PURPOSE: This study was designed to explore and compare the prostatic hypertrophoc symptoms, activities of daily living, satisfaction of sexual activities and well-being among subjects with prostatic hypertrophic symptoms and the general population. METHOD: One hundred subjects with prostatic hypertrophic symptoms and one hundred general persons were recruited in K medical center. The data were collected from October 20, 2001 to March 30, 2002 by structured questionnaire. RESULT: The results were the following; 1. The percentage of mild(0~7), moderate(8~19) and severe(20~35)symptoms between subjects with prostatic hypertrophic symptoms and general persons were 6% : 60%, 54% : 39%, 40% : 1%. 2. There was a significant difference in prostatic hypertrophic symptoms(t=12.82, p<.001), in activities of daily living(t=-7.77, p<.0001), in satisfaction of sexual activities (t=-4.80, p<.0001), in well-being(t=-4.80, p<.0001) between subjects with prostatic hypertrophic symptoms and general persons 3. There was a significant difference in activities of daily living(F=16.28, p<.0001), satisfaction of sexual activities(F=3.98, p<.05) according to prostatic hypertrophic symptoms in subjects with prostatic hypertrophic symptoms. CONCLUSION: According to the above findings, prostatic hypertrophic symptoms influence activities of daily living, satisfaction of sexual activities, well-being of subjects with prostatic hypertrophic symptoms negatively.
Activities of Daily Living* ; Humans ; Sexual Behavior*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The use of emergency medical services (EMSs) at the onset of pain, and the relationship between transport type and the treatment delay for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) were evaluated using the Jeonbuk Regional Cardiovascular Center database. METHODS: In total, 527 STEMI patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were enrolled in this study. Basic characteristics, socioeconomic variables, and delay factors were compared between patients that contacted an EMS as first medical contact (FMC) and patients that used other forms of FMC. RESULTS: Only 28.8% of patients used EMS as their FMC. The patients that used EMS showed significantly shorter onset-to-balloon time than those who did not (250.7 ± 366.6 min vs. 405.9 ± 649.8 min, p = 0.001). However, 36.2% of patients that used EMS as FMC were transported to non-PCI-capable centers, which led to significantly prolonged onset-to-balloon time. Multivariate analysis revealed that transfer via another hospital (odds ratio [OR] 2.0, p < 0.001), EMS as FMC (OR 0.4, p <0.001), age > 65 years (OR 1.9, p = 0.003), and previous history of PCI (OR 0.4, p = 0.033) were independent predictors of pre-hospital delay. CONCLUSIONS: EMS used as FMC at the onset of chest pain was an important factor for decreasing treatment delay in patients with STEMI. However, a small number of patients used EMS as FMC, and some patients that used EMS were transported to non-PCI-capable centers. Public campaigns and education are needed to raise the public awareness of STEMI and the use of EMSs.
Chest Pain ; Education ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Medical Services* ; Humans ; Jeollabuk-do* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Time Factors

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy, usually occurs in patients with severe emotional or physiologic stress. The prognosis is favorable, and the wall motion abnormlities normalize within weeks. However, stress-induced cardiomyopathy is rarely assosicated with left ventricular thrombus and thromboembolic complications. Here, we report a case of stress-induced cardiomyopathy with left ventricular thrombus that embolized to cause cerebral infarction.
Cardiomyopathies ; Cerebral Infarction ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy ; Thrombosis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the long-term outcomes and predictors of clinical events after off-label use of drug-eluting stents (DES) beyond 1 year after procedure. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 518 patients who underwent DES implantation for off-label indications and did not have any major adverse cardiac events (MACE) during the first year were analyzed. The occurrence of MACE, including cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), stent thrombosis and target vessel revascularization, were evaluated for a median 1179 days (interquartile range 769-1541) after the first year. RESULTS: Major adverse cardiac events occurred in 43 patients (8.3%) including 8 cases (1.5%) of cardiac death, 9 cases (1.7%) of MI, 24 cases (4.6%) of target vessel revascularization, and 11 cases (2.1%) of stent thrombosis. Patients with MACE had a higher serum creatinine level, higher incidence of in-stent restenosis lesion, more overlapping stents, a greater number of stents, and longer stents than did patients without MACE. Multivariate analysis revealed that serum creatinine level >1.5 mg/dL {hazard ratio (HR) 2.3, p=0.019}, stent length >33 mm (HR 2.4, p=0.035), and in-stent restenosis lesions (HR 2.4, p=0.040) were independent risk factors for MACE. Patients with DES length >33 mm had a higher incidence of MACE than those with DES length < or =33 mm (HR 2.7, log rank p=0.002). CONCLUSION: The risk of stent thrombosis and target vessel revascularization persisted in patients undergoing off-label DES implantation beyond 1-year follow-up. A total DES length >33 mm was a significant procedural predictor associated with the incidence of MACE.
Angioplasty ; Coronary Thrombosis ; Creatinine ; Death ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myocardial Infarction ; Off-Label Use ; Risk Factors ; Stents ; Thrombosis ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the continuous abstinence rates from smoking at 12-month after a hospital-based smoking cessation program was applied for smokers hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: Among those who are hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction from January 2012 to December 2013, ninety-eight smokers agreed to quit smoking were eligible for follow up to 12 months. Each of them underwent six consecutive sessions (first during admission, the other 5 sessions after discharge) of behavioral modification, counseling for withdrawal symptoms, and anti-smoking advices by a trained nurse. Exhaled carbon monoxide measurements less than 6 ppm were used to confirm the smoking cessation status of each participant. RESULTS: Mean age of all participants was 55.2±10.8 years old, and their continuous abstinence rates at 1, 3, 6, 12 months were 63.3%, 49.0%, 43.9%, and 37.8% for each. The continuous abstinence rate from smoking after 12 months was 69.7% and significantly higher in those who completed the 6 sessions than 21.5% in those who completed 5 sessions or less (P<0.001). After adjustment for general and smoking-related characteristics, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that full participation relative to 5 or less participation was significantly associated with higher continuous abstinence rate from smoking at 12 months (odds ratio: 7.96; 95% confidence interval: 2.07-30.55). CONCLUSIONS: The consistency of participating in a hospital-based smoking cessation program, described herein, significantly improved success rates of smoking cessation in patients discharged after acute myocardial infarction. Hospital-based smoking cessation program based on education and counseling should be included as an important part of patient management for acute myocardial infarction.
Carbon Monoxide ; Counseling ; Education ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Smoke* ; Smoking Cessation* ; Smoking* ; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. This observational, non-randomized study evaluated the effect of rosuvastatin loading before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on the incidence of CIN in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 824 patients who underwent PCI for ACS were studied (408 patients in the statin group=40 mg rosuvastatin loading before PCI; 416 patients of control group=no statin pretreatment). Serum creatinine concentrations were measured before and 24 and 48 hours after PCI. The primary endpoint was development of CIN defined as an increase in serum creatinine concentration of > or =0.5 mg/dL or > or =25% above baseline within 72 hours after PCI. RESULTS: The incidence of CIN was significantly lower in the statin group than that in the control group (18.8% vs. 13.5%, p=0.040). The maximum percent changes in serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate in the statin group within 48 hours were significantly lower than those in the control group (5.84+/-22.59% vs. 2.43+/-24.49%, p=0.038; -11.44+/-14.00 vs. -9.51+/-13.89, p=0.048, respectively). The effect of rosuvastatin on preventing CIN was greater in the subgroups of patients with diabetes, high-dose contrast medium, multivessel stents, high baseline C-reactive protein, and myocardial infarction. A multivariate analysis revealed that rosuvastatin loading was independently associated with a decreased risk for CIN (odds ratio, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.43-0.95, p=0.026). CONCLUSION: High-dose rosuvastatin loading before PCI was associated with a significantly lower incidence of CIN in patients with ACS.
Acute Coronary Syndrome ; C-Reactive Protein ; Contrast Media ; Creatinine ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; Incidence ; Kidney ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myocardial Infarction ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention* ; Stents ; Rosuvastatin Calcium

BACKGROUND: Chronic heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries. Raised resting heart rate (HR) is a marker of cardiovascular risk in general population, as well as in patients with hypertension and coronary artery disease. We studied the association between HR and cardiovascular events in patients with Cardiac Insufficiency of Various Origin in Jeonbuk (CION-J) registry. METHODS: CION-J registry was a multicenter, prospective database for chronic HF. From January 2010 to December 2010, 356 HF patients who clinically stabilized at least 2 weeks were analyzed. According to resting HR, the patients divided into the tertile (lower tertile < 70/min, n = 129; middle tertile 70-80/min, n = 114; upper tertile > 80/min, n = 113). Clinical outcomes during 6-month period were compared by resting HR. RESULTS: Patients with upper tertile revealed higher New York Heart Association (NYHA) class than in those with lower tertile. From the lower to the upper tertile, the incidence of composite events of death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and hospitalization for HF were increased(3.1%, 4.4%, 16.8%, respectively; p < 0.001). Patients with upper tertile had a higher predictive value for the incidence of death (hazard ratio, 5.8; p = 0.036) and hospitalization for HF (hazard ratio, 6.4; p < 0.001) than in those with middle and lower tertile. In multivariate analysis, NYHA class III/IV, resting HR > 80/min, and ejection fraction < 35% were independent predictors of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: High resting HR (> 80/min) is a prognostic factor in chronic HF. Optimal treatment to reduce HR should be emphasized to improve prognosis of HF.
Coronary Artery Disease ; Developed Countries ; Heart ; Heart Failure ; Heart Rate ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myocardial Infarction ; New York ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Stroke

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OBJECTIVE: Despite successful efforts to shorten the door-to-balloon time in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), pre-hospital delayremains a problem. We evaluated the factors related to pre-hospital delay using the Jeonbuk regional cardiovascular center database. METHODS: From 2010 to 2013, a total of 384 STEMI patients were enrolled. We analyzed the onset time, door time, and balloon time, and the patients were grouped according to pre-hospital delay (120 minutes). Clinical and socio-demographic variables were compared. RESULTS: 53.2% of patients had prolonged onset-to-door time (median 130, interquartile range [IQR] 66~242 minutes), and 68.5% of patients did not achieve <120 minute of total ischemic time (median 175, IQR 110~304 minutes). Pre-hospital delay was more frequent in patients with old age, female, no local residence, low education level, transfer via other hospital and no use of emergency squad (119). Only 20% of patients used 119, and 119 team responded in a prompt manner (call to scene time 6 min), but 41.6% of patients was transported to non-PCI-capable hospitals. Multivariate analysis revealed that transfer via other hospital [Odds ratio (OR) 2.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6-4.1, p<0.001), use of 119 (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.6, p<0.001), age >60 years (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.0, p=0.031) and hypertension (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-2.9, p=0.047) were independent predictors of pre-hospital delay. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated a significant pre-hospital delay in the treatment of STEMI patients in the Province of Jeonbuk. Public campaigns and education are needed to raise the public awareness of STEMI and the use of 119.
Education ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Jeollabuk-do* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Time-to-Treatment

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play a key role in the maintenance of endothelial homeostasis and promote vascular repair. A reduced number of EPCs and the functional activity have been associated with several cardiovascular risk factors. However, the relationship between the number of EPCs and circadian rhythm of the blood pressure (BP) remains unclear. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between the circadian rhythm of the BP and EPCs in patients with essential hypertension. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 45 patients with essential hypertension who were newly identified by outpatient BP measurements, underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring. Among the 45 patients with essential hypertension, 20 were classified as dippers (12 men and 8 women; mean age 48+/-14 years) and 25 as non-dippers (14 men and 11 women; mean age 52+/-18 years). The EPC count was isolated from the peripheral bloodstream and quantified by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The baseline clinical characteristics were similar between the dipper and non-dipper hypertensive patients. The circulating EPCs were statistically reduced in the non-dipper patients as compared to the dippers (104+/-60 vs. 66+/-47 EPCs per 106 mononuclear cells, p=0.027). The circulating EPC level correlated positively with the circadian changes in the systolic and diastolic BP (r=0.435, p=0.003, and r=0.310, p=0.038, respectively). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that the EPC count was reduced in the peripheral bloodstream in non-dipper hypertensive patients.
Blood Pressure ; Circadian Rhythm ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Outpatients ; Phosphorylcholine ; Risk Factors ; Stem Cells