Di(Thioether Sulfonate)-Substituted Quinolinedione as a Rapidly Dissoluble and Stable Electron Mediator and Its Application in Sensitive Biosensors.

The commonly required properties of diffusive electron mediators for point-of-care testing are rapid dissolubility, high stability, and moderate formal potential in aqueous solutions. Inspired by nature, various quinone-containing electron mediators have been developed; however, satisfying all these requirements remains a challenge. Herein, a strategic design toward quinones incorporating sulfonated thioether and nitrogen-containing heteroarene moieties as solubilizing, stabilizing, and formal potential-modulating groups is reported.

Implication of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Metabolic Syndrome, and Subclinical Inflammation on Mild Renal Insufficiency.

Background: Limited information exists about the impact of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on mild renal insufficiency. We compared the relative influence of NAFLD, metabolic syndrome (MetS), and subclinical inflammation, alone or in combination, on mild renal insufficiency.

Methods: This study included 1174 Korean adults.

Implication of liver enzymes on incident cardiovascular diseases and mortality: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

Although liver enzymes, such as γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), have recently been suggested as risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), impact on mortality after myocardial infarction (MI) or ischemic stroke (IS) was not previously examined. Using a population-based, nationwide cohort database, we explored the implication of GGT and aminotransferases on the development of CVD and all-cause mortality during a median 9.1 years of follow-up.

Implications of circulating Meteorin-like (Metrnl) level in human subjects with type 2 diabetes.

Aims: Meteorin-like (Metrnl) was recently identified as a novel adipomyokine induced by exercise and cold exposure. Metrnl improves glucose tolerance, increases systemic energy expenditure, induces white adipose browning, and promotes anti-inflammatory gene programs in obese/diabetic mice. However, the relationship of Metrnl with diabetes and cardiometabolic risk variables in humans has not been explored.

Clinical features of recently diagnosed papillary thyroid carcinoma in elderly patients aged 65 and older based on 10 years of sonographic experience at a single institution in Korea.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the characteristics of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in patients aged 65 and older in order to predict postoperative recurrence based on the results of ultrasonographic surveillance.

Methods: Among 1,494 patients (200 male and 1,294 female; mean age, 46.6±11.

Effects of Low Muscle Mass on Albuminuria and Chronic Kidney Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: The Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study (KSOS).

Background: Previous studies have shown that chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with accelerated loss of skeletal muscle in patients on dialysis. However, the relationships of sarcopenia with albuminuria and early-stage CKD in patients with type 2 diabetes have not been examined.

Methods: We analyzed diabetic subgroup data from 409 patients with type 2 diabetes from the Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study (KSOS).

Association of leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) with NAFLD, metabolic syndrome, and atherosclerosis.

Objective: Previous studies have shown that leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2), a recently discovered hepatokine, is associated with the inflammatory response and insulin resistance. We examined circulating plasma LECT2 levels in the subjects with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or metabolic syndrome.

Methods: We analyzed plasma LECT2 levels from the subjects of age- and sex-matched 320 adults with or without NAFLD who completed a health check-up at the Health Promotion Center of Korea University Guro Hospital.

Circulating angiopoietin-like protein 8 (ANGPTL8) and ANGPTL3 concentrations in relation to anthropometric and metabolic profiles in Korean children: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Previous studies have shown that angiopoietin-like protein 8 (ANGPTL8), also called as betatrophin, acts together with ANGPTL3 to regulate lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism, and energy homeostasis. Moreover, ANGPTL8 promotes proliferation of pancreatic β-cells and induces insulin secretion. However, there are no previous longitudinal studies in humans.

The synergistic impact of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome on subclinical atherosclerosis.

Objective: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a well-known contributor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We examined the influence of NAFLD and metabolic syndrome (MetS) on markers of subclinical atherosclerosis, including carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI), after adjusting for cardiometabolic risk factors.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Implications of Pericardial, Visceral and Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue on Vascular Inflammation Measured Using 18FDG-PET/CT.

Objective: Pericardial adipose tissue (PAT) is associated with adverse cardiometabolic risk factors and cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the relative implications of PAT, abdominal visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue on vascular inflammation have not been explored.

Method And Results: We compared the association of PAT, abdominal visceral fat area (VFA), and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) with vascular inflammation, represented as the target-to-background ratio (TBR), the blood-normalized standardized uptake value measured using 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (18FDG-PET) in 93 men and women without diabetes or CVD.

Progranulin protects vascular endothelium against atherosclerotic inflammatory reaction via Akt/eNOS and nuclear factor-κB pathways.

Objective: Atherosclerosis is considered a chronic inflammatory disease, initiated by activation and dysfunction of the endothelium. Recently, progranulin has been regarded as an important modulator of inflammatory processes; however, the role for prgranulin in regulating inflammation in vascular endothelial cells has not been described.

Method And Results: Signaling pathways mediated by progranulin were analyzed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with progranulin.