• Annals of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.210-214
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• 2018

Purpose: Premature adrenarche (PA) often leads to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Higher anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) levels are reported in PCOS. We studied the androgen profile and AMH profiles in Hispanic girls with PA (aged 5-8 years) and age and body mass index (BMI) matched controls. Methods: Retrospective review of electronic medical records of girls who met the inclusion criteria for premature adrenarche were done. Results: PA girls (n=76) were matched to control girls (n=12) for age (mean${\pm}$standard deviation) ($6.7{\pm}1years$ vs. $6.2{\pm}1.3years$) and BMI ($20{\pm}10kg/m^2$ vs. $17.8{\pm}2.7kg/m^2$). Dehydroepiandrostenedione sulfate ($63.3{\pm}51.3{\mu}g/dL$ vs. $29.8{\pm}17.3{\mu}g/dL$, P<0.001) and testosterone levels ($11.4{\pm}4.8ng/dL$ vs. $8.2{\pm}2.9ng/dL$, P=0.001) were significantly higher in the PA group than controls. AMH values (<14 years: reference range, 0.49-3.15 ng/mL) were $3.2{\pm}2.2ng/mL$ vs. $4.6{\pm}3.2ng/mL$ respectively in the PA and control groups and were not different (P=0.4). AMH did not show a correlation with bone age (P=0.1), and testosterone (P=0.9) in the PA group. 17-hydroxyprogesterone levels (17-OHP ng/dL) were $39.5{\pm}30.5ng/dL$ vs. $36.8{\pm}19.8ng/dL$ in PA versus control girls. The concentration of 17-OHP was not statistically different between the control and PA groups. Conclusion: Higher AMH was not observed in PA girls and no correlation with BA and androgen levels was observed.

• Journal of Bone Metabolism
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.195-211
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• 2018

Background: To develop guidelines and recommendations to prevent and treat glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) in Korea. Methods: The Korean Society for Bone and Mineral Research and the Korean College of Rheumatology have developed this guideline based on Guidance for the Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines ver. 1.0 established by the National Evidence-Based Healthcare Collaborating Agency. This guideline was developed by adapting previously published guidelines, and a systematic review and quality assessment were performed. Results: This guideline applies to adults aged ${\geq}19years$ who are using or plan to use GCs. It does not include children and adolescents. An initial assessment of fracture risk should be performed within 6 months of initial GC use. Fracture risk should be estimated using the fracture-risk assessment tool (FRAX) after adjustments for GC dose, history of osteoporotic fractures, and bone mineral density (BMD) results. All patients administered with prednisolone or an equivalent medication at a dose ${\geq}2.5mg/day$ for ${\geq}3months$ are recommended to use adequate calcium and vitamin D during treatment. Patients showing a moderate-to-high fracture risk should be treated with additional medication for osteoporosis. All patients continuing GC therapy should undergo annual BMD testing, vertebral X-ray, and fracture risk assessment using FRAX. When treatment failure is suspected, switching to another drug should be considered. Conclusions: This guideline is intended to guide clinicians in the prevention and treatment of GIOP.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.36-43
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• 2019

Objectives : Carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) laser, a high power laser has been used for pain management, dermatology, and surgery and laser acupuncture and moxibustion as well, since it had been oscillated in 1964 at Bell Telephone Laboratories in the US. The purpose of this study is to investigate the history of $CO_2$ laser acupuncture through reviewing studies published in early stage of laser medicine. Methods : To investigate the early history of $CO_2$ laser acupuncture, studies were searched in the electronic databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, CNKI, Wanfang, J-STAGE, CiNii, KTNP, and OASIS, since 1964. Articles in English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean were included, and there were no limitations in literature types such as reviews, essays, clinical trials, animal experiments and veterinary research. Results : We found that the first $CO_2$ laser application to acupoints was done by a research team in Shanghai in 1976. They used $CO_2$ laser for acupuncture treatment and it was also the first laser acupuncture treatment in China. Since the first case report of $CO_2$ laser for leukopenia, it has been applied to various diseases in China, Korea, Japan and other western countries. It has been widely applied in the fields of dentistry and veterinary medicine, as well as clinical applications. Conclusions : Not only $CO_2$ laser can be used as laser acupuncture by stimulating the acupoints and meridians, but also can produce moxibustion effect by using heat stimulus. Therefore, it is expected that it will be used in various clinical fields in the future.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.119-123
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• 2019

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder with no breathing symptoms due to repetitive upper airway resistance. OSA is a disease that can have significant effects on the cerebral cardiovascular system. Active treatment is needed to prevent these complications. The use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the standard therapy of OSA, has comparative therapeutic effects. On the other hand, there is no comparison report of the polysomnography (PSG) results before and after CPAP therapy without using a mask. This paper reports a patient who was diagnosed as OSA and used CPAP every night for more than 2 years. The patient showed a decrease in the apnea-hypopnea index from 64.7/h to 12.9/h. In addition, other sleep-related indicators improved significantly. The daily use of CPAP as a treatment for OSA for more than 2 years may improve the PSG results. Constant follow up of PSG will be needed to adjust the appropriate CPAP pressure to patients because there might be a change in the Apnea-Hypopnea Index and other sleep-related indicators for constant CPAP users for at least 2 years.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.126-136
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to develop a severity-adjustment model for predicting mortality in acute stroke patients using machine learning. Using the Korean National Hospital Discharge In-depth Injury Survey from 2006 to 2015, the study population with disease code I60-I63 (KCD 7) were extracted for further analysis. Three tools were used for the severity-adjustment of comorbidity: the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), the Elixhauser comorbidity index (ECI), and the Clinical Classification Software (CCS). The severity-adjustment models for mortality prediction in patients with acute stroke were developed using logistic regression, decision tree, neural network, and support vector machine methods. The most common comorbid disease in stroke patients were hypertension, uncomplicated (43.8%) in the ECI, and essential hypertension (43.9%) in the CCS. Among the CCI, ECI, and CCS, CCS had the highest AUC value. CCS was confirmed as the best severity correction tool. In addition, the AUC values for variables of CCS including main diagnosis, gender, age, hospitalization route, and existence of surgery were 0.808 for the logistic regression analysis, 0.785 for the decision tree, 0.809 for the neural network and 0.830 for the support vector machine. Therefore, the best predictive power was achieved by the support vector machine technique. The results of this study can be used in the establishment of health policy in the future.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.12
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• pp.1016-1023
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• 2018

Regenerative orthopedics needs significant devices to transplant human stem cells into damaged tissue and encourage automatic growth into replacements suitable for the human skeleton. Soft biomaterials have similarities in mechanical, structural and architectural properties to natural extracellular matrix (ECM), but often lack essential ECM molecules and signals. Here we engineer mineralized polysaccharide beads to transform MSCs into osteogenic cells and osteoid tissue for transplantation. Bone morphogenic proteins (BMP-2) and indispensable ECM proteins both directed differentiation inside alginate beads. Laminin and collagen IV basement membrane matrix proteins fixed and organized MSCs onto the alginate matrix, and BMP-2 drove differentiation, osteoid tissue self-assembly, and small-scale mineralization. Augmentation of alginate is necessary, and we showed that a few rationally selected small proteins from the basement membrane (BM) compartment of the ECM were sufficient to up-regulate cell expression of Runx-2 and osteocalcin for osteoid formation, resulting in Alizarin red-positive mineral nodules. More significantly, nested BMP-2 and BM beads added to a non-union skull defect, self-generated osteoid expressing osteopontin (OPN) and osteocalcin (OCN) in a chain along the defect, at only four weeks, establishing a framework for complete regeneration expected in 6 and 12 weeks. Alginate beads are beneficial surgical devices for transplanting therapeutic cells in programmed (by the ECM components and alginate-chitosan properties) reaction environments ideal for promoting bone tissue.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.158-162
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• 2018

Breast cancer related lymphedema (BCRL) is one of the most intractable complications after surgery. Patients suffer from physical impairment, as well as psychological depression. Moreover, a recent study revealed that cellulitis significantly increased the risk of BCRL, and cellulitis has been suggested as a risk factor of BCRL development. We describe a patient treated with stellate ganglion blocks (SGBs) without steroid for relief of symptoms and reduction of the arm circumference of breast cancer-related infectious lymphedema in a month. We measured the arm circumference at four locations; 10 cm and 5 cm above and below the elbow crease, numeric rating scale (NRS) score, lymphedema and breast cancer questionnaire (LBCQ) score on every visit to the pain clinic. A serial decrease of the arm circumference and pain score were observed after second injection. In the middle of the process, cellulitis recurred, we performed successive SGBs to treat infectious lymphedema. The patient was satisfied with the relieved pain and swelling, especially with improved shoulder range of motion as it contributes to better quality of life. This case describes the effects of SGB for infectious BCRL patients. SGB could be an alternative or ancillary treatment for infectious BCRL patients.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.335-344
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• 2019

Obesity causes inflammation and impairs thermogenic functions in brown adipose tissue (BAT). The adipokine lipocalin 2 (LCN2) has been implicated in inflammation and obesity. Herein, we investigated the protective effects of caloric restriction (CR) on LCN2-mediated inflammation and oxidative stress in the BAT of high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Mice were fed a HFD for 20 weeks and then either continued on the HFD or subjected to CR for the next 12 weeks. CR led to the browning of the white fat-like phenotype in HFD-fed mice. Increased expressions of LCN2 and its receptor in the BAT of HFD-fed mice were significantly attenuated by CR. Additionally, HFD+CR-fed mice had fewer neutrophils and macrophages expressing LCN2 and iron-positive cells than HFD-fed mice. Further, oxidative stress and mitochondrial fission induced by a HFD were also significantly attenuated by CR. Our findings indicate that the protective effects of CR on inflammation and oxidative stress in the BAT of obese mice may be associated with regulation of LCN2.

• The Journal of Korea Assosiation for Disability and Oral Health
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.40-44
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• 2019

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a chronic, occlusive cerebrovascular disease of unknown etiology characterized by progressive stenosis at the terminal portion of the internal carotid artery and an abnormal vascular network at the base of the brain. The clinical presentations of MMD include transient ischemic attacks (TIA), ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, seizures, headache, and cognitive impairment. MMD is the most important cause of stroke or TIA in children in East Asian countries. A 5-year-3-month old boy with MMD experienced cerebral infarctions five times. Cerebrovascular anastomosis surgery was performed on him four years ago. He had dysphagia, developmental delay, hemiplegia, and strabismus. Besides, a number of dental caries in primary dentition were identified during clinical oral examination. Dental treatment under general anesthesia using sevoflurane was performed due to his lack of cooperation and underlying systemic disease. MMD is associated with various medical diseases requiring thoughtful consideration during dental treatment. Crying and hyperventilation in MMD patients may cause hypocapnia and have a cerebral vasoconstrictive effect. If dental treatment is required, control of pain and anxiety is very important. General anesthesia may be considered for dental treatment in uncooperative or very young patients with MMD.

• The Journal of Korea Assosiation for Disability and Oral Health
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2019

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare neurologic disorder with a prevalence 1/10,000-30,000. The cause of PWS is an abnormalities of chromosome 15q11.2-q13 which is an imprinting gene. Obesity and hyperphagia are characteristic features on a PWS adult. On the other hand, the birth weight, height and body mass index (BMI) of PWS infants are 15-20% lower than those of normal babies and there is a failure to thrive until 24-month-old. Most of PWS patients are treated under general anesthesia and conscious sedation. This case is a treatment of severe caries in a PWS 46 month-old child without general anesthesia and conscious sedation. He came to the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Kyung Hee University Dental Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul, Korea with a trauma history. He had a medical history with heart surgery and needed to take antibiotics prophylaxis. The luxated left upper primary tooth were removed and caries treatment were done as an outpatient without general anesthesia, conscious sedation.