Clinical Characteristics and Metabolic Features of Patients with Adrenal Incidentalomas with or without Subclinical Cushing’s Syndrome

Bo-Yeon Kim,A-Reum Chun,Kyu-Jin Kim,Chan-Hee Jung,Sung Koo Kang,Ji-Oh Mok,Chul-Hee Kim 대한내분비학회 2014 Endocrinology and metabolism Vol.29 No.4

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the clinical characteristics of adrenal incidentalomas discovered by computed tomography (CT) and to investigate metabolic features of subclinical Cushing’s syndrome (SCS) in patients with adrenal incidentalomas in a tertiary hospital in Korea. Methods: This retrospective study examined the clinical aspects of 268 patients with adrenal incidentalomas discovered by CT at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital. Clinical data and endocrine function of the patients as well as histological findings were obtained from medical records, while anatomic characteristics were analyzed by reviewing imaging studies. Hormonal tests for pheochromocytoma, Cushing’s syndrome, and aldosterone-secreting adenoma were performed. Results: Most (n=218, 81.3%) cases were nonfunctioning tumors. Of the 50 patients with functioning tumors (18.7%), 19 (7.1%) were diagnosed with SCS, nine (3.4%) with overt Cushing’s syndrome, 12 (4.5%) with primary aldosteronism, and 10 (3.7%) with pheochromocytoma. Malignant tumors (both primary and metastatic) were rare (n=2, 0.7%). Body mass index, fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c, and total cholesterol were significantly higher in patients with SCS in comparison with those with nonfunctioning tumors. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension were significantly higher in patients with SCS compared with those with nonfunctioning tumors. Conclusion: Functioning tumors, especially those with subclinical cortisol excess, are commonly found in patients with adrenal incidentalomas, although malignancy is rare. In addition, patients with SCS in adrenal incidentalomas have adverse metabolic and cardiovascular profiles.

Quality of Head and Chalky Rice and Deterioration of Eating Quality by Chalky Rice

Chun, A-Reum,Song, Jin,Kim, Kee-Jong,Lee, Ho-Jin 한국작물학회 2009 Journal of crop science and biotechnology Vol.12 No.4

Chalk, an opaque area in the rice grain, is an important quality characteristic in rice and occurs most commonly when grains are exposed to high temperatures during development. Chalky rice decreases the value of rice because of its undesirable appearance and eating quality for consumers. We investigated the chemical composition, morphological structure, cooking, texture properties of cooked rice, and pasting and gelatinization properties to evaluate the reason for the deterioration in eating quality of chalky rice. The ultra-structure of chalky kernels differed greatly from that of head rice. Chalky grain had more air spaces, a disordered cellular structure, and rounder amyloplasts than head rice. Chalky rice absorbed water more rapidly during cooking and had a slightly larger expansion volume than head rice, confirming its loose starch granule structure. The lower amylose content of chalky kernels caused a more soluble solid and higher iodine index during cooking indicating their lower eating quality compared to translucent kernels. The lower gelatinization temperature of chalky kernels was suggested to be related to a more short-branch chain amylopectin structure. Chalky kernels resulted in a harder and less adhesive (or sticky) texture of cooked rice, requiring more time for chewing than those of head kernels, caused by its low protein content. The palatability of cooked rice showed a linear decrease with increasing chalky rice proportion in the sensory evaluation. In amylography, the peak and final viscosities greatly decreased when the chalky rice proportion increased from 0 to 5%. It indicated that chalky rice kernels induce quality deterioration even at 5%.

알코올중독자의 대인관계와 자살생각 간의 관계: 우울의 매개효과를 중심으로

박아름 ( Park A Reum ),전종설 ( Chun Jong Serl ) 한국보건사회연구원 2014 保健社會硏究 Vol.34 No.1

본 연구의 목적은 알코올중독자의 대인관계와 자살생각 간의 관계에서 우울이 어떤 역할을 하는지를 파악하는 것이다. 연구대상자는 서울 및 경기 지역에 위치한 정신병원 6곳에 알코올중독 또는 알코올남용으로 입원한 환자 총 151명이며, 다중회귀분석과 Baron&Kenny(1986)의 방식을 통하여 매개효과를 검증하였다. 본 연구의 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 연구대상자들의 자살시도 횟수는 일반성인의 자살 시도율과 비교하면 약 13배 높았고, 자살생각은 평생 유병률보다 약 3배 높게 나타났다. 둘째, 우울과 대인 관계, 자살시도횟수, 음주심각성, 소득, 연령은 자살생각에 직접적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 매개효과 검증에서 우울은 대인관계와 자살생각 간의 관계에서 완전매개역할을 하는 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 연구결과를 토대로 알코올중독자의 자살 위험성을 사정하고 개입할 수 있는 실천가들의 교육 및 훈련, 자살 고위험군에 대한 관리체계구축 등과 같은 사회복지영역에서의 실천적 함의를 논하였다. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of depression in the relationship between interpersonal relationships and suicide ideation among alcoholics. The study subjects included a total of 151 patients hospitalized at six psychiatric hospitals in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province for alcoholism or alcohol abuse. For data analysis, mediating effects were tested with multiple regression analysis and the Baron&Kenny (1986) method. The study findings were as follows: first, the suicide attempt rate of the subjects was approximately 13 times higher than that of non-alcoholic adults, while the subjects` suicide ideation rate was about three times higher. Secondly, depression, interpersonal relationships, number of suicide attempts, alcohol problem, income, and age had direct influence on suicide ideation. Finally, the test results of mediating effects showed that depression had full mediating effect between interpersonal relationships and suicide ideation. Based on these findings, the study discusses practice implications for the field of social welfare such as the need for educating and training practitioners capable of considering suicide risk of alcoholics, as well as the need for tailored intervention programs and their management systems for the high suicide risk group.

ESG 결정요인 및 기업가치에 관한 연구 : 경제정책 불확실성과 영업이익 변동성을 중심으로

이창섭 ( Chang Seop Rhee ),정아름 ( A-reum Jung ),전홍민 ( Hongmin Chun ) 한국회계학회 2021 회계학연구 Vol.46 No.6

본 연구에서는 한국기업지배구조원의 ESG 평가점수를 이용하여 ESG 결정요인 및 기업가치를 경제정책 불확실성과 영업이익 변동성 중심으로 검증한다. 우선, 경제정책 불확실성이 기업의 ESG 활동에 미친 영향을 분석하여, 이를 통해 자원제약(resource constrains) 이론 측면에서 기업의 ESG 활동의 의미를 살펴보았다. 다음으로, 기업의 ESG 활동과 영업이익 변동성의 상관관계를 검증하여, 기업의 ESG 활동을 통해 기업이 영업이익 변동성의 조정이 가능한지 살펴본다. 마지막으로 기업의 ESG 활동과 기업가치를 영업이익 변동성이 높거나 낮은 기업으로 구분하여 기업가치 측면에서 기업의 ESG 활동효과를 검증한다. 본 연구에서는 2011년부터 2019년까지 상장기업을 대상으로 실증분석을 수행한 결과, 경제정책 불확실성이 높아질수록 기업의 ESG 활동이 감소하는 것으로 보고 됐다. 이는, 기업이 경제정책 불확실성과 같은 외생적 요인으로 인해 계속기업 측면에서의 위험이 커질 경우, 기업은 자원제약 이론에 따라 ESG 활동 관련 지출을 줄인다는 것을 의미한다. 또한, ESG 활동을 많이 수행하는 기업일수록 영업이익 변동성이 감소함을 발견했다. 나아가, 영업이익 변동성이 높은 기업의 ESG 활동은 기업가치를 향상시키는 효과가 있음을 제시했다. 본 연구는 국내 기업을 대상으로 경제정책 불확실성이 기업의 ESG 활동에 미친 영향과 기업의 ESG 활동이 영업이익 변동성 및 기업가치에 미치는 효과를 실증적으로 검증하였다는 데 그 공헌점이 있다. This study investigates ESG determinants and firm values in terms of economic policy uncertainty and operating profit volatility using the ESG score evaluated by the Korea Corporate Governance Service. First of all, we examine the effect of economic policy uncertainty on ESG activities of companies and understand the meaning of ESG activities in terms of resource constraints theory. Next, we analyze the relation between a firm's ESG activities and operating income volatility to see if the ESG activities allow the company to control its operating income volatility. Last, we examine the association between the ESG activities and firm value by dividing into those with high or low operating income volatility. From the empirical results, we find that ESG activities of companies decrease as economic policy uncertainty increases. This means that if a company face an increased in risk due to exogenous factors such as economic policy uncertainty, the company reduces expenditure on ESG activities in accordance with the resource constraint theory. We also find that companies that carry out more ESG activities can reduce their operating income volatility and ESG activities of companies with high operating profit volatility have more positive effect of improving firm value than others. The contribution of this study is that it empirically verified the effect of economic policy uncertainty on ESG activities of companies and the effect of ESG activities on operating income volatility and firm value.

Characterization of a complete genome of a circular single-stranded DNA virus from porcine stools in Korea

Kim, A Reum,Chung, Hee Chun,Kim, Hye Kwon,Kim, Eun Ok,Nguyen, Van Giap,Choi, Min Gyung,Yang, Hye Jung,Kim, Jung Ah,Park, Bong Kyun Springer-Verlag 2014 Virus genes Vol.48 No.1

Treatment of direct oral anticoagulants in patients with liver cirrhosis and portal vein thrombosis

( Ho Soo Chun ),( A Reum Choe ),( Minjong Lee ),( Yuri Cho ),( Hwi Young Kim ),( Kwon Yoo ),( Tae Hun Kim ) 대한간학회 2021 Clinical and Molecular Hepatology(대한간학회지) Vol.27 No.4

Although patients with cirrhosis are known to be in a state of “rebalance” in that pro- and anticoagulant factors increase the risk for both bleeding and thrombosis, the prevalence of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in patients with cirrhosis can be up to 26%. Therefore, physicians should consider anticoagulation for the prevention and management of PVT in patients with cirrhosis who are at high risk of PVT. Vitamin K antagonist or low molecular weight heparin is suggested as the standard treatment for PVT in cirrhosis. With the advent of new direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs), there is a paradigm shift of switching to DOACs for the treatment of PVT in patients with cirrhosis. However, the safety and efficacy of DOACs in the treatment of PVT was not well-known in patients with cirrhosis. Therefore, this review focused on the current knowledge about the efficacy, safety concerns, and hepatic metabolism of DOACs in patients with cirrhosis and PVT. (Clin Mol Hepatol 2021;27:535-552)

Effects of NaOCl on Neuronal Excitability and Intracellular Calcium Concentration in Rat Spinal Substantia Gelatinosa Neurons

Hae In Lee,A-Reum Park,Sang Woo Chun The Korean Academy of Oral Biology 2013 International Journal of Oral Biology Vol.38 No.1

Recent studies indicate that reactive oxygen species (ROS) can act as modulators of neuronal activity, and are critically involved in persistent pain primarily through spinal mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the effects of NaOCl, a ROS donor, on neuronal excitability and the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in spinal substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons. In current clamp conditions, the application of NaOCl caused a membrane depolarization, which was inhibited by pretreatment with phenyl-N-tert-buthylnitrone (PBN), a ROS scavenger. The NaOCl-induced depolarization was not blocked however by pretreatment with dithiothreitol, a sulfhydrylreducing agent. Confocal scanning laser microscopy was used to confirm whether NaOCl increases the intracellular ROS level. ROS-induced fluorescence intensity was found to be increased during perfusion of NaOCl after the loading of 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (H2DCF-DA). NaOCl-induced depolarization was not blocked by pretreatment with external Ca2+ free solution or by the addition of nifedifine. However, when slices were pretreated with the Ca2+ ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin, NaOCl failed to induce membrane depolarization. In a calcium imaging technique using the Ca2+-sensitive fluorescence dye fura-2, the [Ca2+]i was found to be increased by NaOCl. These results indicate that NaOCl activates the excitability of SG neurons via the modulation of the intracellular calcium concentration, and suggest that ROS induces nociception through a central sensitization.

Case Reports : Recurrent Erlotinib-Induced Interstitial Lung Disease on Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Sang Don Park,A Reum Kim,Jin Seok Park,Chun Ho Shin,Hae Sung Nam,Lucia Kim,Jae Wha Cho,Jeong Sun Ryu,Seung Min Kwak 대한결핵 및 호흡기학회 2009 Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases Vol.67 No.5

Erlotinib (Tarceva(R)) has been considered to be a new, promising oral chemotherapy agent for local advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Erlotinib is regarded as relatively safe, but interstitial lung disease (ILD) related to erlotinib has been reported on an infrequent basis in Asia. We report an histologically confirmed case of recurrent erlotinib-induced ILD. Although, the patient was highly responsive to the first erlotinib treatment, the therapy was discontinued due to erlotinib-induced ILD. After intravenous high dose methylpredinisolone treatment, ILD was improved rapidly by radiologic studies, but the particular lung cancer re-emerged. We restarted the patient erlotinib on low-dose oral methylpredinisolone, resulting in a recurrence of erlotinib-induced ILD. Our case suggests that re-administration of erlotinib should be performed on a limited basis in patients that have developed ILD on previous use, even if a therapeutic effect can be estimated.

Effects of Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species on Neuronal Excitability in Rat Spinal Substantia Gelatinosa Neurons

Hae In Lee,A-Reum Park,Sang Woo Chun KOREAN ACADAMY OF ORAL BIOLOGY 2012 International Journal of Oral Biology Vol.37 No.1

Recent studies indicate that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are critically involved in persistent pain primarily through spinal mechanisms, and that mitochondria are the main source of ROS in the spinal dorsal horn. To investigate whether mitochondrial ROS can induce changes in membrane excitability on spinal substantia gelatonosa (SG) neurons, we examined the effects of mitochondrial electron transport complex (ETC) substrates and inhibitors on the membrane potential of SG neurons in spinal slices. Application of ETC inhibitors, rotenone or antimycin A, resulted in a slowly developing and slight membrane depolarization in SG neurons. Also, application of both malate, a complex I substrate, and succinate, a complex II substrate, caused reversible membrane depolarization and enhanced firing activity. Changes in membrane potential after malate exposure were more prominent than succinate exposure. When slices were pretreated with ROS scavengers such as phenyl-N-tert-buthylnitrone (PBN), catalase and 4- hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPOL), malate-induced depolarization was significantly decreased. Intracellular calcium above 100 μM increased malateinduced depolarization, witch was suppressed by cyclosporin A, a mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) inhibitor. These results suggest that enhanced production of spinal mitochondrial ROS can induce nociception through central sensitization.

Reactive Oxygen Species and Nitrogen Species Differentially Regulate Neuronal Excitability in Rat Spinal Substantia Gelatinosa Neurons

Hae In Lee,A-Reum Park,Sang Woo Chun KOREAN ACADAMY OF ORAL BIOLOGY 2014 International Journal of Oral Biology Vol.39 No.4

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitrogen species (RNS) are implicated in cellular signaling processes and as a cause of oxidative stress. Recent studies indicate that ROS and RNS are important signaling molecules involved in nociceptive transmission. Xanthine oxidase (XO) system is a well-known system for superoxide anions (O2 -) generation, and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) is a representative nitric oxide (NO) donor. Patch clamp recording in spinal slices was used to investigate the role of O2- and NO on substantia gelatinosa (SG) neuronal excitability. Application of xanthine and xanthine oxidase (X/XO) compound induced membrane depolarization. Low concentration SNP (10 μM) induced depolarization of the membrane, whereas high concentration SNP (1 mM) evoked membrane hyperpolarization. These responses were significantly decreased by pretreatment with phenyl N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN; nonspecific ROS and RNS scavenger). Addition of thapsigargin to an external calcium free solution for blocking synaptic transmission, led to significantly decreased X/XO-induced responses. Additionally, X/XO and SNP-induced responses were unchanged in the presence of intracellular applied PBN, indicative of the involvement of presynaptic action. Inclusion of GDP-β-S or suramin (G protein inhibitors) in the patch pipette decreased SNP-induced responses, whereas it failed to decrease X/XO-induced responses. Pretreatment with n-ethylmaleimide (NEM; thiol-alkylating agent) decreased the effects of SNP, suggesting that these responses were mediated by direct oxidation of channel protein, whereas X/XO-induced responses were unchanged. These data suggested that ROS and RNS play distinct roles in the regulation of the membrane excitability of SG neurons related to the pain transmission.