• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.59-63
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• 2012

Melatonin has been studied as a potential treatment of cancer, immune disorders, cardiovascular diseases, depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), circadian rhythm sleep disorders, sexual dysfunction and some forms of insomnia. Prolonged release melatonin has shown good results in treating insomnia in older adults. It may ameliorate circadian misalignment and SAD. Basic research indicates that melatonin may play a significant role in modulating the effects of drugs of abuse such as cocaine. A 2004 review found that melatonin significantly increased total sleep time in people suffering from sleep restriction. Therefore, in this study, in order to explain characteristics of melatonin, total energy, net charge, vibrational mode of melatonin are calculated by PM3 methods of HyperCam 6.0.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.89-93
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• 2015

Ginseng has long been used as a functional food or therapeutic supplement and it is empirically known to be safe and nontoxic. During recent decades, a number of in vitro and in vivo experiments, as well as human studies have been conducted to prove the safety of various types of ginseng samples and their components. Clinical trials, case reports, and in vitro and in vivo research articles addressing the safety, toxicity, and other adverse events of ginseng application were selected and reviewed. Patient risks associated with ginseng abuse and misuse such as affective disorder, allergy, cardiovascular and renal toxicity, genital organ bleeding, gynecomastia, hepatotoxicity, hypertension, reproductive toxicity, and anticoagulant-ginseng interaction were reviewed and summarized. There are some cases of patient risk associated with ginseng abuse and misuse depending on patients' conditions although further investigation in more cases is required to clarify these issues.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 2005

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with increased cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity. Epidemiological and clinic-based studies have shown that SDB is related to impaired glucose tolerance and increased insulin resistance, independent of obesity. Despite of a consistent association between SDB and impaired glucose-insulin metabolism, the mechanism underlying this relationship has not been fully elucidated. It is recognized that hypoxemia and hypercapnia that occur in SDB provoke sympathetic nervous activity and catecholamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine, and cortisol are released. Sympathetic hyperactivity and increased catecholamines can impair glucose homeostasis by increasing glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis, which can result in increased circulating insulin levels and increased risk of insulin resistance. A prospective study is needed to investigate the causal relationship between SDB and impaired glucose-insulin metabolism in a healthy population without diabetes, hypertension and obesity as etiologic risk factors.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.395-400
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• 2019

Acromegaly is a rare endocrine disorder caused by excessive secretion of the growth hormone. There is a wide range of clinical manifestations from somatic symptoms to respiratory or cardiac failure. Among them, cardiovascular involvement is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. There are relatively few cases reporting cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) findings of cardiomyopathy in patients with acromegaly. Thus, we report a case of acromegaly showing dilated cardiomyopathy focusing on the findings of CMR.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.399-401
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• 1994

We experienced one case of surgical treatment of A-V fistula between the right common iliac artery and the right common iliac vein after lumbar laminectomy. The average vascular surgeon does not have extensive experience with this disorder owing to its rarity. Arteriovenous fistula of the aorta and its major branches present an unparalleled challenge in patient care. Because of their central location, blood flow through these fistulas may be massive;the associated complications are usually dramatic, resulting in severe refractory congestive heart failure, massive venous hypertension, or extensive hemorrhage during an illfated surgical repair.For this reason, it behooves one to become well acquainted with the problem in order to avoid morbid complications and thus ensure optimal patient care.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.142-145
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• 2008

Lamotrigine is a newer anti-epileptic drug for adjunctive treatment of refractory epilepsy, partial seizures, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and bipolar disorder. Lamotrigine overdose causes serious central nervous and cardiovascular problems, but reports are uncommon. Few lamotrigine overdoses have been described because anti-epileptic drug use is limited and usually used with combination of other anti-epileptic drugs. In addition, most patients visit emergency departments with multi-drug overdoses, so few cases of lamotrigine poisoning alone exist. We had a female patient visit our emergency department a couple of hours after a lamotrigine overdose treated with intravenous hydration and urine alkalization by NaHCO3. She recovered successfully without any evidence of renal injury. However, she developed profound rhabdomyolysis, a previously unreported complication of this medication. We suggest that serial creatine kinase levels should be measured after lamotrigine poisoning.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.267-274
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• 2021

Sleep plays a critical role in homeostasis of the body and mind. Insomnia is a disease that causes disturbances in the initiation and maintenance of sleep. Insomnia is known to affect not only the sleep process itself but also an individual's cognitive function and emotional regulation during the daytime. It increases the risk of various neuropsychiatric diseases such as depression, anxiety disorder, and dementia. Although it might appear that insomnia only affects the nervous system, it is also a systemic disease that affects several aspects of the body, such as the cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems; therefore, it increases the risk of various diseases such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and infection. Insomnia has a wide range of effects on our bodies because sleep is a complex and active process. However, a high proportion of patients with insomnia do not seek treatment, which results in high direct and indirect costs. This is attributed to the disregard of many of the negative effects of insomnia. Therefore, we expect that understanding insomnia as a systemic disease will provide an opportunity to understand the condition better and help prevent secondary impairment due to insomnia.

• The Korean Journal of Medicine
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• v.93 no.6
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• pp.501-508
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• 2018

Obesity is a chronic disorder that is a significant risk factor for diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, malignancy, and other chronic diseases. Lifestyle modifications form the basis of most treatments for obesity, but it has become clear that such modifications alone are not enough for many obese patients. When a behavioral approach is insufficient, pharmacological treatment may be recommended. In recent years, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has withdrawn several therapeutic options for obesity due to their side effects, but has approved four novel anti-obesity agents. Until recently, orlistat was the only drug approved for the management of long-term obesity, but the US FDA approved the novel anti-obesity drugs lorcaserin and phentermine/topiramate in 2012, and naltrexone/bupropion and liraglutide in 2014. The present review discusses the different pharmacotherapeutic options for the treatment of obesity.

• Archives of Obesity and Metabolism
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.83-88
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• 2022

Obesity increases the risk of developing metabolic diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as some cancers. To prevent the occurrence of these diseases and death, it is essential to manage obesity. Though there are several treatments for obesity, lifestyle interventions, such as diet and exercise, and drug therapy are most widely used in clinical practice. Among the anti-obesity drugs available, the weight loss effect of naltrexone/bupropion has been well-proven. We present a case study in which naltrexone/bupropion, a glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist, and a sodium-glucose transporter 2 inhibitor showed significant weight loss and improved metabolic parameters. Additionally, the management of type 2 diabetes and hypertension, which are common diseases in patients with obesity, was also included.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2021

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children is associated with various complications, including poor growth and development, mineral bone disorder, cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, and mortality. Slowing down the progression of CKD is important since CKD is often not curable. Prospective cohort studies have been conducted to understand the progression and outcomes of CKD in children, and these studies have identified non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors. Recognition of known risk factors and early intervention are important to delay the progression of kidney function decline in children.