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Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the 10-year efficacy and safety of laser ablation (LA) for the treatment of solitary papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). Methods: LA was perfo...

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been considered promising therapeutic targets for cancer therapy. These cells have self-renewal capacity and differentiation potential and contribute to multiple tumor malignancies, such as recurrence, metastasis, heterogeneity, multidrug resistance, and radiation resistance. Doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1) was recently identified as CSC marker is upregulated in several solid tumors, which distinguishes between cancer and normal stem cell. However, the role of DCLK1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. According to the open database like TCGA, overexpression of DCLK1 is reported to be associated with poor prognosis in HCC patients. It was also observed that DCLK1 expression was significantly increased in the advanced stage of HCC. In addition, as a result of measuring the serum DCLK1 levels obtained from patients with liver cirrhosis or HCC treated at Seoul National University Hospital, it was confirmed that the expression of DCLK1 was significantly increased in patients with HCC compared to those with liver cirrhosis. It was also confirmed that DCLK1 was expressed in human HCC cell lines and that the expression levels of DCLK1 mRNA and protein were further increased in CSC rich human HCC cell lines. Moreover, cell death was increased at the cellular level when DCLK1 was blocked via inhibiting expression of CSC markers such as CD133 and EpCAM. After evaluating the effect of DCLK1 inhibition in CSC rich human HCC cells lines, it was found that spheroid formation decreased by suppressing CSCs markers including LGR5 and CD133. In addition, it was confirmed that cell migration decreased when DCLK1 was blocked. Even in the murine HCC model, it was found that the antitumor effect was showed when administered with DCLK1 inhibitor, DCLK1-IN-1, in xenograft model with CSC rich HCC cell lines. Our results support that DCLK1 can be used as a biomarker for the detection of HCC and may be a candidate for developing targeted therapeutics to eradicate HCC. Citation Format: Daseul Yoon, Seung Hee Jung, Ju Young Jang, Ji-Young Ahn, Seung Jin Jo, Donghyun Ko, Dong-kyu Kim, Su Jong Yu. First-in-class Doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1) inhibitor for targeting cancer stem cell in hepatocellular carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 6073.

Background: Eosinophilia is well recognized in specific conditions. The objective of the present study was to determine clinico-radiologic characteristics of eosinophilia and changes in prevalence over 10 years in recipients of private health screening program at a tertiary hospital in Korea. Methods: Data of private health screening program recipients at the health promotion center of Chung-Ang University Hospital from 2004 to 2013 were collected. Health-related questionnaires and laboratory findings of private health screening program with possible relation with eosinophilia were reviewed. Results of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for parasite, chest computed tomography, and pulmonary function test were also reviewed. Results: The cumulative prevalence of eosinophilia was 4.0% (1,963 of 48,928). Prevalence of eosinophilia showed a decreased trend from 2004 to 2013. Most cases (96.6%) had mild degree of eosinophilia. Eosinophilic subjects were older and male-predominant. They showed lower levels of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1%), forced vital capacity (FVC%), and FEV1/FVC than those without eosinophilia. Eosinophilic subjects showed higher positive rate for common parasite in ELISA than those without eosinophilia. On radiologic findings, consolidation and ground glass opacities were positively associated with the degree of eosinophilia. When eosinophil was classified based on severity, statistically significant correlation between the severity of eosinophil and radiologic abnormalities was found. Conclusion: Eosinophilia is uncommon in healthy population. It usually occurs at a mild degree. Eosinophilic patients have more radiologic abnormalities compared to those without eosinophilia. Such radiologic abnormalities are associated with the severity of eosinophilia.

BACKGROUND Elevated levels of cortisol and growth hormone are critical counterregulatory responses to severe hypoglycemia. However, the proportion and clinical characteristics of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) who fail to show appropriate cortisol and/or growth hormone secretion in response to severe hypoglycemia have not been investigated. METHODS We measured plasma cortisol and growth hormone levels in type 2 DM patients with severe hypoglycemia who visited the emergency department between 2006 and 2015. RESULTS Of 112 hypoglycemic patients, 23 (20.5%) had an impaired cortisol response (

Background Most studies validating the Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology (TBSRTC) have been conducted in Western countries. We explored the current status of TBSRTC in an area where most thyroid malignancies are papillary carcinomas. Methods Fine-needle aspirations (FNAs) of thyroid nodules performed in 2013 were retrospectively analyzed and the results were compared to final pathology on resection. Results Of 1947 FNAs, 1925 (98.9%) were reported using TBSRTC. Among 381 resected lesions, 27.3% of nondiagnostic, 19.6% of benign, 56.0% of atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS), 33.3% of follicular neoplasm/suspicious for a follicular neoplasm (FN/SFN), 97.7% of suspicious for malignancy, and 100.0% of malignant lesions were malignant on pathology. The sensitivity and specificity of FNA using TBSRTC were 96.7% and 84.1%, respectively. Conclusion TBSRTC works well in an area in which papillary thyroid cancer is prevalent; however, it may underestimate malignancy rates in AUS/FLUS, benign, and nondiagnostic categories. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2016

Background Persistent hypercalcitoninemia is reported in 40% to 60% of patients with medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) after initial therapy, but their clinical outcomes have not been clearly studied. We evaluated the outcomes of MTC with hypercalcitoninemia and assessed the cutoffs of postoperative serum calcitonin for predicting structural recurrence. Methods A dynamic risk assessment system was used to categorize clinical outcomes in this retrospective study. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to calculate the calcitonin cutoffs for predicting structural recurrence. Results Among 120 patients operated on, 30 (25%) had persistent hypercalcitoninemia. Of that group, 18 (60%) had biochemical persistent disease and 11 (37%) developed structural identified disease, including 1 death (3%). Postoperative calcitonin

Objective Gingival fibroblasts (GFs) can participate in the immune response and play an immune-regulatory role. This study was to evaluate whether GFs can be differently activated and polarized into distinct functional subtypes in response to T helper type 1 (Th1), or Th2 stimuli. Design Human GFs were stimulated by the Th1 cytokine, IFN-γ, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), separately or in combination (Th1 stimuli), or by Th2 cytokines, IL-4 and IL-13, separately or in combination (Th2 stimuli). mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12), anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10, IL-13), chemokines ((C-X-C motif chemokine (CXCL)10, CXCL11, C-C motif ligand 20), molecules involved in antigen presentation ((human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-ABC, HLA-DP, CD74, CD40)), LPS-recognizing components (Toll-like receptor 4, CD14), collagen type 1 (COL1), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and the protein levels of IL-6, CXCL11, CD14, and COL1 accumulated in supernatants were analyzed using real-time PCR and ELISA, respectively. The cell surface levels of the molecules involved in antigen presentation were detected by flow cytometry. Results Th1 stimuli strongly upregulated the expression of diverse cytokines, chemokines, molecules involved in antigen presentation, LPS-recognizing components, MMP-1, and iNOS, whereas Th1 stimuli inhibited the expression of COLI. In contrast, Th2 stimuli strongly upregulated the levels of COL1 and IL-4, while the expression levels of the other factors were minimally affected or even inhibited. Conclusion These results show that GFs can be polarized into functionally distinct subtypes, immune-activating but tissue-destructive GF1 or tissue-reparative GF2, in response to Th1 and Th2 stimuli, respectively.

The management of patients with thyroid cytopathologic diagnosis of atypia (or follicular lesion) of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS) is a complex clinical problem. The purpose of this study was to develop a practical triage scheme based on multiple diagnostic tests in general use. We performed a retrospective cohort study involving 15,335 consecutive patients with a referral diagnosis of thyroid nodule between April 2011 and March 2015 using an institutional database. We obtained 904 patients with an initial cytopathologic diagnosis of AUS/FLUS who underwent repeat fine-needle aspiration or core needle biopsy, 388 of whom had a corresponding histopathological diagnosis for excised index lesions. The diagnostic performance of ultrasound (US) findings, repeat biopsy, and BRAF(V) (600E) mutation in cytopathologic specimens were evaluated individually or as a set. Of the 388 resected AUS/FLUS cases, 338 (87.1%) were thyroid cancer. The positive likelihood ratios (LRs) for BRAF(V) (600E) mutation and repeat biopsy result of suspicious for malignant cell (SMC) or worse were 11.6 (95% CI = 1.7-77.8) and 13.7 (95% CI = 4.6-41.0), respectively. The absence of suspicious findings on US combined with cytologic result of less than SMC or negative BRAF(V) (600E) mutation produced negative LRs ranging from 0.06 to 0.15, corresponding to negative predictive values of over 90% in both primary and referral settings. For patients with AUS/FLUS cytopathology, clinical decision making can be guided by a simple triage scheme based on US findings, repeat biopsy, or BRAF(V) (600E) mutation.

Objective Bacterial invasion into host cells is a common strategy to escape the host immune system. Gingival fibroblasts (GFs) are the most predominant non-phagocytic cell type in gingival connective tissue. Therefore, invasion into GFs was thought to be the first strategy for the survival of Porphyromonas gingivalis . The present study compared the invasive ability of P. gingivalis into GFs with those of other red-complex and relatively less pathogenic bacterial strains, especially Fusobacterium nucleatum . Materials and methods Invasive ability of bacterial strains into GFs was measured using a flow cytometric invasion assay at a multiplicity of infection of 1000. The effect of dual infection with F. nucleatum CCUG 37843T on P. gingivalis ATCC 49417 invasion was investigated. The invasive ability of F. nucleatum and P. gingivalis was confirmed using confocal microscopy. Results The invasive ability of red-complex bacteria was markedly lower than that of F. nucleatum or Campylobacter gracilis . The invasive ability of 4 types and 10 clinical strains of P. gingivalis was less than 6%, and that of F. nucleatum strains was greater than 45%. Confocal analysis revealed that the percentage of bacteria invading GFs in the cell-treated P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum were 0.0068% and 1.22%, respectively. Dual infection with F. nucleatum increased the invasive ability of P. gingivalis . Conclusion The invasive capacities of P. gingivalis into GFs were comparatively lower than those of relatively less pathogenic bacteria. Invasion into GFs cannot be the first strategy for survival of P. gingivalis in gingival connective tissue.

Cystic fibrosis (MIM # 219700 ) is one of the most common autosomal recessively inherited diseases in Caucasians and is caused by pathogenic variants in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. However, this disease is much less frequent in Asian populations. Here, we performed a clinical characterization of, and genetic analysis of CFTR in, Korean patients with cystic fibrosis. Six Korean patients from five families (two females and four males; median age, 12.5 years) were enrolled. Clinical data were assessed by retrospective review of medical records. The genetic variants of CFTR were analysed by sequencing analysis and multiple ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). Among the six patients, five had at least one allele with a deletion of exons 16–17 b: four had a heterozygous deletion and one had a homozygous deletion. Six of 12 alleles (50%) showed 16–17 b multi-exon deletion. All six patients had a classical cystic fibrosis phenotype and presented with chronic steatorrhea and malabsorption from infancy, resulting in growth failure and chronic recurrent respiratory symptoms, including chronic sinusitis, mucus plugging, and bronchiectasis. All patients survived with supportive care. Early diagnosis and management are important for improving the clinical outcomes of patients with cystic fibrosis. Because of the high frequency of multi- or single-exon deletions in CFTR, we suggest that molecular investigation for identifying exon deletions should be performed to establish an early confirmative diagnosis in Asian populations, including populations in Korea and Japan.

Purpose Vitamin D deficiency is common in Crohn disease (CD). The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and evaluate the association between vitamin D status and growth outcome in Korean pediatric CD patients. Methods In this retrospective study, 17 children younger than 18 years old diagnosed with CD were enrolled and their serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25[OH]D) was checked between 2011 and 2015. We categorized the patients into two groups, Group 1 and Group 2. Group 1 included patients with serum 25(OH)D levels below 10 ng/mL, and Group 2 was for patients with a 25(OH)D serum levels between 10 ng/mL and 30 ng/mL. The z-scores for height (Htz), weight (Wtz), and body mass index (BMIz) were measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Results The mean serum 25(OH)D levels of the total 65 CD patients and 17 enrolled patients were 15.64±6.9 ng/mL and 13.1±5.1 ng/mL, respectively. There was no correlation at the beginning of the study between vitamin D level and growth parameters (Htz, Wtz, BMIz) or other variables including laboratory data and Pediatric Crohn Disease Activity Index. The Htz, Wtz, and BMIz in Group 1 showed no significant improvement at 6 months and 12 months follow-up. In Group 2, Wtz and BMIz showed significant improvements sustained until 12 months of follow-up. Htz showed no significant improvement at 6 months but there was significant improvement at 12 months. Conclusion It seems that baseline vitamin D status affects growth outcome in pediatric CD.

4,5-Dihydro-7H-pyrano[3,4-c]isoxazoles (II and III) with an o-chlorophenyl or p-chlorophenyl group at C-7 were synthesized and the effect of substitution at C-3 of II and III on fungicidal activity was investigated in vivo. When the substituent at C-3 of II and III was CH2Br, CH=NOMe, CH=NOEt or CH=NO-allyl, the fungicidal effect was significant and selectively high on wheat leaf rust and barley powdery mildew at 250 ppm. Compound IId with the CH2Br substituent at C-7 showed high fungicidal activity against rice blast, providing more than 90% control of the disease at 2 ppm.

Background: Carbapenem-resistance is rapidly evolving among the pathogenic microbes in intensive care units (ICUs). This study aimed to determine annual trend of carbapenem-resistance in the ICU for 4 years, since the opening of a university-affiliated hospital in South Korea. Methods: From 2005 to 2008, microbial samples from consecutive 6,772 patients were screened in the ICU. Three hundred and ninety-seven patients (5.9%) and their first isolates of carbapenem-resistant pathogens were analyzed. Results: The percentage of patients infected with carbapenem-resistant organisms increased constantly during the initial three years (2.3% in 2005, 6.2% in 2006, 7.8% in 2007), then it declined to 6.5% in 2008. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) III score at admission was 58.0±23.5, the median length of the ICU stay was 37 days, and the mortality rate was 37.5%. The sampling sites were endotracheal suction (67%), catheterized urine (17%), wound (6%) and others (10%). Bacteria with carbapenem-resistance were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (247 isolates, 62%), Acinetobacter baumannii (117 isolates, 30%), Enterobacteriaceae (12 isolates, 3%), and others (21, 5%). Of note, peak isolation of carbapenem-resistant microorganisms in medical ICU was followed by the same epidemic at surgical ICU. Conclusion: Taken together, carbapenem-resistant pathogens are of growing concern in the ICU.

The magnetic saliency effect in surface-mounted permanent-magnet (SMPM) motors on the torque control at high speeds is first presented and analyzed in this paper. The d- and q- axes impedance are measured by proposed State-Filter. Measurement of the d- and q- axes impedance difference is performed to prove the existence of the magnetic saliency. Then, the saliency effects on the torque control performance in the flux weakening region are discussed. Based on the developed motor modeling with the reluctance torque, the proposed control adjusts the d- and q-axis current toward the operating point to track the commanded torque. The feasibility of the presented idea is verified by experimental results on a commercial 600[W] SMPM motor.

Most studies validating the Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology (TBSRTC) have been conducted in Western countries. We explored the current status of TBSRTC in an area where most thyroid malignancies are papillary carcinomas.Fine-needle aspirations (FNAs) of thyroid nodules performed in 2013 were retrospectively analyzed and the results were compared to final pathology on resection.Of 1947 FNAs, 1925 (98.9%) were reported using TBSRTC. Among 381 resected lesions, 27.3% of nondiagnostic, 19.6% of benign, 56.0% of atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS), 33.3% of follicular neoplasm/suspicious for a follicular neoplasm (FN/SFN), 97.7% of suspicious for malignancy, and 100.0% of malignant lesions were malignant on pathology. The sensitivity and specificity of FNA using TBSRTC were 96.7% and 84.1%, respectively.TBSRTC works well in an area in which papillary thyroid cancer is prevalent; however, it may underestimate malignancy rates in AUS/FLUS, benign, and nondiagnostic categories. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 269-274, 2017.

Persistent hypercalcitoninemia is reported in 40% to 60% of patients with medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) after initial therapy, but their clinical outcomes have not been clearly studied. We evaluated the outcomes of MTC with hypercalcitoninemia and assessed the cutoffs of postoperative serum calcitonin for predicting structural recurrence.A dynamic risk assessment system was used to categorize clinical outcomes in this retrospective study. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to calculate the calcitonin cutoffs for predicting structural recurrence.Among 120 patients operated on, 30 (25%) had persistent hypercalcitoninemia. Of that group, 18 (60%) had biochemical persistent disease and 11 (37%) developed structural identified disease, including 1 death (3%). Postoperative calcitonin29 pg/mL predicted structural disease with 100% sensitivity, 90.5% specificity, and 100% negative predictive value.One third of the patients with MTC with hypercalcitoninemia experienced structural recurrence, and postoperative basal serum calcitonin might be a simple tumor marker to predict structural recurrence. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: First-1508, 2016.

Most of the interstitial lung diseases are rare, chronic, progressive and fatal disorders, especially in familial form. The etiology of the majority of interstitial lung disease is still unknown. Host susceptibility, genetic and environmental factors may influence clinical expression of each disease. With familial interstitial lung diseases, mutations of surfactant protein B and surfactant protein C or other additional genetic mechanisms (e.g. mutation of the gene for ATP-binding cassette transporter A3) could be associated. We found a 21 month-old girl with respiratory symptoms, abnormal radiographic findings and abnormal open lung biopsy findings compatible with nonspecific interstitial pneumonitis that is similar to those of her older sister died from this disease. We performed genetic studies of the patient and her parents, but we could not find any mutation in our case. High-dose intravenous methylprednisolone and oral hydroxychloroquine were administered and she is still alive without progression during 21 months of follow-up.

A 69-year-old female patient visited the emergency room with fever (38.3℃) and dyspnea. She had been taking prednisolone (5 mg once per day) and methotrexate (2.5 mg once per week) for rheumatoid arthritis for 2 years. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed bilateral, multifocal ground glass opacity with interlobular septal thickening. Peripheral blood leukocyte count was 6,520/mm(3) (neutrophils, 77.4%; eosinophils, 12.1%). During the night, mechanical ventilation was initiated due to the development of severe hypoxemia. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid showed a high proportion of eosinophils (49%). Her symptoms improved dramatically after commencement of intravenous methylprednisolone therapy. This is the first report of idiopathic acute eosinophilic pneumonia developing in a current user of systemic corticosteroids.

Background The independent skeletal effect of thyrotropin (thyroid stimulating hormone, TSH) has been suggested in animal studies. However, clinical data on the association between bone loss and variations in TSH levels is inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between TSH levels and bone mineral density (BMD). Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study with 37,431 subjects (33,052 cases with euthyroidism and 4,379 cases with subclinical thyroid dysfunction) aged over 35 years. We performed thyroid function tests and measured BMD at the lumbar spine, femur neck, and total hip. Results Levels of TSH and T3 were positively correlated in women (r = 0.076, P = 0.001) and uncorrelated in men. In both men and women, TSH levels correlated positively and T3 levels correlated negatively with BMD at all skeletal sites in age and body mass index adjusted analyses. BMD increased steadily with TSH levels from the subclinical hyperthyroid to subclinical hypothyroid range in subjects with T3 levels in the highest tertile (119.5–200.0 ng/dL), but was no longer significant in subjects with lower plasma T3 levels. Conclusions The variations in TSH levels within the euthyroid and subclinical range were positively correlated with BMD in healthy men and women. The negative effect of T3 on BMD appears to be compensated for by increased TSH in subjects with plasma T3 levels in the upper normal range.

ObjectivesSouth Koreans receive the bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination, which influence the result of the tuberculin skin test (TST); however, only a few studies have described the usefulness of the TST and interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) for diagnosing latent TB infection (LTBI). Therefore, our aim was to determine the usefulness of the TST and IGRA for diagnosing LTBI in a household contacts investigation.MethodsWe reviewed the 329 household contacts who visited Chung-Ang University Hospital (Seoul, Korea) from May 1, 2011 to February 28, 2014. To evaluate the effectiveness of TST and IGRA for the diagnosis of LTBI, we examined the concordance rate between the two tests, based on age. We also evaluated the risk factors for LTBI.ResultsThe concordance rate between the two tests in individuals 0–24 years, 25–54 years, and over 55 years were 82.6% (κ = 0.64, p

Background: Varenicline, a selective partial agonist/antagonist of the α4β2 nicotinic receptor, has proven effectiveness for smoking cessation by several randomized, controlled trials. Because few studies have evaluated the long-term efficacy of varenicline, we tried to evaluate the smoking status of varenicline users up to 3 years after the initial prescription of the drug. Methods: We interviewed varenicline users who were prescribed the drug from June 2007 to May 2010 by telephone, from June 2010 to May 2011. Results: One-hundred and thirty-three of 250 varenicline users (53.2%) were available for the survey. Seven-day continuous abstinence from smoking was adhered to by 17 of 39 respondents (43.6%) at 1 year, and 11 of 36 (30.6%) and 19 of 58 (32.8%) at 2 and 3 years since the first use of varenicline, respectively. Compared to current smokers, successful quitters were older (55.0 years vs. 49.9 years, p=0.01), had better compliance to the 12-week course (27.7 vs. 9.3%, p=0.01), and had taken varenicline longer (10.1 vs. 5.9 weeks, p=0.01). Fifty-four of 71 current smokers (76.1%) were willing to stop smoking in the near future. The preferred ways to cease smoking were will-power (48.1%), varenicline (25.9%), nicotine replacement therapy (11.1%), and others (14.9%). Conclusion: Smokers should be encouraged to stick to the proven way for recommended period of time for successful cessation of smoking.

The purpose of this research is to develop a therapeutic expression for the use of early treatment that will improve the social interactions of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In order to satisfy the purpose, we choose a cat character after surveying requirements and summarize the required actions for a treatment as hugging, eye contacts, copies of body movements and reactions to negative behaviours. The robot has a face mechanism that can express the emotion and a body mechanism to perform hand gesture. We also designed a system controller and sensor interfaces to control its body or interact with children. All the use history of the robot is stored at the memory device to analyze the play patterns of the patient and also used to make the treatment program that can be utilized in the specialized clinic. In this study, the therapeutic expression for the treatment of ASD is suggested and ported in a cat robot, and verified with real action experiment of those functions. This study is kinds of preliminary result before developing a treatment therapy for ASD children using perfect cat robot that has outer skin and furry coat, and followed by expression research for the suitable program that can be applied in the real treatment field.

Benign schwannoma is the most common neurogenic tumor in the mediastinum. Mediastinal benign schwannomas are most often asymptomatic and rarely accompanied by bloody pleural effusion. In the clinical analysis of 7 cases of pulmonary schwannomas, pleural effusion, and blood invasion were evident in 3 patients with malignant schwannoma. Herein, we report a rare case of giant, benign schwannoma presented with total collapse of right lung by massive, bloody pleural effusion.

Magnetic saliency effect in surface-mounted permanent-magnet (SMPM) motors on the torque control at high speeds is first presented and analyzed in this paper. Measurement of the d- and q-axes impedance difference is performed to prove the existence of the magnetic saliency. Then, the saliency effects on the torque control performance in the flux weakening region are discussed. Based on the developed motor modeling with the reluctance torque, the proposed control adjusts the d- and q-axis current toward the operating point to track the commanded torque. The feasibility of the presented idea is verified by experimental results on a commercial 600-W SMPM motor.

Background and Objectives: Selenium is an important trace element for thyroid hormone metabolism, and its deficiency can cause hypothyroidism. Serum selenium concentration is the best biomarker to reflect selenium intake and reserve, although other markers can reflect. Therefore, we preliminarily assessed serum and urine selenium concentrations in patients with thyroid disease compared to those of a healthy population. We also investigated the correlation between serum and urine selenium concentration, thyroid hormone and urinary iodine concentration (UIC). Materials and Methods: A total of 97 patients (32 men, 65 women, 52.4±14.7 years) with benign thyroid nodules or thyroid dysfunction who visited the Samsung Medical Center between 2008 and 2013 were included. Data for 175 healthy subjects provided by Lee et al. were used as the control. Serum T3, free T4, and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured using commercialized RIA or IRMA kits. Serum/urine selenium and UIC were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results: Median serum selenium concentration was 110 μg/L (95% CI, 73-156). Median urine selenium concentration was 66.3 μg/gCr (95% CI, 28.7-283.5). Compared to 175 healthy subjects (serum 84 μg/L [95% CI, 30-144], urine 34.5 μg/gCr [95% CI, 0.8-107.2]), serum and urine selenium concentrations of patients with thyroid disease were significantly higher than those of healthy subjects (p＜0.001). Serum selenium concentration was significantly correlated with urine selenium concentration after log transformation (r=0.88, p=0.022), but was not significantly correlated with UIC, T3, free T4 and TSH. Conclusion: Selenium concentrations of patients with thyroid disease were significantly higher than those of healthy subjects. Serum selenium concentration was significantly correlated with urine selenium concentration.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the existence of TNF-α polymorphisms in Korean children with Crohn’s disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), as compared to healthy controls. Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 40 patients with CD, 14 patients with UC, and 30 healthy controls. Genotyping for 5 TNF-α polymorphisms (G238A, G308A, C857T, C863A, and T1031C) was performed. The allele frequencies for the inflammatory bowel diseases, CD and UC, were measured in patients with these disease and in healthy controls, and these allele frequencies were compared between the 3 groups. We examined the significant association between polymorphism and disease phenotype, such as location, behavior, perianal disease, and pediatric Crohn’s activity index (PCDAI) in CD. Results: Based on our findings, the TNF-α allele frequencies of G238A, G308A, C857T, C863A, and T1031C were 3.3, 8.3, 16.7, 16.7, 21.7% in healthy control, 2.5%, 7.5%, 18.8%, 20.0%, 22.5% in CD, 7.1%, 7.1%, 7.1%, 21.4%, 28.6% in UC. They were no statistically significant differences between the 3 groups. There were no associations between genotypes and phenotypes in CD, except a statistically significant higher allele frequency of G238A in ileal type (L1) disease (p=0.010). Conclusion: Our results indicate that 5 TNF-α polymorphisms do not seem to be associated with susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease in Korean pediatric patients even though young patients were anticipated to have a stronger genetic affiliation for these diseases than adult patients. We think that further studies are needed to find those genes associated with susceptibility to CD and UC in Korean pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease. (Korean J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2011; 14: 269∼278)