• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2014

Objective: Combined oral contraceptives (COCs) have some adverse effects on the serum lipid profile. Because hyperlipidemia is one of the risk factors in cardiovascular diseases, lipid abnormalities should be evaluated in women consuming COCs. Vitamins E and C are known to have beneficial effects on serum lipid profiles. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the effects of vitamins E and C on serum lipids in women using COCs. Methods: The study compared changes in lipid parameters with and without vitamin therapy in women consuming COCs compared to those of a control group (40 non-contraceptive users or NCU) for 4 weeks. Total cholesterol and triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels along with HDL/LDL ratios were measured for all participants. Results: COC users experienced significantly higher increases in the levels of triglycerides and LDL than non-users (p<0.05). However, no significant differences were noted in the total cholesterol and HDL levels. In the treated COC group receiving vitamins E and C, the HDL level and the HDL/LDL ratio increased and the LDL and triglycerides levels decreased significantly compared with those of the other groups. Conclusion: The results of our study indicate that supplementation with antioxidant vitamins E and C restores a normal lipid profile in COC users.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.121-126
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• 2007

Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In our case study using animal models for disease states such as obesity or hypertension, we found that, Isaria sinclairii remarkably reduced body weight and ameliorated metabolic abnormalities in Zucker and SHR rats. Genetically obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats were one animal model chosen for this study. Four groups of rats received a standard diet and were treated orally with the following test samples daily for 8 weeks: saline (negative control), ethanol extracts of I. sinclairii, hot water extract of I. sinclairii, or $Xenical^{(R)}$ (30 mg/kg, positive control). Mild reductions (6.3%) in body weight gain were observed in the groups treated with the hot water extract of I. sinclairii compared to the control after 8 weeks. Interestingly, organ weight was greatly reduced by this Dongchunghacho (I. sinclairii), in parallel with the mild reductions in body weight gain and reductions in abdominal fat (adipose tissue). Also observed was a 4.1 % decrease in the ratio of heart weight/body weight compared to the control group. As a hypertensive animal model, SHR (spontaneously hypertensive rat) and WKY (Wistar Kyoto) rats were also administered these extracts for one month. Treatment with the hot water extract of I. sinclairii caused greater reductions in body weight gain for the SHR group (10.9%) compared to the WKY group's (5.2%). Based on these results, I. sinclairii extracts contain selective action for anti-obesity activity, naturally occurring candidate for regulation of body weight increase, as demonstrated in the present study.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.55-61
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• 2022

In veterinary medicine, a variety of disease are known to cause coagulation abnormalities. Identification of these coagulation abnormalities have been relied on traditional coagulation assays(platelet concentration, aPTT, PT, D-dimer, fibrinogen) which take only a small part of the coagulation pathways rather than global hemostatic capacity. Among of the hypercoagulable diseases, cardiovascular disease, such as mitral valvular disease, was not regarded as the cause of the hypercoagulability. The value of a thromboelastography (TEG) as an early predictor of coagulopathy, especially hypercoagulability, has been founded. It was associated with decreased R and K values, and increased MA and α angle. The objective of this study was to compare thromboelastography results and those of traditional coagulation tests between twenty adult dogs with mitral insufficiency (MVI group) and eleven adult healthy dogs (Healthy group). As a results, MA values in the patients with mitral insufficiency (68.8±7.8 mm) were significantly higher than the normal patients (60.4±4.8 mm) (P value<0.05). Although a little report has been reported in veterinary medicine, platelet activation seems to be related with hypercoagulability in MVI patients in human medicine. The result of this report can support this pathophysiology in veterinary medicine. In addition to traditional coagulation assay, global assessment of coagulopathy using TEG, especially ability to detect hypercoagulability, may be useful for customized treatment in MVI patients. To achieve this, further study is needed to define pathophysiology and effect of medication.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.867-874
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• 1996

This study was designed to assess the left ventricular peak systolic pressure/end-systolic volume (PSP/ESV) ratio in predicting symptomatic improvement with valve replacement in patients with aortic regurgitation and enlarged left von'lrlcular volume. We studied 21 patients (15 men and 6 women aged 15 to 60 years) with moderate or severe aortic regur- gitation, no other cardiovascular abnormalities and left ventricular end-systolic volume over 60 m11m2. In this group we assessed the preoperative variables which routinely were measured at cardiac catheterlzation to predict symptomatic improvement with valve replacement. Six months after operation, symptoms were alleviated in 13 patients(62%), and unchanged in 8()8%). By multivariate analysis, the PSP/ESV rati was a strong predictor for functional class 6 months after surgery(p=0.005) and also for change- in functional class prior to an operation to 6 months postoperatively(p=0.0)2). By 6 months after receiving valve replacement, all patients with a ratio over 1. 71 mmHglml/m'were in functional class I or II , in contrast, of those with a ratio < 1.71 mmHg/ml/m2, 40% were in functional class III. The PSP/ESV ratio may help to predict which patients with aortic regurgitation and enlarged left ven- tricular end-systolic volume will have symptomatic improvement with valve replacement.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.222-225
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• 2014

Purpose: A recent study analyzing several cytokines reported that long cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time and long aortic cross clamp (ACC) time were accompanied by enhanced postoperative inflammation, which contrasted with the modest influence of the degree of hypothermia. In this present study, we aimed to examine the effect of CPB temperature on the clinical outcome in infants undergoing repair of isolated ventricular septal defect (VSD). Methods: Of the 212 infants with isolated VSD who underwent open heart surgery (OHS) between January 2001 and December 2010, 43 infants were enrolled. They were classified into 2 groups: group 1, infants undergoing hypothermic CPB ($26^{\circ}C-28^{\circ}C$; n=19) and group 2, infants undergoing near-normothermic CPB ($34^{\circ}C-36^{\circ}C$; n=24). Results: The age at the time of the OHS, and number of infants aged<3 months showed no significant differences between the groups. The CPB time and ACC time in group 1 were longer than those in group 2 (88 minutes vs. 59 minutes, P =0.002, and 54 minutes vs. 37 minutes, P =0.006 respectively). The duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation was 1.6 days in group 1 and 1.8 days in group 2. None of the infants showed postoperative neurological and developmental abnormalities. Moreover, no postoperative differences in the white blood cell count and C-reactive protein levels were noted between two groups. Conclusion: This study revealed that hypothermic and near-normothermic CPB were associated with similar clinical outcomes and inflammatory reactions in neonates and infants treated for simple congenital heart disease.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.190-195
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• 2006

Obesity is associated with a number of pathological disorders such as non-insulin-dependent diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases. Bangpoongtongsungsankamibang (BTSK) has been widely used in the oriental medicine for the treatment of several diseases associated with inflammatory abnormalities in cardiovascular and nervous system. The BTSK is the modified prescription of Bangpoongtongsungsankamibang in which sea tangle (Laminaria japonica) were added. This study was carried out to detemine the anti-obestic effects of BTSK. Pretreatment with the BTSK at daily dose of 100 or 200 mg/kg (p.o.) far 4 weeks reduced serum triglyceride, total cholesterol contents in rat induced by Poloxamer-407 or Triton WR-1339, respectively. Furthermore, post-treatment with BTSK far four weeks also inhibited body weight gain, adipose tissue mass and hyperlipidemia induced by the high fat diet for six weeks. The BTSK shifted serum total-, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol levels toward the values of normal group, suggesting that BTSK has hypolipldemlc effects. The rats fed BTSK reduced lipid peroxide and hydroxy radical in the rat blood and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity compared to the control group. Taken together, these results superoxide that BTSK improve hyperlidemia and obesity via the upregulation of anti-oxidative mechanism.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.552-555
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• 2001

Noonan syndrome is characterized by a Turner-like phenotype and a normal karyotype associated with congenital abnormalities, such as short stature, variable mental retardation, hypertelorism, webbed neck, low posterior hair line, skeletal malformation and congenital cardiovascular defect. Two third of Noonan syndrome have cardiac anormalies, half with pulmonary stenosis. We have experienced two cases of pulmonary stenosis associated with other cardiac anomalies in Noonan syndrome. The first 31-year-old male patient had characteristic appearance of Noonan syndrome with severe infundibular pulmonic stenosis and patent foramen ovate. The second 28-year-old male patient had valvular and subvalvular Pulmonary stenosis with typical Noonan\`s face and stature. Pulmonary valvotomy and hypertrophied muscle bundles in the right ventricular cavity were resected in both cases. Patent foramen ovate was closed directly in the first case. Postoperative follow-up examinations revealed no symptoms and successful outcome.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.388-392
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• 1998

Hyperhidrosis is one of abnormalities in autonomic nervous system, it has been treated with dermatologic principles or thoracic sympathectomy via thoracotomy. But these techniques were rather ineffective or invasive. Recently, Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery(VATS) is widely applided in thoracic surgical area, and palmar & axillary hyperhidrosis is not the exception. From August 1995 to February 1997, 52 patients with bilateral palmar hyperhidrosis underwent bilateral thoracic sympathectomy with VATS in the department of thoracic & cardiovascular surgery, Inje university, Pusan Paik Hospital. There were 27 men and 25 women and the mean age was 22 years. Mean operating time was 172 min and unilateral sympathectomy via minithoracotomy was applied in one patient due to severe pleural adhesion. Mean postoperative hospital stay was 2.6 days. During mean 12.5 months follow-up, there was no recurrence of sweating in the both hands. Thirty patients(57.7%) complained moderate degree of compensatory sweating, but the discomfort was decreased in severity. 83.8% of all patients were satisfied with the result of operation.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.275-284
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• 2024

Worldwide, cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death, which accordingly increased by hyperlipidemia. Hyperlipidemia therapy can include lifestyle changes and medications to control cholesterol levels. Statins are the medications of the first choice for dealing with lipid abnormalities. Rosuvastatin founds to control high lipid levels by hindering liver production of cholesterol and to achieve the targeted levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, another lipid lowering agents named ezetimibe may be used as an added therapy. Both rosuvastatin and ezetimibe have low bioavailability which will stand as barrier to decrease cholesterol levels, because of such depictions, formulations of this combined therapy in nanotechnology will be of a great assistance. Our study demonstrated preparations of nanoparticles of this combined therapy, showing their physical characterizations, and examined their behavior in laboratory conditions and vivo habitation. The mean particle size was uniform, polydispersity index and zeta potential of formulations were found to be in the ranges of (0.181-0.72) and (-13.4 to -6.24), respectively. Acceptable limits of entrapment efficiency were affirmed with appearance of spherical and uniform nanoparticles. In vitro testing showed a sustained release of drug exceeded 90% over 24 h. In vivo study revealed an enhanced dissolution and bioavailability from loaded nanoparticles, which was evidenced by calculated pharmacokinetic parameters using triton for hyperlipidemia induction. Stability studies were performed and assured that the formulations are kept the same up to one month. Therefore, nano formulations is a suitable transporter for combined therapy of rosuvastatin and ezetimibe with improvement in their dissolution and bioavailability.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2009

Background: Background: Computed tomography (CT) is the main tool for detecting abnormalities of the thoracic aorta, but conventional CT only shows the cross-sectional images. These CT images have some limitations fo accuratly measuring the thoracic aortic diameters at various levels. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) overcomes these limitations. We measured the thoracic aortic diameter perpendicular to the loop-shaped thoracic aortic course and this was studied in relation to age, gender, height, weight, the body surface area, the body mass index and the presence of hypertension. Material and Method: Thirty hundred thirty one patients (males: 141 patients and females: 190 patients) who had no abnormalities of the thoracic aorta were investigated using MDCT aortography. They were divided into three age categories: 20~39 years old, 40~59 years old and over age 60. The image was reformed with multiplanar reconstruction and the diameter of the aorta was measured perpendicular to the aortic course at 5 anatomic segments. Level A was the mid-ascending aorta, level B was the distal ascending aorta, level C was the aortic arch, level D was the aortic isthmus and level E was the mid-descending aorta. Result: The mean age was 49.5 years old for males and 54.9 years old for females (p<0.05). The mean diameter of the thoracic aorta at level A was 31.1 mm, that at level B was 30.2 mm, that at level C was 26.5 mm, that at level D was 24.0 mm and that at level E was 22.6 mm. The diameters at all the levels were gradually increased with age. Hypertensive patients had larger diameters than did the non-hypertensive population. There was a positive correlation between the ascending aortic diameter (levels A&B) and height and the body surface area, but there were no statistical differences at the aortic arch (level C) and the descending aorta (levels D&E). There were no statistical differences of the weight and body mass index at all levels. Conclusion: The diameters of the thoracic aortas were directly correlated with gender, age and hypertension. Height and the body surface area were only correlated with the ascending aorta. Weight and the body mass index have no statistical difference at all levels. We measured the age related thoracic aortic diameters and the upper normal limits and we provide this data as reference values for the thoracic aortic diameter in the Korean population.