Woo Hwan Choi

CONTEXT: Vitamin D status in the Korean population has not been adequately determined. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the vitamin D status and the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in the Korean population, and also identify the predictors for vitamin D insufficiency in Korea. DESIGN AND SETTING: The Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES IV) in the Korean population conducted in 2008. PARTICIPANTS: 3,047 males and 3,878 females aged 10 years and older selected in

Center for Obesity, Nutrition and Metabolism, Pusan National University Hospital1; Department of Family Medicine, Ulsan University College of Medicine2; Department of Family Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine3; Department of Internal Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine4; Department of Family Medicine, Seoul Municipal Dong-Bu Hospital5; Department of Internal Medicine, Ajou University, College of Medicine6, Health Center, Guro-gu, Seoul7; Department of Fami

The present study was carried out to evaluate the physiological effects of seaweed supplementation on blood glucose levels, lipid profile, and antioxidant enzyme activities in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Subjects were randomized into either a control group or a seaweed supplementation group. Pills with equal parts of dry powdered sea tangle and sea mustard were provided to the seaweed supplementation group three times a day for 4 weeks. Total daily consumption of seaweed was 48 g. We

We used the recently described technique of single-stranded conformation-polymorphism (SSCP) analysis to examine the insulin-receptor locus. First, the ability of the method to detect known mutations and polymorphisms in the insulin-receptor coding sequence was assessed. Regions of the insulin-receptor sequence containing 16 different nucleotide changes, 9 in patient genomic DNA and 7 as cloned cDNA in plasmids, were analyzed. All 9 patient genomic DNA mutants and 5 of 7 plasmid mutants exhibite

Accurate measurement of fat mass has become increasingly important with the increasing incidence of obesity. We assessed fat and muscle mass of Koreans with the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV (KNHANES IV). We studied 10,456 subjects (aged 20 to 85 yr; 4,476 men, 5,980 women). Fat and muscle mass were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Reference values of body compositions were obtained using the LMS method. The fat mass index (FMI, body fat mass/height(2); k

BACKGROUND: Robotic thyroidectomy and conventional endoscopic thyroidectomy have not been thoroughly compared. In this study, we compared the potential advantages of robotic versus endoscopic thyroidectomy. METHODS: We analyzed 218 consecutive patients who underwent endoscopic (105 cases) or robotic (113 cases) thyroidectomy using a gasless unilateral axillo-breast or gasless unilateral axillary approach. RESULTS: Because of the dexterity of robotic instruments and the improved surgical view, it

Accurate measurement of fat mass has become increasingly important with the increasing incidence of obesity. We assessed fat and muscle mass of Koreans with the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV (KNHANES IV). We studied 10,456 subjects (aged 20 to 85 yr; 4,476 men, 5,980 women). Fat and muscle mass were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Reference values of body compositions were obtained using the LMS method. The fat mass index (FMI, body fat mass/height^2; kg

Sarcopenia is defined the loss of muscle mass and strength with aging. Although the etiology and the pathogenesis, the diagnosis of sarcopenia are obscure, the sequel of sarcopenia, i.e. morbidity and mortality, metabolic complications, are a major public health problem. Particularly, aged people in Korea are increasing rapidly more than expected; therefore the interest of sarcopenia is also increasing rapidly. This article provides an overview of the pathogenesis, and diagnosis, epidemiology, c

BACKGROUND: The indications and extent of cervical lymph node dissection in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) are still being debated. The aim of this study was to analyze the patterns of cervical lymph node metastasis in the lateral and central compartment and related factors and suggest the optimal extent of lateral and central neck dissection for PTC patients with clinical lateral lymph node metastasis. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 72 patients with unilateral PTC who underwent therape

The data revealed suboptimal glycemic control in about 40% of patients.

Patient preferences, convenience, and bone turnover markers were evaluated for the monthly ibandronate over the weekly risedronate regimen in Korean postmenopausal osteoporotic women. This was a 6-month, prospective, randomized, open-label, multicenter study with a two-period and two-sequence crossover treatment design. After a 30-day screening period, eligible participants with postmenopausal osteoporosis were randomized to receive either monthly oral ibandronate 150 mg for 3 months followed by

Gynecomastia is a benign enlargement of the male breast caused by the proliferation of glandular breast tissue. Determining the various causes of gynecomastia such as physiological causes, drugs, systemic diseases, and endocrine disorders is important. Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) is a rare endocrine disorder presenting with gynecomastia and is a disorder of male sexual differentiation caused by mutations within the androgen receptor gene. All individuals with AIS have the 46 XY karyoty