Stress induced cardiomyopathy is a disease that shows a dysfunction of the ventricle, but it can be rapidly reversible. It often occurs in older women primarily who suffers from emotional or physical stress. There are some case reports about postpartum stress induced cardiomyopathy. Most of the patients are recovered naturally within days to weeks. We report a case of a 37 years-old woman, who had experienced postpartum stress induced cardiomyopathy 8 years ago, revisited hospital because of cardiomyopathy after secondary delivery. Herein we report a rare case of recurrent stress induced cardiomyopathy after secondary normal vaginal delivery.
Cardiomyopathies* ; Female ; Humans ; Postpartum Period* ; Recurrence

BACKGROUND/AIMS: New definitions of acute kidney injury (AKI) have recently emerged. Some studies have suggested that duration of AKI is an additional predictive parameter for mortality. Here, we evaluated whether AKI duration was predictive of long-term mortality in patients with hospital-acquired acute kidney injury (HAAKI). METHODS: We prospectively enrolled patients who developed HAAKI at an urban university hospital, from September 2007 to August 2008 and followed them until December 2011. Patients were divided into two groups by duration of the AKI (1 to 5 days vs. > or = 6 days), and long-term mortality was compared. RESULTS: HAAKI developed in 1.2% of patients during the enrollment period. The median follow-up period was 240 days (interquartile range, 53 to 1,428). In 42.3% of patients (n = 52), the AKI lasted 1 to 5 days, while it lasted > or = 6 days in 57.7% (n = 71). Survival analysis showed that a longer duration of AKI increased the risk of death. Long-term survival was significantly different in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The duration of AKI influenced mortality rates in hospitalized patients. Thus, AKI duration is a parameter affecting mortality in HAAKI.
Acute Kidney Injury/diagnosis/etiology/*mortality/therapy ; Aged ; Female ; *Hospitalization ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors ; Time Factors

PURPOSE: In spite of higher incidence of stroke in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients compared to general population, the risk factor for stroke which is specific to ESRD is not fully understood. The ESRD patients who develop stroke may have certain additional risk factors compared to ESRD patients without stroke. We used registered data of Hallym Stroke Registry to elucidate the factors which affect development of ischemic stroke among the dialysis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recruited patients with acute ischemic stroke in ESRD patients undergoing maintenance dialysis. Dialysis patients without stroke were selected as control group with age and gender matching. We compared the demographic features, stroke risk factors, and laboratory findings in ESRD patients with or without ischemic stroke. RESULTS: The total of 25 patients with ESRD developed ischemic stroke. Fifty ESRD patients without stroke were chosen as the control group. The mean age of acute ischemic stroke patients was 59.80+/-9.94 and male gender was 48%. The most common ischemic stroke subtype was small vessel occlusion (n=12), followed by large artery atherosclerosis (n=7). The patients with stroke had more frequent history of hypertension and higher systolic/diastolic blood pressure at the time of admission than the ESRD patients without stroke. Total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels were significantly lower in the stroke group. In multivariate analysis, LDL-cholesterol was found to be the only risk factor for ischemic stroke. CONCLUSION: The results of our study reveal that LDL-cholesterol is associated with greater risk for ischemic stroke in the patients on dialysis.
Arteries ; Atherosclerosis ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Dialysis* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Stroke*

As the incidence of early gastric cancer increases, laparoscopic surgery has become one of the treatments of choice for gastric cancer. With the increase of laparoscopic surgery, the chance of discovering aberrant anatomy during the operation also increases. We present a case of laparoscopic total gastrectomy in gastric cancer patients with intestinal malrotation. Intestinal malrotation occurs in one in every 500 births. We found that laparoscopic total gastrectomy in such patients can be performed successfully when it is performed with a proper Roux limb orientation through an alternative minilaparotomy.
Extremities ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intestinal Volvulus ; Laparoscopy ; Laparotomy ; Orientation ; Parturition ; Stomach Neoplasms

As the incidence of early gastric cancer increases, laparoscopic surgery has become one of the treatments of choice for gastric cancer. With the increase of laparoscopic surgery, the chance of discovering aberrant anatomy during the operation also increases. We present a case of laparoscopic total gastrectomy in gastric cancer patients with intestinal malrotation. Intestinal malrotation occurs in one in every 500 births. We found that laparoscopic total gastrectomy in such patients can be performed successfully when it is performed with a proper Roux limb orientation through an alternative minilaparotomy.
Extremities ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intestinal Volvulus ; Laparoscopy ; Laparotomy ; Orientation ; Parturition ; Stomach Neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the mediation effect of stress between the experience of discrimination and life satisfaction among North Korean refugees who resettled in South Korea. The findings of the current study provide empirical evidence for the need of social interventions to mitigate adverse effects of stress on North Korean refugees who are subject to social discrimination on a daily basis. METHODS: In this study, we included 500 subjects among 2,138 North Korean refugees who took refuge in South Korea in 2007. The interview started from April 6th 2009 and finished on May 25th 2009. We conducted moderator effect analysis with Path analysis was conducted because we confirm the experience of discrimination was affected by life satisfaction and stress can affected life satisfaction as a moderator. RESULTS: The experience of discrimination significantly affects stress and stress significantly affects life satisfaction. However, the experience of discrimination was not directly related to life satisfaction. The more stress the study respondents experienced, the lower the life satisfaction they reported. CONCLUSION: The present finding suggests that the effects of discriminating experiences on the life satisfaction of North Korean refugees in South Korea were mediated by their own perceived stress.
Discrimination (Psychology) ; Humans ; Korea ; Negotiating ; Refugees ; Social Discrimination ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Humans ; Jaw ; Malocclusion ; Osteotomy, Sagittal Split Ramus

Alveolar Process ; Bone Transplantation ; Cleft Lip ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Dentition ; Humans ; Incisor ; Palate ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplants

Although hypertension is a well-known risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD), the blood pressure (BP) at which antihypertensive interventions should be initiated remains to be determined. Therefore, we investigated the association between BP and CKD in treatment-naïve individuals. Methods: This prospective cohort study considered 7,343 individuals in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study who were not taking antihypertensive medications. Subjects were categorized into six groups according to their systolic BP (SBP) and five groups according to their diastolic BP (DBP). The primary outcome was incident CKD, which was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate of <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or the development of proteinuria. The secondary outcome was incident cardiovascular disease (CVD). Results: In the time-varying Cox models, the hazard ratios (95% confidence interval [CI]) for CKD were 1.39 (1.10–1.77) with SBP 130–139 mmHg, 1.79 (1.40–2.28) with SBP 140–159 mmHg, and 3.22 (2.35–4.40) with SBP ≥ 160 mmHg, compared with SBP 100–119 mmHg. In addition, the hazard ratios (95% CI) for CKD were 1.88 (1.48–2.37) with DBP 90–99 mmHg and 4.30 (3.20– 5.76) with DBP ≥ 100 mmHg, compared with DBP 70–79 mmHg. A significantly increased CVD risk was also observed in subjects with SBP ≥ 130 mmHg or DBP ≥ 90 mmHg. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that SBP ≥ 130 mmHg and DBP ≥ 90 mmHg are associated with an increased risk of CKD. Therefore, BP-lowering strategies should be considered starting at those thresholds to prevent CKD development.

Background: Foot deformities can cause abnormal biomechanics of the ankle joint and the development of osteoarthritis. It was hypothesized that foot deformities would be related to medial ankle osteoarthritis, and this study investigated this relationship using radiographic measurements. Methods: Seventy-six ankles of 76 patients (32 men and 44 women; mean age, 69.0 years) with medial ankle osteoarthritis were included. Eleven radiographic measurements evaluated ankle joint orientation (tibial plafond inclination [TPI], medial distal tibial angle [MDTA], and anterior distal tibial angle [ADTA]), ankle joint incongruency (tibiotalar tilt [TT]), foot deformities (lateral talofirst metatarsal angle [Lat talo-1MT], anteroposterior talo-first metatarsal angle [AP talo-1MT], and talonavicular coverage), talar body migration (medial talar center migration [MTCM] and anterior talar center migration [ATCM]), internal rotation (IR) of the talus, and mechanical tibiofemoral angle. All were statistically analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficients and regression analyses. Results: Ankle joint orientation to the ground (TPI, p = 0.002), increased foot arch (Lat talo-1MT, p < 0.001), and IR of the talus (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with ankle joint incongruency (TT) in linear regression analysis. Ankle joint incongruency (TT, p = 0.003), medial talar body migration (MTCM, p = 0.042), and increased foot arch (Lat talo-1MT, p = 0.022) were significantly associated with IR of the talus in the binary logistic regression analysis. MTCM was significantly correlated with TPI (r = 0.251, p = 0.029), TT (r = 0.269, p = 0.019), MDTA (r = 0.359, p = 0.001), ATCM (r = –0.522, p < 0.001), and AP talo-1MT (r = 0.296, p = 0.015). ATCM was significantly correlated with TPI (r = –0.253, p = 0.027), ADTA (r = 0.349, p = 0.002), and Lat talo-1MT (r = –0.344, p = 0.002). Conclusions Ankle joint orientation, foot deformities, and talar rotation were associated with ankle joint incongruency in medial ankle osteoarthritis when evaluated radiographically. These findings need to be considered during surgical treatment for medial ankle osteoarthritis. However, the biomechanical significance of these radiographic measurements requires further investigation.