• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.404-415
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• 1998

Background: Sleep apnea syndrome, which occurs in 1~4 % of the adult population, frequently has different cardiovascular complications such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease, cardiac arrythmia as well as sleep-wake disorder such as excessive daytime hypersomnolence or insomnia. Mortality and vascular morbidity are reported to be significantly higher in sleep apnea syndrome patients than in normal population. According to the recent studies, autonomic dysfunction as well as hypoxemia, hypercapneic acidosis, and increased respiratory effort, may playa role in the high prevalence of cardiovascular complications in patients with sleep apnea syndrome. However the cause and mechanism of autonomic neuropathy in patients with sleep apnea syndrome are not well understood. We studied the existence of autonomic neuropathy in patients with sleep apnea syndrome and factors which influence the pathogenesis of autonomic neuropathy. Method: We used the cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy(CAN) test as a method for evaluation of autonomic neuropathy. The subjects of this study were 20 patients who diagnosed sleep apnea syndrome by polysomnography and 15 persons who were normal by polysomnography. Results: Body mass index and resting systolic blood pressure were higher in sleep apnea group than control group. Apnea index(Al), respiratory disturbance index(RDI) and snoring time percentage were significantly higher in sleep apnea group compared with control group. But there were no significant differences in saturation of oxygen and sleep efficiency in two groups. In the cardiac autonomic neuropathy test, the valsalva ratio was significantly low in sleep apnea group compared with control group but other tests had no differences between two groups. The CAN scores and corrected QT(QTc) interval were calculated significantly higher in sleep apnea group, but there were no significant correlations between CAN scores and QTc interval. There were no significant data of polysomnography to correlate to the CAN score. It meant that the autonomic neuropathy in patients with sleep apnea was affected by other multiple factors. Conclusion: The cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy test was a useful method for the evaluation of autonomic neuropathy in patients with sleep apnea syndrome and abnormalities of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy were observed in patients with sleep apnea syndrome. However, we failed to define the factors that influence the pathogenesis of autonomic neuropathy of sleep apnea syndrome. This study warrants futher investigations in order to define the pathogenesis of autonomic neuropathy in patients with sleep apnea syndrome.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.6
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• pp.501-506
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• 2012

Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) is an uncommon, nonhereditary anomaly caused by arrest of lung. Patients with CCAM may present with respiratory distress as newborns, or may remain asymptomatic until later in life. CCAM type I is rarely found in association with bronchial atresia (BA) in adults; we present such a case. Case: A 54-year-old female presented with chronic cough and blood-tinged sputum. Physical examination and laboratory tests were unremarkable. Chest radiographs and a CT scan of the chest showed multiple large air-filled cysts consistent with a CCAM in the right lower lobe, and an oval-shaped opacity in the distal right middle lobal bronchus. Based on the radiologic findings, right middle lobectomy and a medial basal segmentectomy of the right lower lobe were performed via a thoracotomy. These lesions were consistent with Stocker's Type I CCAM and BA in the different lobes.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.159-166
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• 2015

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the risk factors for the development of coronary artery lesions (CALs) and to determine whether hyponatremia is associated with CALs in children with Kawasaki disease (KD). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 105 children with KD who were admitted to Ilsan Hospital between January 2000 and July 2011. Results: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P = 0.013), total bilirubin levels (P = 0.017) were higher and serum sodium levels (P = 0.027) were lower in KD children with CALs than those without. White blood cell (WBC) counts (P = 0.006), neutrophil counts (P = 0.003) were higher and albumin levels (P = 0.009) were lower in KD children with hyponatremia than those without. On multiple logistic regression analysis, hyponatremia (P = 0.024) and intravenous immunoglobulin-resistance (P = 0.024) were independent risk factors for CALs in KD. Furthermore, serum sodium levels were correlated negatively with WBC counts (P = 0.004), neutrophil counts (P < 0.001), total bilirubin levels (P = 0.005) and positively with albumin levels (P = 0.009). Conclusion: Our study indicates that hyponatremia may reflect severe inflammation in children with KD.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.434-439
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• 2017

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), one of the common metabolic disorders of pregnancy, leads to functional alterations in various cells including stem cells as well as some abnormalities in fetal development. Perivascular stem cells (PVCs) have gained more attention in recent years, for the treatment of various diseases. However, the effect of GDM on PVC function has not been investigated. In our study, we isolated PVCs from umbilical cord of normal pregnant women and GDM patients and compared their phenotypes and function. There is no significant difference in phenotypic expression, response to bFGF exposure and adipogenic differentiation capacity between normal (N)-PVCs and GDM-PVCs. However, when compared with N-PVCs, early passage GDM-PVCs displayed decreased initial rates of cell yield and proliferation as well as a reduced ability to promote wound closure. These results suggest that maternal metabolic dysregulation during gestation can alter the function of endogenous multipotent stem cells, which may impact their therapeutic effectiveness.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.485-492
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• 2006

Objectives : To measure the distribution of electrocardiographic ST segment depression, and evaluate its relationships with cardiovascular risk factors based on the cross-sectional studies within a rural Korean community Methods : This study analyzed 1,343 persons, over 40 years old, who participated in a baseline survey during 2002-2005; the exclusion criteria included: a past history of myocardial infarction and angina pectoris, and specific conduction abnormalities. A Standard 12 leads ECG was recorded using an FCP-2101 (Fukuda Denshi Co.). The ST segment depression was retrospectively measured by a physician, according to the Minnesota code classification. Results : ST segment depression was found in 3.6 and 6.4% of male and female participants, respectively. After adjusting for age, gender, smoking, physical activity and obesity differences, high blood pressure showed significant relations with ST depression in females (male ORs=2.67, 95% CI=0.85-8.50; female ORs=2.62, 95% CI=1.29-5.32) Conclusions : As an ischemic ECG sign, ST depression was related to hypertension in female participants. This relationship remained significant, even after cases with left ventricular hypertrophy were removed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.181-187
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• 2012

Objectives: Serum uric acid levels have been reported to be associated with a variety of cardiovascular conditions. However, the direct association between uric acid levels and metabolic syndrome remains controversial. Thus, we evaluated the association of serum uric acid levels and metabolic syndrome in a community-based cohort study in Korea. Methods: We performed cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of 889 males and 1491 females (aged 38 to 87) who participated in baseline examinations of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study: Kanghwa study. Blood samples were collected after at least an 8 hour fast. Uric acid quartiles were defined as follows: <4.8, 4.8-<5.6, 5.6-<6.5, ${\geq}6.5$ mg/dL in males; and <3.8, 3.8- <4.3, 4.3 - <5.1, ${\geq}5.1$ mg/dL in females. Metabolic syndrome was defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III Criteria with adjusted waist circumference cutoffs (90 cm for males; 80 cm for females). The association between serum uric acid quartiles and metabolic syndrome was assessed using multivariate logistic regression. Results: The odds ratio for having metabolic syndrome in the highest versus lowest quartiles of serum uric acid levels was 2.67 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.60 to 4.46) in males and 2.14 (95% CI, 1.50 to 3.05) in females after adjusting for age, smoking, alcohol intake, body mass index, total cholesterol, HbA1c, albumin, ${\gamma}$-glutamyltransferase, blood urea nitrogen, and log C-reactive protein. The number of metabolic abnormalities also increased gradually with increasing serum uric acid levels (adjusted p for trend < 0.001 in both sexes). Conclusions: Higher serum uric acid levels are positively associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome in Korean males and females.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.367-371
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• 2001

The chromosome 7-linked long QT syndrome (LQT2) is caused by mutations in the human ether-a- go-go-related gene (HERG) that encodes the rapidly activating delayed rectifier $K^+$ current, $I_{Kr},$ in cardiac myocytes. Different types of mutations have been identified in various locations of HERG channel. One of the mechanisms for the loss of normal channel function is due to membrane trafficking of channel protein. The decreased channel function in some deletion mutants appears to be due to loss of coupling with wild type HERG to form the functional channel as the tetramer. Most of missense mutants with few exceptions could interact with wild type HERG to form functional tetramer and caused dominant negative suppression with co-injection with wild type HERG showing variable effects on current amplitude, voltage dependence, and kinetics of activation and inactivation. Two missense mutants at pore regions of HERG found in Japanese LQT2 (A614V and V630L) showed accentuated inward rectification due to a negative shift in steady-state inactivation and fast inactivation. One mutation in S4 region (R534C) produced a negative shift in current activation, indicating the S4 serving as the voltage sensor and accelerated deactivation. The C-terminus mutation, S818L, could not express the current by mutant alone and did not show dominant negative suppression with co-injection of equal amount of wild type cRNA. Co-injection of excess amount of mutant with wild type produced dominant negative suppression with a shift in voltage dependent activation. Therefore, multiple mechanisms are involved in different mutations and functional abnormality in LQT2. Further characterization with the interactions between various mutants in HERG and the regulatory subunits of the channels (MiRP1 and minK) is to be clarified.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.285-292
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• 2013

Ginseng is a well-known traditional medicine used in Asian countries for several thousand years, and it is currently applied to medicine, cosmetics, and nutritional supplements due to its many healing and energygiving properties. It is well demonstrated that ginsenosides, the main ingredient of ginseng, produce a variety of pharmacological and therapeutic effects on central nerve system (CNS) disorders, cardiovascular disease, endocrine secretions, aging, and immune function. Korean red ginseng extract is a dietary supplement containing ginsenoside Rb1 and ginsenoside Rg1 extracted from Panax ginseng. While the pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of the extract have been well established, its toxicological properties remain obscure. Thus, four-week oral toxicity studies in rats were conducted to investigate whether Korean red ginseng extract could have a potential toxicity to humans. The test article was administered once daily by oral gavage to four groups of male and female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats at dose levels of 0, 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg/day for four weeks. Neither deaths nor clinical symptoms were observed in any group during the experiment. Furthermore, no abnormalities in body weight, food consumption, ophthalmology, urinalysis, hematology, serum biochemistry, gross findings, organ weights, or histopathology were revealed related to the administration of the test article in either sex of any dosed group. Therefore, a target organ was not determined in this study, and the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of Korean red ginseng extract was established to be 2,000 mg/kg/day.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.170-174
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• 1983

Aortic arch syndrome is an unusual disease entity characterized by the narrowing or obliteration of major branches of the arch of the aorta regardless of etiology. We have experienced 2 cases. One of them was 22 years old office girl with 3 months history of headache, intermittent syncope and weakness and claudication on left arm especially during her physical exercise. On physical examination, pulseless on left antecubital and radial artery and blood pressure on left arm was inable to check and coldness with weakness were noted on the same side. Aortic angiography reealed 34% narrowing of left subclavian artery as that of right. But both common carotid artery and both axillary arterial patency were relatively good. Through right supraclavicular and left axillary incision, bypass graft with Gore-tex prosthesis (I.D. 6mm, Length 25 cm) was implanted from right subclavian artery on 2cm distal to origin of right common carotid arery to left axillary artery distal to axillary fossa. End to side anastomosis with preservation of left subclavian artery was done. Postoperative state was stable with blood pressure of 110/70 mmHg on left arm and palpable antecubital and radial pulsation. Another one was 41 year old male patient with 8 months history of pain and numbness on right upper arm and shoulder. On admission, right arm blood pressure was 110/80 mmHg, left arm was 160/110 mmHg, but other physical findings had no abnormalities. Angiography revealed segmental narrowing of right axillary artery on the beginning with 2 cm in length. Operative treatment with right wupraclavicular and right axillary incision, bypass graft with great saphenous vein (Length; 15 cm) from right subclavian artery between scalenus anticus and medius to axillary artery at distal end of axillary fossa was done. The authors report two cases of Aortic arch syndrome treated with bypass graft using Autograft or Gore-tex with good result.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.13-18
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• 1972

In 1835,Schlesinger first described a case of subisthmlc lower thoracic aortic coarctation. Since Olim`s unsuccessful reconstructive surgery in 1949 and Beattie`s first successful resection with homograft replacement on such a lesion in 1951 were reported,about 20 cases of atypical aortic coarctation had been treated by definitive surgery until 1964. In Korea, only 2 cases of atypical aortic coarctation treated by bypass graft were reported until now. This is the third case-report treated by reconstructive surgery. The patient,11 year old girl who had 2 year history of headache, visual weakness, intermittent claudlcation, and general weakness, was first diagnosed of having the hypertension due to atypical coarctation by the findings of high blood pressure[170/110mmHg] at the upper extremity and weak pulsation on both femoral artery,murmur on the epigastrium, absence of aortic knob, and aorto graphy. Aortography demonstrated the isolated segmental narrowing[length 5cm, diameter 0.4cm] at the level of aortic hiatus 2cm above celiac arterial origin, the dilated right 9th, 10th, 11th intercostal arteries with multiple dimunitive collaterals and no associated abnormalities in the other arteries. Preoperatlve positive findings were strong positive mantoux test, high AST[720 units]. transient mild cardiomegaly with right lung infiltration on chest X-ray and suggestive left ventricular hypertrophy on ECG. On December 1970, through separate left thoracotomy and abdominal approach, bypass graft between descending thoracic aorta and abdominal aorta below renal artery was performed. The operation was first successful with satisfactory reduction of hypertension on the upper trunk[postoperatlve 130/80mmHg] and strong pulsation on the lower extremities[postop. O, postop. 140/100mmHg]. However,6 weeks after surgery, she expired of sudden hemoptysis and shock due to anastomotic leak within the thorax. Operative finding disclosed that the affected aorta was firm, with rich periaortic fibrosis and the outer diameter of stenotic site was not attenuated. Histopathology of the resected specimen was also compatible with primary arteritis.