• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.109-115
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• 2018

Garlic is a medicinal plant used throughout the world for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiplatelet activities. Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide obtained from chitin, and derivatives of chitosan have been shown to inhibit platelet aggregation and adhesion. We hypothesized that fermented preparations of these products may possess stronger antiplatelet effects than the non-fermented forms owing to the increased bioavailability of the bioactive compounds produced during fermentation. Therefore, we compared these compounds via in vitro and ex vivo platelet aggregation assays by using standard light transmission aggregometry and ex vivo granule secretions from rat platelets. We found that fermented preparations exerted more potent and significant inhibition of platelet aggregation both in vitro and ex vivo. Likewise, ATP release from dense granules of platelets was also significantly inhibited in fermented preparation-treated rat platelets compared to that in non-fermented preparation-treated ones. We concluded that fermented preparations exerted more potent effects on platelet function both in vitro and ex vivo, possibly as a result of the increased bioavailability of active compounds produced during fermentation. We therefore suggest that fermented products may be potent therapeutics against platelet-related CVDs and can be used as antiplatelet and antithrombotic agents.

• International Journal of Arrhythmia
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.41-45
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• 2016

Atrial fibrillation (AF) can occur in acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which is a serious medical condition and may require the use of antiplatelet agents in addition to anticoagulants for stroke prevention. Recently, novel or non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been increasingly used for stroke prevention in patients with AF instead of traditional OACs. The duration of treatment or treatment with a stepwise approach (e.g. triple, double, or monotherapy) is determined depending on the clinical setting and the balance between the risks of ischemic stroke and bleeding. However, some concerns and controversies in the use of NOACs in patients with AF and ACS need to be addressed. Here, the current management for NOAC therapy in patients with ACS and AF will be reviewed based on recently published guidelines.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.280-284
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• 2018

The incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is increasing rapidly in developed countries, with CVDs now representing the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Natural products and ethnomedicines have been shown to reduce the risk of CVDs. Garlic is a medicinal plant used throughout the world for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiplatelet activities. Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide obtained from chitin, and derivatives of chitosan have been shown to inhibit platelet aggregation and adhesion. We hypothesized that fermented preparations of these products may possess stronger antiplatelet effects than the non-fermented forms owing to the increased bioavailability of the bioactive compounds produced during fermentation. Therefore, we compared these compounds via in vitro and ex vivo platelet aggregation assays by using standard light transmission aggregometry and ex vivo granule secretions from rat platelets. We found that fermented preparations exerted more potent and significant inhibition of platelet aggregation both in vitro and ex vivo. Likewise, ATP release from dense granules of platelets was also significantly inhibited in fermented preparation-treated rat platelets compared to that in non-fermented preparation-treated ones. We concluded that fermented preparations exerted more potent effects on platelet function both in vitro and ex vivo, possibly as a result of the increased bioavailability of active compounds produced during fermentation. We therefore suggest that fermented products may be potent therapeutics against platelet-related CVDs and can be used as antiplatelet and antithrombotic agents.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.226-231
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• 2009

Objective : We describe our clinical experiences and outcomes in patients who had thromboembolic complications occurring during endovascular treatment of intracerebral aneurysms with a review of the literature. The types of thromboembolic complications were divided and the treatment modalities for each type were described. Methods : Between August 2004 and March 2009 we performed endovascular embolization with Guglielmi detachable coils for 173 patients with 189 cerebral aneurysms, including ruptured and unruptured aneurysms at our hospital. Sixty-eight patients were males and 105 patients were females. The age of patients ranged from 22-82 years (average, 58.8 years). We retrospectively evaluated this group with regard to complication rates and outcomes. The types of thromboembolic complications were classified into the following three categories: mechanical obstruction, distal embolic stroke, and stent-induced complications, which corresponded to types I, II, and III, respectively. A comparison of the clinical results was made for each type of complication. Results : Only eight patients had a thromboembolic complication during or after a procedure (4.6%). Of the eight patients, two had a mechanical obstruction as the causative factor; the other three patients had distal embolic stroke as the causative factor. The remaining three patients had stent-induced complications. In cases of mechanical obstruction, recanalization occurred due to the use of intra-arterial thrombolytic agents in one of two patients. Nevertheless, a poor prognosis was seen. In the cases of stent-induced complications, in one of three patients in whom a thrombus developed following stent insertion, a middle cerebral artery territory infarct developed with a poor prognosis despite the use of wiring and an intra-arterial thrombolytic agent. In the cases of distal embolic stroke, all three patients achieved good results following the use of antiplatelet agents. Conclusion : Treatment for thromboemboic complications due to mechanical obstruction and stent-induced complications include antiplatelet and intra-arterial thrombolytic agents; however, this cannot guarantee a sufficient extent of effectiveness. Therefore, active treatments, such as balloon angioplasty, stent insertion, and clot extraction, are helpful.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.168-173
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• 2012

We performed this study to develop antithrombotic agents from oriental medicine herb extracts. Polygonum cuspidatum has been traditionally used as an edible medical resources for the treatment of cancer, pyodermatitis, hepatitis, cystitis, and inflammation. However, the effects of Polygonum cuspidatum on thrombosis and platelet activation are not precisely understood. The antithrombotic and antiplatelet activities of Polygonum cuspidatum were investigated by assessing the effect of a 70% ethanol extract of Polygonum cuspidatum on blood coagulation, fibrinolysis, and platelet aggregation. Polygonum cuspidatum showed effective fibrinolytic activity at 10 mg/mL. Polygonum cuspidatum also inhibited adenosine diphosphate induced platelet aggregation. Furthermore, evaluation of anticoagulant activity showed that an extract of Polygonum cuspidatum prolonged coagulation time via activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). Our results show that Polygonum cuspidatum can be a potential candidate for antiplatelet activity as well as a fibrinolytic agent.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.234-239
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• 2012

Objective : Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a typical disease that is encountered frequently in neurosurgical practice. The medications which could cause coagulopathies were known as one of the risk factors of CSDH, such as anticoagulants (ACs) and antiplatelet agents (APs). Recently, the number of patients who are treated with ACs/APs is increasing, especially in the elderly population. With widespread use of these drugs, there is a need to study the changes in risk factors of CSDH patients. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed 290 CSDH patients who underwent surgery at our institute between 1996 and 2010. We classified them into three groups according to the time of presentation (Group A : the remote period group, 1996-2000, Group B : the past period group, 2001-2005, and Group C : the recent period group, 2006-2010). Also, we performed the comparative analysis of independent risk factors between three groups. Results : Among the 290 patients, Group A included 71 patients (24.5%), Group B included 98 patients (33.8%) and Group C included 121 patients (41.7%). Three patients (4.2%) in Group A had a history of receiving ACs/APs, 8 patients (8.2%) in Group B, and 19 patients (15.7%) in Group C. Other factors such as head trauma, alcoholism, epilepsy, previous neurosurgery and underlying disease having bleeding tendency were also evaluated. In ACs/APs related cause of CSDH in Group C, significantly less proportion of the patients are associated with trauma or alcohol compared to the non-medication group. Conclusion : In this study, the authors concluded that ACs/APs have more importance as a risk factor of CSDH in the recent period compared to the past. Therefore, doctors should prescribe these medications carefully balancing the potential risk and benefit.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.277-280
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• 2017

Elsholtzia splendens, which grows on moist soil of mountainous regions, is widely distributed at all regions of Korea, especially at Mountain Ji ri. It is categorized as a Labiatae plant which is dried aerial part. It has the following medicinal properties; removal of fever, alleviation of pain, a good antiphlogistic agent as well as antibacterial effects. However, the effects of E. splendens on thrombosis and platelet activation are not precisely understood. We performed this study to develop antithrombotic agents from oriental medicine herb extracts. E. splendens inhibited platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid and U46619 in a concentration dependent manner. E. splendens did not show an effect on anticoagulation as determined by prothrombin time (PT) or activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). We also tested the effects of E. splendens using a carotid artery thrombosis rat model induced by 35% $FeCl_3$ treatment. E. splendens significantly inhibited thrombus weight compared with the control group. These results show that E. splendens may be developed as a potential antiplatelet activity agent for treatment of cardiocerebrovascular disease and atherosclerosis.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.270-276
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• 2021

Physiological agents trigger a signaling process called "inside-out signaling" and activated platelets promote adhesion, granule release, and conformational changes of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (αIIb/β₃). Activated αIIb/β₃ interacts with fibrinogen and initiates a second signaling step called "external signaling". These two signaling pathways can cause hemostasis or thrombosis, and thrombosis is a possible medical problem in arterial and venous vessels, and platelet-mediated thrombosis is a major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, modulating platelet activity is important for platelet-mediated thrombosis and cardiovascular disease. Esculetin is a coumarin-based physiologically active 6,7-dihydroxy derivative known to have pharmacological activity against obesity, diabetes, renal failure and CVD. Although some studies have confirmed the effects of esculetin in human platelet activation and experimental mouse models, it is not clear how esculetin has antiplatelet and antithrombotic effects. We confirmed the effect and mechanism of action of escultein on human platelets induced by collagen. As a result, esculetin decreased Ca²⁺ recruitment through upregulation of inositol 1, 4, 5-triphosphate receptor. In addition, esculetin upregulates cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent pathways and inhibits fibrinogen binding and thrombus contraction. Our results demonstrate the antiplatelet effect and antithrombotic effect of esculetin in human platelets. Therefore, we suggest that esculetin could be a potential phytochemical for the prevention of thrombus-mediated CVD.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.605-609
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• 2008

Background: It is well known that preoperative administration of combined antiplatelet agents can have an impact on the postoperative bleeding, the requirement for transfusion and the need for reexploration during on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. Yet its effects have not been well evaluated in the case of off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. Material and Method: We performed a retrospective study of nineteen patients who underwent OPCAB from March 2003 to December 2004. All the patients had taken antiplatelet agents until 12 hours before operation. The patients were divided into bo groups as an aspirin group and a combined (aspirin+clopidogrel) group. The perioperative platelet count, the hemoglobin level, the hematocrit, the prothrombin time and the aPTT were compared between both groups. The amount of postoperative bleeding, the transfusion requirement and the need for re-exploration to control bleeding were also compared between both groups. Result: There was no difference of operation time and the intraoperative ACT between the aspirin group and the combined group. The amount of blood loss through the chest tube for 24 hours was not different between the aspirin group $(697{\pm}271mL)$ and the combined group $(944{\pm}432mL)$. The number of patients who received blood transfusion was also not different between both groups. There was no patient who required reexploration for bleeding control in both groups. The perioperative hemoglobin level and hematocrit were also not different between both groups, but the postoperative hemoglobin level and hematocrit were decreased significantly in the group. Conclusion: The Preoperative combined antiplatelet (aspirin+clopidogrel) therapy group was not different from the aspirin group for the amount of postoperative bleeding, the amount of blood transfusion and the need for reexploration during off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. This subject needs further evaluation because of small population in our study.

• The Korean journal of helicobacter and upper gastrointestinal research
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.219-224
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• 2018

New oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are now widely used for the prevention and treatment of venous thrombosis, and for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation. As compared with warfarin, NOACs have the advantage of rapid onset of action and less drug interaction. However, they carry a higher risk of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding than warfarin. The risk of GI bleeding in patients using NOACs varies according to the type and dose of the drug. By contrast, apixaban and edoxaban are reported to carry similar risks as warfarin, and the risks with dabigatran and rivaroxaban are higher than that with warfarin. In patients using NOACs, old age, impaired renal function, impaired liver function, concurrent use of antiplatelet agents, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are considered major risk factors of GI bleeding, and gastroprotective agents such as histamine-2 receptor antagonist and proton pump inhibitor have preventive effects. To prevent GI bleeding associated with NOACs, the characteristics of each NOAC and the risk factors of bleeding should be recognized.