PURPOSE: Metabolic syndrome (MS), characterized by obesity and insulin resistance, elicits risk factors such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and glucose intolerance with additive effects on atherosclerosis, leading to cardiovascular diseases. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of MS among overweight and obese adolescents and to investigate the impact of obesity on the cardiovascular system. METHODS: tal cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density-lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, high-density-lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured in the patients with a BMI of >85 percentile. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (BaPWV) and ankle brachial index were measured using Vascular Profiler (VP)-1000. RESULTS: MS was confirmed in 19.5% of the overweight and obese adolescents and 50.8% of the obese adolescents. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure, height, weight, fat mass, %fat, BMI, obesity index, and waist circumference were higher in the overweight and obese adolescents with MS. Moreover, the triglyceride, AST, ALT, and hs-CRP levels were higher, whereas HDL-cholesterol level was significantly lower in this group. The overweight and obese adolescents with MS showed shorter diastolic and systolic times, higher heart rate and BaPWV, and longer E-wave deceleration time by echocardiography. CONCLUSION: Overweight and obese adolescents showed characteristic MS features such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Thus, obese adolescents predisposed to MS should be provided early treatment for obesity.
Adolescent ; Alanine Transaminase ; Ankle Brachial Index ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Atherosclerosis ; Blood Pressure ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cardiovascular System ; Cholesterol ; Deceleration ; Glucose Intolerance ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Insulin Resistance ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Prevalence ; Pulse Wave Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Waist Circumference

Renal artery stenosis is a rare cause of acute pulmonary edema. So-called flash pulmonary edema is associated with bilateral renal artery stenosis or stenosis in a single functioning kidney. Flash pulmonary edema has been recognized as an absolute indication for vascular intervention. A 33-year old man was admitted with acute shortness of breath. Renal angiography showed occlusion of the right renal artery. He underwent a right renal artery bypass graft. However, after the renal artery bypass graft, episodes of pulmonary edema recurred. A renal angiography showed complete obstruction of the right renal artery and bypass graft. The left renal angiography showed an intact renal artery and decreased kidney size.
Adult ; Angiography ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Kidney ; Pulmonary Edema* ; Renal Artery Obstruction* ; Renal Artery* ; Transplants*

The hippocampus is a central area of the memory-related neural system. Combined immunohistochemistry against choline acetyl transferase and retrograde transneuronal labelling of the pseudorabies virus were used to identify cholinergic neurons in the central nervous system projecting to the hippocampal formation of the rat. Five to ten microL of Bartha strain of pseudorabies virus were injected into the dentate gyrus, CA1 and CA3 of the hippocampus of 20 Sprague Dawley rats using stereotaxic instrument. Forty eight to 96 hr after the injection, the brains were removed and the tissue sections were processed for double immunofluorescence procedure using polyclonal antibodies against pseudorabies virus or choline acetyl transferase. The double labelled neurons were distributed at several different nuclei and the labelling patterns of three different areas of the hippocampus were similar. These data suggests that the cholinergic innervation to the hippocampus were distributed in a transsynaptic manner throughout the whole brain area.
Animal ; Antibodies ; Choline O-Acetyltransferase/*analysis/immunology ; Cholinergic Fibers/*enzymology ; Herpesvirus 1, Suid/immunology ; Hippocampus/*cytology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Microinjections ; Neural Pathways ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

The ketogenic diet (KD) has been used to treat intractable childhood epilepsy. However, its mechanism of action remains unknown. In the present study, we examined the effects of KD on the expression of multiple constituents of the GABAergic system in the hippocampus through immunohistochemistry and northern blot analysis. From the results, we have shown that KD increased expression of GABA and decreased GABA transporter1 (GABATp) and GABA transaminase (GABA-T) mRNA levels in the hippocampus. These results suggest that the neuroinhibitory effect of KD may be mediated, at least in part, by the increment of GABAergic activity in the hippocampus. KD may increase the GABA levels in the synaptic space by limiting GABA reuptake and in the presynaptic nerve terminal by inhibiting GABA degradation.
4-Aminobutyrate Transaminase ; Animals ; Blotting, Northern ; Epilepsy ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid* ; Glutamate Dehydrogenase ; Hippocampus* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Ketogenic Diet* ; Mice* ; RNA, Messenger

OBJECTIVE: Although guideline recommends beta blockers (BBs) as first line antianginal agent and calcium channel blockers (CCBs) as alternatives after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the prescription patterns in real practice are not in accordance with the guideline. We aimed to investigate the prescribing patterns of primary antianginal drug and relating factors in patients who underwent PCI. METHODS: Patients who have undergone PCI without myocardial infarction (MI) from November 2012 to June 2014 and followed up at least one year in a tertiary teaching hospital were included. Prescribing patterns of primary antianginal drug before, at the time of, and one year after PCI were described. Factors affecting drug selection, and their relationship with incidence of clinical outcomes defined as MI and repeated PCI, unscheduled admission or visit related with heart problem were analyzed with multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 506 patients were included and as primary antianginal drugs, BB, CCB, and both were prescribed in 32.2%, 24.5%, and 17.8% of patients, respectively. Also, neither BB nor CCB was prescribed at the time of PCI in 25.5% of patients. Compared with BB, CCBs were more likely prescribed in patients who had hypertension (Odds Ratio, OR 2.18, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.16-4.07), use of same class before PCI (OR 7.18, 3.37-15.2) and concomitant angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) use (OR, 1.92, 95% CI 1.10-3.33). Incidence of clinical outcomes were not significantly greater in patients who prescribed CCB compared with BB at the time of PCI (aOR 1.32, CI 0.65-2.68). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that half of the patients who underwent PCI were prescribed BB. CCB were favored in patients with hypertension, use of same class before PCI, and concomitant ARB use. Significant difference in clinical outcome was not observed between BB and CCB selection as primary antianginal drug.
Angiotensins ; Calcium Channel Blockers* ; Calcium Channels* ; Calcium* ; Heart ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Logistic Models ; Myocardial Infarction ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention* ; Prescriptions*

Intracranial extra-axial cavernous hemangioma of the cavernous sinus is a very rare vascular malformation. It usually appears as a round non-encapsulated mass with well-defined borders, mimicking meningioma. We describe a case of cavernous hemangioma of the cavernous sinus, including the radiologic imaging findings, and also review the literature.
Brain Neoplasms ; Cavernous Sinus* ; Hemangioma, Cavernous* ; Meningioma ; Vascular Malformations

The mammalian ovary has been known as receiving its innervation by sympathetic and sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system from the brain. Recently, there were several functional reports that the vagus nerves were also regulating the ovarian function, but the vagus nerve had not been identified by clear morphological evidence. A viral transneuronal tracing technique has been used to demonstrate the morphological evidence for the central vagal involvement in ovarian innervation in brain areas. Bartha strain of pseudorabies virus injection was made into the ovary of Sprague Dawley rats. In experimental group, the vagus nerve of the same injection side was removed right after ovarian injection. At five days after initial injection, all the rats were sacrificed and brains were processed for immunohistochemistry. Several central nuclei including hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus showed strong bilateral positive labelings after unilateral injection in control rats, but the positive labelings were disappeared or decreased in several hypothalamic nuclei and nuclei of the vagus nerve. In conclusion, these results provide the morphological evidence that vagus nerve has neural connection to ovary and by which the central nervous system may maintains the state of ovulation and reproduction as a possible parasympathetic routes in mammals.
Animals ; Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Female ; Herpesvirus 1, Suid ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mammals ; Ovary ; Ovulation ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus ; Peripheral Nervous System ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reproduction ; Sensory Receptor Cells ; Vagus Nerve

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and correlated factors of high myopia in 19 year-old men in Southeast Korea. METHODS: This retrospective study was based on the medical checkup data of conscription during 2005. The study subjects were 19 years old men in Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongsangnam-do. The health checkup data of the conscripts consisted of noncycloplegic autorefraction test, the biometric data and social factors. To analyze the social and biometric effects, we classified the biometric factors into 4 or 5 groups and the social factors into 3 groups. High myopia was defined as a spherical equivalent of under -6.0 diopter. Data analysis was performed using the chi square test for trends and multiple logistic regression analysis. The SAS(version 9.1) program was used for all the analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of high myopia was 12.39% (6256 / 50 508). The factors correlated with high myopia were the residence area (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.77 to 2.4 for small city; OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.72 to 2.34 for metropolis; the reference group was rural area), academic achievement (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.34 to 1.53 for students of 4-and 6-year-course university; the reference group was high school graduates & under) and blood pressure (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.10 to 2.16 for hypertension; OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.17 for prehypertension; OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.20 for hypotension; the reference group was normal blood pressure). CONCLUSIONS: More than one tenth of the young men were high myopia as one of the risk factor for visual loss. Further studies on high myopia and its complications are needed to improve eye health in Southeast Korea.
Body Mass Index ; Cluster Analysis ; Comorbidity ; Humans ; Hypertension/*epidemiology ; Hypotension/*epidemiology ; Male ; Military Personnel/statistics & numerical data ; Myopia/classification/*epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; *Residence Characteristics ; Retrospective Studies ; Rural Population ; Severity of Illness Index ; Urban Population ; Young Adult

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) was first isolated from ovine hypothalamus and was known to stimulate the release of growth factor in various cells. Recently, we reported the cellular localization of PACAP and its type I (PAC1 ) receptor in rat placenta during pregnancy. Placenta is a critical organ that synthesizes several growth factors and angiogenic factors for the fetal development and its own growth. However, there is little information regarding the cellular localization of PACAP and its receptor in human placenta at various gestations. The aim of the present study was to define the expression and distribution of PACAP and PAC1 receptor mRNAs in the human placenta during the pregnancy period. PACAP and PAC1 receptor mRNAs were expressed in stroma cells of stem villi and terminal villi. At the early stage, on 7 and 14 weeks, PACAP and PAC1 receptor genes were moderately expressed in stroma cells surrounding the blood vessels within stem villi. These genes were strongly expressed in stroma cells of stem villi and terminal villi on 24 and 38 weeks. The expression of these genes was increased as gestation advanced, and localized in the same areas. Localization of PACAP and PAC1 receptor demonstrate the evidence that PACAP may play an important role, as an autoregulator or pararegulator via its PAC1 receptor. In conclusion, our findings strongly suggest that PACAP may have a critical role in physiological function of the placenta for gestational maintenance and fetal growth.
Chorionic Villi/metabolism ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Nerve Growth Factors/*biosynthesis ; Neuropeptides/*biosynthesis ; Neurotransmitter Agents/*biosynthesis ; Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide ; Placenta/*metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; RNA, Messenger ; Receptors, Cell Surface/*biosynthesis ; Receptors, Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide ; Receptors, Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide, Type I

Renal involvement is common in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The typical lupus nephropathy demonstrates polyclonal immunoglobulin immune deposits with predominance of IgG, usually heavy polytypic complement factors C1q, C3 and C4. In SLE patients, the superimposition and occurrence of non- lupus nephropathy have rarely been reported. We describe a 28-year-old, 15 weeks pregnant women affected by SLE and IgA nephropathy. She was admitted to our hospital due to generalized edema and arthralgia. The ANA titer was 1: 640, anti-ds DNA levels were 354.2 U/mL and other blood tests included thrombocytopenia and hypoclomplementemia. These clinical and laboratory data allowed the diagnosis of SLE. Renal biopsy showed modest segmental mesangial hypercellularity. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed distinct mesangial IgA and C3 with absence of IgG, IgM, C1q, and C4. Electron microscopy confirmed the presence of electron-dense deposits throughout the mesangium. These features were consistent with the coexistence of IgA nephropathy. A course of prednisolone (50 mg/day) was given for six months and she responded well with resolution of proteinuria. At the present follow- up time point (48 months), she continues to be treated with prednisolone (5 mg/day); proteinuria and ANA are undetectable.
Adult ; Arthralgia ; Biopsy ; Complement System Proteins ; Diagnosis ; DNA ; Edema ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA* ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lupus Nephritis* ; Microscopy, Electron ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Prednisolone ; Pregnant Women ; Proteinuria ; Thrombocytopenia