• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2018

Objectives: Metabolic syndrome is correlated with increased cardiovascular risk and characterized by several factors, including visceral obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia. Several members of a large family of nonselective cation entry channels, e.g., transient receptor potential (TRP) melastatin 7 (TRPM7) channels have been associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Dangkwisoo-san, ginger and curcumin on TRPM7 channel. Methods: Human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells stably transfected with the TRPM7 expression vectors were maintained in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 1% penicillin/streptomycin, $5{\mu}g/mL$ blasticidin, and 0.4 mg/mL zeocin in a humidified 20% $O_2$/10% $CO_2$ atmosphere at $37^{\circ}C$. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings were obtained using an Axopatch 700B amplifier and pClamp v.10.4 software, and signals were digitalized at 5 kHz using Digidata 1422A. Results: Dangkwisoo-san extract (100, 200, 300, 400, and $500{\mu}g/mL$) inhibited the outward and inward TRPM7 whole-cell currents at dose dependent manner and the half maximal inhibitory concentration $(IC)_{50}$ of Dangkwisoo-san was $218.3{\mu}g/mL$. Also, ginger extract (100, 200, 300, 400, and $500{\mu}g/mL$) inhibited the outward and inward of TRPM7 whole-cell currents in a dose dependent manner and the $IC_{50}$ of ginger was $877.2{\mu}g/mL$. However, curcumin had no effects on TRPM7 whole-cell currents. Conclusions: These results suggest that both Dangkwisoo-san and ginger have good roles to inhibit the TRPM7 channel, suggesting that Dangkwisoo-san and ginger are considered one of the candidate agents for the treatment of metabolic syndrome such as cardiovascular disease.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.231-236
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• 2021

Background: Sarcopenia is a skeletal muscle disorder that involves the loss of muscle mass and function. Handgrip strength (HGS) is the most commonly used tool to assess muscle strength to diagnose sarcopenia. HGS is also associated with various diseases and health outcomes. Thus, we aimed this study to examine the HGS status in Korean adults and relevant factors of HGS. Methods: Data was obtained from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), a population-based nationwide survey. The estimated mean value of HGS was calculated in each age group. The mean HGS in men and women aged over 40 was compared according to the household income level, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Results: A total of 16,708 participants were included in this study. The mean HGS showed a maximum value in the 30s for both men and women, and then tended to decrease with increasing age. When analyzed for people aged 40 or older, the mean HGS was significantly higher in the current or past smoker, drinker, and aerobic exercise groups in both men and women. The mean HGS was lower in the group with comorbidities such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and bone diseases. Conclusion: Our study found that the mean HGS was significantly different between those with and without underlying chronic diseases. In groups with relevant comorbidities, close monitoring for the development of sarcopenia and taking preventive measures such as exercise and nutritional support may be recommended.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.279-297
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• 2021

Purpose: Various changes in nutrition, metabolism, immunity, and psychological status occur through multiple mechanisms after gastrectomy. The purpose of this study was to predict disease status after gastrectomy by analyzing diseases pattern that occur or change after gastrectomy. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using nationwide claims data. Patients with gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy or endoscopic resection were included in the study. Eighteen target diseases were selected and categorized based on their underlying mechanism. The incidence of each target disease was compared by dividing the study sample into those who underwent gastrectomy (cases) and those who underwent endoscopic resection for early gastric cancer (controls). The cases were matched with controls using propensity score matching. Thereafter, Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate intergroup differences in disease incidence after gastrectomy. Results: A total of 97,634 patients who underwent gastrectomy (84,830) or endoscopic resection (12,804) were included. The incidence of cholecystitis (P<0.0001), pancreatitis (P=0.034), acute kidney injury (P=0.0083), anemia (P<0.0001), and inguinal hernia (P=0.0007) were higher after gastrectomy, while incidence of dyslipidemia (P<0.0001), vascular diseases (ischemic heart disease, stroke, and atherosclerosis; P<0.0001, P<0.0001, and P=0.0005), and Parkinson's disease (P=0.0093) were lower after gastrectomy. Conclusions: This study identifies diseases that may occur after gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.10
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• pp.105-112
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• 2021

The effect of buckwheat dietary fiber (BDF) as hypolipidemic and antioxidant agent were determined in C57BL/6 mice fed a high fat diet (HFD) with different doses of 500 (low, BDF-L) or 1,000 (high, BDF-H) mg/kg of body weight, compared with the HFD-diet control group (HFD). The negative control group (ND) was fed the basal diet. Body weights in the BDF-L and BDF-H groups were significantly decreased as compared to those in the HFD group (p<0.05). BDF also improved the lipid profile in a dose-dependent manner; serum lipid profiles and levels of insulin, glucose, and free fatty acid were significantly decreased in the BDF-L and BDF-H groups, whereas HDL-C and adiponectin significantly increased as compared to the HFD group (p<0.05). Meanwhile, BDF lowered serum malondialdehyde (MDA) in comparison with the HFD group (p<0.05). The results demonstrate that the intake of BDF might prevent obesity and its related metabolic disorders by inducing dyslipidemia and oxidative stress.

• Journal of Lipid and Atherosclerosis
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.77-87
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• 2018

Lowering serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is the mainstay for reduction of risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the second most common cause of death in Korea. The 2015 Korean guidelines for management of dyslipidemia strongly recommend the use of statins in patients at risk of CVD. Statin therapy, which is the gold standard for CVD, reduces LDL-C level by 40% to 60% and is generally well tolerated. However, many patients are intolerant to statins and discontinue therapy or become nonadherent to therapy because of actual/perceived side effects. The most common of these side effects is the statin-associated muscle symptom (SAMS). Discontinuation and repetitive re-challenge with statins can help identify SAMS. If serum creatinine kinase level is more than 10 times the upper limit of normal, statin therapy must be stopped immediately, and the physician should identify possible causes including rhabdomyolysis and treat appropriately. In other patients, it might help to switch to a less potent statin or to use statins at intermittent non-daily dosing. To achieve target LDL-C level, non-statin lipid-lowering therapies such as dietary modifications, ezetimibe, and bile acid sequestrants may be added. Several new drugs have recently been approved for lowering LDL-C level. Alirocumab and evolocumab are monoclonal antibodies that inhibit proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9, and both drugs cause large reductions in LDL-C, similar to statins. Lomitapide and mipomersen are orphan drugs used as adjuncts to other lipid-lowering therapies in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.405-410
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• 2018

Stroke is a leading cause of death in the Korean population and remains a major health burden worldwide. The two main pathologic types of stroke are ischemic stroke and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), but comparisons of risk factors for these have been limited. We under took a nationwide population-based study to analyze the relationship between these risk factor sand ischemic stroke and ICH. From January 2003 to December 2013, a total of 37,561 patients with newly diagnosed ischemic stroke or ICH were identified using the National Health Insurance Service data base as the study population. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between baseline risk factors and presentation with ICH versus ischemic stroke. The incidence of ischemic stroke showed an increasing rend every year, while there was no significant change in the incidence of ICH. Of the several risk factors associated with stroke, old age (OR 2.35, 95% CI 2.12~2.49, P < 0.001) was more closely associated with ischemic stroke than ICH, whereas renal disease (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.55~0.99, P = 0.04) and carotid disease (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.17~0.35, P < 0.001) were more strongly associated with ICH. In addition, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypertension, ischemic heart disease and male sex was associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke. Old age was more strongly associated with ischemic stroke than ICH, while carotid stenosis and renal impairment were more closely associated with ICH risk. Classic risk factors for stroke have considerably different associations with the two main pathologic types of stroke.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.186-192
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• 2019

Background: Diabetes is associated with cancer risk in the aging population. Observational studies have indicated the beneficial effects of metformin against breast cancer, making studies on the anticancer potential of antidiabetic drugs worthwhile. This study investigated cancer incidence in patients on antidiabetic monotherapy. Methods: Using National Health Insurance Service data (2002-2013), a retrospective cohort study that included type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients was conducted. Study subjects were enrolled if they were ${\geq}30$ years old, on monotherapy for diabetes, and cancer-free. They were followed up for cancer occurrence or death, until December 31st, 2013. A Cox proportional hazard model analysis was conducted between metformin and sulfonylurea (including meglitinide) users, to determine cancer risk, with adjustment for age, gender, comorbidity index, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and T2DM duration. Results: The number of antidiabetic monotherapy-treated T2DM patients without a history of cancer was 9,554 (metformin, n = 5,825; sulfonylurea, n = 3,225; others, n = 504). During the follow-up period (mean, 2.04; IQR, 3.18 years), the cancer incidence rate was 5.48/100 and 5.45/100 patient-years for metformin and sulfonylurea, respectively. The hazard ratio (HR) for risk of cancer incidence in the metformin group was 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66-0.83; p < 0.0001), compared with sulfonylurea. Additionally, the HRs for risks of lung, liver, and stomach cancer were respectively 0.46 (95% CI, 0.31-0.66; p < 0.0001), 0.41 (95% CI, 0.31-0.54; p < 0.0001), and 0.51 (95% CI, 0.35-0.73; p = 0.0003). Conclusion: Antidiabetic therapy with metformin reduces cancer risk by 26%, specifically for lung, liver, and stomach cancer.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.10
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• pp.337-346
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the convergence factors affecting disease management efforts of the middle-aged population who have comorbidities of all three metabolic diseases: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. This study used raw data from the 2015 community health survey(CHS). A multiple hierarchical regression analysis was performed that the included variables explained 20.1% of the variance in weight-loss efforts, 6.8% of exercise efforts and 5.3% diet efforts respectively. This study revealed associations among gender, socioeconomic status, and behavioral habits of smoking and drinking with disease-management efforts. It is important to design a health service or supportive intervention with consideration of multiple factors for patients with multiple metabolic disease.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.263-267
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• 2019

BACKGROUD/OBJECTIVES: Obesity is globally a major public health issue. Evidence suggests that elevated ferritin levels are associated with obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. This study was undertaken to examine the relationship between the serum ferritin level and depression in Korean male adults with respect to classification of the prevailing obesity. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This was a case-control study; subjects were classified into obese group (${\geq}25.0kg/m^2$, 28 subjects) and normal group ($18.5-22.9kg/m^2$, 27 subjects). A survey was conducted to assess the depression levels as per the guidelines suggested by the Center program for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D). Blood was collected from each group for assessing biomarkers, and isolated plasma was evaluated for fasting glucose, insulin, quantitative insulin sensitivity check index, and ferritin levels. Data were analyzed, and groups were compared with respect to Body Mass Index (BMI), depression scale and biomarkers. RESULTS: The average depression score of the obesity group was 16.86, which was higher than the normal group (12.56). Subjects scoring more than 16 points comprised 53.6% of the population in the obese group, which was more than double that in the normal group, as assessed by the CES-D program. Furthermore, the serum ferritin level of the obesity group was 207.12 ng/mL, which was higher than that of the normal group (132.66 ng/mL). Lastly, the BMI appeared to be significantly correlated with both depression (r = 0.320, P = 0.017) and elevated ferritin levels (r = 0.352, P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence of existing correlation between ferritin and depression with obesity.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.337-346
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• 2018

Purpose: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a form of arteriosclerosis that occurs in the extremities and involves ischemia. Previous studies have reported that patients with periodontitis are at high risk for PAD. However, the relationship between these 2 diseases has not yet been fully elucidated. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated this relationship by comparing patients with PAD to those with arrhythmia (ARR) as a control group. Methods: A large-scale survey was conducted of patients with cardiovascular disease who visited Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital. We investigated their oral condition and dental clinical measurements, including probing pocket depth, bleeding on probing, clinical attachment level, and number of missing teeth; we also collected salivary and subgingival plaque samples and peripheral blood samples. All patients with PAD were extracted from the whole population (n=25), and a matching number of patients with ARR were extracted (n=25). Simultaneously, ARR patients were matched to PAD patients in terms of age, gender, prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and the smoking rate (n=25 in both groups). Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure the bacterial counts, while the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method was used to measure anti-bacterial antibody titers and proinflammatory cytokine levels in serum. Results: PAD patients had more missing teeth ($18.4{\pm}2.0$) and higher serum levels of C-reactive protein ($1.57{\pm}0.85mg/dL$) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha ($70.3{\pm}5.7pg/mL$) than ARR patients ($12.0{\pm}1.7$, $0.38{\pm}0.21mg/dL$, and $39.3{\pm}4.5pg/mL$, respectively). Meanwhile, no statistically significant differences were found in other dental clinical measurements, bacterial antibody titers, or bacterial counts between the 2 groups. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that PAD patients had poorer oral and periodontal state with enhanced systemic inflammation.