• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.44-50
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• 2011

Background: Cardiovascular complications are major causes of morbidity and mortality following non-cardiac thoracic operations. Recent studies have demonstrated that elevation of N-Terminal Pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels can predict cardiac complications following non-cardiac major surgery as well as cardiac surgery. However, there is little information on the correlation between lung resection surgery and NT-proBNP levels. We evaluated the role of NT-proBNP as a potential marker for the risk stratification of cardiac complications following lung resection surgery. Material and Methods: Prospectively collected data of 98 patients, who underwent elective lung resection from August 2007 to February 2008, were analyzed. Postoperative adverse cardiac events were categorized as myocardial injury, ECG evidence of ischemia or arrhythmia, heart failure, or cardiac death. Results: Postoperative cardiac complications were documented in 9 patients (9/98, 9.2%): Atrial fibrillation in 3, ECG-evidenced ischemia in 2 and heart failure in 4. Preoperative median NT-proBNP levels was significantly higher in patients who developed postoperative cardiac complications than in the rest (200.2 ng/L versus 45.0 ng/L, p=0.009). NT-proBNP levels predicted adverse cardiac events with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.76 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.545~0.988, p=0.01]. A preoperative NT-proBNP value of 160 ng/L was found to be the best cut-off value for detecting postoperative cardiac complication with a positive predictive value of 0.857 and a negative predictive value of 0.978. Other factors related to cardiac complications by univariate analysis were a higher American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, a higher NYHA functional class and a history of hypertension. In multivariate analysis, however, high preoperative NT-proBNP level (>160 ng/L) only remained significant. Conclusion: An elevated preoperative NT-proBNP level is identified as an independent predictor of cardiac complications following lung resection surgery.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2004

Background : Pulmonary hypertension is a poor prognostic factor in patients with chronic respiratory disease. However, diagnosing pulmonary hypertension is a difficult procedure which often requires an invasive test. Thus new alternative biochemical markers would be useful in clinical field and are in search. We sought to assess the role of plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP) in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Method : We measured plasma NT-proBNP level in twenty nine patients suspected for pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension was defined as being right ventricular systolic pressure more than 35 mm Hg estimated by Doppler echocardiography. Plasma NT-proBNP level was measured by electrochemiluminescence sandwich immunoassay. Results : The log-transformed values for plasma NT-proBNP levels showed a linear correlation (correlation coefficiency: 0.783, p-value <0.001) with right ventricular systolic pressure. Plasma NT-proBNP levels closely correlated with right ventricular systolic pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy, interventricular septal flattening and right ventricular dilatation. Conclusion : Our results suggest that the measurement of plasma NT-proBNP level is an useful marker of the presence of pulmonary hypertension.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.585-591
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• 2013

Recently, the combined attack which is a combination of side channel analysis and fault attack has been developed to extract the secret key during the cryptographic processes using a security device. Unfortunately, an attacker can find the private key of RSA cryptosystem through one time fault injection and power signal analysis. In this paper, we diagnosed SPA/FA resistant BNP(Boscher, Naciri, and Prouff) exponentiation algorithm as having threats to a similar combined attack. And we proposed a simple countermeasure to resist against this combined attack by randomizing the private key using error infective method.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.60 no.6
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• pp.175-180
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• 2017

Purpose: Plasma level of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), an emerging, sensitive, and specific biomarker of hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), rapidly decreases in infants receiving cyclooxygenase inhibitors for ductal closure. We investigated the usefulness of serial BNP measurement as a guide for individual identification of early constrictive responses to ibuprofen in preterm infants with symptomatic PDA (sPDA). Methods: Before March 2010, the standard course of pharmacological treatment was initiated with indomethacin (or ibuprofen) and routinely followed by 2 additional doses at intervals of 24 hours. After April 2010, individualized pharmacological treatment was used, starting with the first dose of ibuprofen and withholding additional ibuprofen doses if the BNP concentration was <600 pg/mL and clinical symptoms of PDA improved. Results: The BNP-guided group received significantly fewer doses of ibuprofen than the standard group did during the first course of treatment and the entire study period. The need for further doses of cyclooxygenase inhibitors and for surgical ligation was not significantly different between the 2 groups. No significant differences were seen in clinical outcomes and/or complications related to sPDA and/or pharmacological treatment. Conclusion: Individualized BNP-guided pharmacological treatment may be used clinically to avoid unnecessary doses of cyclooxygenase inhibitors without increasing the ductal closure failure and the short-term morbidity related to sPDA.

• Proceedings of the Korea Information Processing Society Conference
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.294-297
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• 2009

다방면적인 과학기술의 발달은 우리에게 대량의 데이터와 또한 새로운 영역으로의 접근 가능성을 열어주었다. 유전자 정보와 같은 대량의 정보를 다루는 시대가 열리면서 바이오 데이터를 분석하여 새로운 연관성과 정보를 찾아내는 바이오인포매틱스가 고부가가치 창출을 위한 학문으로 특히 부각되고 있다. 본 논문에서는 이러한 연구의 일환으로 보다 효율적인 바이오 데이터 분석을 위해 BNP에 내장된 생태계 모방 알고리즘의 특성을 연구하고, 이를 분류화에 접목시킨 방법에 대해 논하고자 한다.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.337-343
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• 2021

Background: Chromogranin A (CgA) levels have been reported to predict mortality in patients with heart failure. However, information on the prognostic value and clinical availability of CgA is limited. We compared the prognostic value of CgA to that of previously proven natriuretic peptide biomarkers in patients with acute heart failure. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 272 patients (mean age, 68.5±15.6 years; 62.9% male) who underwent CgA test in the acute stage of heart failure hospitalization between June 2017 and June 2018. The median follow-up period was 348 days. Prognosis was assessed using the composite events of 1-year death and heart failure hospitalization. Results: In-hospital mortality rate during index admission was 7.0% (n=19). During the 1-year follow-up, a composite event rate was observed in 12.1% (n=33) of the patients. The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves for predicting 1-year adverse events were 0.737 and 0.697 for N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and CgA, respectively. During follow-up, patients with high CgA levels (>158 pmol/L) had worse outcomes than those with low CgA levels (≤158 pmol/L) (85.2% vs. 58.6%, p<0.001). When stratifying the patients into four subgroups based on CgA and NT-proBNP levels, patients with high NT-proBNP and high CgA had the worst outcome. CgA had an incremental prognostic value when added to the combination of NT-proBNP and clinically relevant risk factors. Conclusion: The prognostic power of CgA was comparable to that of NT-proBNP in patients with acute heart failure. The combination of CgA and NT-proBNP can improve prognosis prediction in these patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.8
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• pp.357-362
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• 2014

Purpose: The incidence of Kawasaki disease (KD) is rare in young infants (less than 3 months of age), who present with only a few symptoms that fulfill the clinical diagnostic criteria. The diagnosis for KD can therefore be delayed, leading to a high risk of cardiac complications. We examined the clinical characteristics and measured the serum levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels of these patients for assessing its value in the early detection of KD. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of young infants diagnosed with KD from 2004 to 2012. The control group included 20 hospitalized febrile patients. Laboratory data, including NT-proBNP were obtained for each patient in both groups. Results: Incomplete KD was observed in 21/24 patients (87.5%). The mean fever duration on admission was $1.36{\pm}1.0$ days in the KD group. Common symptoms included erythema at the site of Bacille Calmette-Guerin inoculation (70.8%), skin rash (50.0%), changes of oropharyngeal mucosa (29.1%), and cervical lymphadenopathy (20.8%). The mean number of major diagnostic criteria fulfilled was $2.8{\pm}1.4$. Five KD patients (20.8%) had only one symptom matching these criteria. The incidence of coronary artery complications was 12.5%. The mean serum NT-proBNP level in the acute phase, in the KD and control groups, were $4,159{\pm}3,714pg/mL$ and $957{\pm}902pg/mL$, respectively, which decreased significantly in the convalescent phase. Conclusion: Incomplete KD was observed in 87.5% patients. Serum NT- proBNP might be a valuable biomarker for the early detection of KD in febrile infants aged <3 months.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.136-141
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• 2007

The UNESCO`s earth science division has developed the geoparks program to recognize earth scientific heritage sites worldwide. To respond to this movement, I suggest Byeonsanbando National Park (BNP) as the first geopark in Korea and provide, at the same time, a line of evidence supporting the designation of geopark. BNP has the best qualifications with geological, geomorphological, ecological, and cultural resources. In Chaeseokgang and Jeokbyukgang, there are many geological and geomorphological resources attracting the scientific importance. In addition, BNP has a total of 844 species of wild plants and 550 species of wild animals. Cultural properties abound in BNP, including Koryo bronze bell of Naesosa and Taeungjon hall of Kaeamsa. To be designated a geopark by UNESCO, a management plan of geotourism will be required in addition to the geological, geomorphological, ecological and cultural resources, which should be prepared by the Korea National Parks Service and related local government authority. If the above-mentioned conditions are met completely, Korea would enter the global network of geoparks for the first time.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.223-227
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• 2016

This study evaluated the levels of cardiac biomarkers in dogs with either pulmonic stenosis or aortic stenosis and the correlation between biomarkers and the severity of stenosis assessed by the echocardiography. To achieve this study goal, 38 dogs (10 healthy control dogs, 15 dogs with pulmonic stenosis and 13 dogs with aortic stenosis) were examined. The jet velocity and pressure gradient in this study population were measured by echocardiographic estimation, after which the study group was subdivided by the severity of stenosis. The plasma cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were measured in this study group. The median concentrations of cTnI and NT-proBNP of the disease group were significantly higher than those of the control group, and these increased gradually as stenosis worsened. The severity of stenosis and the concentrations of cTnI and NT-porBNP were also found to be significantly correlated. Finally, the plasma cTnI and NT-proBNP tests were found to beneficial for differentiating clinical patients, predicting the progression of disease, and monitoring the outcome of interventional therapy for stenosis.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.61 no.5
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• pp.167-173
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• 2018

Purpose: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a hyperinflammatory syndrome with many causes, including Kawasaki disease (KD). The purpose of this study was to identify the laboratory tests needed to easily differentiate KD with HLH from incomplete KD alone. Methods: We performed a retrospective study on patients diagnosed with incomplete KD and incomplete KD with HLH (HLH-KD) between January 2012 and March 2015. We compared 8 secondary HLH patients who were first diagnosed with incomplete KD with all 247 incomplete KD diagnosed patients during the study period. The complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, platelet count, and serum total protein, albumin, triglyceride, C-reactive protein, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and ferritin levels were compared. Clinical characteristics and echocardiography findings were also compared between the 2 groups. Results: The total duration of fever was longer in the HLH-KD group than in the KD group. White blood cell and platelet counts were higher in the KD group. Alanine aminotransferase, ferritin, and coronary artery diameter were increased in the HLH-KD group compared with those in the KD group. The median of NT-proBNP was significantly higher in the HLH-KD group than in the KD group at 889.0 (interquartile range [IQR], 384.5-1792.0) pg/mL vs. 233.0 (IQR, 107.0-544.0) pg/mL. Conclusion: The NT-proBNP level may be helpful in distinguishing incomplete KD from KD with HLH. The NT-proBNP level should be determined in KD patients with prolonged fever, in addition to the white blood cell count, platelet count, and ferritin level, to evaluate secondary HLH.