• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제46권3호
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• pp.302-307
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• 2003

환아는 3개월된 영아로 발병 10일째에 본원에 내원하여 초기에 적절한 진단과 치료를 받지 못했으며 발병 2주에 시행한 심초음파상 거대 관상동맥류를 보였다. 이에 정맥용 면역글로불린 투여와 aspirin과 dipyridamole로 치료 중 발병 24일째 혈전증이 동반되어 urokinase와 heparin의 IV 투여를 통한 혈전용해 치료로 혈전을 완전히 제거할 수 있었다. 이후 5년간 aspirin, dipyridamole, coumadin을 투여하면서 심전도와 심초음파검사를 반복하며 외래 추적 관찰 중 점차 좌측관상동맥내 혈전이 증가하고 내경이 점차 좁아지는 소견과 함께 협착이 의심되었다. 발병 5년 후 시행한 관상동맥 혈관조영술상 관상동맥 좌측 전하지가 완전 폐색되고 우측관상동맥으로부터 발달한 측부순환에서 혈류를 공급받고 있었고, 핵의학 검사상 좌심실의 전벽과 중격, 일부 외벽에 완전 가역적 관류 결손을 보였던 가와사끼병 환아 1례를 경험하여 보고한다.

• 한국건강관리협회지
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.12-27
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• 2006

"본 논문은 대한내과학회지 2006년 제70권 제3호에 실렸던 논문으로 대한내과학회 편집위원회의 승인을 득하고 본 협회지에 게재함. Background : Diabetes mellitus is a major independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. In recent years non-invasive high resolution B-mode ultrasound methods have been developed to measure the intima-media thickness(IMT) of the carotid artery as an indicator for early atherosclerosis. Itis known that obesity plays a role in the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and it has also been reported that not only the amount but also the distribution of body fat is important. This study investigated the relationship between obesity and the development of carotid atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: Carotid IMT was measured by ultrasound B-mode imaging in 144 patients with type 2diabetes mellitus. All subjects underwent assessment for the degree and distribution of obesity, the presence of coronary artery disease risk factors, and the presence of diabetic complications. Resuts: Carotid IMT was increased in the abdominal obese group defined by waist circurference. However, there was no significant difference in carotid TMT between the non-obese group and obese group as defined by body mass index, waist to hip ratio, and total body fat percent measured by bio electrical impedance analysis. There were positive correlations between carotid IMT and age, duration of diabetes, systolic blood pressure, and waist circumference. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed the variable that interacted independently with carotid IMT was age in type 2 diabetic patients. Carotid IMT was significantly increased in type 2 diabetic patients with macrovascular complications and microvascvlar complications .Conclusion: This study suggested that abdominal obesity rather than general obesity was associated with carotid atherosclerosis reflected by increment of carotid IMT in type 2 diabetic subjects.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제19권6호
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• pp.1007-1020
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• 2018

Objective: To compare the diagnostic performance of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) myocardial perfusion at 1.5- and 3-tesla (T) for detecting significant coronary artery disease (CAD), with invasive coronary angiography (ICA) as the reference method. Materials and Methods: We prospectively enrolled 281 patients (age $62.4{\pm}8.3$ years, 193 men) with suspected or known CAD who had undergone 1.5T or 3T CMR and ICA. Two independent radiologists interpreted perfusion defects. With ICA as the reference standard, the diagnostic performance of 1.5T and 3T CMR for identifying significant CAD (${\geq}50%$ diameter reduction of the left main and ${\geq}70%$ diameter reduction of other epicardial arteries) was determined. Results: No differences were observed in baseline characteristics or prevalence of CAD and old myocardial infarction (MI) using 1.5T (n = 135) or 3T (n = 146) systems. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for detecting significant CAD were similar between the 1.5T (84%, 64%, 74%, 76%, and 0.75 per patient and 68%, 83%, 66%, 84%, and 0.76 per vessel) and 3T (80%, 71%, 71%, 80%, and 0.76 per patient and 75%, 86%, 64%, 91%, and 0.81 per vessel) systems. In patients with multi-vessel CAD without old MI, the sensitivity, specificity, and AUC with 3T were greater than those with 1.5T on a per-vessel basis (71% vs. 36%, 92% vs. 69%, and 0.82 vs. 0.53, respectively). Conclusion: 3T CMR has similar diagnostic performance to 1.5T CMR in detecting significant CAD, except for higher diagnostic performance in patients with multi-vessel CAD without old MI.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.373-383
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• 2021

Atherosclerosis is the deposition of plaque in the main arteries. It is an inflammatory condition involving the accumulation of macrophages and various lipids (low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol, ceramide, S1P). Moreover, endothelial cells, macrophages, leukocytes, and smooth muscle cells are the major players in the atherogenic process. Sphingolipids are now emerging as important regulators in various pathophysiological processes, including the atherogenic process. Various sphingolipids exist, such as the ceramides, ceramide-1-phosphate, sphingosine, sphinganine, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), sphingomyelin, and hundreds of glycosphingolipids. Among these, ceramides, glycosphingolipids, and S1P play important roles in the atherogenic processes. The atherosclerotic plaque consists of higher amounts of ceramide, glycosphingolipids, and sphingomyelin. The inhibition of the de novo ceramide biosynthesis reduces the development of atherosclerosis. S1P regulates atherogenesis via binding to the S1P receptor (S1PR). Among the five S1PRs (S1PR1-5), S1PR1 and S1PR3 mainly exert anti-atherosclerotic properties. This review mainly focuses on the effects of ceramide and S1P via the S1PR in the development of atherosclerosis. Moreover, it discusses the recent findings and potential therapeutic implications in atherosclerosis.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.183-193
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• 2022

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression and are biomarkers for coronary atherosclerosis (AS). A novel miRNA-mRNA regulation network of coronary AS still needs to be disclosed. The aim of this study was to analyze potential mRNAs in coronary AS patients and the role of their upstream miR-491-5p in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We first confirmed top ten mRNAs according to the analysis from Gene Expression Omnibus database (GSE132651) and examined the expression levels of them in the plaques and serum from AS patients. Five mRNAs (UBE2G2, SLC16A3, POLR2C, PNO1, and AMDHD2) presented significantly abnormal expression in both plaques and serum from AS patients, compared with that in the control groups. Subsequently, they were predicted to be targeted by 11 miRNAs by bioinformatics analysis. Among all the potential upstream miRNAs, only miR-491-5p was abnormally expressed in the plaques and serum from AS patients. Notably, miR-491-5p overexpression inhibited viability and migration, and significantly increased the expression of contractile markers (α-SMA, calponin, SM22α, and smoothelin) in VSMCs. While silencing miR-491-5p promoted viability and migration, and significantly suppressed the expression of α-SMA, calponin, SM22α, and smoothelin. Overall, miR-491-5p targeted UBE2G2, SLC16A3, and PNO1 and regulated the dysfunctions in VSMCs.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.584-588
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• 2010

Clusterin은 Apolipoprotein J 등으로도 불리우기도 하는데 이 유전자의 발현이 동맥경화의 진행에 영향을 미치며[4], 관상동맥질환과 같은 혈관질환에도 중요한 역할을 하는 것으로 보고되어 있다[9,10,18] 최근 연구결과에 따르면, clusterin 유전자 다형성 중 10580 C>A, 10613 A>G이 아프리카인에게서 HDL-C의 serum level에 영향을 미치며, 이들 변이가 African-American에게서 Caucasian보다는 드물게 나타나지만, Hispanic에게서는 빈번하게 일어나는 것으로 보고되어 있다[11]. 또 다른 연구에서는 11개의 유전자 다형성을 조사한 결과 -4453G >T, 4183 A>G, 5608 C>T 는 상관관계가 없는 것으로 나타났으나, 6316 delT 유전자 다형성은 상관관계가 있는 것으로 보고되었다[8]. 본 연구에서는 관상동맥질환 환자군과 대조군을 각각 100명으로 하여 한국인에서 clusterin 유전자 다형성을 조사하였고, 특히 -4453 T>G에서 유의한 차이를 보였다. 이는 이전의 연구결과[8]와는 다소 차이가 있는데, Miwa 등의 결과에 따르면 일본인에게서는 6316 delT가 4183 A>G 다형성보다 동맥경화와 상관관계가 크다고 보고되었으나, 본 연구결과를 분석해보면 5608 C>T 는 상관관계가 없었으며, -4453 T>G 다형성만 상관관계를 가지는 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 차이를 보이는 원인은 정확하게 지적할 수는 없으나, 다형성이 미치는 영향력이 서로 다른 유전적 그리고 환경적인 요인의 차이에 의해서 일어나는 것으로 추정된다. 따라서 본 연구결과의 의의를 확인하기 위하여서는 대상 환자 수와 대조군을 늘리고 clusterin 유전자의 여러 다형성에 대한 추가적인 연구를 할 필요가 있을 것으로 판단된다.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제57권5호
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• pp.217-221
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• 2014

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine whether school-aged children with Kawasaki disease (KD) have an increased risk for early atherosclerosis. Methods: The study included 98 children. The children were divided into the following groups: group A (n=19), KD with coronary arterial lesions that persisted or regressed; group B (n=49), KD without coronary arterial lesions; and group C (n=30), healthy children. Anthropometric variables and the levels of biochemical markers, including total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein A, apolipoprotein B, homocysteine, highsensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and brachial artery stiffness using pulse wave velocity were compared among the three groups. Results: There were no significant differences in blood pressure and body index among the three groups. Additionally, there was no sex-specific difference. Moreover, the levels of triglyceride, HDL-C, apolipoprotein A, and hs-CRP did not differ among the three groups. However, the levels of total cholesterol (P =0.018), LDL-C (P =0.0003), and apolipoprotein B (P =0.029) were significantly higher in group A than in group C. Further, the level of homocysteine and the aortic pulse wave velocity were significantly higher in groups A and B than in group C (P=0.0001). Conclusion: School-aged children after KD have high lipid profiles and arterial stiffness indicating an increased risk for early atherosclerosis.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제9권3호
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• pp.123-131
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• 2003

Inflammation appears to have a major role in the development of atherosclerosis. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is involved in the inflammatory response via the generation of prostanoids that, in turn, are involved in the production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). This study hypothesized that a vascular infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) may induce a chronic inflammatory reaction and activated inflammatory cells may express inflammatory mediators such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9). To confirm the hypothesis, the immunohistochemical stains for CMV late antigen, COX-2, MMP-9, macrophage, and T-lymphocyte were performed on CMV-infected atherosclerotic lesions. The immunoreactivity for COX-2 and MMP-9 was evident in all cases of atherosclerosis along with plaques, mainly in macrophages/foamy cells, intimal and medial smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells of the intima. Within the intima, the increased immunoreactivity for COX-2 and MMP-9 was colocalized to the area stained with CMV late antigen. Sections from control specimens showed no immunoreactivity for CMV late antigen, COX-2 and MMP-9. These data seem to support the hypothesis that CMV may participate in a pathogenetic mechanism for atherogenesis or progression of atherosclerosis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제44권6호
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• pp.423-426
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• 2011

We report on two women who underwent myocardial revascularization associated with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) with different pathogenic patterns. The first woman presented with acute myocardial infarction, and preoperative angiograms demonstrated rapidly progressing coronary lesions, presumptive unstable plaque, and dissection. Operative findings, however, showed fresh thrombi in the coronary arteries, and she was diagnosed postoperatively as having APS. Her one-year angiogram demonstrated improved coronary lesions and a competitive flow pattern in the grafts. The second woman presented with unstable angina and had been treated for systemic lupus erythematosus and secondary APS for more than 14 years. She underwent myocardial revascularization due to accelerated coronary atherosclerosis. Her one-year angiogram demonstrated patent grafts.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제20권5호
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• pp.729-738
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• 2019

Objective: To assess the effects of iterative model reconstruction (IMR) on image quality for demonstrating non-calcific high-risk plaque characteristics of coronary arteries. Materials and Methods: This study included 66 patients (53 men and 13 women; aged 39-76 years; mean age, 55 ± 13 years) having single-vessel disease with predominantly non-calcified plaques evaluated using prospective electrocardiogram-gated 256-slice CT angiography. Paired image sets were created using two types of reconstruction: hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR) and IMR. Plaque characteristics were compared using the two algorithms. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the images and the CNR between the plaque and adjacent adipose tissue were also compared between the two reformatted methods. Results: Seventy-seven predominantly non-calcified plaques were detected. Forty plaques showed napkin-ring sign with the IMR reformatted method, while nineteen plaques demonstrated napkin-ring sign with HIR. There was no statistically significant difference in the presentation of positive remodeling, low attenuation plaque, and spotty calcification between the HIR and IMR reconstructed methods (all p > 0.5); however, there was a statistically significant difference in the ability to discern the napkin-ring sign between the two algorithms (χ² = 12.12, p < 0.001). The image noise of IMR was lower than that of HIR (10 ± 2 HU versus 12 ± 2 HU; p < 0.01), and the SNR and CNR of the images and the CNR between plaques and surrounding adipose tissues on IMR were better than those on HIR (p < 0.01). Conclusion: IMR can significantly improve image quality compared with HIR for the demonstration of coronary artery and atherosclerotic plaques using a 256-slice CT.