Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2014
Sarcopenia as a useful predictor for long-term mortality in cirrhotic patients with ascites.
This study aimed to assess and compare sarcopenia with other prognostic factors for predicting long-term mortality in cirrhotic patients with ascites. Clinical data of 65 among 89 patients with measurement of all parameters were consecutively collected. Sarcopenia was evaluated as right psoas muscle thickness measurement divided by height (PMTH) (mm/m). ⋯ PMTH≤14 mm/m were 2.6% and 15.2% vs. 41.6% and 66.8%, respectively (P<0.001). The mortality in cirrhotic patients with PMTH≤14 mm/m was higher than those with PMTH>14 mm/m (HR, 5.398; 95% CI, 2.111-13.800, P<0.001). In conclusion, sarcopenia, evaluated by PMTH, is an independent useful predictor for long-term mortality in cirrhotic patients with ascites.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2014
Cobalt chloride attenuates oxidative stress and inflammation through NF-κB inhibition in human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells.
We evaluated the effect of cobalt chloride (CoCl2) on TNF-α and IFN-γ-induced-inflammation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in renal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2 cells). We treated HK-2 cells with CoCl2 before the administration of TNF-α/IFN-γ. To regulate hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression, the cells were treated CoCl2 or HO-1 siRNA. ⋯ However, knockdown of HO-1 by RNA interference did not affect MCP-1 or RANTES production. We suggest that CoCl2 has a protective effect on TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced inflammation through the inhibition of NF-κB and ROS in HK-2 cells. However, CoCl2 appears to act in an HO-1-independent manner.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2014
Estimated amount of 24-hour urine sodium excretion is positively correlated with stomach and breast cancer prevalence in Korea.
Stomach cancer is one of the most common cancers in Korea. The aim of this study was to identify the association between the prevalence of cancer, particularly stomach cancer, and the amount of 24-hr urine sodium excretion estimated from spot urine specimens. The study included 19,083 subjects who took part in the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey between 2009 and 2011. ⋯ By using the Korean equation, the prevalence was 0.6% (115/18,392) in group 1, and 1.6% in group 2 (8/507) (P=0.010). By using the Tanaka equation, breast cancer in women is more prevalent in group 2 (1.9%, 6/324) than group 1 (0.8%, 78/9,985, P=0.039). Higher salt intake, as defined by the estimated amount of 24-hr urine sodium excretion, is positively correlated with a higher prevalence of stomach or breast cancer in the Korean population.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2014
Effect of bilirubin on triglyceride synthesis in streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy.
We aimed to elucidate the effect of bilirubin on dyslipidemia and nephropathy in a diabetes mellitus (DM) type I animal model. Sprague-Dawley rats were separated into control, DM, and bilirubin-treated DM (Bil) groups. The Bil group was injected intraperitoneally with 60 mg/kg bilirubin 3 times per week and hepatoma cells were cultured with bilirubin at a concentration of 0.3 mg/dL. ⋯ Bilirubin decreased serum total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), free fatty acids, and triglycerides (TGs), as well as the TG content in the liver tissues. Bilirubin suppressed protein expression of LXRα, SREBP-1, SCD-1, and FAS, factors involved in TG synthesis that were elevated in the livers of DM rats and hepatoma cells under high-glucose conditions. In conclusion, bilirubin attenuates renal dysfunction and dyslipidemia in diabetes by suppressing LXRα and SREBP-1 expression and oxidative stress.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2014
Multicenter StudyRisk factors for death during pulmonary tuberculosis treatment in Korea: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.
The data regarding risk factors for death during tuberculosis (TB) treatment are inconsistent, and few studies examined this issue in Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate baseline prognostic factors for death during treatment of adult patients with pulmonary TB in Korea. A multicenter retrospective cohort study of 2,481 patients who received TB treatment at eight hospitals from January 2009 to December 2010 was performed. ⋯ Unsuccessful treatment included death (85, 3.4%) and treatment failure (63, 2.5%) occurred in 148 patients (6.0%). In multivariate analysis, male sex, anemia, dyspnea, chronic heart disease, malignancy, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission were significant risk factors for death during TB treatment. Therefore, male sex, anemia, dyspnea, chronic heart disease, malignancy, and ICU admission could be baseline prognostic factors for death during treatment of adult patients with pulmonary TB in Korea.