• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.167-171
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• 2018

Background: Heart transplantation (HTx) can be a life-saving procedure for patients in whom single ventricle palliation or one-and-a-half ($1\text\tiny{1/2}$) ventricle repair has failed. However, the presence of a previous bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt (BCS) necessitates extensive pulmonary artery angioplasty, which may lead to worse outcomes. We sought to assess the post-HTx outcomes in patients with a previous BCS, and to assess the technical feasibility of leaving the BCS in place during HTx. Methods: From 1992 to 2017, 11 HTx were performed in patients failing from Fontan (n=7), BCS (n=3), or $1\text\tiny{1/2}$ ventricle (n=1) physiology at Asan Medical Center. The median age at HTx was 12.0 years (range, 3-24 years). Three patients (27.3%) underwent HTx without taking down the previous BCS. Results: No early mortality was observed. One patient died of acute rejection 3.5 years after HTx. The overall survival rate was 91% at 2 years. In the 3 patients without BCS take-down, the median anastomosis time was 65 minutes (range, 54-68 minutes), which was shorter than in the patients with BCS take-down (93 minutes; range, 62-128 minutes), while the postoperative central venous pressure (CVP) was comparable to the preoperative CVP. Conclusion: Transplantation can be successfully performed in patients with end-stage congenital heart disease after single ventricle palliation or $1\text\tiny{1/2}$ ventricle repair. Leaving the BCS in place during HTx may simplify the operative procedure without causing significant adverse outcomes.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.5
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• pp.421-425
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• 2008

Exogenous lipoid pneumonia (ELP) is a chronic inflammatory reaction of the lungs resulting from the aspiration of vegetable, animal or mineral oils. Squalene, is a derivative of shark liver oil that is taken as a traditional remedy in some Asian countries, and is used widely also in cosmetics. Similar to the symptoms in most cases of oil aspiration, the symptoms of squalene-induced lipoid pneumonia are either absent or nonspecific. Hence, the disease is generally detected incidentally. Although many cases with predisposing factors have been reported, ELP with achalasia is quite rare. We report a 47-year old woman with achalasia who developed ELP after ingesting squalene. The patient was treated successfully by supportive care and surgical treatment of the achalasia.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.149-159
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• 2005

Purpose: To determine the extent and rate of prescription drug therapy, especially polypharmacy and the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication use in Korean elderly ambulatory patients based on an explicit criterion. Methods: Performed a retrospective study of 65 years or older ambulatory patients visiting a university hospital based clinic from January 2002 to April 2004. Study determined the patterns of drug prescription per Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification and the potentially inappropriate medication usage based on explicit Beers criteria. Results: Of the 4,042 elderly patients the mean number of prescription was $2.2{\pm}2.0$, which was similar between genders and all age groups within the elderly. 10.7% of patients were prescribed with more than 5 medications concurrently. The most frequently prescribed medication was the drugs used for treating nervous system diseases (44.3%), followed by alimentary tract/metabolism disorders (27.6%), cardiovascular disease (10.7%), blood/blood forming disorders (4.3%), respiratory disorders (6.5%), and musculoskeletal diseases (3.2%). A total of 511 elderly (13%) was prescribed with medication that met the criteria for=1 potentially inappropriate drugs for the elderly. This proportion was similar between genders and all age groups within the elderly. Among these 511 elderly patients the mean number of potentially inappropriate drugs prescribed was $5.1{\pm}3.3$ drugs. Potentially inappropriately prescribed drugs included amitriptyline (76 cases), diazepam (69 cases), ketorolac (57 cases), short acting nifedipine (44 cases), triazolam (38 cases), and hydroxyzine (38 cases). Conclusion: Potentially inappropriate drug prescribing in Korean ambulatory elderly patients are common. Education programs and interventions aimed at optimizing the prescribing and dispensing of the most appropriate drugs are needed.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.14-22
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• 2006

Purpose: To determine the short (1 year of transplant) and long-term (1-5 years of transplantation) risk factors affecting the graft and patient survival in kidney transplantation recipients. Methods: Records of 149 patients who received kidney transplantation in 1996 from Asan Medical Center were followed for 5 years retrospectively. Results: All patients initiated triple immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine, prednisone and azathioprine. One, two, three, four, five year patient and graft survival rates were 98.7%, 98.0%, 98.0%, 97.3%, 97.3%, and 96.6%, 95.2%, 94.6%, 92.5%, 91.8%, respectively. There were 30 cases of acute rejection (AR) and 6 cases of chronic rejection (CR) within $2.1{\pm}3.2$ months and $42.1{\pm}13.2$ months of transplantation, respectively. The risk factors for AR were donor's age older than 30 years (p=0.02) and cardiovascular disease (p=0.05). The risk factors for CR were AR (p=0.0169) and episode of complications (p=0.0330). Increasing period of dialysis (p=0.0473), episodes of AR (p<0.0001) and complication (p=0.0317) were significant factors for graft loss. Seven grafts were lost from noncompliance during 1-5 year period. The most com- mon cause of the graft loss for both periods was the graft rejection. The graft survival rate was significantly lower in patients with than without rejection episodes (77.4% vs. 90.0%, p=0.002). Conclusions: Survival rate of the graft with rejection was significantly lower. The risk factors affecting AR were donor's age older than 30years and CVD. AR and episode of complications within 1year were the risk factors for CR and graft loss.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.397-405
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• 2005

Noise may cause damage of the auditory system, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. However, we haven't the data enough to be available for understanding various effects of noise on the human body. The current study was prospectively designed to investigate the changes of the cardiac factors and cerebral hemodynamics following a transient exposure to noise in young people. 80 subjects (mean aged $23.45\pm2.40$ years) participated in this experiment and were exposed to excavator-noise with 90 decibels for 15 minutes using ear-phone. Cardiac factors such as heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP) and heart rate-systolic pressure product (RPP), and cerebral hemodynamics such as mean blood flow velocities (Vm), pulsatility indexes (PI), resistance indexes (RI) and mean blood flow velocities at breathing-hold (Vh) in the middle (MCA), anterior (ACA) and posterior cerebral arteries (PCA) were measured before (baseline) and during the noise-exposure. Although there were individual differences in above mentioned parameters, HR, systolic and diastolic BP, RPP, MCA-Vm, MCA-PI, MCA-RI, ACA-Vm, ACA-PI, ACA-RI, PCA-Vm, PCA-PI, and PCA-RI during the noise-exposure decreased compared with the baselines (P<0.05 or P<0.01), The findings of the present study suggest that a transient exposure to excavator-noise at rest causes changes in the cardiac factors and cerebral hemodynamics with individual differences. Further studies need to be carried out for clarifying the effects of longer exposure and combined mental activity with noise exposure.

• Transactions of the KSME C: Technology and Education
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.179-186
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• 2013

Far-infrared radiation therapies are becoming more popular for blood circulation disorders, cardiovascular disease, skin diseases, inhibit cancer cell, etc replacing conventional operations. In this research, thermal characteristics of heating part in panel radiators, which is effective on the blood circulation disorders were experimentally analyzed. The heating line supplies heat energy to insulation coatings with heat flux of $150mW/m^2$ in normal status and as a result the coatings reached 20% of the heating line temperature. In other words, the insulation itself could increase surface temperature of heating plates by 20% and raise thermal time constant promote blood circulation effect. We also found that space arrangement of the heating lines was an important factor in designing heating parts and both coefficient of heat conduction and density of the heating plate should be also considered for superimpose of thermal diffusion.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.5091-5096
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• 2012

Background: There is a large amount of evidence that the ABO blood group system may play a role in disease etiology. A relationship between ABO and Rhesus blood groups and cancer risk has been demonstrated in a number of studies. However, in relation to gynecological malignancies, these findings are inconsistent and contradictory. Aim: To perform a case-control study for analysis of the distribution of ABO and Rh blood antigens among women from South-East Siberia who suffered from ovarian, endometrial and cervical cancer, and to assess the potential role of these antigens in carcinogenesis. Design, Subjects and Methods: A total of 1,163 cases with ovarian cancer (n=551), endometrial cancer (n=440) and cervical cancer (n=172) were involved in the study. The control group was formed from 22,581 female blood donors. Blood groups were determined through patients medical records and blood donor records. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The blood group O was defined as the referent group, as it has the greatest frequency in the populations of Southern Siberia. P values less than 0.05 were regarded as statistically significant. Results: We found that carriage of non-O blood types increased the risk of ovarian cancer by 40-60%, and the magnitude of this relationship was strongest in women with the AB (IV) blood group. Carriage of the A (II) blood group strongly correlated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer in premenopausal, but not in postmenopausal women. No statistically significant correlations were obtained for endometrial cancer and cervical cancer. Additionally, we did not observe a relationship between Rhesus factor and cancer risk. Conclusion: We suggest that carriage of non-O blood groups may elevate risk of ovarian cancer and can play a role in its development.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.309-318
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• 2016

This study aimed to provide basic data for the enhancement of health behaviors by examining relations among cardiocerebrovascular diseases knowledge, attitude, health behaviors among male workers in their 30, 40s, and then understanding factors having influence on health behaviors. Targeting male workers in their 30, 40s working for companies in J & S cities, a survey was conducted by using tools for the knowledge, attitude, and health behaviors. The data were analyzed with SPSS Win 21.0 program. In the results, Knowledge and attitude showed positive correlations with health behaviors. As factors having influence on targets' health behaviors, there were the knowledge of cardiovascular, department, marital status in the order while the overall explanatory power was 14.8%. Based on this study, the educational implications of health behaviors for the prevention of cardiocerebrovascular diseases, and suggestions for the follow up research were presented.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.7
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• pp.254-258
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• 2012

Takayasu arteritis is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology primarily affecting the aorta and its major branches and usually occurring in the second or third decade of life. Here, we report a case of Takayasu arteritis in a 10-month-old patient. The infant presented with signs of congestive heart failure and severe aortic regurgitation. Echocardiography and computed tomography angiography showed an abnormally dilated thoracic and abdominal aorta. The infant was initially treated with prednisolone, followed by commissuroplasty of the aortic valve but neither approach ameliorated the heart failure. The patient was eventually treated with a mechanical aortic valve replacement surgery at the age of 12 months, and her condition stabilized. Although unusual, this case indicates that the diagnosis of Takayasu arteritis should be considered in children with unexplained systemic symptoms, aortic valve regurgitation, and heart failure. Because severe aortic regurgitation may be a fatal complication of Takayasu arteritis, early aortic valve replacement surgery should be considered, even in very young children.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.60 no.7
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• pp.232-236
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• 2017

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disease in children characterized by intra-alveolar accumulation of surfactant proteins, which severely reduces gaseous exchange. Whole lung lavage (WLL) is the preferred technique for the treatment of severe PAP. Herein, we present a pediatric case of PAP treated with WLL. An 11-year-old boy was admitted with the chief complaint of a dry cough lasting 6 months. He developed symptoms of dyspnea on exertion and had difficulty in climbing stairs. He was ultimately diagnosed with PAP through video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy. As first-line of treatment for PAP, he underwent therapeutic WLL for each of his lungs on separate days. After a brief recovery, his symptoms gradually worsened; therefore, he underwent a second WLL. This is the first pediatric case of PAP relapse despite successful WLL in Korea.