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Background: The average glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) may not accurately reflect glycemic control status during the mid-term after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We aimed to evaluate changes in HbA1c and their effect on mid-term clinical outcomes in patients with diabetes and AMI., Methods: We enrolled patients with diabetes ( n  = 967) who underwent HbA1c measurement in the Korean nationwide registry. These patients were categorized into three groups based on changes in HbA1c from index admission to the 1-year follow-up visit: a decrease in HbA1c > 1%, changes in HbA1c within 1%, and an increase in HbA1c > 1%. Clinical outcomes at 24 months were examined., Results: The baseline HbA1c levels were 8.55 ± 0.85, 7.00 ± 0.98 and 7.07 ± 1.05 ( P  = 0.001) and HbA1c levels after 1 year were 6.62 ± 0.73, 7.05 ± 0.98 and 9.26 ± 1.59 ( P  = 0.001) for patients with 3 groups, respectively. Patients with a 1% decrease in HbA1c had significantly lower incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), cardiac death, and rehospitalization after 24 months than those with a 1% increase in HbA1c. However, in the Cox regression analysis, a >1% decrease in HbA1c change was not an independent factor for MACE, cardiac death, and rehospitalization., Conclusions: Our analysis indicates that an HbA1c decrease of >1% within the first 12 months was not an independent prognostic factor until the 24-month mark. Therefore, standard diabetic control is recommended for patients with diabetes and AMI for up to 2 years., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

This Korean population-based study aimed to describe the patterns of hypothyroidism after adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) in patients with breast cancer. The Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database was searched for patients with invasive breast carcinomas. We calculated the cumulative incidence and incidence rates per 1,000 person-years of subsequent hypothyroidism and compared them using the log-rank test and the Cox proportional hazards model. Between 2007 and 2018, 117,135 women diagnosed with breast cancer with a median follow-up time of 4.6 years were identified. The 8-year incidence of hypothyroidism was 9.3% in patients treated with radiation and 8.6% in those treated without radiation (p = 0.002). The incidence rates per 1,000 person-years in the corresponding treatment groups were 6.2 and 5.7 cases, respectively. The hazard ratio (HR) in patients receiving RT was 1.081 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.013-1.134; p = 0.002). After mastectomy, RT showed a trend toward a higher risk of hypothyroidism (HR = 1.248; 95% CI, 0.977-1.595; p = 0.076). Our study provides one of the largest population-based data analyses regarding the risk of hypothyroidism among Korean patients with breast cancer. The adjusted risk for patients treated with RT exceeded that for patients with breast cancer treated without RT. The effect was evident immediately after treatment and lasted up to approximately 9 years., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

A Gram-stain-positive, oxidase- and catalase-positive, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain SK-3146T, was isolated from animal feed. Phylogenetic analysis, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons, revealed that the strain formed a distinct lineage within the genus Paenibacillus that was closely related to Paenibacillusyunnanensis JCM 30953T (98.6 %), Paenibacillusvulneris CCUG 53270T (98.0 %) and Paenibacilluschinjuensis DSM 15045T (96.9 %). Cells were non-motile, endospore-forming and formed milky colonies on NA and R2A agar media. Growth of strain SK-3146T occurred at temperatures of 18-45 °C, at pH 6.0-9.5 and between 0.5-3.0 % NaCl (w/v). The major menaquinone was MK-7, with lesser amounts of MK-6 present. The cell wall peptidoglycan of strain SK-3146T contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The DNA G+C content was 53.8 mol% and the DNA-DNA hybridization relatedness values between strain SK-3146T and P.yunnanensis JCM 30953T and P.vulneris CCUG 53270T were 26.13±0.8 % and 38.7±0.6 %, respectively. The phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic results indicate that strain SK-3146T represents a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus konkukensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SK-3146T (=KACC 18876T=LMG 29568T).

Although the white-coat effect (WCE) is not rare, its detection is often difficult in treated hypertensive patients. The aim of this study was to elucidate the factors that affect and predict the WCE in treated hypertensive patients in Korea. A total of 1087 outpatients (mean age: 57 ± 10 y; 52% female) checked blood pressure in office and at home. We divided the outpatients into two groups according to the presence or absence of the WCE. Waist circumference was smaller in the WCE group. In addition, in the WCE group, the incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) was lower, but family history of premature cardiovascular disease was higher. Target organ damage, including damage to the heart, was lower in the WCE group. Pulse pressure (PP) in the clinic was higher in the WCE group and was also positively correlated with a systolic WCE, especially when measured by a doctor (r = 0.511, P < .001). By multivariate regression analysis, PP measured by a doctor independently correlated with systolic WCE (ß = 0.573, P < .001). Our findings suggest that PP measured by a doctor at a clinic may predict the WCE, which can help in the treatment of hypertensive patients.