To translate the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) which is a self-administered questionnaire that assesses effect of dysphagia on the quality of life for patients with head and neck cancer, ...into Korean and to verify the validity and reliability of the Korean version of MDADI.
We performed 6 steps for the cross-cultural adaptation which consisted of translation, synthesis, back translation, review by an expert committee, cognitive debriefing, and final proof reading. A total of 34 dysphagia patients with head and neck cancers from Seoul National University Hospital answered the translated version of the questionnaire for the pre-testing. The patients answered the same questionnaire 2 weeks later to verify the test-retest reliability.
One patient was excluded at second survey because he changed his feeding strategy. Overall, 33 patients completed the study. Linguistic validations were achieved by each step of cross-cultural adaptation. We gathered statistically strong construct validity (Spearman rho for subdomain scores to total score correlation range from 0.852 to 0.927), internal consistency for subdomains (Cronbach's alpha coefficients range from 0.785 to 0.889) and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient range from 0.820 to 0.955).
The Korean version of the MDADI achieved linguistic validations and demonstrated good construct validity and reliability. It can be a useful tool for screening and treatment planning for the dysphagia of patients with head and neck cancers.
The longitudinal acoustic (LA) mode of Pb(Zn₁/₃Nb₂/₃)₀.₉₃Ti₀.₀₇O₃ (PZN-0.07PT) single crystals grown by Bridgman method was investigated over a wide temperature range by using a micro-Brillouin ...scattering technique. The ferroelectric phase transition of PZN-0.07PT at ∼166 °C was accompanied by a minimum of the Brillouin frequency shift and a sharp maximum of hypersonic damping. These acoustic properties exhibited a thermal hysteresis between cooling and heating processes indicating the first-order nature of the phase transition. The substantial softening of the frequency shift and the increasing damping are typical in ferroelectric relaxors where nano-sized polar clusters appear in the paraelectric phase and interact with acoustic waves via electrostrictive coupling. However, in the present case, acoustic damping consists of a small, sharp peak at the transition temperature (Tc) superposed on the broad increasing damping. The broad damping, which becomes substantially large already in the prototype cubic phase, is due to the fluctuation interactions, while the additional sudden peak at Tc may be attributed to the growth and merging of polar nanoregions approaching percolation limit that drives the system into a long-range ferroelectric phase at Tc.
Harvesting walking energy to generate sustainable power is critical for the development of portable and wearable electronics. Here, we demonstrate that by ingeniously taking advantage of natural ...triboelectrification and static charges on the human body, electric energy can be generated from our walking without the use of a specially designed shoe/sole or triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). The triboelectric system is composed of only Al electrodes, which makes it compatible with wearables due to its lightweight and flexibility. The electricity generated from every step during walking is sufficient to light up 100 commercial light-emitting diodes (LEDs) instantaneously. Furthermore, the simple system can act as a self-powered active sensor for monitoring our gait during walking, our health, and security. The triboelectric system is ultra-simple, lightweight, eco-friendly, and low-cost, which gives it potential for application in attachable electronics as a sustainable power source and a self-powered sensor.
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•The triboelectric system based on static charges on human body is demonstrated.•The triboelectric system is ultra-simple with component of only Al electrodes.•The triboelectric system is compatible with wearables.•The triboelectric system can be used for walking energy harvesting.•The triboelectric system can act as a self-powered active sensor.
Purpose
Metabolically healthy obese is the designation for a subgroup of obese individuals with normal metabolic features. However, metabolically healthy obese individuals are prone to developing ...metabolic syndrome. Serum triiodothyronine (T3) levels are associated with various metabolic risk factors including obesity. Therefore, this longitudinal study aimed to explore the possible correlation between serum T3 concentration and the onset of MetS in metabolically healthy obese persons.
Methods
A retrospective analysis of 992 euthyroid metabolically healthy obese subjects who underwent yearly health checkups over 6 years was performed. The risk of developing MetS was analyzed according to baseline T3 concentration, as both tertiles and continuous values, using Cox regression analysis. Serum T3 concentration at the end of the study was further analyzed according to the final metabolic phenotype.
Results
The incidence of MetS was 464 cases (46.8%) during a median 3.3 years of follow-up (3168.2 person-years). The hazard ratio for incident MetS enhanced with increasing T3 concentration in both the crude and adjusted models. Higher baseline serum T3 levels were associated with unfavorable metabolic parameters. However, over the course of the study, serum T3 concentration significantly increased in subjects who sustained metabolically healthy phenotypes compared to baseline value, while it significantly decreased in the subjects who developed MetS.
Conclusions
Serum T3 concentrations exhibit distinct associations with development of metabolic syndrome in euthyroid metabolically healthy obese persons, but its increment during follow-up maintained metabolically healthy state. These findings suggest that serum T3 modulation might be an adaptive process to protect against metabolic deterioration.
Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) has been the sole surrogate marker for assessing diabetic complications. However, consistently reported limitations of HbA1c are that it lacks detailed information on ...short-term glycemic control and can be easily interfered with by various clinical conditions such as anemia, pregnancy, or liver disease. Thus, HbA1c alone may not represent the real glycemic status of a patient. The advancement of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has enabled both patients and healthcare providers to monitor glucose trends for a whole single day, which is not possible with HbA1c. This has allowed for the development of core metrics such as time spent in time in range (TIR), hyperglycemia, or hypoglycemia, and glycemic variability. Among the 10 core metrics, TIR is reported to represent overall glycemic control better than HbA1c alone. Moreover, various evidence supports TIR as a predictive marker of diabetes complications as well as HbA1c, as the inverse relationship between HbA1c and TIR reveals. However, there are more complex relationships between HbA1c, TIR, and other CGM metrics. This article provides information about 10 core metrics with particular focus on TIR and the relationships between the CGM metrics for comprehensive understanding of glycemic status using CGM.
Abstract. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic efficacy of free metanephrines in plasma samples drawn in the seated position compared with 24-h urinary metanephrines in detecting ...pheochromocytomas in Asian patients. This prospective study was conducted at Samsung Medical Center between May 2010 and July 2011. The study contained 245 subjects, including 28 patients with histologically-proven pheochromocytoma, 44 with histologically-proven non-pheochromocytoma, 112 controls suspected of having tumors but with negative investigations during two or more years of follow-up, and 45 healthy normotensive volunteers. Plasma-free metanephrines were measured by LC-MS/MS. The cutoff values with optimal sensitivity and specificity for plasma metanephrine and plasma normetanephrine were 0.33 nmol/L and 0.61 nmol/L, respectively. Both the plasma metanephrines measurement and urinary metanephrines measurement had a sensitivity of 96.4% (p=1.00). However, the urinary metanephrines measurement was significantly more specific than the plasma metanephrines measurement (94.2% vs. 75.6%; p<0.001). When we applied cut-off values based on BMI, specificity improved from 75.6% to 87.2%, with a comparable gain in sensitivity. From a diagnostic perspective, measurement of free metanephrines in plasma drawn in the seated position is highly sensitive but insufficiently specific when compared with measurement of 24-h urinary fractionated metanephrines. The specificity may be improved by applying cut-off values based on BMI. We suggest that free metanephrines in plasma drawn from seated position can also be used as an initial screening test to ensure that pheochromocytomas are not missed in Asian patients.
: Background: Islet cell transplantation is a novel therapeutic modality for the cure of diabetes. Pig islet cells are an attractive substitute for human islet cells; however, they are known to be ...particularly difficult to isolate because of a weak islet capsule and a tendency to be fragmented during enzymatic digestion. Therefore, parameters favoring successful pig islet isolation were investigated using specific‐pathogen‐free (SPF) miniature pigs.
Methods: Sixty‐eight SPF miniature pigs were used for islet isolation. Birth weight, body weight, age, sex, pregnancy history, and the fasting blood glucose levels of each pig were determined. Each pig’s general condition was assessed with regard to feeding status and physical activity. Pancreas procurement was performed by one surgical team. Anesthesia duration, operation duration, procedure quality, and perfusate type were recorded. After pancreatectomy, a biopsy was performed for islet density analysis. Decapsulation, cannulation duration, degree of distension, and cold ischemic time were assessed. During islet isolation, pancreas weight, digestion time, and digested tissue proportion were recorded. Isolation results were evaluated by total islet equivalents (IEQ), islet equivalents per gram of pancreas (IEQ/g), isolation index, islet recovery rate, purity, and visual grade. To identify the predictors of higher islet isolation yield, we performed binary logistic regression analysis with significant (P < 0.05) variables from the univariate analysis.
Results: The pigs were categorized into high (n = 34) and low yield (n = 34) groups according to the median IEQ/g or total IEQ values. Body weight and age were significantly different between the two groups. Being male or a positive history of pregnancy in females was factors favoring successful islet isolation. General condition assessments failed to estimate islet isolation results. Long anesthesia duration, which might have caused ischemic injury to the pancreas, negatively affected islet isolation results. Decapsulation, cannulation duration, and subsequent pancreas distension were significantly important in successful islet isolation. Inter‐lot variability of Liberase was not observed because of screening processes performed before purchase. Isolation index and islet recovery rate correlated well with islet yields.
Conclusions: Multivariate analysis using total IEQ and IEQ/g as outcome variables indicated that age older than 2, being male and moderate distension by Liberase injection are major determinants influencing successful islet isolation.
To determine whether an internet-based mentoring program can improve glycemic control in subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).
Subjects with T1DM on intensive insulin therapy and with ...hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥8.0% were randomized to mentored (glucometer transmission with feedback from mentors) or control (glucometer transmission without feedback) groups and were examined for 12 weeks. Five mentors were interviewed and selected, of which two were T1DM patients themselves and three were parents with at least one child diagnosed with T1DM since more than 5 years ago.
A total of 57 T1DM adult subjects with a mean duration after being diagnosed with diabetes of 7.4 years were recruited from Samsung Medical Center. Unfortunately, the mentored group failed to show significant improvements in HbA1c levels or other outcomes, including the quality of life, after completion of the study. However, the mentored group monitored their blood glucose (1.41 vs. 0.30) and logged into our website (http://ubisens.co.kr/) more frequently (20.59 times vs. 5.07 times) than the control group.
A 12-week internet-based mentoring program for T1DM patients with inadequate glycemic control did not prove to be superior to the usual follow-up. However, the noted increase in the subjects' frequency of blood glucose monitoring may lead to clinical benefits.
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