Biomedical subjects

Yong-Beom Park

Publications and source records attributed to Yong-Beom Park.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Measurement of the serum leptin level could assist disease activity monitoring in rheumatoid arthritis.

We investigated whether serum leptin levels are elevated in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and whether these levels correlate with disease activity. Fifty RA patients were enrolled in this study, and their disease activity was assessed using the disease activity score 28 (DAS28). The patients were divided into two groups according to this score: a high activity group with DAS28 > 3.2 (n = 26) and a low activity group with DAS28 </= 3.2 (n = 24). Serum leptin levels were determined using a primate antibody radioimmunoassay. RA patients with high disease activity had significantly higher mean serum leptin levels, compared to those with low activity (14.2 +/- 10.9 vs. 7.0 +/- 3.4 ng/ml, P < 0.05). Mean leptin levels adjusted according to BMI were 0.6 +/- 0.5 ng m(2)/ml kg for the high activity group and 0.3 +/- 0.2 ng m(2)/ml kg for the low activity group, respectively, which were also significantly different (P < 0.05). Both serum leptin levels and leptin levels adjusted according to BMI correlated well with the DAS28 (r = 0.363 and 0.368, P < 0.05) and CRP levels (r = 0.433 and 0.472, P < 0.05), respectively. Sixteen of the 26 RA patients with high disease activity at the initial assessment were re-evaluated, at which point their DAS28 had decreased to less than 3.2. Mean follow-up leptin level was significantly lower than mean initial leptin level (7.8 +/- 3.7 vs. 16.1 +/- 12.7 ng/ml, P < 0.05). In conclusion, serum leptin levels were higher in RA patients with high disease activity, correlated well with disease activity, and decreased significantly when disease was well controlled.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Malignancies in Korean patients with inflammatory myopathy.

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and the common type of malignancies in Korean patients with polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) and to evaluate the differences of clinical and laboratory findings between patients with malignancy and those without malignancy. Forty-one Korean patients, who were diagnosed as PM or DM, were enrolled in this study. They fulfilled the Bohan and Peter's criteria for a definite diagnosis of PM and DM. Patients with PM were 25 and those with DM were 16. Eleven out of 41 patients (26.8%) had malignancies. The malignancy was diagnosed simultaneously or later in 81.8% of patients with inflammatory myopathy (IM). The breast cancer was the most common malignancy. In this study, forty three years old as a screening age for malignancy had 88.9% sensitivity and 50.2% specificity. The serum levels of creatine kinase (CK) were significantly lower in patients with malignancy than those without malignancy.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis with cervical tuberculous lymphadenitis: a case report and literature review.

Cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis (CLV) is a small-vessel vasculitis localized to the skin. Many possible causes exist for this pathological condition, including drugs, infection, collagen vascular disease, and malignancy. However, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is rarely reported to be associated with CLV. Here, we report a 49-year-old male patient that presented with fever, myalgia, and multiple palpable purpura on both of his legs. The biopsy from the purpura yielded a histologic diagnosis of leukocytoclastic vasculitis. The patient had several enlarged lymph nodes on his right neck, and the biopsy revealed tuberculous lymphadenitis. There were no signs of vasculitis present in the internal organs. After anti-tuberculosis treatment, his fever declined and the skin purpura were completely resolved. Although incidence is rare, tuberculosis should be considered as a possible cause of CLV.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

CMV enteritis causing ileal perforation in underlying lupus enteritis.

We report a case of cytomegalovirus (CMV) enteritis in a 31 year-old -woman with lupus enteritis. In August 2002 the patient complained of severe abdominal pain. An abdominopelvic CT scan at the time showed free air in the peritoneal cavity and wall thickening of the ileal loop. She was diagnosed as having panperitonitis due to an ileal perforation, and underwent an emergency laparotomy. The surgical specimen revealed CMV inclusion bodies in the infarcted lesion. Her symptoms improved following the initiation of ganciclovir therapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in the English literature of an ileal perforation due to CMV infection in a patient with lupus enteritis.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Effects of antirheumatic therapy on serum lipid levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis have adverse serum lipid profiles. We sought to determine the effects of treating rheumatoid arthritis with antirheumatic drugs on these abnormal lipid levels. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We studied 42 patients with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis who had not been treated with corticosteroids or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. We measured serum lipid profiles at baseline and 1 year later, and determined whether there were differences in the changes in lipid levels between patients who met the American College of Rheumatology criteria for a 20% improvement in rheumatoid arthritis and those who did not. RESULTS: Of the 42 patients, 27 (64%) met the criteria for a 20% improvement in rheumatoid arthritis during the 12-month study. In these patients, mean high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels increased by 21% (P <0.001), apolipoprotein A-I levels increased by 23% (P <0.001), and the ratio of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to HDL cholesterol level decreased by 13% (P = 0.10). There were significant between-group differences (responders-nonresponders) in the mean 12-month changes in HDL cholesterol levels (8.0 mg/dL; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3 to 13 mg/dL; P = 0.002), apolipoprotein A-I levels (21 mg/dL; 95% CI: 8 to 33 mg/dL; P = 0.003), and the LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio (-0.6; 95% CI: -0.1 to -1.0; P = 0.03), but not in LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B-100, or lipoprotein(a) levels. CONCLUSION: Active rheumatoid arthritis is associated with an adverse lipid profile that improves substantially following effective treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This improvement may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis: morphologic evidence obtained by carotid ultrasound.

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have suggested increased cardiovascular disease among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We undertook this study to obtain morphologic evidence of subclinical atherosclerosis in RA patients. METHODS: We used high-resolution B-mode ultrasound to compare carotid artery intima-media wall thickness (IMT) between 53 postmenopausal women with RA and 53 controls matched by age, sex, and menopause status. No subject in either group had a history of atherosclerosis or its complications. We investigated the association between IMT and relevant clinical and therapeutic variables, including the impact of low-dose corticosteroid therapy (< or = 10 mg/day prednisolone). RESULTS: The mean +/- SD IMT of the left and right common carotid arteries in RA patients was significantly greater than that in controls (0.77 +/- 0.09 mm versus 0.68 +/- 0.14 mm; P < 0.001). Early RA (duration < or = 1 year) was associated with lesser IMT than was RA of longer duration (0.72 +/- 0.03 mm versus 0.78 +/- 0.01 mm; P < 0.04). Prednisolone use was not associated with increased IMT (0.78 +/- 0.02 mm in nonusers versus 0.76 +/- 0.01 mm in users; P = 0.38). CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that RA patients have an ultrasonic marker of early atherosclerosis consistent with an increased risk for atherosclerosis.

Antirheumatic Agents↗