Background: To assess the appropriate energy expenditure requirement for liver transplant (LT) recipients in South Korea, 4 commonly used predictive equations were compared with indirect calorimetry (IC). Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of an academic tertiary hospital between December 2017 and September 2018. The study population comprised LT recipients expected to remain in the ICU >48 hours postoperatively. Resting energy expenditure (REE) was measured 48 hours after ICU admission using open-circuit IC. Theoretical REE was estimated using 4 predictive equations (simple weight-based equation [25 kcal/kg/day], Harris-Benedict, Ireton-Jones [ventilated], and Penn State 1988). Derived and measured REE values were compared using an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots. Results: Of 50 patients screened, 46 were enrolled, were measured, and completed the study. The Penn State equation showed 65.0% agreement with IC (ICC, 0.65); the simple weight-based (25 kcal/kg/day), Harris-Benedict, and Ireton-Jones equations showed 62.0%, 56.0% and 39.0% agreement, respectively. Bland-Altman analysis showed that all 4 predictive equations had fixed bias, although the simple weight-based equation (25 kcal/kg/day) showed the least. Conclusion: Although predicted REE calculated using the Penn State method agreed with the measured REE, all 4 equations showed fixed bias and appeared to be inaccurate for predicting REE in LT recipients. Precise measurement using IC may be necessary when treating LT recipients to avoid underestimating or overestimating their metabolic needs.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of oral iron supplementation in frequent donors in Korea, based solely on donation history. Study design: The hemoglobin (Hb) level, ferritin level, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), total iron binding capacity (TIBC), and transferrin saturation of frequent donors at high risk for iron deficiency were compared to those of first donors. The frequent donors took iron supplements for 4 weeks and the same tests were repeated after 2 and 4 weeks to evaluate their effects. Result: A total of 53 male and 57 female frequent donors were recruited. After 4-week iron supplementation, among the men, the prevalence of a: low Hb level (<13.0 g/dL) decreased from 25% to 2%; low ferritin level (<15.0 ng/mL) decreased from 58% to 4%; iron deficient erythropoiesis (IDE) (log(sTfR/ferritin) ≥ 2.07) decreased from 77% to 33%. Among the women, the percentage of a: low Hb level (<12.0 g/dL) decreased from 44% to 9%; low ferritin level decreased from 79% to 11%; IDE decreased from 95% to 47%. In total, 15 male (28.3%) and 29 female (56.9%) blood donors reported undesirable side effects related to iron supplementation. No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Ferritin level, a reliable indicator of iron status, increased and IDE decreased significantly after fourweek iron supplementation in the female, but not in the male, donor group, compared to those of control donors. Four-week oral iron supplement was not enough to restore iron storage level in the male donor group. * FT-RA, first-time/reactivated (never or no donations in the previous 24 months). ** Blood donation frequency = Whole blood donation + (Plasmapheresis or Plateletpheresis)/4.

Background: Brassiere cup size is defined as the difference in chest circumference between the inframammary fold and the fullest part of the breast. However, a large number of women are not aware of the correct definition and are prone to wearing incorrectly-sized brassieres. In this report, the authors compared the cup size of worn brassieres and the actual measurement. Methods: This study was a retrospective review of patients who had undergone breast reconstruction operation between May 2020 and June 2021. All patients who visited the plastic surgery clinic for breast reconstruction were inquired about their cup size, and their breast circumferences were measured. The patient demographic information, ptosis grade, mastectomy specimen weight, measured breast circumference, and known cup size were analyzed. Results: Overall, 163 women were included. Notably, 92 of 163 patients (56.4%) were wearing a correctly-sized brassiere. Patients were more likely to wear a correctly-sized brassiere as the cup size became smaller. Moreover, patients with A-cup breasts tended to wear larger brassieres, whereas patients with B and C-cup breasts tended to wear smaller brassieres than their actual breast cup size. Conclusions: Approximately one in two women do not know their correct brassiere cup size. Women tend to wear a brassiere of the wrong size as their cup size becomes larger. Therefore, it is important for surgeons to be aware of their patient’s brassiere wearing habit and their perception when a surgery, such as augmentation or reconstruction, is planned.