• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.4 no.6
• /
• pp.492-498
• /
• 2010

Both metabolic syndrome (MetS) and elevated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) increase the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). We hypothesized that low HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) would further increase CVD risk in women having both conditions. To assess this, we recruited 89 women with MetS (25-72 y) and LDL-C ${\geq}$ 2.6 mmol/L. To determine whether plasma HDL-C concentrations were associated with dietary components, circulating atherogenic particles, and other risk factors for CVD, we divided the subjects into two groups: high HDL-C (H-HDL) (${\geq}$ 1.3 mmol/L, n=32) and low HDL-C (L-HDL) (< 1.3 mmol/L, n=57). Plasma lipids, insulin, adiponectin, apolipoproteins, oxidized LDL, Lipoprotein(a), and lipoprotein size and subfractions were measured, and 3-d dietary records were used to assess macronutrient intake. Women with L-HDL had higher sugar intake and glycemic load (P< 0.05), higher plasma insulin (P< 0.01), lower adiponectin (P< 0.05), and higher numbers of atherogenic lipoproteins such as large VLDL (P < 0.01) and small LDL (P<0.001) than the H-HDL group. Women with L-HDL also had larger VLDL and both smaller LDL and HDL particle diameters (P<0.001). HDL-C was positively correlated with LDL size (r=0.691, P<0.0001) and HDL size (r=0.606, P<0.001), and inversely correlated with VLDL size (r=-0.327, P<0.01). We concluded that L-HDL could be used as a marker for increased numbers of circulating atherogenic lipoproteins as well as increased insulin resistance in women who are already at risk for CVD.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.212-218
• /
• 2010

Korean red ginseng (KRG) has been shown to enhance endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in experimental animals; however, little is known about its pharmacological effects on vascular stiffness in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial was carried out to determine whether KRG has beneficial effects on arterial stiffness, cardiovascular risk factors such as plasma lipid profiles and blood pressure (BP), and Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) activity. Twenty patients (mean age, 62.5 years) with stable angina pectoris were given KRG (2.7 g/day) and a placebo alternatively for 10 weeks. Blood biochemical analysis and pulse wave velocity (PWV) recording were performed on day 0 and after the completion of each treatment. ROCK activity was assessed based on the level of phospho-$Thr^{853}$ in the myosin-binding subunit of myosin light chain phosphatase, determined by Western blot analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. KRG significantly decreased the systolic BP, brachial ankle PWV, and heart femoral PWV in the patients (all p<0.05), but did not significantly alter the serum lipid profiles, including triglycerides and total, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. The ROCK activity tended to decrease (p=0.068) following KRG treatment. The placebo did not significantly alter any of the variables. In conclusion, KRG decreased systolic BP and arterial stiffness, probably via the inhibition of ROCK activity, in patients with CAD, but had a neutral effect on serum lipid profiles. Our data suggest that KRG has a therapeutic effect on CAD.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.36 no.8
• /
• pp.583-589
• /
• 2003

With the purpose of identifying significant risk factors in poststernotomy sternal wound infection and mediastinitis, we underwent a retrospective analysis of the whole patients operated on at the our department of cardiovascular surgery for the two years. Material and Method: From March 200f to March 2003 at the depart-ment of cardiovascular surgery, medical school of Soonchunhyang University, major sternal wound infections had been developed in 12 (9.76%) of 123 consecutive patients. These patients underwent open-heart procedure through a midline sternotomy and survived long enough for infection to appear. For this group of patients, we evaluated possible risk factors such as age, sex, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obesity, interval between hospital admission and operation, type of surgical procedure, elective or emergency surgical procedure, reoperation, duration of surgical procedures, duration of cardiopulmonary bypass, amount of blood transfused, post-operative blood loss, chest reexploration, rewiring of a sterile sternal dehiscence, duration of mechanical ventilation, and days of stay in the intensive care unit and analyzed these factors. Result: Analysis represented that age, sex, diabetes mellitus, type and mode of surgical procedure, reoperation, duration of operation, duration of cardio-pulmonary bypass, and interval between hospital admission and operation were not significantly associated with wound infection. For all other predisposing factors, p-values of less than .05 were demonstrated. Eight emerged as significant: early chest reexploration (p=0.001), sternal rewiring (p< 0.0001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p<0.0001), blood transfusions (p<0.05), postoperative bleeding (p=0.008), days of stay in the intensive care unit (p< 0.0001), duration of mechanical ventilation (p=0.001), and obesity (p=.003). Conclusion: Contamination of pa-tients may occur before, during, and after the operation, and any kind of reintervention may predispose the patient to wound infection.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.60 no.12
• /
• pp.390-394
• /
• 2017

Purpose: Atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT) is less common in pediatric patients than in adult patients. Thus, data for pediatric AVNRT patients are insufficient. Hence, we aimed to analyze the patient characteristics, treatment, and any recurrences in pediatric AVNRT patients. Methods: We reviewed the records of 50 pediatric AVNRT patients who had undergone radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) between January 1998 and December 2016 at a single regional center. The patients were aged ${\leq}18years$. Results: Among 190 pediatric patients who underwent RFCA for tachyarrhythmia, 50 (26.3%; mean age, $13.4{\pm}2.6years$) were diagnosed as having AVNRT by electrophysiological study. Twenty-five patients (25 of 50, 50%) were male. Twenty patients (20 of 50, 40%) used beta-blockers before RFCA. All patients had no structural heart disease except 1 patient with valvular aortic stenosis and coarctation of the aorta. RFCA was performed using the anatomic approach under fluoroscopic guidance. The most common successfully ablated region was the midseptal region (25 of 50, 50%). Slow pathway (SP) ablation and SP modulation were performed in 43 and 6 patients, respectively. Complication occurred in 1 patient with complete atrioventricular block. During follow-up, 6 patients had recurrence of supraventricular tachycardia, as confirmed by electrocardiography. Among them, 5 underwent successful ablation at the first procedure. In 1 patient, induction failed during the first procedure. Conclusion: RFCA is safe and effective in pediatric AVNRT patients. However, further research is needed for establishing the endpoints of ablation in pediatric AVNRT patients and for identifying risk factors by evaluating data on AVNRT recurrence after RFCA.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.281-289
• /
• 2005

Hyperlipidemia and related heart disease will be growing public health problems as the population ages. It is therefore of great importance to identify modifiable risk factors. So this research investigated associations among life style, nutrient intake, and blood lipids in middle-aged men with borderline hyperlipidemia. Dietary intakes were assessed by food-frequency questionnaire and convenient method. The subject's histories of alcohol use and smoking were assessed via a questionnaire. Current smokers were classified as smokers, whereas past smokers and subjects who never smoked were classified as nonsmokers. With regard to alcohol intake, the subjects were stratified into drinkers and nondrinkers. In drinkers the frequency were measured. Frequency of alcohol intake and weight were associated with high blood lipids and blood pressure. The highest quartile of calcium intake had lower triglyceride concentration than did those in the lower three quartiles. High calcium intake was associated with low blood triglyceride concentration. These results suggest that healthy weight and high calcium intake and less alcohol intake can contribute to maintenance of healthy blood lipids in men.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.709-718
• /
• 2016

This review addresses the characteristics and health benefit of highly marbled Wagyu and Hanwoo beef. Marbling of Wagyu and Hanwoo beef has been increased in Japan and Korea to meet domestic consumer preferences. Wagyu and Hanwoo cattle have high potential of accumulating intramuscular fat (IMF) and producing highly marbled beef. The IMF content varies depending on the feeding of time, finishing diet, and breed type. IMF increases when feeding time is increased. The rate of IMF increase in grain-fed cattle is faster than that in pasture-fed cattle. Fatty acid composition are also different depending on breeds. Highly marbled Wagyu and Hanwoo beef have higher proportions of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) due to higher concentrations of oleic acid. MUFAs have little effect on total cholesterol. They are heart-healthy dietary fat because they can lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol while increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. Clinical trials have indicated that highly marbled beef does not increase LDL-cholesterol. This review also emphasizes that high oleic acid beef such as Wagyu and Hanwoo beef might be able to reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

• Journal of IKEEE
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.309-319
• /
• 2017

The research investigates the inhibition of fatty acid biosynthesis of the human Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase enzyme by the aromatic-structure inhibitors (also known as ligands) containing variables of substituents, contributing an important role in the treatment of fatty-acid metabolic syndrome expressed by the group of cardiovascular risk factors increasing the incidence of coronary heart disease and type-2 diabetes. The effective interoperability between ligand and enzyme is characterized by a 50% concentration of enzyme inhibitor ($IC_{50}$) which was determined by experiment, and the factor of geometry structure of the ligands which are modeled by quantum mechanical methods using HyperChem 8.0.10 and Gaussian 09W softwares, combining with the calculation of quantum chemical and chemico-physical structural parameters using HyperChem 8.0.10 and Padel Descriptor 2.21 softwares. The result data are processed with the combination of classical statistical methods and modern bioinformatics methods using the statistical softwares of Department of Pharmaceutical Technology - Jadavpur University - India and R v3.3.1 software in order to accomplish a model of the quantitative structure - activity relationship between aromatic-structure ligands inhibiting fatty acid biosynthesis of the human Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.56 no.4
• /
• pp.246-251
• /
• 2023

Obesity increases the risk of mortality and morbidity because it results in hypertension, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Therefore, there is an urgent need for pharmacotherapeutic drugs to treat obesity. We performed a screening assay using natural products with anti-adipogenic properties in 3T3-L1 cells and determined that tschimganidine, a terpenoid from the Umbelliferae family, inhibited adipogenesis. To evaluate the anti-obesity effects of tschimganidine in vivo. Mice were fed either a normal chow diet (NFD) or a high-fat chow diet (HFD) with or without tschimganidine for 12 weeks. Treatment with tschimganidine decreased lipid accumulation and adipogenesis, accompanied by reduced expression of adipogenesis and lipid accumulation-related factors. Tschimganidine significantly increased the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and decreased that of AKT. Depletion of AMPK relieved the reduction in lipid accumulation resulting from tschimganidine treatment. Moreover, tschimganidine administration drastically reduced the weight and size of both gonadal white adipose tissue (WAT) and blood glucose levels in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. We suggest that tschimganidine is a potent anti-obesity agent, which impedes adipogenesis and improves glucose homeostasis. Tschimganidine can then be evaluated for clinical application as a therapeutic agent.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.51 no.5
• /
• pp.386-399
• /
• 2018

Purpose: This study examined whether the supply of healthy Korean diets for 12 weeks is effective in improving the risk factors related to serum GGT and cardiovascular diseases in patients with hypertension and diabetes. Methods: This study selected 41 patients, who were treated with hypertension and diabetes. The Korean diet was composed of cooked-rice, soup, kimchi, and various banchan with one serving called bapsang, which emphasize proportionally high consumption of vegetables and fermented foods, moderate to high consumption of legumes and fish, and low consumption of animal foods. The control group was instead instructed to "eat and exercise as usual" while following the Korean Diabetes Association's dietary guidelines with an intake that can assist in glycemic control, maintain adequate weight, and meet the nutritional requirements. The Korean diet group (21 patients) were served three healthy Korean meals a day for 12 weeks, and the control group (20 patients, who trained in the diet guideline of diabetes) maintained their usual diabetic diet. The serum GGT, blood pressure, heart rate, glycemic control data, cardiovascular risk indicators, and changes in diet measured at the four visits (week 0, 4, 8, and 12) during the course of 12 weeks were compared and evaluated. Results: The serum GGT (p < 0.001), HbA1c (p = 0.004), heart rate (p = 0.007), weight (p = 0.002), Body Mass Index (p = 0.002), body fat mass (p < 0.001), body fat (%) (p < 0.001), and free fatty acid (p = 0.007) in the Korean diet group decreased significantly after the dietary intervention compared to the control group. The amount of intake of rice, whole grains, green vegetables, Kimchi, and soybean fermented food were increased significantly compared to the control group (p < 0.001). The Korean diet group showed significant decreases (p < 0.001) in the intake of animal protein, lipid, and cholesterol derived from animal foods compared to the control group but significant increases (p < 0.001) in the intake of total calories, folic acid, dietary fiber, sodium, potassium, and vitamins A, E, and C. Conclusion: In patients with hypertension and diabetes, it was confirmed that regular eating of a healthy Korean diet helps improve the risk factors for GGT and cardiovascular diseases.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.34 no.9
• /
• pp.680-685
• /
• 2001

Background: Tricuspid valve replacement is very rarely performed procedure and its long-term result is not yet satisfactory. Moreover, it is not well known whether bioprosthesis or mechanical prosthesis is the best selection for artificial valve. We reviewed 72 cases of tricuspid valve replacements in 71 patients between January 1989 and December 1998, trying to analyze the overall results and risk factors for mortality and morbidity. Material and Method: Average age of the patients at the time of operation was 42$\pm$13 years(range 16 to 65 years) and the sex ratio of male versus female was 32/39. Primary diagnosis consisted of 50 cases of aquired valvular heart disease and 18 cases of congenital heart disease, such as Ebstein’s anomaly. 4 cases had isolated tricuspid valve regurgitation. Implanted valves were 69 mechanical prosthesis and 3 bioprosthesis. Concomitant mitral or aortic valve replacements were performed in 50 cases. One patient received concomittant pulmonary valve replacement. Result: There were 7(9.72%) operative deaths and 7(13.0%) late deaths. Actuarial survival at 10 years was 59.2$\pm$7.2%. Prosthetic tricuspid valve thrombosis occurred 11 times in 5 patients. Reoperation for prosthetic tricuspid valve failure was performed in 1 patient. In this case, examination of the explanted prostheses showed that the tricuspid stenosis was the result of valve thrombosis. Among the 47 survivors, 46 patients(98%) were in functional class I or II. Conclusion: In our ten-year experience of tricuspid valve replacement, mortality and morbidity were satisfactory. Mechanical prosthesis in tricuspid position showed comparable clinical results as bioprosthesis.