• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 2005

Background : Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is a specific marker of myocardial injury. It is known that a higher level of cTnI is associated with a poor clinical outcome in patients with acute coronary syndrome. An elevation in cTnI is also observed in various noncardiac critical illnesses. This study evaluated whether cTnI is useful for predicting the prognosis in noncardiac critically ill patients. Methods : From June 2003 to July 2004 at Gyeongsang National University Hospital, we enrolled 215 patients (male:142, female:73, mean age:$63{\pm}15$ years ) who were admitted for critical illness other than acute coronary syndrome at the medical intensive care unit(ICU). The severity score of critical illness (SAPS II and SOFA) was determined and serum cTnI level was measured within 24 hours after admission to the ICU. The mortality rate was compared between the cTnI-positive (${\geq}0.1{\mu}g/L$) and cTnI-negative ($cTnI<0.1{\mu}g/L$) patients at the $10^{th}$ and $30^{th}$ day after admission to the ICU. The mean cTnI value was compared between the survivors and non-survivors at the $10^{th}$ and $30^{th}$ day after admission to the ICU in the cTnI-positive patients. The correlation between cTnI and the severity of the critical illness score (SAPS II and SOFA) was also analyzed in cTnI-positive patients. Results : 1) The number of cTnI-negative and positive patients were 95(44%) and 120(56%), respectively. 2) The mortality rate at the $10^{th}$ and $30^{th}$ day after admission to the ICU was significantly higher in the cTnI-positive patients (29%, 41%) than in the cTnI-negative patients (12%, 21%)(p<0.01). 3) In the cTnI-positive patients, the mean value of the cTnI at the $10^{th}$ and $30^{th}$ day after admission to the ICU was significantly higher in the non-survivors ($4.5{\pm}9.2{\mu}g/L$, $3.5{\pm}7.9{\mu}g/L$) than in the survivors($1.8{\pm}3.6{\mu}g/L$, $2.0{\pm}3.9{\mu}g/L$) (p < 0.05). 4) In the cTnI-positive patients, the cTnI level was significantly correlated with the SAPS II score (r=0.24, p<0.001) and SOFA score (r=0.30, p<0.001). Conclusion : The cTnI may be a useful prognostic marker in noncardiac critically ill patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.696-703
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• 2009

Background: A Comprehensive Aortic Root and Valve Reconstruction (CARVAR) procedure is comprised of aortic root wall reconstruction and corrections of the leaflets for treating various aortic valve diseases. We evaluated our recent early clinical experience with the CARVAR procedure. Material and Method: From October 2007 to September 2008, 114 cases (66 males) of CARVAR procedures were performed, The mean patient age was 53 years (range: 14~84) The patients were divided into 4 groups: 1) the AAR group: aortic regurgitation with aortic root wall deformity such as annulo-aortic ectasia or ascending aortic aneurysm (n=18), 2) the IAR group: isolated AR with leaflet abnormality (n=42), 3) the IAS group: isolated aortic stenosis (n=51) and 4) the PAVR group: previous aortic valve replacement (n=3). Sinotubular junction (STJ) reduction was done in all the patients, leaflet correction was done in 10 of the AAR group patients and in all the patients of the other groups, annulus reduction was done in 14 of the MR group patients and in 6 of the IAR group patients. Aortic dissection was excluded from this analysis. Result: There was no mortality or follow-up death. The diameter of the aortic sinus decreased from $54.6{\pm}8.4$ mm to $38.3{\pm}3.8$ mm in the AAR group, the mean AR grade decreased from 3.2 to 0.2 in the IAR group, the mean aortic valve pressure gradient decreased from $47.1{\pm}24.4$ mmHg to $15.1{\pm}11.7$ mmHg in the IAS group and the mean AR grade decreased to 0 in the PAVR group. Balloon type coronary perfusion cannula-related coronary ostial stenosis developed in 4 patients and this was treated with OPCAB in three patients and with PTCA in one patient. Two patients developed postoperative infectious endocarditis. All the patients were discharged and followed up in a stable condition. Conclusion: The CARVAR procedure showed excellent short term results, but a good further follow up result is required to apply this procedure to most kinds of aortic valve diseases.

• Journal of Oriental Medical Thermology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2008

Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify relationship between the PWV and the temperature difference. Methods: When it comes to senile patients who suffer from cold limbs, there is need to see whether or not the patient's low temperature of the limbs is do to arteriosclerosis. The Pulse Wave Velocity(PWV) is a non-invasive method measuring the artery's rigidness. And the Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging(D.I.T.I) is a non-invasive method to see the body's thermal change. Research on the interrelationship of the artery's rigidness and body's thermal distribution was done by using these two tests. The subjects of this research were patients between the age 40~65 who have done both the D.I.T.I and PWV in March 2005~ September 2005. They had to have no history of diabetes, coronary illnesses or cerebrovascular diseases which are diseases that can effect the outcome of the PVW, nor history of spondylopathy or dermatosis which can effect the outcome of the D.I.T.I. Results: The results were as follows. 1. There was a significant interrelationship between the right wrist-ankle PWV and the temperature difference of the right wrist-palm. 2. There was a significant interrelationship between the left wrist-ankle PWV and the temperature difference of the left wrist-palm. 3. There was no significant interrelationship between the right wrist-ankle PWV and the temperature difference of the right thigh-dorsum of foot. 4. There was no significant interrelationship between the left wrist-ankle PWV and the temperature difference of the left thigh-dorsum of foot. 5. The right ABI showed no significant interrelationship between the temperature difference of the right wrist-palm and the right thigh-dorsum of foot. 6. The left ABI showed no significant interrelationship between the temperature difference of the left wrist-palm and the left thigh-dorsum of foot. Conclusion: The study shows that there was a significant interrelationship between wrist-ankle PWV and the temperature difference of wrist-palm.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.341-352
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• 2012

It is well established that excessive sodium intake is related to a higher incidence of chronic diseases such as hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease and gastric cancer. Although the upper limit of the current sodium intake guideline by WHO is set at 2,000 mg/day for adults, sodium intake of Koreans is well over 4,700 mg/capita/day implying an urgent need to develop and implement sodium intake reduction policy at the national level. This study investigated the cost-effectiveness of the sodium intake reduction policy, for the first time, in Korea. Analyses were performed using most recent and representative data on national health insurance statistics, healthcare utilization, employment information, disease morbidity/mortality, etc. The socioeconomic benefits of the policy, resulting from reduced morbidity of those relevant diseases, included lower medical expenditures, transportation costs, caregiver cost for inpatients and income losses. The socioeconomic benefits from diminished mortality included reductions in earning losses and welfare losses caused by early deaths. It is estimated that the amount of total benefits of reducing sodium intake from 4.7 g to 3.0 g is 12.6 trillion Korean Won; and the size of its cost is 149 billion Won. Assuming that the effect of sodium intake reduction would become gradually evident over a 5-year period, the implied rate of average return to the sodium reduction policy is 7,790% for the following 25 years, suggesting a very high cost-effectiveness. Accordingly, development and implementation of a mid-to-long term plan for a consistent sodium intake reduction policy is extremely beneficial and well warranted.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.157-169
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• 2010

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of Hwa-Byung(HB) patients, draw the clinical key issue of HB, and provide the data as the basis for development of Clinical Guideline of HB. Methods : The study participants included 151 subjects who thought they have HB in 9 site. For all patients, we used HB epidemiologic study protocol, which include the Korean version of the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV Diagnosis (SCID-1), diagnostic criteria of HB, symptoms check list, pattern identification tool, psychiastric psychological questionaires, and Framingham coronary risk score(FRS). Results : 1. For all participants, 62 % of subjects were diagnosed with HB. These patients had comorbid DSM-IV diagnoses with depression (65%) and anxiety (27%). But 22% of these patients had only HB. 2. HB patients had various physical symptoms when visiting, were diagnosed as various disease, and undergone medical treatments in the past. Among the diagonsed illness, Gastronitestinal diseases (51.6%), psychiatric disorders(40.9%), endocrine diseases(39.8%) were being the most frequent. The frequent physical symptoms of HB patients reported were chest discomfort, head ache, pallpitation, frequent sigh, amnesia, shoulder pain, dry mouth, eye fatigue etc. 3. HB patients had high scores in psychologic questionares, CES-D, STAI, and STAXI. It means that HB patients might be low-level emotional stability. 4. Participant had negative opinion about the treatment of HB that it would be difficult or impossible (65.7%), but they neglect the need of medical treatment. Conclusions : This result shows that HB is comorbid with various psychiatric disease, but it has different physio-psychological symptoms from others and there were only HB patients. so we identify HB is independent disease. Moreover, there were the wrong perception of HB which blocking treatments. These problems support that the neccesity of development of Clinical Guideline of HB.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2017

Objectives : This paper serves to explore current trends of systems biology in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and examine how it may influence the Traditional Korean medicine. Methods : Literature review method was collectively used to classify Introduction to systems biology, diagnosis and syndrome classification of systems biology in TCM perspective, physiotherapy including acupuncture, herbs and formula functions, TCM systems biology, and directions of academic development. Results : The term 'Systems biology' is coined as a combination of systems science and biology. It is a field of study that tries to understand living organism by establishing a theory based on an ideal model that analyzes and predicts the desired output with understanding of interrelationships and dynamics between variables. Systems biology has an integrated and multi-dimensional nature that observes the interaction among the elements constructing the network. The current state of systems biology in TCM is categorized into 4 parts: diagnosis and syndrome, physical therapy, herbs and formulas and academic development of TCM systems biology and its technology. Diagnosis and syndrome field is focusing on developing TCM into personalized medicine by clarifying Kidney yin deficiency patterns and metabolic differences among five patterns of diabetes and analyzing plasma metabolism and biomarkers of coronary heart disease patients. In the field of physical therapy such as acupuncture and moxibustion, researchers discovered the effect of stimulating acupoint ST40 on gene expression and the effects of acupuncture on treating functional dyspepsia and acute ischemic stroke. Herbs and formulas were analyzed with TCM network pharmacology. The therapeutic mechanisms of Si Wu Tang and its series formulas are explained by identifying potential active substances, targets and mechanism of action, including metabolic pathways of amino acid and fatty acid. For the academic development of TCM systems biology and its technology, it is necessary to integrate massive database, integrate pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, as well as systems biology. It is also essential to establish a platform to maximize herbal treatment through accumulation of research data and diseases-specific, or drug-specific network combined with clinical experiences, and identify functions and roles of molecules in herbs and conduct animal-based studies within TCM frame. So far, few literature reviews exist for systems biology in traditional Korean medicine and they merely re-examine known efficacies of simple substances, herbs and formulas. For the future, it is necessary to identify specific mechanisms of working agents and targets to maximize the effects of traditional medicine modalities. Conclusions : Systems biology is widely accepted and studied in TCM and already advanced into a field known as 'TCM systems biology', which calls for the study of incorporating TCM and systems biology. It is time for traditional Korean medicine to acknowledge the importance of systems biology and present scientific basis of traditional medicine and establish the principles of diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases. By doing so, traditional Korean medicine would be innovated and further developed into a personalized medicine.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.548-555
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• 2017

Background: Korean Red Ginseng has been used for several decades to treat many diseases, enhancing both immunity and physical strength. Previous studies have documented the therapeutic effects of ginseng, including its anticancer, antiaging, and anti-inflammatory activities. These activities are mediated by ginsenosides present in the ginseng plant. Ginsenoside Rg3, an effective compound from red ginseng, has been shown to have antiplatelet activity in addition to its anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. Platelets are important for both primary hemostasis and the repair of the vessels after injury; however, they also play a crucial role in the development of acute coronary diseases. We prepared ginsenoside Rg3-enriched red ginseng extract (Rg3-RGE) to examine its role in platelet physiology. Methods: To examine the effect of Rg3-RGE on platelet activation in vitro, platelet aggregation, granule secretion, intracellular calcium ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) mobilization, flow cytometry, and immunoblot analysis were carried out using rat platelets. To examine the effect of Rg3-RGE on platelet activation in vivo, a collagen plus epinephrine-induced acute pulmonary thromboembolism mouse model was used. Results: We found that Rg3-RGE significantly inhibited collagen-induced platelet aggregation and $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ mobilization in a dose-dependent manner in addition to reducing ATP release from collagen-stimulated platelets. Furthermore, using immunoblot analysis, we found that Rg3-RGE markedly suppressed mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation (i.e., extracellular stimuli-responsive kinase, Jun N-terminal kinase, p38) as well as the PI3K (phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase)/Akt pathway. Moreover, Rg3-RGE effectively reduced collagen plus epinephrine-induced mortality in mice. Conclusion: These data suggest that ginsenoside Rg3-RGE could be potentially be used as an antiplatelet therapeutic agent against platelet-mediated cardiovascular disorders.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.129-139
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• 1997

The data collected to date indicate that sleep-related breathing disorders, including sleep-disordered breathing(sleep apnea) and underlying respiratory system diseases, are one of the important risk factors for cardiovascular dysfunction. Sleep-disordered breathing(sleep apnea) is now recognized as one of the leading causes of systemic hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, coronary heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, right heart failure, and stroke. Sleep may exert a profound effect on breathing in patients with underlying respiratory system disease including bronchopumonary diseases, chest wall abnormalities, central alveolar hypoventilation syndromes or respiratory neuromuscular disorders. Chronic hypoxia and hypercapnia in these patients may accelerate the development of long term cardiovascular complications such as cardiac arrhythmias, pulmonary hypertension, and right heart failure(cor pulmonale). Several recent studies reported that sleep-related breathing disorders are associated with long-term cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Careful assessment of respiratory and cardiovascular function in these patients is critical. Aggressive and highly effective treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders using tracheostomy, mechanical ventilation, nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy(nCPAP), intercurrent oxygen therapy or other interventions can reduce the prevalence of cardiovascular dysfunction and the long-term mortality.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 2005

Objectives: Hypertension is the most important risk factors for the cerebrovascular diseases, and also for coronary heart diseases, it is therefore very important that the people have a knowledge on nature of hypertension and it's high risk in order to prevent and detect the hypertension as early as possible. Methods: This study was done to find out the knowledge on hypertension of 434 parents of elementary school students from Kimjae city, Jonbuk province, they were parents in grade 4, 5 and 6 attending two elementary schools. The survey took 10 days from November 20 to November 30, 2003. Results: first, The highest correct answer(94.5%) was "obesity is risk factors for hypertension", followed by "hypertension is closely related with hereditary factors(91.0%) and "high sodium intake is associated with high blood pressure"(85.7%). The lowest correct answer(77.4%) was the classification of blood pressure level between normal and high. Second, Rate of blood pressure measurement for fathers was 53.7% and 54.8% in mothers. Awareness of own blood pressure by fathers was 84.1 %, while 91.1% by mothers. Third, According to blood pressure level reported by parents, fathers with normal blood pressure was 59.2%, high normal blood pressure was 12.2%, while hypertension was 28.6%. It revealed that prevalence of hypertension of fathers was higher than mother (normal: 74.5%, high normal: 7.7%, hypertension: 18.2%). Conclusions: From the results of this study, it is important to strengthen the health education about hypertension for community people and also school students.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.108-117
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• 2020

This study aims to provide basic data for maintaining and promoting health of obese middle-aged women who are interested in various chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and coronary artery disease by comparing and analyzing the effect on body composition and lipid metabolism through a 12-week Pilates mat exercise program for obese middle-aged women. This study targeted middle-aged women residing in Gyeonggi-do A, who are obese middle-aged women in their 40s and 50s with a body fat ratio of 30% or more, and had no regular exercise in the past three months. Obese middle-aged women(n=19) were divided into two groups, the Pilates mat exercise program group(n=9) and the control group(n=10), conducting exercise for 60 minutes three times a week for 12 weeks. As a result of analysis, the exercise group had a positive effect on body weight, skeletal muscle mass, body fat mass, body fat percentage, and BMI in body composition, but not in the control group. In the lipid metabolism, the exercise group had a positive effect on TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, and FFA, but not in the control group. These results suggest that the 12-week Pilates mat exercise program conducted in this study is an exercise program that can prevent cardiovascular and chronic diseases in obese middle-aged women.