• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.260-266
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• 2011

Objectives: We evaluated the association between common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT), brachialankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), carotid plaque, and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) as indicators of macroangiopathy and diabetic retinopathy as an indicator of microangiopathy in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: We analyzed 605 type 2 diabetic patients registered at a public health center in Korea. Following overnight fasting, venous blood and urine samples were collected and analyzed. The CCA-IMT, levels of carotid plaque, baPWV, and ankle-brachial index (ABI) of the subjects were assessed. We used non-mydriatic fundus photography to diagnose diabetic retinopathy. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between macroangiopathy and diabetic retinopathy. CCA-IMT and baPWV were divided into tertiles: CCA-IMT, 0.39 to 0.65 mm, 0.66 to 0.78 mm, and 0.79 to 1.30 mm; baPWV, 9.9 to 15.8 m/s, 15.9 to 18.9 m/s, and 19.0 to 38.0 m/s. Results: The association between baPWV and diabetic retinopathy remained significant after adjustment, with an increasing odds ratio (OR) in the second tertile (OR, 2.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27 to 4.55) and the third tertile (OR, 4.63; 95% CI, 2.33 to 9.21). No significant differences were observed in carotid plaque, PAD, and each tertile of CCA-IMT. Conclusions: BaPWV was associated with diabetic retinopathy, while CCA-IMT, carotid plaque, and PAD were not. This study suggests that the association between macroangiopathy and microangiopathy may be attributable to functional processes rather than structural processes within the vascular system.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SP
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• v.44 no.4 s.316
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• pp.86-92
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• 2007

A discrete dynamic model for tracking feature points in 2D images is developed. Conventional snake approaches deform a contour to lock onto features of interest within an image by finding a minimum of its energy functional, composed of internal and external forces. The neighborhood around center snaxel is a space matrix, typically rectangular. The structure of the model proposed in this paper is a set of connected vertices. Energy model is designed for its local minima to comprise the set of alternative solutions available to active process. Block on tracking is one dimension, line type. Initial starting points are defined to the satisfaction of indent states, which is then automatically modified by an energy minimizing process. The track is influenced by curvature constraints, ascent/descent or upper/lower points. The advantages and effectiveness of this layer approach may also be applied to feature points tracking of digital image whose pixels have one directional properties with high autocorrelation between adjacent data lines, vertically or horizontally. The test image is the ultrasonic carotid artery image of human body, and we have verified its effect on intima/adventitia starting points tracking.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.107-114
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• 2008

Objectives : The aim of this study is to investigate the association between obesity indices(body mass index, weight, waist-hip ratio and waist circumference) in adolescents and the carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT) in early adulthood. We also wanted to identify the best predictor for C-IMT among these obesity indices. Methods : This study used community-based prospective cohort study, known as the Kangwha Study, and the data we used were from subjects who were 16-years old in 1996 (defined as "adolescence") and 25 years-old in 2005 (defined as "early adulthood"). The 256 subjects (113 men and 143 women) who were used for analysis participated in both follow-ups, and they underwent B-mode ultrasonography of the carotid arteries at the early adulthood follow-up. Obesity indices were defined as the body mass index, weight, waist-hip ratio and waist circumference. The C-IMT was defined as the mean of the maximal IMT of each common carotid artery. The C-IMT and obesity indices associations were evaluated via multivariable regression, logistic regression and the receiver-operator characteristic curve analyses. Results : In men, all the obesity indices in adolescence were showed to have statistically significant positive association with C-IMT in early adulthood. However, no such relationship was showed in women. On multiple regression and logistic regression analysis, the waist-hip ratio showed the biggest relationship with the C-IMT among the 4 obesity indices. However, there were no statistical significant differences and no best predictor was found. For the women, the obesity incidences and C-IMT showed no relationships. Conclusions : This study suggested that obesity in adolescence was related to an increase C-IMT in healthy young Korean men.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.486-495
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• 2010

Objectives: The effect of meat consumption on cardiometabolic risk has been continuously studied, but their associations are not conclusive. The aim of this study is to examine the association between the consumption of meat or red meat and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in healthy Korean adults. Methods: This study evaluated 2374 community-dwelling adults (933 men and 1441 women) who were free of cardiovascular disease or cancer, living in a rural area in Korea. Total meat and red meat intakes were assessed with a validated 103 item-food frequency questionnaire. Carotid IMT was evaluated ultrasonographically, IMTmax was defined as the highest value among IMT of bilateral common carotid arteries. Results: After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the mean IMTmax tended to increase in higher meat consumption groups in both men and women with metabolic syndrome (p for trend= 0.027 and 0.049, respectively), but not in participants without metabolic syndrome. Frequent meat consumption (${\geq}5$ servings/week) was significantly associated with higher IMTmax in men with metabolic syndrome (by 0.08 mm, p=0.015). Whereas, the association was not significant in women (by 0.05 mm, p=0.115). Similar but attenuated findings were shown with red meat intake. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a higher meat consumption may be associated with a higher carotid IMT in Korean adults with metabolic syndrome. The frequent meat consumption (${\geq}5$ servings/week), compared with the others, was associated with a higher carotid IMTmax only in men with metabolic syndrome. Further research is required to explore optimal meat consumption in people with specific medical conditions.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2024

Purpose: The inflammatory response due to inflammatory cytokines, bacterial pathogens, and the altered lipoprotein metabolism in patients with periodontitis indicates that infection with periodontal anaerobic bacteria may influence atherogenesis in vitro and in vivo. We aimed to explore the effect of periodontitis concerning clinical and ultrasound markers of early atherosclerosis. Methods: In this case-control study, a total of 30 systemically healthy adults (15 with periodontitis and 15 without periodontitis) over 40 years of age were studied. Periodontitis was determined by measuring the clinical attachment level (CAL) and radiographic bone loss (RBL). Conventional cardiovascular risk factors, including body mass index, serum levels of total cholesterol (TCH), triglycerides (TG), and high-density and low-density lipoprotein (HDL and LDL, respectively) cholesterol were evaluated. Carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured using ultrasonography. Results: The mean values of the CAL and carotid IMT were 5.02±0.9 mm and 0.084±0.01 cm vs. 1.6±0.61 mm and 0.072±0.02 cm in the periodontitis and healthy groups, respectively, reflecting statistically significant differences (P=0.001 and P=0.037, respectively). There were statistically significant differences in the serum levels of TCH, TG, and LDL between the 2 groups (P=0.017). The CAL and RBL were positively associated with carotid IMT and serum cholesterol levels, except for HDL, whereas tooth loss was not associated with any markers (P<0.05). Compared to the healthy group, participants with periodontitis exhibited 2.09 times higher odds (95% confidence interval, 1.22-3.59) of having subclinical atherosclerosis. Conclusions: The presence of periodontitis increased the risk of atherosclerosis.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.86-94
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• 2018

Objectives: This study is aimed to examine the effect of Geopungchunghyul-dan on circumferential strain of carotid artery in outpatients of Kyung Hee University hospital of Korean Medicine. Methods: Retrospective chart review is used from June 2016 to August 2017 for outpatients of Kyung Hee University hospital of Korean Medicine. 14 patients taking Geopungchunghyul-dan over 1 month were speculated. Data of circumferential strain and intima-media thickness was taken from carotid ultrasonography and processed by Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Geopungchunghyul-dan lowered circumferential strain of both carotid arteries after 1 month of administration (p<0.05). Intima-media thickness of both carotid arteries did not changed significantly. Conclusions: Geopungchunghyul-dan may ameliorate arterial stiffness.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.705-713
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• 2020

Arteriosclerosis is a disease in which blood circulation is impaired due to loss of elasticity as blood vessels become narrower, and is a potential cause of recently increasing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Carotid ultrasound is used as a predictor of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases by evaluating the degree of atherosclerosis. Therefore, this paper attempted to investigate the correlation between the increase in the thickness of the inner media and various clinical variables in carotid ultrasound. Patients with carotid ultrasound findings were classified into three stages: mild intima thickening, sclerosis, and significant stenosis. CAVI (Carotid Ankle Vascular Index: vascular age) data measured in the degree and physical characteristics of the carotid artery(gender, age, body mass index, blood pressure), blood test(total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, creatine phosphokinase, fasting blood sugar), and arteriosclerosis test were collected. It was confirmed that the carotid intima thickness was correlated with variables such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and BMI, and also correlated with the risk factors of cardiovascular disease as CAVI increased.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.244-249
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• 2022

Characterized by abnormal proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), neointima hyperplasia is a hallmark of vascular restenosis after percutaneous vascular interventions. Vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1) is a stress adaption-associated ser/thr protein kinase that can induce the proliferation of various types of cells. However, the role of VRK1 in the proliferation and migration of VSMCs and neointima hyperplasia after vascular injury remains unknown. We observed increased expression of VRK1 in VSMCs subjected to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB by western blotting. Silencing VRK1 by shVrk1 reduced the number of Ki-67-positive VSMCs and attenuated the migration of VSMCs. Mechanistically, we found that relative expression levels of β-catenin and effectors of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) such as phospho (p)-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), p-S6, and p-4EBP1 were decreased after silencing VRK1. Restoration of β-catenin expression by SKL2001 and re-activation of mTORC1 by Tuberous sclerosis 1 siRNA (siTsc1) both abolished shVrk1-mediated inhibitory effect on VSMC proliferation and migration. siTsc1 also rescued the reduced expression of β-catenin caused by VRK1 inhibition. Furthermore, mTORC1 re-activation failed to recover the attenuated proliferation and migration of VSMC resulting from shVrk1 after silencing β-catenin. We also found that the vascular expression of VRK1 was increased after injury. VRK1 inactivation in vivo inhibited vascular injury-induced neointima hyperplasia in a β-catenin-dependent manner. These results demonstrate that inhibition of VRK1 can suppress the proliferation and migration of VSMC and neointima hyperplasia after vascular injury via mTORC1/β-catenin pathway.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.339-348
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of carotid artery ultrasound Respectively. The carotid intima-media thickness is known to have a significant correlation with cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease. We investigated the relationship between carotid intima - media thickness, body mass index, waist circumference, the blood lipid value, fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and blood pressure using carotid artery ultrasound. The carotid artery ultrasound was considered to be abnormality of IMT thickness over 0.8 mm and the presence or absence of atherosclerotic plaque was evaluated. Serological tests were used to compare the geologic value, fasting blood glucose level, and glycated hemoglobin. As a result, waist circumference (=.022), low density cholesterol (=.004), fasting blood glucose level (.019), and glycemic index (.002) were analyzed as predictors of atherosclerosis. In the ROC curve analysis, sensitivity was 87.80% (95% CI: 73.8-95.9), specificity was 41.67% (95% CI: 30.2-53.9), sensitivity was 78.05% (95% CI: 62.4-89.4) in low density lipoprotein, Specificity was 50.00% (95% CI: 38.0-62.0), sensitivity was 73.11% (95% CI: 57.1-85.8), specificity was 61.11 (95% CI: 48.9-72.4) and sensitivity was 82.93%-91.8) and a specificity of 43.06% (31.4-55.3). In logistic regression analysis, the risk of atherosclerosis was 0.248 times at waist circumference (WC)> 76 cm, 3.475 times at low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) ${\geq}124mg/dL$, 0.618 at HbA1c> 5.4% It appeared as a times. We suggest that prospective study of carotid artery ultrasound should be performed for the effective prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.411-417
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• 2007

Objectives: Although risk factors for coronary artery disease are also associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), there is little information available on the asymptomatic, young adult population. We examined the association between multiple cardiovascular risk factors and the common carotid IMT in 280 young Korean adults. Methods: The data used for this study was obtained from 280 subjects (130 men and 150 women) aged 25 years who participated in the Kangwha Study follow-up examination in 2005. We measured cardiovascular risk factors, including anthropometries, blood pressure, blood chemistry, carotid ultrasonography, and reviewed questionnaires on health behaviors. Risk factors were defined as values above the sex-specific 75th percentile of systolic blood pressure, body mass index, total cholesterol/ high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, fasting blood glucose and smoking status. Results: The mean carotid IMT${\pm}$standard deviation observed was $0.683{\pm}0.079mm$ in men and $0.678{\pm}0.067mm$ in women (p=0.567) and the evidence of plaque was not observed in any individuals. Mean carotid IMT increased with an increasing number of risk factors(p for trend <0.001) and carotid IMT values were 0.665 mm, 0.674 mm, 0.686 mm, 0.702 mm, and 0.748 mm for 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 to 5 risk factors, respectively. The odds ratio for having the top quartile carotid IMT in men with 3 or more risk factors versus 0-2 risk factors was 5.09 (95% CI, 2.05-12.64). Conclusions: Current findings indicate the need for prevention and control of cardiovascular risk factors in young adults and more focus on those with multiple cardiovascular risk factors.