Short-term efficacy of 1-month and 3-month gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist depots in girls with central precocious puberty.

Purpose: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) has been the mainstay of central precocious puberty (CPP) treatment for decades, but few reports have compared the efficacy of 1-month and 3-month depot GnRHa formulations. This study investigates the short-term efficacy of 1-month and 3-month GnRHa depots in girls with CPP.

Methods: Overall, 150 girls with CPP were included in a retrospective review of medical records.

Association Between Carotid Ultrasonography Findings and Colorectal Adenoma in Asymptomatic Adults.

Background: Coexistence of colorectal neoplasia and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease has been reported. Subclinical atherosclerosis can be evaluated noninvasively and easily by assessing carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and carotid plaque using ultrasonography.

Aims: We aimed to evaluate the association between carotid ultrasonography findings and colorectal conventional adenoma (AD) in health checkup examinees.

Prevalence and risk factors of advanced colorectal neoplasms in asymptomatic Korean people between 40 and 49 years of age.

Background And Aim: Current guidelines recommend colon cancer screening for persons aged over 50 years. However, there are few data on colorectal cancer screening in 40- to 49-year-olds. This study assessed the prevalence and risk factors of colorectal neoplasms in 40- to 49-year-old Koreans.

Method evaluation of pepsinogen I/II assay based on chemiluminescent immunoassays and comparison with other test methods.

Background: Serum pepsinogen (PG) I and the PG I/PG II ratio have been used for atrophic gastritis (AG) diagnosis for decades. Low levels of PG I and/or PG I/PG II are closely related to AG and predict the risk of gastric cancer. We evaluated the performance of the chemiluminescent immunoassay-based Architect Pepsinogen I/II assay.

The association between serum dehydroepiandrosterone Sulphate (DHEA-S) level and bone mineral density in Korean men.

Context: Many lines of evidence indicate that dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) plays a distinct role in bone metabolism and that its sulphated form (DHEA-S), which is easily measured in blood, may be a potential biomarker of osteoporosis-related phenotypes. However, most previous epidemiologic studies focused on postmenopausal women and reported conflicting results.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the association between the serum DHEA-S level and bone mass in men.

Risk factors and clinical outcomes of gastric cancer identified by screening endoscopy: a case-control study.

Background And Aim: A customized screening program for gastric cancer would optimize the benefits of screening endoscopy. This study investigated the risk factors for gastric cancer detected during screening and factors affecting clinical outcomes.

Methods: From April 2000 to December 2010, subjects who underwent screening endoscopy at Asan Medical Center were included.

Seroconversion rates of Helicobacter pylori infection in Korean adults.

Background: Studies on seroconversion and its reversion rate in Korean adults with Helicobacter pylori infection are very rare. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the overall seroprevalence, seroconversion rate, and seroreversion rate of H. pylori infection in an adult population.

High serum total bilirubin as a protective factor against hip bone loss in healthy middle-aged men.

Bilirubin is known to have a physiologic role as an antioxidant that efficiently scavenges peroxyl radicals and suppresses oxidation, and oxidative stress has detrimental effects on bone metabolism. In the present study, we performed a 3-year longitudinal study of healthy middle-aged men, investigating the association between serum total bilirubin concentrations and annualized changes in bone mineral density (BMD). The study enrolled a total of 917 Korean men aged 40 years or older who had undergone comprehensive routine health examinations with an average follow-up interval of 3 years.

High serum total homocysteine levels accelerate hip bone loss in healthy premenopausal women and men.

Introduction: Despite extensive evidence demonstrating the direct, detrimental role of homocysteine on bone metabolism, the effects of serum total homocysteine (tHcy) on bone loss are still equivocal. In the present study, we performed a longitudinal study on healthy participants of various ages of both sexes in order to investigate the association between serum tHcy concentrations and annualized changes in bone mineral density (BMD).

Methods: A total of 460 Koreans ≥ 30 years of age received comprehensive, routine health examinations for an average period of 3 years.

Risk stratification for advanced proximal colon neoplasm and individualized endoscopic screening for colorectal cancer by a risk-scoring model.

Background: Only 30% to 40% of patients with advanced proximal neoplasms (APN) have distal colon neoplasms.

Objective: To develop a risk score model for APN and propose an individualized screening protocol for colorectal cancer.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Iron overload accelerates bone loss in healthy postmenopausal women and middle-aged men: a 3-year retrospective longitudinal study.

Despite extensive experimental and animal evidence about the detrimental effects of iron and its overload on bone metabolism, there have been no clinical studies relating iron stores to bone loss, especially in nonpathologic conditions. In the present study, we performed a large longitudinal study to evaluate serum ferritin concentrations in relation to annualized changes in bone mineral density (BMD) in healthy Koreans. A total of 1729 subjects (940 postmenopausal women and 789 middle-aged men) aged 40 years or older who had undergone comprehensive routine health examinations with an average 3 years of follow-up were enrolled.

Small-bowel angioedema during screening computed tomography due to intravenous contrast material.

We describe patients with isolated small-bowel angioedema caused by allergic reactions to intravenous contrast media. Computed tomography (CT) revealed circumferential thickening of the walls of the duodenum or jejunum. Follow-up small-bowel follow-through, small-bowel endoscopy, and CT showed normalized small-bowel loops.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein and cancer.

Background: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a commonly used inflammatory marker. The association between hs-CRP and cancer is less consistent than that between hs-CRP and cardiovascular diseases. This study explored the association between hs-CRP and cancer, using a large database of Korean health examination records.

Isolated terminal ileal ulcerations in asymptomatic individuals: natural course and clinical significance.

Background: Although isolated terminal ileal ulcerations (ITIUs) are occasionally observed on colonoscopic examination of asymptomatic individuals, their clinical course and guidelines for treatment are unclear.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical course and significance of ITIUs in asymptomatic individuals.

Design: Single-center retrospective analysis.

Negative association between metabolic syndrome and bone mineral density in Koreans, especially in men.

Cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis are thought to share common risk factors, and metabolic syndrome (MS) is composed of major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This study was performed to investigate the relationships between specific MS components and bone mineral density (BMD). BMD was measured at the femoral neck of Korean men aged 40 years or more (n = 1,780) and postmenopausal women (n = 1,108) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Cytomegalovirus enteritis causing ileal perforation in an elderly immunocompetent individual.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is usually subclinical in immunocompetent individuals, however it can be life threatening in an elderly immunocompetent individual. We report a case of CMV enteritis causing ileal perforation in a physically active elderly man. An 88-year-old healthy man presented with abdominal pain and diarrhea.

A case report with lymphangiomatosis of the colon.

The incidence of lymphangiomas in the gastrointestinal tract is low, particularly in the colon and rectum, and most cases are solitary. Lymphangiomatosis of the colon are encountered infrequently with only one report in the English literature, and polypectomy was performed for the diagnosis in that case report. However, trends in the diagnosis of lymphangiomatosis of colon have been changing since the development of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), and this case is the first in that lymphangiomatosis of the colon was diagnosed without invasive procedures.

Prospective randomized trial of six-month versus nine-month therapy for intestinal tuberculosis.

Intestinal tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a common disease worldwide. However, the optimal duration of anti-TB medication has not been well established. We therefore compared the efficacy of 6-month and 9-month therapy in the treatment of intestinal TB.

Granular cell tumor of the descending colon treated by endoscopic mucosal resection: a case report and review of the literature.

Although colorectal granular cell tumors (GCTs) are rare, their incidental finding has increased as the use of diagnostic colonoscopy has become more common. Here we describe the case of a 41-yr-old man with a GCT in the descending colon that was detected after a screening colonoscopy. Endoscopic examination revealed a yellowish submucosal tumor, 13x12 mm in diameter, in the descending colon.

Giant mesenteric lipoma as an unusual cause of abdominal pain: a case report and a review of the literature.

We report a rare case of giant mesenteric lipoma presenting with colicky abdominal pain. A 29-yr-old woman underwent laparoscopic resection for a giant mesenteric lipoma causing compression of the ileal loop. The resected ileal segment was encased by a giant fatty tissue, and normal mucosal fold patterns of the resected ileum were effaced by the mass.

Clinicopathologic Characteristics of Barrett's Cancer in Korea.

Background/aims: The incidence of Barrett's cancer is increasing in Western countries, but there have been only a few case reports of this condition in Korea. The aim of this study was to elucidate the endoscopic and pathologic characteristics of Barrett's cancer in a single center in Korea.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the demographic, endoscopic, and pathologic characteristics of six patients with Barrett's cancer, defined as a tumor centered above the esophagogastric junction and surrounded by Barrett's esophagus.

[A case of recurrent intestinal obstruction caused by Meckel's diverticulum].

Meckel's diverticulum is the most common anomaly of the intestine. It is usually asymptomatic but approximately 4% are symptomatic with complications such as bleeding, intestinal obstruction, and inflammation. Gastrointestinal bleeding is the most common presenting symptoms of Meckel's diverticulum in children, however, intestinal obstruction is the most common complications in adult patients.

Screening colonoscopy in asymptomatic average-risk Koreans: analysis in relation to age and sex.

Background And Aims: Although the incidence of colorectal cancer is rising in Asian countries, there are no guidelines for its screening in this region due in part to the lack of epidemiological data regarding colorectal neoplasms. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of colorectal neoplasms in average-risk Koreans and to assess the effectiveness of screening colonoscopy in Korea.

Methods: The prevalence of colorectal neoplasms was assessed by primary screening colonoscopy in 5,086 consecutive asymptomatic adults (males 70.