BACKGROUND: Circardian variation in the onset of cardiovascular events includig sudden cardiac death, myocardial infarction and ventricular arrhythmias has been discribed. The frequency of ventricular premature complexes has also been reported to demonstrate a pattern consisting of a daytime peak and nightime nadir. We tried to see if the same circardian pattern is found in dilated cardiomyopathy patients. We have also studed how various modifying factors such as left ventricular ejection fration and ACE inhibitor use may affect the circardian pattern. METHOD: 24-hour ambulatory electrocaridiographic monitorings were performed in 50 dilated cardiomyopathy patients and 20 control subjects. Patients were prospectively divided in 2 groups based on LVEF and ACE inhibitor use. RESULTS: In dilated cardiomyopathy patients, the expected morning increase in VPC frequency is absent and show a peak in evening. This pattern is not correlated with heart rate. Evening peak is more prominent in low LVEF group and ACE inhibitor non-user group. CONCLUSION: In dilated cardiomyopathy patients, VPC frequency show a peak in the evening.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated* ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Prospective Studies ; Ventricular Premature Complexes*

No abstract available.
Congenital Hypothyroidism* ; Diagnosis* ; Prognosis*

BACKGROUND: ELISA test is commonly used for diagnosis of parasite infection. This experiment was performed for detecting positive sera against Clonorchis sinensis, Paragonimus westermani, cysticercus, sparganum, Aisakis larvae, Toxoplasma gondii and Trichomonas vaginalis in patient's sera with ELISA and Western blot analysis. METHODS: Two hundred sera were collected from clinical laboratory of Hanyang University Hospital(Seoul, Kuri). Antigens of parasites were prepared from rabbit (C. sinensis), dog (P. westermani), hog (cysticercus, from Yonsei University), patient (sparganum), mackerel (Anisakis larvae), mouse (T. gondii), cultivation in Trypticase-Yeast extract-Maltose medium (T. vaginalis). ELISA and Western blot was conducted with several parasite antigens and patient's sera. RESULTS: Positive antibody titers of P. westermani, Anisakis, C. sinensis were observed 12.7%, 11.0%, and 7.0% of patient's sera, respectively. Nineteen sera among 200 patients showed cross reactions with other parasites. On Western blot, there were several antigenic bands with patient's sera, i.e., 3/5 sera of C. sinensis, 2/2 sera of P. westermani, 1/4 sera of sparganum, and 0/4 sera of cysticercus. COCLUSIONS: ELISA is a convenient method for detecting parasite infections. But purification of antigens is necessary and Western blot analysis may reduce the false positive reactions of infection.
Animals ; Anisakis ; Blotting, Western ; Clonorchis sinensis ; Cross Reactions ; Cysticercus ; Diagnosis* ; Dogs ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay* ; False Positive Reactions ; Humans ; Larva ; Mice ; Paragonimus westermani ; Parasites ; Perciformes ; Sparganum ; Toxoplasma ; Trichomonas vaginalis

Ganglioglioma comprises about 2% of all intracranial neoplasm, however, it is rarely originated from the brain stem. We report a case of ganglioglioma arising from the brain stem. A 15-year-old girl presented with gait disturbance and dysarthria. Magnetic resonance image revealed a high signal intensity mass with cystic cavities in the right cerebellum and the brain stem. The patient underwent subtotal resection and microscopic examination revealed a ganglioglioma. It is suggested that ganglioglioma should be included in the differential diagnosis of posterior fossa tumors, even located in the brain stem.
Adolescent ; Brain Neoplasms ; Brain Stem* ; Brain* ; Cerebellum ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Dysarthria ; Female ; Gait ; Ganglioglioma* ; Humans ; Infratentorial Neoplasms ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

BACKGROUND: Calcium plays a key role in vascular contraction and regulates receptor sensitivity to certain neurotransmitters. Calcium channel blockers are useful in the treatment of both clinical and experimental hypertension. The present study was designed to examine whether there is an alteration of the activity of calcium channels in association with the development of hypertension. METHODS: Deoxycorticosterone acetate(DOCA)-salt hypertension was made by subcutaneous implantation of DOCA(200mg/kg)strip plus saline drinking(1%) and 2-kidney, 1 clip(2KIC)hypertension by clipping the left renal artery with a silver clip(internal gap of 0.2mm). They were used 4 weeks later. Age-matched normal rats served as a control. Mean arterial pressure(MAP) and heart rate(HR) were continuously recorded from the right femoral artery. The drugs were administered intravenously. RESULTS: Vehicle alone was without effect on MAP or HR. In normotensive rats, nifedipine infusion(5 and 10ug/kg/min)caused a dose-dependent decrease in MAP without significant changes in HR, while Bay k 8644(Bay K, 5 and 10 ug/kg/min) increased MAP transiently. Both the depressor response to nifedipine and the pressor response to Bay k were more marked in DOCA-salt hypetensive rats than in normotensive rats. The maximal changes in MAP indced by nifedipine(5 and 50 ug/kg) or Bay K(5 and 50 ug/kg) were also enhanced in 2KIC hypertensive rats as compared with control rats. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that calcium channel inhibitors and activators can affect on the regulation of blood pressure in an opposite fashion. It is also suggested that the activity of calcium channels might be altered in the developement of experimental hypertension.
3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-, Methyl ester* ; Animals ; Bays* ; Blood Pressure ; Calcium ; Calcium Channel Blockers ; Calcium Channels ; Desoxycorticosterone ; Femoral Artery ; Heart ; Hypertension ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Nifedipine* ; Rats* ; Renal Artery ; Silver

Coronary pseudo-lesion is an artificial lesion that occurs during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty by an angioplasty guide wire and/or a balloon as a result of a straightening of the vessel curvature. A specific treatment is not required and the condition is completely resolved after removing the angioplasty wire. There are few reports about a pseudo-lesion, particularly in the left circumflex artery. We report two cases of a coronary pseudo-lesion induced by an angioplasty guide wire; one case affecting the left circumflex artery and the other affecting the right coronary artery.
Angioplasty* ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Arteries* ; Coronary Vessels*

As the need for a nationwide organ-transplant registry emerged, a prospective registry, the Korean Organ Transplantation Registry (KOTRY), was initiated in 2014. Here, we present baseline characteristics and outcomes of the kidney-transplant cohort for 2014 through 2019. Methods: The KOTRY consists of five organ-transplant cohorts (kidney, liver, lung, heart, and pancreas). Data and samples were prospectively collected from transplant recipients and donors at baseline and follow-up visits; and epidemiological trends, allograft outcomes, and patient outcomes, such as posttransplant complications, comorbidities, and mortality, were analyzed. Results: From 2014 to 2019, there were a total of 6,129 registered kidney transplants (64.8% with living donors and 35.2% with deceased donors) with a mean recipient age of 49.4 ± 11.5 years, and 59.7% were male. ABO-incompatible transplants totaled 17.4% of all transplants, and 15.0% of transplants were preemptive. The overall 1- and 5-year patient survival rates were 98.4% and 95.8%, respectively, and the 1- and 5-year graft survival rates were 97.1% and 90.5%, respectively. During a mean follow-up of 3.8 years, biopsy-proven acute rejection episodes occurred in 17.0% of cases. The mean age of donors was 47.3 ± 12.9 years, and 52.6% were male. Among living donors, the largest category of donors was spouses, while, among deceased donors, 31.2% were expanded-criteria donors. The mean serum creatinine concentrations of living donors were 0.78 ± 0.62 mg/dL and 1.09 ± 0.24 mg/dL at baseline and 1 year after kidney transplantation, respectively. Conclusion: The KOTRY, a systematic Korean transplant cohort, can serve as a valuable epidemiological database of Korean kidney transplants.

Background: Pompe disease is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by the deficiency of a lysosomal enzyme, acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA). Early diagnosis and initiation of treatment with enzyme replacement therapy have remarkable effects on the prognosis of Pompe disease. We performed the expanded screening for late onset Pompe disease (LOPD) at eight centers in Korea. Methods: From September 1, 2015, GAA activity were measured from both dried blood spot (DBS) and mixed leukocyte for 188 available patients. For 12 patients with low GAA activity, we performed Sanger sequencing of GAA gene. Results: Among 188 patients, 115 were males. The mean of age of symptom onset and diagnosis were 34.3 years and 41.6 years. Among 12 patients with decreased GAA activity, two patients were confirmed to have LOPD with genetic test (c.1316T>A [p.M439K] + c.2015G>A [p.R672Q], c.1857C>G [p.S619R] + c.546G>C [leaky splicing]). Other two patients had homozygous G576S and E689K mutation, known as pseudodeficiency allele. Conclusions This study is expanded study of LOPD screening for targeted Korean population. We found two patients with LOPD, and the detection rate of LOPD is 1.06%. With application of modified GAA cutoff value (0.4), which was previously reported, there were no false positive results of GAA activity test using DBS. Therefore, it could be an appropriate screening test for LOPD in especially East-Asian population, in which pseudodeficiency allele is frequent.

Background: Pompe disease is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by the deficiency of a lysosomal enzyme, acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA). Early diagnosis and initiation of treatment with enzyme replacement therapy have remarkable effects on the prognosis of Pompe disease. We performed the expanded screening for late onset Pompe disease (LOPD) at eight centers in Korea. Methods: From September 1, 2015, GAA activity were measured from both dried blood spot (DBS) and mixed leukocyte for 188 available patients. For 12 patients with low GAA activity, we performed Sanger sequencing of GAA gene. Results: Among 188 patients, 115 were males. The mean of age of symptom onset and diagnosis were 34.3 years and 41.6 years. Among 12 patients with decreased GAA activity, two patients were confirmed to have LOPD with genetic test (c.1316T>A [p.M439K] + c.2015G>A [p.R672Q], c.1857C>G [p.S619R] + c.546G>C [leaky splicing]). Other two patients had homozygous G576S and E689K mutation, known as pseudodeficiency allele. Conclusions This study is expanded study of LOPD screening for targeted Korean population. We found two patients with LOPD, and the detection rate of LOPD is 1.06%. With application of modified GAA cutoff value (0.4), which was previously reported, there were no false positive results of GAA activity test using DBS. Therefore, it could be an appropriate screening test for LOPD in especially East-Asian population, in which pseudodeficiency allele is frequent.

BACKGROUND: Small proportions of all the elderly stroke patients receive recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA) therapy, although old age is not a proven contraindication to intravenous thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke. The purpose of this study was to identify reasons for exclusion from r-tPA therapy and factors associated with the decision of r-tPA use in elderly patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: From the acute stroke registries of 22 domestic university hospitals taking the r-tPA therapy from January 2007 to May 2010, we extracted data of all acute ischemic stroke patients who were aged 80 or over and arrived within onset 3 hours. For all patients, we assessed the eligibility of r-tPA therapy using National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) r-tPA trial criteria. For eligible patients, we compared all clinical variables between patients who were treated with r-tPA and those who were not, and analyzed potential factors related to the decision of r-tPA use. RESULTS: A total of 494 patients were included in this study. 255 patients (51.6%) were excluded by NINDS r-tPA trial criteria and the major reasons for exclusion were minor neurological deficit (53.7%) and clinical improvement (17.3%). Among 239 patients who were eligible for r-tPA, 162 (32.8%) patients received r-tPA and 77 (15.6%) did not. Multivariable analysis showed that younger age, shorter time-delay from onset to admission, non-smoker, no history of prior stroke, good pre-stroke functional status and severe initial neurological deficit were independently associated with the decision of r-tPA use in the elderly stroke patients predictors for r-tPA treatment. CONCLUSION: In very elderly patients, mild neurological deficit on arrival and rapid clinical improvement in neurological symptoms were the main reasons for exclusion from thrombolytic therapy.
Aged ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke ; Registries ; Stroke ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator