• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.59 no.4
• /
• pp.190-195
• /
• 2016

Purpose: Severe aplastic anemia (SAA), a fatal disease, requires multiple transfusion, immunosuppressive therapy, and finally, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) as the definitive treatment. We hypothesized that iron overloading associated with multiple transfusions and HSCT-related complications may adversely affect cardiac function. Left ventricular (LV) function was assessed in children after HSCT for SAA. Methods: Forty-six consecutive patients with a median age of 9.8 years (range, 1.5-18 years), who received HSCT for SAA and who underwent comprehensive echocardiography before and after HSCT, were included in this study. The data of LV functional parameters obtained using conventional echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), and speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) were collected from pre- and post-HSCT echocardiography. These data were compared to those of 40 age-matched normal controls. Results: In patients, the LV ejection fraction, shortening fraction, end-diastolic dimension, mitral early diastolic E velocity, TDI mitral septal E' velocity, and STE LV longitudinal systolic strain rate (SSR) decreased significantly after HSCT. Compared to normal controls, patients had significantly lower post-HSCT early diastolic E velocity and E/A ratio. On STE, patients had significantly decreased LV deformational parameters including LV longitudinal systolic strain (SS), SSR, and diastolic SR (DSR), and circumferential SS and DSR. Serum ferritin levels showed weak but significant correlations (P<0.05) with LV longitudinal SS and SSR and circumferential SS and DSR. Conclusion: Subclinical LV dysfunction is evident in patients after HSCT for SAA, and was associated with increased iron load. Serial monitoring of cardiac function is mandatory in this population.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.314-322
• /
• 2014

Purpose: Diastolic dysfunction is a common problem in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The purpose of this study was to assess the role of MRI in the assessment of diastolic function using mitral valve and pulmonary vein flow velocities in HCM patients. Methods and Results: Phase-contrast MRI (mitral valve and pulmonary vein) and transthoracic echocardiography was successfully performed for 59 HCM patients (44 men and 15 women; mean age, 51 years). Forty-nine patients had a diastolic dysfunction; grade 1 (n = 20), grade 2 (n = 27), and grade 3 (n = 2) using echocardiography, and ten patients had normal diastolic function. The transmitral inflow parameters (E, A, and E/A ratios) obtained by MRI showed positive correlation with the same parameters measured by echocardiography (Pearson's r values were 0.47, 0.60, and 0.75 for E, A, E/A, respectively, all P < 0.001). With the flow information of the pulmonary vein from cardiac MRI, pseudo-normalized pattern (n = 8) could be distinguished from true normal filling pattern (n = 17), and the diastolic function grades by cardiac MRI showed moderate agreement with those of echocardiography (kappa value = 0.45, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Assessment of left ventricle diastolic function is feasible using phase-contrast MRI in HCM patients. Analysis of pulmonary vein flow velocity on MRI is useful for differentiating pseudo-normal from normal diastolic function in HCM patients.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.243-249
• /
• 2021

A decrease in coronary blood flow leads to an imbalance between the supply of oxygen to the myocardium and its demand, and reversible or irreversible damage to the myocardium could occur depending on the severity of the resultant ischemia and the duration of the imbalance. This imbalance results in a cascade of ischemic reactions in the following order: metabolic abnormalities, diastolic dysfunction, systolic dysfunction, and electrocardiogram changes. Variant angina is caused by the closure of the coronary artery due to reversible coronary artery spasm, resulting in myocardial ischemia and subsequent chest pain as a clinical symptom. Variant angina may be observed as ST segment elevation in electrocardiogram measured when present in chest pain. However, 12-lead electrocardiogram performed after the patient's chest pain resolves does not help in the diagnosis. Since the duration of chest pain appears to be <15 minutes, it is important to perform the 12-lead electrocardiogram when clinical symptoms are present. If nitroglycerin is administered without performing 12-lead electrocardiogram by 119 pre-hospital paramedics, the chest pain would be resolved, making it impossible to identify changes in the ST segment. Before administration of nitroglycerin, changes in the ST segment must be recorded by performing 12-lead electrocardiogram.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.22
• /
• pp.10027-10031
• /
• 2014

Background: We investigated the risk of cancer mortality according to obesity status and metabolic health status using sampled cohort data from the National Health Insurance system. Materials and Methods: Data on body mass index and fasting blood glucose in the sampled cohort database (n=363,881) were used to estimate risk of cancer mortality. Data were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazard model (Model 1 was adjusted for age, sex, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol level and urinary protein; Model 2 was adjusted for Model 1 plus smoking status, alcohol intake and physical activity). Results: According to the obesity status, the mean hazard ratios were 0.82 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.75-0.89] and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.72-0.85) for the overweight and obese groups, respectively, compared with the normal weight group. According to the metabolic health status, the mean hazard ratio was 1.26 (95% CI, 1.14-1.40) for the metabolically unhealthy group compared with the metabolically healthy group. The interaction between obesity status and metabolic health status on the risk of cancer mortality was not statistically significant (p=0.31). Conclusions: We found that the risk of cancer mortality decreased according to the obesity status and increased according to the metabolic health status. Given the rise in the rate of metabolic dysfunction, the mortality from cancer is also likely to rise. Treatment strategies targeting metabolic dysfunction may lead to reductions in the risk of death from cancer.

• Herbal Formula Science
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.123-135
• /
• 2022

Oryeongsan (ORS), a formula composed of five herbal medicines, has long been used to treat impairments of the regulation of body fluid homeostasis. The purpose of this study was to determine the antihypertensive and renal protective effects of ORS in rats with hypertension. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were divided into two groups with similar mean baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP). Then, 1 mL/kg of vehicle (distilled water) or 1.5, 3 g/kg of ORS extract were administered orally once a day for 4 weeks. SBP and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured at weeks 1, 2, 3 and 4. At the end of the experiment, blood was collected, and heart were removed for histology. By the 2 weeks after initiation of treatment, the ORS treated group had significantly lower SBP than SHR rats. The ORS treatment significantly improved blood pressure and echocardiogram parameters compared to hypertensive rats. Additionally, the left ventricular (LV) remodeling and LV dysfunction were significantly improved in ORS treated group hypertensive rats. Furthermore, an increase in fibrotic area has been observed in SHR rats compared with Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). Furthermore, administration of ORS significantly attenuated cardiac fibrosis in hypertensive rats. Therefore, these findings suggest that ORS has a protective effect on heart failure by alleviating hypertensive heart disease and cardiovascular dysfunction in SHR.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.48 no.6
• /
• pp.422-425
• /
• 2015

Amyloid deposits in the heart are not exceptional in systemic amyloidosis. The clinical manifestations of cardiac amyloidosis may include restrictive cardiomyopathy, characterized by progressive diastolic and eventually systolic biventricular dysfunction; arrhythmia; and conduction defects. To the best of our knowledge, no previous cases of isolated tricuspid regurgitation as the initial manifestation of cardiac amyloidosis have been reported. We describe a rare case of cardiac amyloidosis that initially presented with severe tricuspid regurgitation in a 42-year-old woman who was successfully treated with tricuspid valve replacement. Unusual surgical findings prompted additional evaluation that established a diagnosis of plasma cell myeloma.

• Nutritional Sciences
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.234-244
• /
• 2002

This study was conducted to compare the rates of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, high blood glucose, and liver dysfunction, between 64 obese children (24 boys and 11 girls who were moderately obese, and 21 boys and 8 girls who were severely obese) and 45 normal weight children (31 boys and 14 girls) from 13 elementary schools in Kangnung city. Among the boys with severe obesity, the levels of serum triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol (133.60 $\pm$ 49.99 mg/dl and 105.00 $\pm$ 41.12 mg/dl( respectively) were significantly higher compared to the normal Weight group (81.16 $\pm$ 23.59 mg/dl and 87.74 $\pm$ 32.095 mg/dl, respectively) of moderately obese group (102.30 $\pm$ 36.03 mg/dl, 89.99 $\pm$ 32.10 mg/이, respectively). In girls, only serum triglycerides were significantly higher in the severely obese group (154.30 $\pm$ 46.84 mg/dl), compared with the normal weight group (80.00 $\pm$ 25.31 mg/dl) or moderately obese group (106.40 $\pm$ 41.73 mg/dl). In boys, blood pressure in the severely obese group (systolic: 120.5 $\pm$ 9.74 mmHg; diastolic: 80.95 $\pm$ 10.44 mmHg) was significantly higher compared with the groups of normal weight or moderately obese children. The rate of hypertriglyceridemia was significantly different among normal weight, moderately obese, and severely obese boys (9.7%, 41.7%, and 76.2%, respectively). The proportion of boys who had an Atherogenic Index(AI) higher than 3 was found to be significantly higher in the severely obese group (28.6%), compared to 6.5% in the normal weight group and 4.1% in the moderately obese group. Among boys, a significantly higher rate of hypertension was found in the severely obese group, which showed high systolic blood pressure and high diastolic pressure (81.0% and 81.0%), compared with the normal weight group (16.1% and 22.6%) and moderately obese group (33.3% and 33.3%). In conclusion, the diagnosis and management of obese children needs to be tailored to gender and the degree of obesity. Furthermore, a systematic management program needs to be developed for early screening and detection of obesity in order to minimize the risk of hyperlipidemia and hypertension, especially in severely obese children.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.39-45
• /
• 1986

Resting gated blood pool scan was used to derive left ventricular functional changes in normals (N=13, mean age=43) and in patients with coronary artery disease (N=50, mean age=53). Peak filling rates, average filling rates, and ejection fractions were significantly depressed in coronary artery disease. (p<0.0005, each other). And in coronary artery disease with normal ejection fraction (N=21), peak filling rates and average filling rates were depressed also, and peak filling rates of coronary artery disease with normal ejection fraction were abnormal in 61.2% and average fillin rates were abnormal in 71.4%. It appears that (1) resting peak filling rates and average filling rates were sensitive and easily obtainable parameters of the diastolic dysfunction assosiated with coronary artery disease, (2) a significant proportion of coronary artery disease patients without any evidence of abnormal systolic function have depressed resting peak filling rates and average filling rates of the left ventricle.

• Korean Circulation Journal
• /
• v.53 no.6
• /
• pp.406-417
• /
• 2023

Background and Objectives: Pathophysiological changes of right ventricle (RV) after repair of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) are coupled with a highly compliant low-pressure pulmonary artery (PA) system. This study aimed to determine whether pulmonary vascular function was associated with RV parameters and exercise capacity, and its impact on RV remodeling after pulmonary valve replacement. Methods: In a total of 48 patients over 18 years of age with repaired TOF, pulmonary arterial elastance (Ea), RV volume data, and RV-PA coupling ratio were calculated and analyzed in relation to exercise capacity. Results: Patients with a low Ea showed a more severe pulmonary regurgitation volume index, greater RV end-diastolic volume index, and greater effective RV stroke volume (p=0.039, p=0.013, and p=0.011, respectively). Patients with a high Ea had lower exercise capacity than those with a low Ea (peak oxygen consumption [peak VO₂] rate: 25.8±7.7 vs. 34.3±5.5 mL/kg/min, respectively, p=0.003), while peak VO₂ was inversely correlated with Ea and mean PA pressure (p=0.004 and p=0.004, respectively). In the univariate analysis, a higher preoperative RV end-diastolic volume index and RV end-systolic volume index, left ventricular end-systolic volume index, and higher RV-PA coupling ratio were risk factors for suboptimal outcomes. Preoperative RV volume and RV-PA coupling ratio reflecting the adaptive PA system response are important factors in optimal postoperative results. Conclusions: We found that PA vascular dysfunction, presenting as elevated Ea in TOF, may contribute to exercise intolerance. However, Ea was inversely correlated with pulmonary regurgitation (PR) severity, which may prevent PR, RV dilatation, and left ventricular dilatation in the absence of significant pulmonary stenosis.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.64.1-64.12
• /
• 2021

Background: Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), a neurodegenerative disease leading to reduced dopamine production, is a common disease in aged horses. The treatment is based on administration of the dopamine agonist pergolide. This drug has been related to valvular fibrosis in humans, but the cardiovascular effect of this drug has not yet been investigated in horses. Objectives: To determine whether pergolide induces valvular disease in horses or affects the cardiac function. Methods: Standard, tissue Doppler (TDE) and two-dimensional speckle tracking (STE) echocardiography were performed in horses with diagnosed PPID based on adrenocorticotropic hormone dosage. Measurements taken in horses treated with pergolide were compared with those from untreated horses with nonparametric t-tests. Furthermore, measurements from follow-up examinations performed at least three months after the initial exam were compared with a Wilcoxon signed rank test for repeated measurements in each group. Results: Twenty-three horses were included. None of the 12 horses under treatment developed valvular regurgitation. Furthermore, no differences in the measurements of the left ventricular systolic or diastolic function could be seen between the group of horses with treatment and those without treatment. Measurements taken in the follow-up exam did not differ compared to those taken in the initial exam in both groups. Conclusions: No changes of the left ventricular function assessed by TDE and STE could be shown in a small population of horses with confirmed PPID. Treatment with pergolide did not affect the ventricular function nor induce valvular disease.