Sung Hee Choi

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the association between smoking and its additive effects with insulin resistance and beta-cell function on the incidence of type 2 diabetes in a prospective population-based cohort study. DESIGN AND METHOD: A total of 10 038 subjects were recruited from rural and urban areas. All subjects underwent 75 g oral glucose tolerance tests and full biochemical assessments at baseline and during 4-year follow-up period. The final analysis was limited to 4041 men due to the low

OBJECTIVES: There is growing evidence for the association between bone mineral density (BMD) and vascular calcification, which is related to cardiovascular disease. Coronary multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) is a noninvasive tool developed to evaluate coronary status precisely. We used MDCT to evaluate this association. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: Eight hundred and fifteen subjects received routine checkups. After excluding subjects with factors affecting bone metabolism and cardiovascular d

OBJECTIVE: Vaspin is visceral adipose-tissue-derived adipokine, which has an insulin-sensitizing effect in obese type 2 diabetic rodent models. As adipokines may serve as a link between visceral adiposity and atherosclerosis, we investigated whether plasma vaspin concentrations were associated with the metabolic syndrome and coronary atherosclerosis. DESIGN AND METHODS: We measured fasting plasma vaspin levels in 81 subjects with the metabolic syndrome and 241 age- and sex-matched control subjec

OBJECTIVE: Various cutoff levels of hemoglobin A(1c) (A1C) have been suggested to screen for diabetes, although more consensus about the best level, especially for different ethnicities, is required. We evaluated the usefulness of A1C levels when screening for undiagnosed diabetes and as a predictor of 6-year incident diabetes in a prospective, population-based cohort study. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total 10,038 participants were recruited from the Ansung-Ansan cohort study. All subjects u

OBJECTIVE: Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is an emerging metabolic regulator associated with glucose and lipid metabolism. However, previous studies of FGF21 have been largely confounded by obesity, and data are limited for advanced outcomes such as coronary artery disease (CAD) and ectopic fat accumulation. We investigated the associations between serum FGF21 concentrations and glucose/lipid metabolism, CAD, and pericardial fat deposition in subjects strictly matched for obesity parameters

Adipose tissue is increasingly recognized as an endocrine organ playing important pathophysiological roles in metabolic abnormalities, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In particular, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), as opposed to subcutaneous adipose tissue, is closely linked to the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and T2DM. Despite the importance of VAT, its molecular signatures related to the pathogenesis of T2DM have not been systematically explore

CONTEXT: Women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus (pGDM) are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus in the future. The role of adipokines in women with pGDM has not been established. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether circulating adipokine concentration is associated with abnormal glucose homeostasis in women with pGDM. DESIGN, SETTING, PATIENTS, AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We measured the plasma concentrations of retinol-binding protein-4 (RBP4), transthyretin (TTR), and ad

Total WBC counts were related with the severity of coronary artery disease, and higher WBC counts increased the risk of CVDs in asymptomatic Koreans mainly by virtue of monocytes.

Adipose tissue is known to secrete hormones actively and produces many biologically active proteins called adipocytokines. Typically, obesity is followed by low-grade inflammation, which is characterized by increased circulating levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Macrophages play a role in the inflammatory process by secreting many cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6, resistin, and retinol binding protein-4. These cytokines and chemokines participate in low-grade pro-

CONTEXT: A previous genome-wide association study showed that a genetic variant of sortilin was associated with the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the role of circulating sortilin is still unknown. We investigated the potential role of plasma sortilin as a biomarker for CAD and diabetes mellitus. METHODS: We enrolled statin-naïve subjects with CAD (n = 31) who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery and control subjects (n = 116) who were free from CAD as evaluated by coronary