Young Ah Lee

BACKGROUNDMolecular characterization in pediatric papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), distinct from adult PTC, is important for developing molecularly targeted therapies for progressive radioiodine-refractory (131I-refractory) PTC.METHODSPTC samples from 106 pediatric patients (age range: 4.3-19.8 years; n = 84 girls, n = 22 boys) who were admitted to SNUH (January 1983-March 2020) were available for genomic profiling. Previous transcriptomic data from 125 adult PTC samples were used for comparison.

Per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a family of synthetic polyfluorinated compounds, are widely used in consumer products. Ubiquitous exposures to PFAS, in consideration of their persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and toxicities have led to concerns regarding possible harmful effects during critical periods of development in early-life and long-term consequences on health. The potential effects of PFAS depend on various factors including the type of PFAS and the timing and level of e

CONTEXT: Large-sample studies with long-term follow-up data are limited for pediatric patients with thyroid cancer. OBJECTIVE: Secular changes in clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes in pediatric patients with thyroid cancer were investigated and compared with those of adults. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: A retrospective review of 150 pediatric patients with thyroid cancer managed between 1980 and 2013 was conducted. The long-term outcomes of 124 patients followed up for 12 months or longer

Background: Pediatric thyroid cancer has characteristics that are distinct from adulthood thyroid cancer. Due to its very low prevalence, little is known about the genetic characteristics of pediatric follicular thyroid cancer (FTC). Methods: We investigated genetic alterations in tumor tissues from 15 patients aged <20 years (median: 14.3 years; range: 2.4 − 19.0 years) using multifaceted approaches. Whole-exome sequencing, targeted next-generation sequencing using a cancer gene panel, and S

Severe obesity is a major problem in pediatric craniopharyngioma. We investigated whether tumor origin, growth pattern, and surgical damage predict obesity in pediatric craniopharyngioma. Subjects were 58 patients (30 males) with no tumor recurrence during the first postoperative 18 months. Preoperative hypothalamic involvement was classified into no (pre_G0, n = 19), little (pre_G1, n = 21), and severe (pre_G2, n = 18) involvement groups based on sub- or supradiaphragmatic tumor origin and grow

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and predictors for low vitamin D status in Korean adolescents living between latitudes 33° and 39° N. DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study. SETTING: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2008-2009. SUBJECTS: A total of 1510 healthy adolescents aged 12-18 years (806 male, mean age 14.7 years) participated. Possible predictors for low vitamin D status (log-transformed 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) conce

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether low vitamin D status was related to insulin resistance (IR) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG) in Korean adolescents, after adjusting for total body fat mass (FM). DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNAHNES) 2009-2010. SUBJECTS: In total, 1466 participants (769 males) aged 10-19 years were assessed for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels, for FM by whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry an

Background: The incidence of thyroid cancer has increased worldwide. We investigated nationwide trends in the incidence and treatment course of pediatric thyroid cancer in South Korea. Methods : Using the National Health Information Database, we analyzed 1580 patients (324 males) <20 years of age diagnosed with thyroid cancer during 2004–2016 in South Korea. The annual percentage change (APC) in the age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) was calculated by joinpoint regression analysis. The ini

BACKGROUND: Bisphenol A (BPA) is known as an obesogenic endocrine disruptor. Bisphenol S (BPS) and F (BPF) are substitutes that have recently replaced BPA. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationships of urinary bisphenols (BPA, BPS and BPF) with adiposity measurements (obesity, BMI z-score, and fat mass), serum adipokine levels (adiponectin and leptin), and adiponectin/leptin ratio (A/L ratio) in 6- and 8-year-old children. METHODS: A total of 561 children who participated in the Environment an

BACKGROUND: Hyperuricemia has a suspected relationship with hypertension, metabolic syndrome, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease. Endocrine disruptors may affect uric acid metabolism; however, few epidemiologic studies have been performed in children regarding newly developed bisphenol A (BPA) substitutes. We evaluated the associations between BPA, bisphenol S (BPS), and bisphenol F (BPF) exposure and serum uric acid concentrations in 6-year-old Korean children. METHODS: From the Environ

With the increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus in children, transitioning patients from childhood to adulthood are increasing. High-risk behaviors and poor glycemic control during the transition period increase the risk for hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia as well as chronic microvascular and macrovascular complications. Discussions regarding complications and preparations for transition must take place before the actual transition to adult care systems. Pediatric care providers should focus

Background: Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been suggested to affect thyroid function; however, data on early-life exposure and thyroid function in early childhood are scarce. We investigated the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships of early-life exposure to PFAS with thyroid function at 2, 4, and 6 years of age. Methods: This study used data on PFAS exposure and thyroid function from the Environment and Development of Children (EDC) cohort study. A total of 660 childr

Our findings suggest that early life phthalate exposure influences subsequent thyroid function. However, the results should be interpreted cautiously, because a single spot urine sample was used to quantify the phthalate exposures at each time point.