Repeated Dry Sauna Therapy Improves Quality of Life in Obese Korean People / 가정의학회지

Background@#Dry sauna treatments improve the quality of life for chronic pain, congestive heart failure, and type 2 diabetes patients. This study aimed to determine whether dry sauna therapy improved the quality of life of obese people. @*Methods@#A total of 38 consecutive participants aged over 20 years with a body mass index of ≥25 kg/m2 were recruited for the study. The participants were treated with a 90°C dry sauna for 15 minutes, twice daily for 4 consecutive days. To assess the quality of life, all participants completed the 5 level EQ-5D questionnaires and the EQ-Visual Analog Scale. Study parameters were measured on the same day prior to commencing the sauna sessions in a fasted state and 2 days after the last sauna session. @*Results@#The average age was 62.3±9.5 years; 84.2% of the participants were female. The mean body mass index was 28.5±2.4 kg/m2. Dry sauna significantly improved the mean 5 level EQ-5D index scores from 0.83±0.12 to 0.89±0.11 and increased the mean EQ-Visual Analog Scale from 79.0±15.2 to 91.1±9.7. However, there were no significant changes in body mass index, blood pressure, heart rate, or body composition before and after the 8-session sauna therapy. @*Conclusion@#Dry sauna improved the health-related quality of life of obese patients without adverse events. Further clinical studies in larger study populations are needed to verify these findings and provide concrete evidence for obesity treatment.

Association of Sleep Duration and Obesity According to Gender and Age in Korean Adults: Results from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2015

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate associations between self-reported sleep duration and general and abdominal obesity in Korean adults stratified according to gender and age. METHODS: Data from 41,805 adults, 18–110 years of age, collected by the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) in 2007 and 2015, were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for obesity and abdominal obesity by sleep duration after controlling for sociodemographic and lifestyle variables. RESULTS: Among individuals 30–49 years of age, there was an increased AOR for obesity only for sleep duration ≤ 5 hour/day compared with sleep duration 6 to 8 hour/day, both in men (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.02–1.54) and women (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.29–1.90), after controlling for covariates. Regarding women, there was increased AOR for abdominal obesity for sleep duration ≤ 5 hour/day (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.18–1.78) and ≥ 9 hour/day (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.09–1.76) compared with sleep duration 6 to 8 hour/day. However, for elderly individuals (≥ 65 years), there was a negative association between sleep duration ≤ 5 hour/day and obesity, but not with abdominal obesity, in both men and women. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a significant association between sleep duration and obesity, which varied according to gender and age.

Prevalences and Management of Diabetes and Pre-diabetes among Korean Teenagers and Young Adults: Results from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2014

The rapid increases in childhood obesity and physical inactivity are linked to the incidence of diabetes among young individuals. However, few studies have evaluated the prevalence of diabetes among this population. Therefore, we used Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) data to evaluate the prevalence and management of diabetes and pre-diabetes among young Koreans. We evaluated KNHANES data (2005–2014) from 10–29-year-old individuals. Individuals were considered eligible if they had completed the health examination and the health interview survey, and we excluded individuals with missing data regarding fasting glucose or glycated haemoglobin levels. Among the 100,101 potentially eligible individuals who participated in KNHANES (2005–2014), we included 83,577 (37,677 male and 45,900 female) individuals. The overall prevalences of diabetes and pre-diabetes among 10–19-year-old individuals were 0.2% and 11.9%, respectively. Among 20–29-year-old individuals, the prevalences of diabetes and pre-diabetes were 0.9% and 9.6%, respectively. The overall rates of diabetes awareness during the study period were 36.6% for 10–19-year-old individuals and 50.8% for 20–29-year-old individuals. However, the prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes had noticeably increased at the 2013–2014 KNHANES: 0.6% and 25.9% among 10–19-year-old individuals, and 0.8% and 19.2% among 20–29-year-old individuals. The prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes is rapidly increasing among Korean teenagers and young adults. Pre-emptive interventions to diagnose and treat diabetes and pre-diabetes are needed to improve glycaemic control among this population.

High Serum Osteopontin Levels Are Associated with Low Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women

Osteopontin (OPN) is an acidic, noncollagenous matrix protein produced by the bone and kidneys. It is reportedly involved in bone resorption and formation. We examined the association between serum OPN levels and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. Premenopausal women (n=32) and postmenopausal women (n=409) participated in the study. We measured serum osteopontin levels and their relationships with bone mineral density and previous total fragility fractures. The postmenopausal women had higher mean serum OPN levels compared to the premenopausal women (43.6+/-25.9 vs 26.3+/-18.6 ng/mL; P<0.001). In the postmenopausal women, high serum OPN levels were negatively correlated with mean lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) (r=-0.113, P=0.023). In a stepwise multiple linear regression model, serum OPN levels were associated with BMD of the spine, femoral neck, and total hip after adjustment for age, body mass index, smoking, and physical activity in postmenopausal women. However, serum OPN levels did not differ between postmenopausal women with and without fractures. Postmenopausal women exhibit higher serum OPN levels than premenopausal women and higher serum OPN levels were associated with low BMD in postmenopausal women.

A case of ischemic gastric necrosis after submucosal epinephrine injection / 대한내과학회지

Ischemic gastric necrosis is rare because of the abundant anastomotic supply to the stomach, and it is usually associated with surgery and disruption of the major vessels. Although the injection of epinephrine is safe and effective for non.variceal bleeding, it may cause tissue necrosis. Six cases of ischemic gastric necrosis after submucosal epinephrine injection have been reported. We describe a case of ischemic gastric necrosis after submucosal epinephrine injection in a 61.year.old woman with hypertension and angina pectoris treated with antihypertensives and aspirin. We should exercise caution when injecting epinephrine submucosally in a patient with atherosclerotic risk factors such as old age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or angina pectoris due to a possible risk of ischemic gastric necrosis.

Diagnostic and Therapeutic Usefulness of Double Balloon Enteroscopy: Single Center Experience / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Until recently, only indirect procedures were available to provide images of the small bowel. Double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) has the ability to obtain tissue for diagnosis and endoscopic interventions. This study was designed to determine the usefulness of DBE in patients with small bowel diseases by evaluating diagnostic yields and the impact on treatment. METHODS: From November, 2004 to November, 2006 a total 81 patients with suspected small bowel disease were investigated by DBE. We analyzed the diagnostics and therapeutics rates according to the indications of DBE. RESULTS: A total of 114 DBE procedures were performed. Gastrointestinal bleeding (64.2%) was the most common indication, followed by chronic abdominal pain/diarrhea (29.6%). A diagnosis was obtained in 44 of 52 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding and 17 of 24 patients with chronic abdominal pain/diarrhea. DBE resulted in therapeutic intervention in 17 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding and 13 patients with chronic abdominal pain/ diarrhea. DBE was diagnostic in 75.3% of the patients and played a role in the subsequent treatment of 37.0% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: DBE was a useful and safe method for diagnosis and treatments in patients with small bowel diseases.