• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.147-157
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• 2021

Coronary microembolization (CME) is associated with cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiac dysfunction. Puerarin confers protection against multiple cardiovascular diseases, but its effects and specific mechanisms on CME are not fully known. Hence, our study investigated whether puerarin pretreatment could alleviate cardiomyocyte apoptosis and improve cardiac function following CME. The molecular mechanism associated was also explored. A total of 48 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into CME, CME + Puerarin (CME + Pue), sham, and sham + Puerarin (sham + Pue) groups (with 12 rats per group). A CME model was established in CME and CME + Pue groups by injecting 42 ㎛ microspheres into the left ventricle of rats. Rats in the CME + Pue and sham + Pue groups were intraperitoneally injected with puerarin at 120 mg/kg daily for 7 days before operation. Cardiac function, myocardial histopathology, and cardiomyocyte apoptosis index were determined via cardiac ultrasound, hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and hematoxylin-basic fuchsin-picric acid (HBFP) stainings, and TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining, respectively. Western blotting was used to measure protein expression related to the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) pathway. We found that, puerarin significantly ameliorated cardiac dysfunction after CME, attenuated myocardial infarct size, and reduced myocardial apoptotic index. Besides, puerarin inhibited cardiomyocyte apoptosis, as revealed by decreased Bax and cleaved caspase-3, and up-regulated Bcl-2 and PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β pathway related proteins. Collectively, puerarin can inhibit cardiomyocyte apoptosis and thus attenuate myocardial injury caused by CME. Mechanistically, these effects may be achieved through activation of the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β pathway.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.21 no.1 s.23
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• pp.82-88
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• 1988

The main objectives of this study were to know the prevalence of cerebrovascular diseases, to find the important risk factors of cerebrovascular diseases. This study is a part of Eumseong Community Health Project supportes by GTZ(West German Goverment). 116 perceived cases of cerebrovascular diseases were first screened by health interview and examinations and 80 cases were diagnosed as a cerebrovascular group. For comparison, 80 cases were matched with their neighbor controls of the same sex and the similar age. 1. The prevalence rate for cerebrovascular diseases was 476.3 per 100,000 population which is considered to be very high compared with that of other countries. Age adjusted rate for cerebrovascular diseases was 261.6 per 100,000. 2. Among the risk factors examined for the association with cerebrovascular diseases by case-control study, and analysed by paired marginal test(McNemar's $X^2$-test) and odds ratio, only hypertension showed high significant statistical association.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.223-230
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to utilize Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) to analyze intracerebral regional distributions (hot spot) of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases which were characterized by stenosis and occlusion cerebral vasculature, except for cerebrovascular diseases induced by rupture of cerebral vasculature in terms of Korean people's cerebrovascular diseases, so that it could apply the findings of analysis to clinical practices. This study focused only on analyzing intracerebral regional distributions of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases that are characterized by stenosis and occlusion cerebral vasculature, because there are different etiologic mechanisms of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases like hemorrhagic cerebrovascular diseases (caused by rupture of cerebral vasculature) and cerebral infarction (induced by atheromatous arteriosclerosis). As a result, this study could come to the following findings of analysis: 1. According to sex ratio analysis, it was found that male group comprised larger portion of total 626 subjects in this study than female one (55.0% > 45.0%). 2. According to analysis on actual intracerebral regional distributions of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases, it was found that most subjects (37.5 %) were attacked by such diseases on the right side of cerebral vasculature, which was followed by left side of cerebral vasculature (35.1%) and bilateral cerebral vasculature (27.3%) respectively. 3. According to analysis on actual intracerebral regional distributions of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases, it was found that internal carotid artery (ICA) comprised the largest portion (38.9%) of those distributions, which was followed by middle cerebral artery (MCA, 35.7%), posterior cerebral artery (PCA, 13.4%), anterior cerebral artery (ACA, 6.0%) and vertebral artery (VA, 3.3%) respectively. 4. It was found that there was no subject attacked by any disease on A-com region, and there was only one male subject attacked by cerebrovascular diseases on P-com region. 5. It was found that female group was more susceptible to the attack of cerebrovascular diseases on MCA region than male one (54.6% > 42.2%), which means significant differences depending upon sex on statistical basis ($x^2$ = 9.64, p < .01). 6. It was found that male group was more susceptible to the attack of cerebrovascular diseases on ICA region (56.4% > 46.8%), which means significant differences depending upon sex on statistical basis ($x^2$ = 5.71, p < .05). 7. Moreover, it was also found that male group was more susceptible to the attack of cerebrovascular diseases on BA region (2.3% > 0.4%), which means significant differences depending upon sex on statistical basis ($x^2$ = 4.25, p < .05). 8. However, it was found that there was not any significant difference in intracerebral vasculature-specific distributions of cerebrovascular diseases depending on age of subjects, and stenosis comprised larger portion of cerebrovascular diseases than occlusion.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2007

Background: Cerebrovascular diseases are known to show different patterns of incidence among regions and races. Therefore, it is very important to determine the incidence pattern of a specific area in order to diagnose, treat and prevent cerebrovascular diseases. The objective of the present study is to analyze quantitatively the incidence ratios of hemorrhagic and ischemic cerebrovascular diseases by season, by gender and by age. Methods: The subjects of this study were 1603 patients hospitalized for hemorrhagic or ischemic cerebrovascular diseases at the Department of Neurosurgery or the Department of Neurology of a University Hospital. Statistical analysis of data used Excel 2003 of Microsoft, and t-test was conducted using ORIGIN 6.0 of MICROCAL. Results: In the subjects, the incidence ratios of hemorrhagic and ischemic cerebrovascular diseases for four years, the period of this research, were 38.55% and 61.45%, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of age when hemorrhagic cerebrovascular diseases occurred were 58.20 and 12.60, respectively, and the percentages of subjects in their 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s were all around 20%. On the contrary, the mean and standard deviation of age when ischemic cerebrovascular diseases occurred were 65.01 and 13.59, respectively. The average age of patients with ischemic cerebrovascular diseases was older than that of patients with hemorrhagic brain diseases, and the percentages of those in their 60s, 70s and 80s were 15.53%, 37.06% and 27.72%, respectively. The season when hemorrhagic cerebrovascular diseases appeared most frequently was winter, which was followed by summer, spring and autumn. The season when hemorrhagic cerebrovascular diseases appeared most frequently was spring, which was followed by summer, winter and autumn. Conclusions: In this study, the incidence rates of hemorrhagic and ischemic cerebrovascular diseases were 38.55% and 61.45%, showing the rising percentage of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases. For making adequate prevention and disease control plans, it is considered necessary to make a long-term epidemiological investigation of cerebrovascular diseases.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.143-155
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• 2023

Percutaneous coronary intervention and acute coronary syndrome are both closely tied to the frequently occurring complication of coronary microembolization (CME). Resveratrol (RES) has been shown to have a substantial cardioprotective influence in a variety of cardiac diseases, though its function and potential mechanistic involvement in CME are still unclear. The forty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups randomly: CME, CME + RES (25 mg/kg), CME + RES (50 mg/kg), and sham (10 rats per group). The CME model was developed. Echocardiography, levels of myocardial injury markers in the serum, and histopathology of the myocardium were used to assess the function of the cardiac muscle. For the detection of the signaling of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB along with the expression of pyroptosis-related molecules, ELISA, qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting were used, among other techniques. The findings revealed that myocardial injury and pyroptosis occurred in the myocardium following CME, with a decreased function of cardiac, increased levels of serum myocardial injury markers, increased area of microinfarct, as well as a rise in the expression levels of pyroptosis-related molecules. In addition to this, pretreatment with resveratrol reduced the severity of myocardial injury after CME by improving cardiac dysfunction, decreasing serum myocardial injury markers, decreasing microinfarct area, and decreasing cardiomyocyte pyroptosis, primarily by blocking the signaling of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and also reducing the NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Resveratrol may be able to alleviate CME-induced myocardial pyroptosis and cardiac dysfunction by impeding the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and the signaling pathway of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.153-156
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• 2008

Complex diseases such as stroke and cancer have two or more genetic loci and are affected by environmental factors that contribute to the diseases. Due to the complex characteristics of these diseases, identifying candidate genes requires a system-level analysis of the following: gene ontology, pathway, and interactions. A database and user interface, termed StrokeBase, was developed; StrokeBase provides queries that search for pathways, candidate genes, candidate SNPs, and gene networks. The database was developed by using in silico data mining of HGNC, ENSEMBL, STRING, RefSeq, UCSC, GO, HPRD, KEGG, GAD, and OMIM. Forty candidate genes that are associated with cerebrovascular disease were selected by human experts and public databases. The networked cerebrovascular disease gene maps also were developed; these maps describe genegene interactions and biological pathways. We identified 1127 genes, related indirectly to cerebrovascular disease but directly to the etiology of cerebrovascular disease. We found that a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network that was associated with cerebrovascular disease follows the power-law degree distribution that is evident in other biological networks. Not only was in silico data mining utilized, but also 250K Affymetrix SNP chips were utilized in the 320 control/disease association study to generate associated markers that were pertinent to the cerebrovascular disease as a genome-wide search. The associated genes and the genes that were retrieved from the in silico data mining system were compared and analyzed. We developed a well-curated cerebrovascular disease-associated gene network and provided bioinformatic resources to cerebrovascular disease researchers. This cerebrovascular disease network can be used as a frame of systematic genomic research, applicable to other complex diseases. Therefore, the ongoing database efficiently supports medical and genetic research in order to overcome cerebrovascular disease.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2003

Single photon emission computed tomography(SPECT) and positron emission tomography(PET) are modern imaging techniques that allow for both qualitative and quantitative assessment of hemodynamic changes in cerebrovascular diseases. SPECT has been becoming an indispensable method to investigate regional cerebral blood flow because equipment and isotope are easily available in most general hospitals. Acetazolamide stress SPECT has also been proved to be useful to evaluate the cerebrovascular reserve of occlusive cerebrovascular diseases and to select surgical candidate. PET has gained wide spread clinical use in the evaluation of the hemodynamic and metabolic consequences of extracranial or intracranial arterial obstructive disease despite its complexity and limited availability. PET has been established as an invaluable tool in the pathophysilogy investigation of acute ischemic stroke. The potentials, limitations, and clinical applications of SPECT and PET in various cerebrovascular diseases will be discussed in this article with reviews of literatures.

• Journal of TMJ Balancing Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.11-15
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• 2018

Recently, clinical efficacies of the intraoral balancing appliance therapy have been reported by several researchers, and it has been found that there are various kinds of diseases that can be effectively applied. However, studies on cerebrovascular disease, one of the main diseases with a high mortality rate, are still poorly reported, and studies of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD)-induced changes in brain function suggest that cerebrovascular disease is more appropriate as an adaptive disorder of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) balancing device. In the developed countries, the importance of research on the structure and function of the brain has been recognized and spurred on the related research. In Korea, the research on brain function and cognitive disorders should have promoted more massively. In order to regain its former reputation in the Korean medicine in the field of cerebrovascular disease, it should be spurred on basic research and clinical case studies. In addition, extensive and in-depth studies including animal studies are needed to establish the basis of underlying mechanisms of the TMJ balancing therapies.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.335-345
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• 2022

Pyroptosis is an inflammatory form of programmed cell death that is linked with invading intracellular pathogens. Cardiac pyroptosis has a significant role in coronary microembolization (CME), thus causing myocardial injury. Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) has powerful cardioprotective effects. Hence, this study aimed to identify the effect of Tan IIA on CME and its underlying mechanism. Forty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly grouped into sham, CME, CME + low-dose Tan IIA, and CME + high-dose Tan IIA groups. Except for the sham group, polyethylene microspheres (42 ㎛) were injected to establish the CME model. The Tan-L and Tan-H groups received intraperitoneal Tan IIA for 7 days before CME. After CME, cardiac function, myocardial histopathology, and serum myocardial injury markers were assessed. The expression of pyroptosis-associated molecules and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB/NLRP3 cascade was evaluated by qRT-PCR, Western blotting, ELISA, and IHC. Relative to the sham group, CME group's cardiac functions were significantly reduced, with a high level of serum myocardial injury markers, and microinfarct area. Also, the levels of caspase-1 p20, GSDMD-N, IL-18, IL-1β, TLR4, MyD88, p-NF-κB p65, NLRP3, and ASC expression were increased. Relative to the CME group, the Tan-H and Tan-L groups had considerably improved cardiac functions, with a considerably low level of serum myocardial injury markers and microinfarct area. Tan IIA can reduce the levels of pyroptosis-associated mRNA and protein, which may be caused by inhibiting TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB/NLRP3 cascade. In conclusion, Tanshinone IIA can suppress cardiomyocyte pyroptosis probably through modulating the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB/NLRP3 cascade, lowering cardiac dysfunction, and myocardial damage.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.572-582
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• 2007

Purpose: This study was to evaluate the effects of visiting nursing intervention on self care behavior and blood pressure with high risk of cerebrovascular diseases. Method: A one-group pretest-posttest was designed. Data collection was done in 150 participants from March. 2003 to November, 2003 at a public health center. Self care behavior was assessed by the scores of smoking, alcohol, diet, exercise, stress and medication compliance. The scores of knowledge related cerebrovascular diseases, blood pressure, blood glucose were estimated. The Participants were intervened in with basic assessment, emotional support, education. This program took a period ranging from 3 months to 7 months depending on the cerebrovascular risk level. The mean number of visiting times was 1.67 per month. Result: 1. Knowledge level was improved(t=-2.542, p= .012). 2. Systolic and diastolic pressure were lower(t=5.439, p<.001; t=4.966, p<.001) 3. Self care level was higher (t=-12.981, p=.001) after the intervention. Conclusion: The visiting nursing intervention was found to have an effect on the scores of knowledge, self care behavior and blood pressure with high risk of cerebrovascular diseases. The results provided evidences for the importance of visiting nursing intervention in the high risk factor of cerebrovascular disease for self care.