of the knee, which communicates with the posterior portion of the joint capsule. Baker's cyst is commonly located in the inferomedial or superficial layers of the knee joint and rarely extends laterally or proximally. Complications of Baker's cysts are dissection, rupture, pseudothrombophlebitis, leg ischemia, nerve entrapment, and compartment syndrome. However, hematomas in the Baker's cyst have not been reported in Korea. We report a rare case of hematoma in the Baker's cyst with subfascial extension into the calf. The hematoma was demonstrated by magnetic resonance imaging and removed by mass excision.
Compartment Syndromes ; Hematoma ; Ischemia ; Joint Capsule ; Knee ; Knee Joint ; Korea ; Leg ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Nerve Compression Syndromes ; Popliteal Cyst ; Rupture

Angular deformities of the distal femur occur in congenital diseases or due to acquired causes, such as malunion after a fracture of the distal femur. Angular deformities of the lower extremities affect the mechanical axis, causing changes in the weight pressure on the articular surface. As a result, angular deformities quicken the progression of osteoarthritis. Therefore, correction of deformities should be performed to prevent the progression of osteoarthritis. Distal femoral osteotomy is one of the methods to correct angular deformities in unicompartmental osteoarthritis. However, femoral supracondylar dome osteotomy with retrograde intramedullary nailing in the distal femur with a varus deformity has been rarely reported. Herein, we describe a technique for femoral supracondylar dome osteotomy with retrograde intramedullary nailing in a varus deformity after a pathologic fracture of giant cell tumor in the distal femur with a review of the relevant literature.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Femur ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; Giant Cell Tumors ; Giant Cells ; Lower Extremity ; Methods ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteotomy

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate osteoporosis in acute trauma situations, we compared reliability of Singh index values with bone mineral density in female patients older than 65 years with proximal femur fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 145 patients who treated between June 2006 and May 2011. The radiograph was done and assessed by 3 observers to determine Singh index values. The reliability of Singh index was expressed in terms of intraobserver and interobserver agreements using Fleiss's overall Kappa values, Pearson correlation coefficients, Kendall's Tau-b values. Correlation of bone mineral density and Singh index was measured using linear by linear association. RESULTS: Kappa values for intraobserver agreement ranged from 0.361 to 0.454. Kappa values for interobserver agreement ranged from 0.325 to 0.423 neither did not reach good reliability overall. There was no statistically significant correlation between Singh index and bone mineral density. CONCLUSIONS: Singh index is inappropriate method for clinic and research work due to poor interobserver agreement, though it is a simple and inexpensive method of assessing the osteoporosis in acute trauma patients.
Bone Density ; Female ; Femoral Fractures ; Femur ; Humans ; Osteoporosis

BACKGROUND: Although many anti-diabetic drugs have been used to control hyperglycemia for decades, the efficacy of commonly-used oral glucose-lowering agents in Korean type 2 diabetic patients has yet to be clearly demonstrated. METHODS: We evaluated the efficacy of glimepiride, metformin, and rosiglitazone as initial treatment for drug-naive type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in a 48-week, double-blind, randomized controlled study that included 349 Korean patients. Our primary goal was to determine the change in HbA1c levels from baseline to end point. Our secondary goal was to evaluate changes in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels, body weight, frequency of adverse events, and the proportion of participants achieving target HbA1c levels. RESULTS: HbA1c levels decreased from 7.8% to 6.9% in the glimepiride group (P<0.001), from 7.9% to 7.0% in the metformin group (P<0.001), and from 7.8% to 7.0% (P<0.001) in the rosiglitazone group. Glimepiride and rosiglitazone significantly increased body weight and metformin reduced body weight during the study period. Symptomatic hypoglycemia was more frequent in the glimepiride group and diarrhea was more frequent in the metformin group. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of glimepiride, metformin, and rosiglitazone as antidiabetic monotherapies in drug-naive Korean type 2 diabetic patients was similar in the three groups, with no statistical difference. This study is the first randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of commonly-used oral hypoglycemic agents in Korean type 2 diabetic patients. An additional subgroup analysis is recommended to obtain more detailed information.
Body Weight ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Diarrhea ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Hypoglycemia ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; Metformin ; Plasma ; Sulfonylurea Compounds ; Thiazolidinediones