• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.863-871
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• 2007

Objects : To gain better insights of East-west integrated treatment of ischemic stroke. We analyzed 89 patients with severe acute ischemic stroke who were admitted to the East-west integrated intensive care unit. Methods : Subjects enrollment was from the East-west integrated intensive care unit of Kyung Hee Medical Center from March 2006 to February 2007. Patients were admitted within 14 days after the onset of ischemic stroke. We assessed the subjects' general characteristics, risk factors, admitting routes and periods, diagnostic imaging, process of western treatment and Korean traditional treatment, complication and consequence. Results : The proportion of males was 50.6%, of females 49.4%, average age was male 66.0$\pm$10.3 and female 71.1$\pm$10.5. Average length of hospital stays was 19.5 days. Monthly admissions were highest in November and December. The admission route was through emergency room (61.8%) or ward (34.8%). Mean Glasgow coma scale score was 10.0$\pm$2.5, average time from symptom of onset to hospital admission was 2.3$\pm$2.2 days. Dominant ischemic vascular territory was middle cerebral artery (66.3%). Initial western treatment was argatroban (22.5%), urokinase (28.1%), and heparinization (38.2%). Distribution of Sasang constitution of So-yang to Tae-eum to So-eum was equal to 5.4 to 2.9 to 1.5. Major complications were observed in 40 (42.7%) patients. In hospital mortality was 12.4% (11 deaths), all of them caused by aggravation of neurological deficit and only 3 of them with major complications. There appears to be a significant positive relationship between length of hospital stay and occurrence of complications (P<0.05). After discharge from the ICU, 64 (71.9%) patients were improved, 11 (12.4%) patients had expired, and 14 (15.8%) patients were transferred. Conclusions : From this study, we suggest that patients with severe acute ischemic stroke should be treated with East-west integrated therapy for more favorable consequences and decreased mortality.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.902-910
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• 2007

Objective : Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma, a transcription factor in adipocyte differentiation, has important effects on insulin sensitivity, atherosclerosis, endothelial cell function and inflammation. Through these effects, PPAR-gamma2 might be involved with type 2 diabetes and vascular disease, including diabetic complications. Recently, it has been reported that the C161T polymorphism in the exon 6 of PPAR-gamma is associated with type 2 diabetes interacting with uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) gene, and is associated with acute myocardial infarction. We studied the association of this polymorphism with type 2 diabetes and its complications, such as retinopathy, ischemic stroke, nephropathy and neuropathy in Korean non-diabetic and type 2 diabetic populations. Methods : Three hundred and thirty eight type 2 diabetic patients (retinopathy: 64, ischemic stroke: 67, nephropathy: 39 and neuropathy: 76) and 152 healthy matched control subjects were evaluated. The PPAR-gamma C161T polymorphism was analyzed by PCR-RFLP. Results : PPAR-gamma C161T genotype and allele frequency did not show significant differences between type 2 diabetic patients and healthy controls (T allele: 17.0 vs. 14.5, OR= 1.21, P=0.3188). In the analysis for diabetic complications, T allele in diabetic nephropathy was significantly higher than controls (P=0.0358). T allele in the ischemic stroke patients was also higher than healthy controls, although it had no significance (P=0.1375). Conclusions : These results suggest that the C161T polymorphism of the PPAR-gamma gene might be associated with diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.533-537
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• 2008

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) infection causes a wide variety of clinical manifestations in children and young adults, the main one being pneumonia. M. pneumoniae is transmitted from person to person by infected respiratory droplets. Symptoms caused by M. pneumoniae infection can be divided into those involving the respiratory tract, and those caused by extrapulmonary disease. M. pneumoniae infections may cause central nervous system (CNS) complications-with encephalitis being the most frequent-and stroke being a rare complication. The pathogenesis of the CNS disease is unclear; possibilities include direct infection and an immune-mediated reaction. We present two cases of CNS complications subsequent to infection with M. pneumoniae; both cases had convincing evidence of preceding M. pneumoniae respiratory disease with no evidence of viable M. pneumoniae in the cerebrospinal fluid. We report cases of encephalitis and stroke following a recent M. pneumoniae infection.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.192-198
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• 2003

Diarrhea is defined as increased volume and frequency of stools, increased liquidity and decreased consistency of stools. Enteral nutrition is suited to the patient in a state of normal gastro-intestinal function but insufficient oral nutrition due to neurologic injury. Of many problems raised by enteral nutrition, diarrhea is the most common complication and raises severe clinical problems such as dehydration, disproportion of electrolytes, metabolic acidosis, bed sores, etc. We report two cases of diarrhea due to enteral nutrition treated with Dolichos lablab L. preparation added to herb-med prescription in stroke patients. After this treatment, the frequency of diarrhea decreased and general condition improved.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1131-1138
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• 2008

Diabetic complications are a leading cause of blindness, renal failure, and nerve damage. Additionally, diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis leads to increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and limb amputation. At the present time, 4 main molecular mechanisms have been implicated in hyperglyceamia-mediated vascular damage. In particular, advanced glycation endproducts (AGE), which are formed by complex, heterogeneous, sugar-derived protein modifications, have been implicated as a major pathogenic process for diabetic complications. Recently, AGE inhibitors such as aminoguanidin, ALT-946, and pyridoxamine have been reported. Such an integrating paradigm provides a new conceptual framework for future research on diabetes complications and on discovering drugs to prevent the progression of AGE-induced maladies.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.131-134
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• 2008

Objective: The surgical approach for anterior choroidal artery (AChA) aneurysm is typically similar to those used for other supraclinoid internal carotid artery (ICA) lesions. However, the surgical clipping of this aneurysm is complicated and as a result. can result in postoperative ischemic complications. The purpose of this study was to clarify the risk of clip-induced ischemic complication in AChA aneurysm and to get the benefits for helping decision making. Methods: We retrospectively investigated 53 cases (4.0%) of AchA aneurysm treated surgically. We divided the AChA aneurysm to 3 subtype according to the origin of aneurysmal neck; A type originating from the AChA itself. J type from junction of AChA and ICA and I type from the ICA itself. We evaluated brain CT about 1 week post-operative day to confirm the low density in AChA territory. Results: Ruptured aneurysm was 26 cases and unruptured aneurysm 27 cases. The aneurysmal subtype of A, J, and I was 13, 17, and 23 cases. Of the 53 cases who performed surgical neck clipping, twelve (22.6%) had postoperative AChA distribution infarcts. Increased infarct after neck clipping had statistic significance in non-I subtype (r=0.005) Conclusion: AChA aneurysm surgery carries a significant risk of postoperative stroke. Don't always stick to clipping only, especially in non-I type of incidental small aneurysm, which has high risk of post-clip ischemic complications.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2009

Objective : This study was performed to elucidate the technical and patient-specific risk factors for postoperative ischemia in patients undergoing temporary arterial occlusion (TAO) during the surgical repair of their aneurysms. Methods : Eighty-nine consecutive patients in whom TAO was performed during surgical repair of an aneurysm were retrospectively analyzed. The demographics of the patients were analyzed with respect to age. Hunt and Hess grade on admission, Fisher grade of hemorrhage, aneurysm characteristics, timing of surgery, duration of temporary occlusion, and number of temporary occlusive episodes. Outcome was analyzed at the 3-month follow-up, along with the occurrence of symptomatic and radiological stroke. Results : In overall, twenty-seven patients (29.3%) had radiologic ischemia attributable to TAO and fifteen patients (16.3%) had symptomatic ischemia attributable to TAO. Older age and poor clinical grade were associated with poor clinical outcome. There was a significantly higher rate of symptomatic ischemia in patients who underwent early surgery (p=0.007). The incidence of ischemia was significantly higher in patients with TAO longer than 10 minutes (p=0.01). In addition, patients who underwent repeated TAO, which allowed reperfusion, had a lower incidence of ischemia than those who underwent single TAO lasting for more than 10 minutes (p=0.011). Conclusion : Duration of occlusion is the only variable that needs to be considered when assessing the risk of postoperative ischemic complication in patients who undergo temporary vascular occlusion. Attention must be paid to the patient's age, grade of hemorrhage, and the timing of surgery. In addition, patients undergoing dissection when brief periods of temporary occlusion are performed may benefit more from intermittent reperfusion than continuous clip application. With careful planning, the use of TAO is a safe technique when used for periods of less than 10 minutes.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.58 no.5
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• pp.419-425
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• 2015

Objective : Acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion (AVBAO) is a devastating disease with a high mortality rate. One of the most important factors affecting favorable clinical outcome is early recanalization. Mechanical thrombectomy is an emerging treatment strategy for achieving a high recanalization rates. However, thrombectomy alone can be insufficient to complete recanalization, especially for acute stroke involving large artery atheromatous disease. The purpose of this study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy in AVBAO. Methods : Fourteen consecutive patients with AVBAO were treated with mechanical thrombectomy. Additional multimodal treatments were intra-arterial (IA) thrombolysis, balloon angioplasty, or permanent stent placement. Recanalization by thrombectomy alone and multimodal treatments were assessed by the Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) score. Clinical outcome was determined using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at 7 days and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 3 months. Results : Thrombectomy alone and multimodal treatments were performed in 10 patients (71.4%) and 4 patients (28.6%), respectively. Successful recanalization (TICI 2b-3) was achieved in 11 (78.6%). Among these 11 patients, 3 (27.3%) underwent multimodal treatment due to underlying atherosclerotic stenosis. Ten (71.4%) of the 14 showed NIHSS score improvement of >10. Overall mortality was 3 (21.4%) of 14. Conclusion : We suggest that mechanical thrombectomy is safe and effective for improving recanalization rates in AVBAO, with low complication rates. Also, in carefully selected patients after the failure of recanalization by thrombectomy alone, additional multimodal treatment such as IA thrombolysis, balloons, or stents can be needed to achieve successful recanalization.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.383-388
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• 2021

Background: Achieving external access to and manual occlusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA) during minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMVS) through a small right thoracotomy is difficult. Occlusion of the LAA using an epicardial closure device seems quite useful compared to other surgical techniques. Methods: Fourteen patients with atrial fibrillation underwent MIMVS with concomitant surgical occlusion of the LAA using double-layered endocardial closure stitches (n=6, endocardial suture group) or the AtriClip Pro closure device (n=8, AtriClip group) at our institution. The primary safety endpoint was any device-related adverse event, and the primary efficacy endpoint was successful complete occlusion of blood flow into the LAA as assessed by transthoracic echocardiography at hospital discharge. The primary efficacy endpoint for stroke reduction was the occurrence of ischemic or hemorrhagic neurologic events. Results: All patients underwent LAA occlusion as scheduled. The cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp times in the endocardial suture group and the AtriClip group were 202±39 and 128±41 minutes, and 213±53 and 136±44 minutes, respectively (p=0.68, p=0.73). No patients in either group experienced any device-related serious adverse events, incomplete LAA occlusion, early postoperative stroke, or neurologic complication. Conclusion: Epicardial LAA occlusion using the AtriClip Pro during MIMVS in patients with mitral valve disease and atrial fibrillation is a simple, safe, and effective adjunctive procedure.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.105-117
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• 2005

Following intracoronary stenting, antiplatelet therapy lead to greater protection from thrombotic complication. A few data are available about the effect of clopidogrel versus cilostazol, an antiplatelet commonly used after intracoronary stenting. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of clopidogrel plus aspirin compared with those of cilostazol plus aspirin in coronary stenting and to evaluate the efficacy of clopidogrel loading dose prior to coronary stealing in clopidogrel group. Data were retrospectively collected from medical charts of patients who had undergone coronary stenting and received either clopidogrel with or without loading 300 mg followed by 75 mg/d (n=58), or 200 mg/d cilostazol(n=72) for 1 year, between January 2000 and May 2002. All patients in both groups received aspirin 200 mg/d throughout the study. The primary endpoints at 7, 30, 180 and 365 days after stealing were the composite of death, Myocardial Infarction, stroke, angina, and revascularization in the intent to treat population and restenosis at follow up angiography. The secondary endpoints were the incidence of bleeding complications at 7, 30, and 365 days, and durg adverse effects at 365 days after stenting. At 180 and 365 days after stenting, the combined primary endpoints were significantly reduced in clopidogrel plus aspirin group (relative risk 0.39; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.92; p=0.021, RR 0.43; 95% CI 0.22 to 0.84; p=0.0085, respectively). However, the combined primary endpoints were not significantly different between the two groups at 7 and 30 days (p:1.00, p=0.79, respectively). Angiographic restenosis rate was 14.3% in clopidogrel plus aspirin uoup and 32.1% in cilostazol plus aspirin group (p=0.19). 300mg of clopidogrel loading dose did not significantly reduce the combined primary endpoints at 30 days after stenting (RR 0.14; 95% CI 0.01 to 2.65; p=0.23). The rate of bleeding complications and drug adverse effects were not different between the two groups. In patients undergoing intracoronary stenting, clopidogrel plus aspirin therapy is more beneficial than cilostazol plus aspirin in reducing major adverse cardiac events with similar rate of bleeding complication. A loading dose of clopidogrel did not lead to a statistically significant reduction in major adverse cardiac events.