The present study was designed to observe the expression patterns of NF-kappa B and AP-1, redox-sensitive transcription factors, and Bcl-2 and Bax, apoptosis repressing and promoting factors, respectively, upon repetitive cycles of short ischemia and reperfusion. Nine and thirty five weeks old Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to the 3, 6, and 10 cycles of the ischemic process for 5 minutes followed by reperfusion for 5 minutes. The rats were divided by 5 groups, according to the time after treatment, such as 0, 3, 6, 24 and 72 hours. For short ischemia and reperfusion, left common iliac artery was occluded 3, 6, and 10 times for 5 minutes of ischemia followed by 5 minutes of reperfusion using rodent vascular clamps and left rectus femoris muscles were removed. The expression profiles and distribution of NF-kappa B, AP-1, Bcl-2, and Bax which were observed using immunohistochemical staining methods with 6 microgram thick paraffin sections of the rectus femoris tissue were as follows: The distribution of NF-kappa B was increased as the cycles of ischemia and reperfusion increased up to 3 hours after treatment. This phenomenon was prominent in 35 weeks-old rats. The distribution of AP-1 was increased as the cycles of ischemia and reperfusion increased up to 3 hours after treatment. This phenomenon was prominent in 9 weeks-old rats. The distribution of Bcl-2 was decreased as the cycles of ischemia and reperfusion increased up to 3 hours after treatment. The extent of such reduction was more prominent in 35 weeks-old rats than 9 weeks-old rats. The distribution of Bax was increased as the cycles of ischemia and reperfusion increased up to 3 hours after treatment. After 3 hours of treatment, Bax positivity was gradually decreased in 9 weeks-old rats, but increased in 35 weeks-old rats to reach a peak at 24 hour after reperfusion. The extent of enhancement in 9 weeks-old rats was higher than that in 35 weeks-old rats. In summary, multiple episodes of short ischemia and reperfusion altered the expression profiles of NF-kappa B, AP-1, Bcl-2, and Bax in the rectus femoris muscle at the similar extents in 9 and 35 weeks-old rats. Such alterations were more more increased when the episodes were more repeated.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Iliac Artery ; Ischemia* ; Muscles* ; NF-kappa B* ; Paraffin ; Quadriceps Muscle* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion* ; Rodentia ; Transcription Factor AP-1* ; Transcription Factors

Background and objectives: Atrial fibrillation is a known risk factor for cryptogenic stroke and therefore requires early detection and prompt management. We investigated predictors of stroke recurrence in patients with cryptogenic stroke and concomitant non-sustained atrial tachycardia but not atrial fibrillation. Subjects and methods: We investigated 390 patients (219 men, mean age 67 ± 12 years) diagnosed with stroke and non-sustained atrial tachycardia on 24-h Holter monitoring and recorded the total number of atrial premature contractions identified by the Holter monitor. Multiple atrial premature contractions were defined as atrial premature contractions > 34 beats/day. We analyzed the rates of 5-year freedom from stroke recurrence or atrial fibrillation and investigated independent predictors of stroke recurrence and undiagnosed atrial fibrillation. Results: The mean follow-up period was 35 ± 21 months, and the overall stroke recurrence rate was 9.0%. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis revealed that the rate of freedom from stroke recurrence was significantly lower in patients with multiple atrial premature contractions. Also, the patients with multiple atrial premature contractions had higher cumulative incidence rate of new-onset AF (p = 0.019). Multivariate analysis showed that multiple atrial premature contractions (hazard ratio 2.49, 95% confidence interval 1.05–5.88, p = 0.038), cigarette smoking status (hazard ratio 2.66, 95% confidence interval 1.15–6.17, p = 0.022), and the left atrial volume index (hazard ratio 1.05, 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.09, p = 0.020) were significantly associated with stroke recurrence in patients with cryptogenic stroke. However, these factors were not statistically significant predictors of future onset of atrial fibrillation. Conclusions Multiple atrial premature contractions were significantly correlated with an increased left atrial volume index, which could predict future onset of atrial fibrillation and stroke recurrence. This study showed that multiple atrial premature contractions predict stroke recurrence in patients with cryptogenic stroke without atrial fibrillation.

PURPOSE: New-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is associated with poor short- and long-term outcomes after isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. This study evaluated gender differences in the long-term clinical implications of POAF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After propensity score matching, a gender-based comparison of long-term (>1 year) newly developed atrial fibrillation (LTAF) and mortality between 1664 (480 females) consecutive patients with (POAF) and without POAF (no-POAF) who had undergone CABG was performed. RESULTS: During a follow-up of 49±28 months, cumulative survival free of LTAF was lower in the POAF group than in the no-POAF group for both males (92.1% vs. 98.2%, p<0.001) and females (84.1% vs. 98.0%, p<0.001). However, female patients with POAF more frequently developed LTAF than male POAF patients (13.9 % vs. 6.9%, p=0.049). In multivariate analysis, POAF was a significant predictor of LTAF among males [hazard ratio (HR) 4.91; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22–19.79, p=0.031] and females (HR 16.50; 95% CI 4.79–56.78; p<0.001). POAF was a predictor of long-term mortality among females (adjusted HR 3.96; 95% CI 1.13–13.87, p=0.033), but not among males. CONCLUSION: Although POAF was related to LTAF in both genders, cumulative survival free of LTAF was poorer among females than among males. Additionally, a significant correlation with long-term mortality after CABG was observed among female patients with POAF.
Atrial Fibrillation* ; Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Postoperative Complications ; Propensity Score ; Transplants

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The prognostic role of the right atrium (RA) compared with that of the left atrium (LA) is unclear in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We assessed structural changes in both atria and determined their association with recurrence of AF after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All 111 patients with nonvalvular AF (87 men; mean age, 57+/-11 years; 68 with paroxysmal AF) who underwent RFCA were enrolled consecutively. Three-dimensional volumes of both atria measured from computed tomography images were compared between subjects with and without recurrence of AF during the follow-up. RESULTS: Early (<3 months), 6-month, and 1-year recurrence was documented in 26 (24%), 30 (27%), and 36 (32%) patients, respectively. Significantly larger RA and LA volume indices (RAVI and LAVI) were observed in the early, 6-month, and 1-year recurrence groups (p<0.05 for all). In multivariate analysis, Early recurrence was independently associated with RAVI (for each 10 mL/m2 increase; odds ratio [OR], 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.66, p= 0.03), but not with LAVI. However, both RAVI and LAVI failed to predict 6-month outcomes independently. LAVI was the only independent predictor of 1-year recurrence (for each 10 mL/m2 increase; OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.08-1.71, p=0.009). CONCLUSION: RA enlargement was more closely related to early recurrence of AF after RFCA than LA size. However, LA size, rather than RA volume, was a determinant of long-term AF prognosis after RFCA. These findings suggest a temporal pattern in the prognostic implication of enlargement in each atrium that switches over time after RFCA for AF.
Atrial Fibrillation* ; Catheter Ablation* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Prognosis ; Recurrence

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) imposes a heavy economic burden. This study was to estimate the epidemiologic features of IBS and to report the IBS burden for the first time in the Korean population. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the National Health Insurance (NHI) system database, which covers the entire population of Korea. IBS was defined as diagnostic code -10 in adults with any outpatient clinic visits or hospitalization related to IBS. We excluded diseases that mimic IBS symptoms. RESULTS: A total of 2.42 million (58.2% female) individuals were identified as patients with IBS, yielding an age- and gender-adjusted prevalence of 5.1% in males and 6.9% in females. The prevalence of IBS increased proportionally with age, with higher medical costs in middle-aged patients. Outpatient clinics were visited by 98.6% of IBS patients, and 1.9% were treated upon admission. Of these patients, 87.6% were given a prescription. Co-morbidities that commonly accompanied IBS included upper gastrointestinal (36.1%), respiratory (12.3%), musculoskeletal (8.0%) disease, somatoform (4.3%) and depression/anxiety disorders (3.1%). The NHI costs of IBS, which include the NHI covered cost and beneficiary copayment charges, were estimated to be 155 million USD, which accounts for 0.46% of the total NHI costs for the entire Korean population. CONCLUSIONS: According to the Korean national claims database, about 6% of the Korean population seeks medical care for IBS at least once per year. This high prevalence places a large economic burden on the Korean healthcare system, accounting for 0.46% of overall national medical expenditure.
Adult ; Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Cost of Illness ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Delivery of Health Care ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Health Expenditures ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome* ; Korea ; Male ; National Health Programs ; Prescriptions ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: Compared with warfarin, novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are convenient to use, although they require a blanking period immediately before radiofrequency catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). We compared NOACs and uninterrupted warfarin in the peri-procedural period of AF ablation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared 141 patients treated with peri-procedural NOACs (72% men; 58+/-11 years old; 71% with paroxysmal AF) and 281 age-, sex-, AF type-, and history of stroke-matched patients treated with uninterrupted warfarin. NOACs were stopped 24 hours before the procedure and restarted on the same procedure day after hemostasis was achieved. RESULTS: We found no difference in the CHA2DS2-VASc (p=0.376) and HAS-BLED scores (p=0.175) between the groups. The preprocedural anticoagulation duration was significantly shorter in the NOAC group (76.3+/-110.7 days) than in the warfarin group (274.7+/-582.7 days, p<0.001). The intra-procedural total heparin requirement was higher (p<0.001), although mean activated clotting time was shorter (350.0+/-25.0 s vs. 367.4+/-42.9 s, p<0.001), in the NOAC group than in the warfarin group. There was no significant difference in thromboembolic events (1.4% vs. 0%, p=0.111) or major bleeding (1.4% vs. 3.9%, p=0.235) between the NOAC and warfarin groups. Minor stroke occurred in two cases within 10 hours of the procedure (underlying CHA2DS2-VASc scores 0 and 1) in the NOAC group. CONCLUSION: Pre-procedural anticoagulation duration was shorter and intra-procedural heparin requirement was higher with NOAC than with uninterrupted warfarin during AF ablation. Although the peri-procedural thromboembolism and bleeding incidences did not differ, minor stroke occurred in two cases in the NOAC group.
Aged ; Anticoagulants/*therapeutic use ; Atrial Fibrillation/complications/*drug therapy/*surgery ; Catheter Ablation/*methods ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage/epidemiology ; Heparin ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications/epidemiology ; Stroke/epidemiology ; Thromboembolism/epidemiology ; Treatment Outcome ; Warfarin/administration & dosage/*therapeutic use

PURPOSE: Acute coronary lesions commonly trigger out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in Asian patients with OHCA and whether electrocardiogram (ECG) and other findings might predict acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have not been fully elucidated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 284 consecutive resuscitated OHCA patients seen between January 2006 and July 2013, we enrolled 135 patients who had undergone coronary evaluation. ECGs, echocardiography, and biomarkers were compared between patients with or without CAD. RESULTS: We included 135 consecutive patients aged 54 years (interquartile range 45-65) with sustained return of spontaneous circulation after OHCA between 2006 and 2012. Sixty six (45%) patients had CAD. The initial rhythm was shockable and non-shockable in 110 (81%) and 25 (19%) patients, respectively. ST-segment elevation predicted CAD with 42% sensitivity, 87% specificity, and 65% accuracy. ST elevation and/or regional wall motion abnormality (RWMA) showed 68% sensitivity, 52% specificity, and 70% accuracy in the prediction of CAD. Finally, a combination of ST elevation and/or RWMA and/or troponin T elevation predicted CAD with 94% sensitivity, 17% specificity, and 55% accuracy. CONCLUSION: In patients with OHCA without obvious non-cardiac causes, selection for coronary angiogram based on the combined criterion could detect 94% of CADs. However, compared with ECG only criteria, the combined criterion failed to improve diagnostic accuracy with a lower specificity.
Aged ; Biomarkers/*blood ; Case-Control Studies ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease/blood/*diagnosis/epidemiology ; Echocardiography/*methods ; Electrocardiography/*methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction/blood/*diagnosis/epidemiology ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest/*diagnosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Troponin T

PURPOSE: Recent evidence suggests that early repolarization (ER) is related with myocardial ischemia. Compression of coronary artery by a myocardial bridging (MB) can be associated with clinical manifestations of myocardial ischemia. This study aimed to evaluate the associations of MB in patients with ER. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In consecutive patients (n=1303, age, 61±12 years) who had undergone coronary angiography, we assessed the prevalence and prognostic implication of MB in those with ER (n=142) and those without ER (n=1161). RESULTS: MB was observed in 54 (38%) and 196 (17%) patients in ER and no-ER groups (p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, MB was independently associated with ER (odd ratio: 2.9, 95% confidence interval: 1.98–4.24, p<0.001). Notched type ER was more frequently observed in MB involving the mid portion of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) (69.8% vs. 30.2%, p=0.03). Cardiac event was observed in nine (6.3%) and 22 (1.9%) subjects with and without ER, respectively. MB was more frequently observed in sudden death patients with ER (2 out of 9, 22%) than in those without ER (0 out of 22). CONCLUSION: MB was independently associated with ER in patients without out structural heart disease who underwent coronary angiography. Notched type ER was closely related with MB involving the mid portion of the LAD. Among patients who had experienced cardiac events, a higher prevalence of MB was observed in patients with ER than those without ER. Further prospective studies on the prognosis of MB in ER patients are required.
Aged ; Coronary Angiography ; Electrocardiography ; Electrophysiological Phenomena ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Bridging/*complications/*diagnostic imaging/epidemiology/physiopathology ; Myocardial Ischemia/*etiology/physiopathology ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. The surge of TB has been accompanied by an increase in multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). In this study, we developed a denaturing HPLC (DHPLC) method for detecting rpoB gene mutation as a rifampin resistance based on sequence. METHODS: In this study, we used 99 mycobacterial isolates grown in Ogawa media. At first, we used a PCR method that can amplify the 235 bp and 136 bp rpoB DNAs of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB) and Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). And then, PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of rpoB DNA (342 bp), which comprises the Rif(T) region, was used for the differential identification of Mycobacteria. Finally, we detected these amplicons by DHPLC, compared to PCR-RFLP results, and performed sequencing. RESULTS: Among 99 mycobacterial isolates, 80 (81%) were MTB and 19 (19%) were NTM. NTM were identified to 7 different species by DHPLC and PCR-RFLP. rpoB mutation was detected in 9 (11%) of the MTB specimens. These results were confirmed by using sequencing. CONCLUSIONS: DHPLC provided a rapid, simple, and automatable performance for detection of rifampin resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and would be helpful as a supplemental method in high-throughput clinical laboratories.
Antibiotics, Antitubercular/*pharmacology ; Bacterial Typing Techniques ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/*methods ; DNA, Bacterial ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial/genetics ; Humans ; Mutation ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/*drug effects/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Rifampin/*pharmacology ; Tuberculosis/*microbiology

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recent evidence indicates that the membrane voltage and Ca2+ clocks jointly regulate sinoatrial node (SAN) automaticity. However, the mechanism of heart rhythm acceleration of the subsidiary pacemaker (SP) during beta-adrenergic stimulation is still unknown. Here we tested the hypothesis that the heart rate acceleration of the SP by beta-adrenergic stimulation involves synergistic interactions between both clock mechanisms. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We performed optical mapping and pharmacological interventions in 15 isolated Langendorff-perfused canine right atriums (RA). The SP model was produced by ligation of the SAN artery at the mid portion of the sulcus terminalis. RESULTS: In the 6 RAs with an intact SAN, 1 micromol/L isoproterenol infusion increased the heart rate from 82+/-9 to 166+/-18 bpm (102%) with late diastolic Cai elevation (LDCAE) at the superior SAN. However, in the 6 SP models, the heart rate increased from 55+/-10 bpm to 106+/-11 bpm (92%, p=0.005) without LDCAE at the earliest activation site. The isoproterenol induced heart rate increase was reversed to 74+/-5 bpm (33% from baseline) by administering an infusion of the funny current blocker ZD 7288 (3 micromol/L, n=3), whereas, it was suppressed to 69+/-7 bpm (24% from baseline) by sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ emptying with administering ryanodine (10 micromol/L) plus thapsigargin (200 nmol/L, n=3). The isoproterenol induced heart rate increase was completely abolished by combined treatment with funny current blocker and SR Ca2+ emptying (n=3). CONCLUSION: Acceleration of the Ca2+ clock in the SP plays an important role in the heart rate acceleration during beta-adrenergic stimulation, and this interacts synergistically with the voltage clock to increase the heart rate.
Acceleration ; Arteries ; Calcium Channels ; Heart ; Heart Atria ; Heart Rate ; Isoproterenol ; Ligation ; Membranes ; Mustard Compounds ; Pyrimidines ; Ryanodine ; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum ; Sinoatrial Node ; Sympathetic Nervous System ; Thapsigargin