Background and Objectives: The risk profiles, procedural characteristics, and clinical outcomes for women undergoing bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are not well defined compared to those in men. Methods: COronary BIfurcation Stenting III (COBIS III) is a multicenter, real-world registry of 2,648 patients with bifurcation lesions treated with second-generation drug-eluting stents.We compared the angiographic and procedural characteristics and clinical outcomes based on sex. The primary outcome was 5-year target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization. Results: Women (n=635, 24%) were older, had hypertension and diabetes more often, and had smaller main vessel and side branch reference diameters than men. The pre- and post-PCI angiographic percentage diameter stenoses of the main vessel and side branch were comparable between women and men. There were no differences in procedural characteristics between the sexes. Women and men had a similar risk of TLF (6.3% vs. 7.1%, p=0.63) as well as its individual components and sex was not an independent predictor of TLF. This finding was consistent in the left main and 2 stenting subgroups. Conclusions In patients undergoing bifurcation PCI, sex was not an independent predictor of adverse outcome.

Background and Objectives: The risk profiles, procedural characteristics, and clinical outcomes for women undergoing bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are not well defined compared to those in men. Methods: COronary BIfurcation Stenting III (COBIS III) is a multicenter, real-world registry of 2,648 patients with bifurcation lesions treated with second-generation drug-eluting stents.We compared the angiographic and procedural characteristics and clinical outcomes based on sex. The primary outcome was 5-year target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization. Results: Women (n=635, 24%) were older, had hypertension and diabetes more often, and had smaller main vessel and side branch reference diameters than men. The pre- and post-PCI angiographic percentage diameter stenoses of the main vessel and side branch were comparable between women and men. There were no differences in procedural characteristics between the sexes. Women and men had a similar risk of TLF (6.3% vs. 7.1%, p=0.63) as well as its individual components and sex was not an independent predictor of TLF. This finding was consistent in the left main and 2 stenting subgroups. Conclusions In patients undergoing bifurcation PCI, sex was not an independent predictor of adverse outcome.

Background and Objectives: The risk profiles, procedural characteristics, and clinical outcomes for women undergoing bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are not well defined compared to those in men. Methods: COronary BIfurcation Stenting III (COBIS III) is a multicenter, real-world registry of 2,648 patients with bifurcation lesions treated with second-generation drug-eluting stents.We compared the angiographic and procedural characteristics and clinical outcomes based on sex. The primary outcome was 5-year target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization. Results: Women (n=635, 24%) were older, had hypertension and diabetes more often, and had smaller main vessel and side branch reference diameters than men. The pre- and post-PCI angiographic percentage diameter stenoses of the main vessel and side branch were comparable between women and men. There were no differences in procedural characteristics between the sexes. Women and men had a similar risk of TLF (6.3% vs. 7.1%, p=0.63) as well as its individual components and sex was not an independent predictor of TLF. This finding was consistent in the left main and 2 stenting subgroups. Conclusions In patients undergoing bifurcation PCI, sex was not an independent predictor of adverse outcome.

Background and Objectives: The risk profiles, procedural characteristics, and clinical outcomes for women undergoing bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are not well defined compared to those in men. Methods: COronary BIfurcation Stenting III (COBIS III) is a multicenter, real-world registry of 2,648 patients with bifurcation lesions treated with second-generation drug-eluting stents.We compared the angiographic and procedural characteristics and clinical outcomes based on sex. The primary outcome was 5-year target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization. Results: Women (n=635, 24%) were older, had hypertension and diabetes more often, and had smaller main vessel and side branch reference diameters than men. The pre- and post-PCI angiographic percentage diameter stenoses of the main vessel and side branch were comparable between women and men. There were no differences in procedural characteristics between the sexes. Women and men had a similar risk of TLF (6.3% vs. 7.1%, p=0.63) as well as its individual components and sex was not an independent predictor of TLF. This finding was consistent in the left main and 2 stenting subgroups. Conclusions In patients undergoing bifurcation PCI, sex was not an independent predictor of adverse outcome.

Background: The benefits of transradial access (TRA) over transfemoral access (TFA) for bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are uncertain because of the limited availability of device selection. This study aimed to compare the procedural differences and the in-hospital and long-term outcomes of TRA and TFA for bifurcation PCI using secondgeneration drug-eluting stents (DESs). Methods: Based on data from the Coronary Bifurcation Stenting Registry III, a retrospective registry of 2,648 patients undergoing bifurcation PCI with second-generation DES from 21 centers in South Korea, patients were categorized into the TRA group (n = 1,507) or the TFA group (n = 1,141). After propensity score matching (PSM), procedural differences, in-hospital outcomes, and device-oriented composite outcomes (DOCOs; a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization) were compared between the two groups (772 matched patients each group). Results: Despite well-balanced baseline clinical and lesion characteristics after PSM, the use of the two-stent strategy (14.2% vs. 23.7%, P = 0.001) and the incidence of in-hospital adverse outcomes, primarily driven by access site complications (2.2% vs. 4.4%, P = 0.015), were significantly lower in the TRA group than in the TFA group. At the 5-year follow-up, the incidence of DOCOs was similar between the groups (6.3% vs. 7.1%, P = 0.639). Conclusion The findings suggested that TRA may be safer than TFA for bifurcation PCI using second-generation DESs. Despite differences in treatment strategy, TRA was associated with similar long-term clinical outcomes as those of TFA. Therefore, TRA might be the preferred access for bifurcation PCI using second-generation DES.

Background and Objectives: Tonsillectomy is one of the most common operative procedures performed in children by otolaryngologists. However, many surgeons demand excessive fasting from their patients for the fear of pulmonary aspiration and postoperative bleeding after surgery. This study was performed to investigate the effect of early feeding after tonsillectomy on acute postoperative pain, vomiting and postoperative bleeding in children.Subjects and Method Data were collected via retrospective medical chart review. A total of 121 patients under the age of 12, who underwent tonsillectomy along with adenoidectomy in our hospital, were included in this study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the time of first water or liquid intake and first diet, respectively. Operation time, anesthesia time, state of appetite at the beginning of a soft diet, degree of postoperative pain, the requirement of intravenous analgesics and incidence of vomiting during hospitalization and incidence of postoperative bleeding were compared. Results: There was no significant difference in the degree of pain, the requirement of intravenous analgesics, the incidence of vomiting or postoperative bleeding according to the time of first water or liquid intake. In addition, there was no difference in the degree of appetite and pain, the requirement of intravenous analgesics, incidence of vomiting or postoperative bleeding according to the time of first diet. Conclusion Initiating feeding as early as possible after tonsillectomy does not appear to increase acute postoperative pain, vomiting or postoperative bleeding.

Background and Objectives: Evaluation of Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Berlin, STOP, and STOP-Bang questionnaire validities for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) screening among various adult age groups.Materials and Method: Results for each of those questionnaires were compared with diagnostic overnight polysomnography (PSG) data obtained for 396 patients suffering either insomnia, sleep apnea, excessive daytime sleepiness, or chronic snoring who had been divided into three age groups (20-39, 40-59, or ≥60 years). For each questionnaire, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated. Results: Among the OSA group [apnea hypopnea index (AHI) cutoff ＞5], Berlin and STOP questionnaire sensitivity and specificity were significantly different among the age groups. Among the moderate-to-severe OSA sub-group (AHI cutoff ＞15), the specificity of Berlin, STOP, and STOP-Bang questionnaire was significantly different among age groups. Conclusion The Berlin and STOP questionnaires differed with patient age in OSA screening. The ESS questionnaire, by contrast, did not show any age-related differences of sensitivity and specificity in OSA screening or moderate-to-severe OSA screening.

BACKGROUND: AND PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine how the sleep stage and body position influence the effective pressure (Peff) in standard upward titration and experimental downward titration. METHODS: This study applied successful manual titration of continuous positive airway pressure over 3 hours [including at least 15 min in supine rapid eye movement (REM) sleep] followed by consecutive downward titration for at least 1 hour to 22 patients with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea. We analyzed baseline polysomnography variables and compared the effective pressures (Peff1(upward) and Peff2(downward)) between non-REM and REM sleep and between supine and lateral positions using the paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS: During upward titration, Peff1 increased during REM sleep compared to non-REM sleep [9.5±2.9 vs. 8.9±2.7 cm H₂O (mean±SD), ΔPeff1(REM–non-REM)=0.6±1.1 cm H₂O; p=0.024]. During downward titration, Peff2 was higher in a supine than a lateral position (7.3±1.7 vs. 4.8±1.5 cm H₂O, ΔPeff2(supine-lateral)=2.5±1.3 cm H₂O; p=0.068). When comparing both upward and downward titration conditions, we found that Peff2 was significantly lower than Peff1 in all sleep stages, especially during REM sleep (Peff1(REM) vs. Peff2(REM)=9.5±2.9 vs. 7.4±3.3 cm H₂O) with an overall difference of 2.1±1.7 cm H₂O (p < 0.001). Peff in supine sleep decreased from 9.4±3.0 cm H₂O (Peff1(supine)) to 7.6±3.3 cm H₂O (Peff2(supine)), with an overall difference of 1.8±1.6 cm H₂O (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS This study has revealed that the collapsibility of the upper airway is influenced by sleep stage and body position. After achieving an initial Peff1, a lower pressure was acceptable to maintain airway patency during the rest of the sleep. The observed pressure decrease may support the use of an automated titration device that integrates real-time positional and sleep-stage factors, and the use of a lower pressure may improve fixed-pressure-related intolerance.

We investigated whether β-carotene (β-CA) or ellagic acid (EA), originating from various fruits and vegetables, has a preventive effect against male infertility induced by exogenous scrotal hyperthermia. ICR adult mice were intraperitoneally treated with 10 mg/kg of β-CA or EA daily for 13 days consecutively. During this time, mice were subjected to transient scrotal heat stress in a water bath at 43℃ for 20 min on day 7, and their testes and blood were obtained on day 14 for histopathologic and biochemical analyses. Heat stress induced significant testicular weight reduction, germ cell loss and degeneration, as well as abnormal localization of phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPx) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) in spermatogenic and Leydig cells. Heat stress also altered the levels of oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation, SOD activity, and PHGPx, MnSOD, and HIF-1α mRNAs), apoptosis (Bax, Bcl-xL, caspase 3, NF-κB, and TGF-β1 mRNAs), and androgen biosynthesis (serological testosterone concentration and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase mRNA) in testes. These changes were all improved significantly by β-CA treatment, but only slightly improved by EA treatment. These findings indicate that β-CA, through modulations of oxidative stress, apoptosis, and androgen biosynthesis, is a potent preventive agent against testicular injuries induced by scrotal hyperthermia.
Adult ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Baths ; beta Carotene ; Caspase 3 ; Ellagic Acid ; Fever ; Fruit ; Germ Cells ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Infertility, Male ; Leydig Cells ; Male ; Mice ; Oxidative Stress ; Oxidoreductases ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Testis ; Testosterone ; Vegetables ; Water ; Weight Loss

We investigated whether β-carotene (β-CA) or ellagic acid (EA), originating from various fruits and vegetables, has a preventive effect against male infertility induced by exogenous scrotal hyperthermia. ICR adult mice were intraperitoneally treated with 10 mg/kg of β-CA or EA daily for 13 days consecutively. During this time, mice were subjected to transient scrotal heat stress in a water bath at 43℃ for 20 min on day 7, and their testes and blood were obtained on day 14 for histopathologic and biochemical analyses. Heat stress induced significant testicular weight reduction, germ cell loss and degeneration, as well as abnormal localization of phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPx) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) in spermatogenic and Leydig cells. Heat stress also altered the levels of oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation, SOD activity, and PHGPx, MnSOD, and HIF-1α mRNAs), apoptosis (Bax, Bcl-xL, caspase 3, NF-κB, and TGF-β1 mRNAs), and androgen biosynthesis (serological testosterone concentration and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase mRNA) in testes. These changes were all improved significantly by β-CA treatment, but only slightly improved by EA treatment. These findings indicate that β-CA, through modulations of oxidative stress, apoptosis, and androgen biosynthesis, is a potent preventive agent against testicular injuries induced by scrotal hyperthermia.