• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.104-109
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• 2017

Objectives: Epicardial fat is true visceral fat that is known to be associated with metabolic syndrome, high abdominal fat, insulin resistance, coronary artery diseases, low coronary flow reserve and subclinical atherosclerosis. Dampness-Phlegm pattern is one of the pattern diagnosis of traditional Korean medicine. Previous studies showed that Dampness-Phlegm pattern is associated with hypertension, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome. This study is intended to find association between Dampness-Phlegm pattern and epicardial fat thickness. Methods: This study was a community-based single center trial. Ischemic stroke patients within 30 days after their ictus were enrolled. Epicardial fat thickness was measured using transthoracic echocardiography. Other measured and obtained variables are medical history, weight, height, body mass index, fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerol, high density lipoprotein, lipid and low density lipoprotein. Results: Three hundred sixty six were enlisted, and one hundred forty were diagnosed with the Dampness-Phlegm pattern. Dampness-Phlegm pattern group had significantly thicker epicardial fat. Binary logistic regression also showed statistically significant result. Conclusions: This study showed close association between epicardial fat and Dampness-Phlegm pattern. This result suggests a clue to standardization of pattern identification.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.69-74
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• 2005

Ever since it was first introduced as a method of scintigraphically measuring regional myocardial perfusion, myocardial perfusion study has been widely used in patients diagnosed or suspected with coronary artery diseases, and continuously improved upon. In addition to the technological enhancement of nuclear medicine equipments, the innovation of radiopharmaceuticals used in the cardiac exams were important contributors to such improvement. Besides the cardiac perfusion studies, new radiopharmaceuticals that visualize fat metabolism or receptors of the sympathetic nervous system have successfully been applied to clinical practice. More information can be collected before diagnosing coronary vascular disease, evaluating the patient's condition, or assessing therapeutic effects. In this review article, the clinical efficacy and characteristics of radiopharmaceutical products tailored for cardiac SPECT that are commonly used in Korea currently, plus the ones not being used yet but have proven value are briefly described.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2013

Objectives : This article is a study on to which categories of modern diseases blood stasis patterns are assigned and the meaning of blood stasis interpreted with perspectives of Korean Medicine and modern medicine. Methods : We reviewed "Neijing", "Shanghanlun", "Yilingaicuo", "Xuezhenglun" and other books and modern clinical papers related with blood stasis. Results : 1. Blood stasis patterns are related with disorders of hemorrheology, hemodynamics, platelet function, microcirculation, microelements and endothelial damage. 2. From the types of syndrome differentiation, diverse diseases classified in type of qi deficiency with blood stasis and type of blood stasis due to qi stagnation are reported, which reflects qi and blood are closely connected. And many diseases are classified in type of kidney deficiency with blood stasis, which has something in common with chronic diseases can achieve effect from treatment considering blood stasis. 3. Diseases related with kidney involve menopausal disorder, mazoplasia, prostatitis, erectile dysfunction, chronic nephritis, renal calculus, osteoporosis and bursitis. Diseases related with heart involve coronary artery disease, arrhythmia and cerebral thrombosis. Diseases related with spleen involve gastritis, colonitis and digestive organ ulcer. Diseases related with liver involve hepatitis, hyperthyroidism and stroke. Diseases related with lung involve neurodermatitis, bronchitis and paranasal sinusitis. Conclusions : Blood stasis pattern which is one of the areas to draw medicine's attention has broad clinical application.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.185-189
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• 2005

Lipids such as total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) are known as good risk factors for coronary artery diseases caused by arthrosclerosis. We measured the serum concentrations of hs-CRP, TC, and HDL-C of 6,128 persons who underwent medical examinations in the Health Screening Center at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. We classified the subjects into normotensive and hypertensive groups according to the blood pressure measured. We investigated whether there was a difference of hs-CRP and lipids between the normotensive and hypertensive groups. There was significant difference of TC, TC/HDL-C ratio, and hs-CRP concentration between the normotensive and hypertensive groups in both men and women, but there was no significant difference of HDL-C concentration between two groups. Our results indicated that the concentrations of hs-CRP and lipids were higher in patients with hypertension and confirmed the usefulness of lipids and hs-CRP in predicting the risk for coronary artery diseases.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.102-107
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• 2017

Purpose: Coronary arterial lesions (CALs) were reported to have developed in children with systemic inflammatory diseases, as well as those with Kawasaki disease (KD). The purpose of this study was to confirm that the CAL development in children with KD occurs in a mouse model of sepsis presenting typical systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Methods: To induce the sepsis mouse model with SIRS, 6-week-old C57BL/6 mice were intraperitoneally injected with endotoxin. We compared histological findings of the major organs between the control and the sepsis groups and examined CAL in the heart of the septic mice. Results: Infiltrating inflammatory cells were relatively increased in the heart, liver, and kidneys of the sepsis group, compared with those of the control group. We confirmed lymphocytic infiltration in the myocardium (myocarditis) and the pericardial soft tissue of the heart. Furthermore, coronary artery of the septic mouse was identified, but CAL was not observed. Conclusions: In this study, we failed to confirm the existence of CAL in a mouse model of sepsis. However, it is well-known that CALs are seen in many kinds of diseases that cause SIRS. Our findings suggest further investigation into the clinical significance of CAL in various systemic inflammatory diseases, including KD.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.8 s.265
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• pp.619-625
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• 2006

Background: Peripheral arterial disease is frequently accompanied with systemic arteriosclerosis and more than half of the cause of deaths is due to the development of coronary arterial disease. Moreover, it is known that the most frequent cause of death after a bypass surgery of chronic arterial obstruction is heart related complications. Especially in patients with atherosclerotic arterial obstruction in the lower extremities who had no history of heart disease or had no presenting symptoms of ischemic heart disease showed a high rate of postoperative mortality and for this reason we suggest preoperative evaluation in these patients to evaluate whether or not coronary arterial disease is accompanied. Material and Method: Since Feb. 2001 to Oct. 2004, we analyzed 52 patients who were operated on for atherosclerotic arterial obstruction in the lower extremities, with the exception of patients with a past history of heart disease or symptoms of ischemic heart disease. They underwent on the same day a coronary and femoral angiography for evaluation of accompanying coronary arterial disease. Of among these patients, we compared those who received bypass surgery of the arteries of the peripheral extremities alone to those who underwent combined coronary artery bypass surgery. Result: 63% of the reported cases of atherosclerotic arterial obstruction in the lower extremities were accompanied with coronary arterial disease. Old age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, and hypercholesterolemia are known risk factors for arteriosclerosis and of these, only old age and hypertension had statistically significance in patients with severe atherosclerotic arterial obstruction in the lower extremities accompanied with coronary arterial disease. Diabetes, smoking, and hypercholesterolemia showed no statistical significance in this group. With the increase in severity of the range and the degree of atherosclerotic arterial obstruction, coronary arterial disease is frequently accompanied and its severity also increased. Patients who received both peripheral artery and coronary artery bypass surgery showed no difference in the period of hospitalization and ICU stay period compared with patients who received bypass surgery of the arteries of the lower extremities alone. Conclusion: Patients with atherosclerotic arterial obstruction in the lower extremities without symptoms of ischem to evaluate coronary arterial disease for active treatment, especially in the patients with old age, hypertension and high AVD scores.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.1299-1305
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• 2010

Cardiac troponin-I (cTnI), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and C-reactive protein (CRP) are routine cardiac markers for the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. Recently, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) has garnered attention as a marker of heart failure. This study was retrospectively designed to investigate the relationships between preoperative BNP, other cardiac markers levels and perioperative parameters in seventy-four adult patients that underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) and to assess its usefulness for predicting postoperative outcomes. Preoperative levels of BNP, cTnI, CK-MB, and CRP had significantly positive or negative correlations with echocadiographic parameters. There were significantly positive relationships between BNP, cTnI, CK-MB, and CRP concentration. Postoperative mechanical ventilation time had a positive correlation to preoperative levels of cTnI, CK-MB, and CRP, while ICU-staying period had a positive correlation with BNP, cTnI and CK-MB. These results reveal that a preoperative level of BNP is a good predictor and that its combination with cTnI, CK-MB, and CRP might be useful for diagnosis and comprehensive risk stratification of patients with coronary heart diseases, as well as prognosis of perioperative outcomes in OPCAB patients.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.153-161
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• 2013

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are the major components of brain and retina, and are the essential fatty acids with important physiologically active functions. Thus, PUFAs should be provided to children, and are very important in the brain growth and development for fetuses, newborn infants, and children. Omega-3 fatty acids decrease coronary artery disease and improve blood flow. PUFAs have been known to have anti-inflammatory action and improved the chronic inflammation such as auto-immune diseases or degenerative neurologic diseases. PUFAs are used for metabolic syndrome related with obesity or diabetes. However, there are several considerations related with intake of PUFAs. Obsession with the intake of unsaturated fatty acids could bring about the shortage of essential fatty acids that are crucial for our body, weaken the immune system, and increase the risk of heart disease, arrhythmia, and stroke. In this review, we discuss types, physiologic mechanism of action of PUFAs, intake of PUFAs for children, recommended intake of PUFAs, and considerations for the intake of PUFAs.

• Endocrinology and Metabolism
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.429-434
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• 2018

As diagnostic techniques have advanced, primary aldosteronism (PA) has emerged as the most common cause of secondary hypertension. The excess of aldosterone caused by PA resulted in not only cardiovascular complications, including coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, and heart failure, but also cerebrovascular complications, such as stroke and transient ischemic attack. Moreover, PA is associated more closely with these conditions than is essential hypertension. In this review, we present up-to-date findings on the association between PA and cerebrovascular diseases.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.105-110
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• 2008

Renovascular hypertension results from a lesion that impairs blood flow to a part of or all, of one or both kidneys. Renal artery stenosis is the major cause of renovascular hypertension and the most common cause of treatable secondary hypertension. Recently, percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty(PTRA) with or without stent placement, has become the preferred choice for correcting symptomatic renal artery stenosis since it is less invasive than surgical reconstruction. PTRA with balloons designed for the dilatation for the dilatation of the coronary artery can be tried in small sized renal artery stenosis. We report a case of renovascular hypertension in a 13-year-old male who had small sized renal artery stenosis. Hypertension was controlled by PTRA with balloon dilatation.