Recent studies have revealed a significant relationship between erectile dysfunction (ED) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), both of which commonly affect middle-aged and older men. These conditions share underlying causes, particularly endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis, and chronic pelvic ischemia (CPI). This study investigated the therapeutic potential of LDD175, a large-conductance Ca 2+ -activated K + channel (BKCa channel) opener, in simultaneously treating both conditions using a CPI animal model of male Sprague Dawley rats. Our study investigated the induction of CPI through surgical endothelial damage combined with a high-cholesterol diet. We assessed erectile and voiding functions by measuring intracavernosal pressure (ICP) and intraurethral pressure (IUP), respectively, after nerve stimulation. We performed histological examinations of vascular changes and western blot analyses of cavernous and prostate tissues to understand the underlying mechanisms. This study evaluated the effectiveness of LDD175 compared to standard treatments, such as sildenafil for ED and tamsulosin for LUTS. Therefore, the CPI model successfully demonstrated ED and LUTS symptoms with decreased ICP and increased IUP. Analysis revealed elevated levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, transforming growth factor-β1 and β2 in cavernous tissue, and increased α1A-adrenoceptor expression in prostate tissue. LDD175 administration showed promising results, with dose-dependent improvements in ICP and IUP, and therapeutic effects comparable to those of established treatments. Our findings suggest a novel therapeutic approach that can simultaneously address ED and LUTS, opening new possibilities for clinical application in the treatment of these interconnected conditions.
Male ; Animals ; Erectile Dysfunction/etiology* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms/etiology* ; Ischemia/drug therapy* ; Rats ; Tamsulosin ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/drug effects* ; Sildenafil Citrate/therapeutic use* ; Penis/blood supply* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism* ; Pelvis/blood supply* ; Prostate/metabolism* ; Sulfonamides/therapeutic use* ; Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels/agonists*

PURPOSE: The current study is aimed to assess whether a longer duration of 5α-reductase inhibitor (5α-RI) exposure was associated with higher rate of permanent erectile dysfunction (ED) in a rat model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=76) were assigned to five groups: (i) normal control group; (ii) dutasteride (0.5 mg/rat/d) for 4-weeks group; (iii) dutasteride for 4-weeks plus 2-weeks of resting group; (iv) dutasteride for 8-weeks group; and (v) dutasteride for 8-weeks plus 2-weeks of resting group. In vivo erectile responses to electrical stimulation, and changes of fibrotic factors and smooth muscle/collagen contents in the corpus cavernosum were evaluated in each group. RESULTS: Dutasteride administration for 4 and 8 weeks significantly decreased erectile parameters compared with the control group. Reduced erectile responses were recovered during 2 weeks of drug-free time in the 4-week treatment group, but were not in the 8-week group. Protein levels of fibrosis-related factors transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, TGF-β2, and p-Smad/Smad (Smad 2/3) in the corpus cavernosum showed no significant change after 4 weeks of dutasteride oral administration, but were enhanced after 8 weeks. Dutasteride markedly decreased smooth muscle content and increased collagen after 4 and 8 weeks of use, but no nuclear size changes; however, neither group showed significant improvement in the smooth muscle to collagen ratio after the rest period. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that recovery from ED depended on the duration of medication, and administration of dutasteride for more than 8-weeks in rats could result in irreversible ED even after discontinuation of medication.
5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors ; Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Collagen ; Dutasteride ; Electric Stimulation ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Finasteride ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Animal ; Muscle, Smooth ; Oxidoreductases ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Transforming Growth Factors

OBJECTIVES: Human rights education programs have been implemented annually since Korea enacted human rights legislation in 2009. The purpose of this study was to investigate attitudes of Korean psychiatrists toward human rights education and assess the relevance of the provided education materials. METHODS: Questionnaires comprised of 8 items were provided to 274 psychiatrists attending the April 2015 Korean Neuropsychiatric Association seminar. In addition, 12 cases related to education material developed by the Korean National Human Rights Commission were examined to determine whether the material's content was relevant and appropriate for human rights education. RESULTS: Data from 267 psychiatrists that answered all requested questions were included in the analysis. Although respondents in general accepted the beneficial intent of human rights education, the majority of respondents (71.5%) disagreed with the mandatory 4 h of annual human rights education. Approximately half of respondents (49.4%) believed that frequency of such education should be decreased. A substantial percentage of respondents (38.7%) expressed overall dissatisfaction with the education program, and more than half of respondents (55.6%) were skeptical that the current education program could produce a real difference in attitudes toward human rights. The case reviews highlighted several problems. First, all education materials were heavily weighted toward psychiatric hospitalization legal proceedings rather than human rights. Among the 12 cases examined, four were considered inappropriate for human rights education because they were presented as if human rights abuse was synonymous with violation of a law, even if the law was ambiguous. CONCLUSION: The current human rights education program does not meet psychiatrists' expectations. The results of this study suggest there is a need to reconsider the purpose and means of providing human rights education to psychiatrists.
Education* ; Hospitalization ; Human Rights Abuses ; Human Rights* ; Humans* ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Psychiatry* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: From May to July 2015, the Republic of Korea experienced the largest outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outside the Arabian Peninsula. A total of 186 patients, including 36 deaths, had been diagnosed with MERS-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection as of September 30th, 2015. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We obtained information of patients who were confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection. MERS-CoV infection was diagnosed using real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 55 years (range, 16 to 86). A total of 55.4% of the patients had one or more coexisting medical conditions. The most common symptom was fever (95.2%). At admission, leukopenia (42.6%), thrombocytopenia (46.6%), and elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (42.7%) were observed. Pneumonia was detected in 68.3% of patients at admission and developed in 80.8% during the disease course. Antiviral agents were used for 74.7% of patients. Mechanical ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and convalescent serum were employed for 24.5%, 7.1%, and 3.8% of patients, respectively. Older age, presence of coexisting medical conditions including diabetes or chronic lung disease, presence of dyspnea, hypotension, and leukocytosis at admission, and the use of mechanical ventilation were revealed to be independent predictors of death. CONCLUSION: The clinical features of MERS-CoV infection in the Republic of Korea were similar to those of previous outbreaks in the Middle East. However, the overall mortality rate (20.4%) was lower than that in previous reports. Enhanced surveillance and active management of patients during the outbreak may have resulted in improved outcomes.
Antiviral Agents ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Coronavirus Infections* ; Disease Outbreaks ; Dyspnea ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Fever ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Leukocytosis ; Leukopenia ; Lung Diseases ; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus ; Middle East* ; Mortality ; Pneumonia ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Republic of Korea* ; Respiration, Artificial ; Thrombocytopenia

BACKGROUND: Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4, also known as CD26) binds with adenosine deaminase (ADA) to activate T lymphocytes. Here, we investigated whether ADA activity is specifically affected by treatment with DPP-4 inhibitor (DPP4I) compared with other anti-diabetic agents. METHODS: Fasting ADA activity, in addition to various metabolic and biochemical parameters, were measured in 262 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients taking various anti-diabetic agents and in 46 non-diabetic control subjects. RESULTS: ADA activity was increased in T2DM patients compared with that in non-diabetic control subjects (mean+/-standard error, 23.1+/-0.6 U/L vs. 18.6+/-0.8 U/L; P<0.05). ADA activity was correlated with fasting plasma glucose (r=0.258, P<0.05), HbA1c (r=0.208, P<0.05), aspartate aminotransferase (r=0.325, P<0.05), and alanine aminotransferase (r=0.248, P<0.05). Compared with the well-controlled T2DM patients (HbA1c<7%), the poorly controlled group (HbA1c>9%) showed significantly increased ADA activity (21.1+/-0.8 U/L vs. 25.4+/-1.6 U/L; P<0.05). The effect of DPP4I on ADA activity in T2DM patients did not differ from those of other oral anti-diabetic agents or insulin. T2DM patients on metformin monotherapy showed a lower ADA activity (20.9+/-1.0 U/L vs. 28.1+/-2.8 U/L; P<0.05) compared with that of those on sulfonylurea monotherapy. CONCLUSION: Our results show that ADA activity is increased in T2DM patients compared to that in non-diabetic patients, is positively correlated with blood glucose level, and that DPP4I has no additional specific effect on ADA activity, except for a glycemic control- or HbA1c-dependent effect.
Adenosine ; Adenosine Deaminase ; Alanine Transaminase ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Blood Glucose ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Humans ; Insulin ; Metformin ; Plasma ; T-Lymphocytes

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical manifestations and risk factors associated with acute graft pyelonephritis (AGPN) and its impact on graft outcome. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study reviewing the medical records of 272 recipients with a graft survival of more than 1 year among 291 recipients that had undergone kidney transplantation between January 1995 and December 1999. RESULTS: Twenty eight (10.3%) patients had at least one episode of AGPN during a follow-up of 7.3 years, and 14 (50%) among them had recurrent episodes. 31.5% of total AGPN episodes had no any urinary signs and symptoms and only had a fever and leukocyturia. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella, the most common pathogens isolated, were susceptible to ciprofloxacin in 48.6% of cases and to ceftriaxone in 94.3% of cases. Acute rejection was not associated with the occurrence of AGPN. However, female gender was a risk factor for acute rejection (risk ratio 7.11, p<0.001). Vesicoureteral reflux in allograft was found in 72.7% of the recipients with an episode of AGPN (16/22). There was a trend toward more frequent development of vesicoureteral reflux in recipients with recurrent AGPN episodes (54.6% in patients with a single episode vs 90.9% in patients with recurrent episodes, p= 0.074). On Cox regression/Time-dependent covariate analysis, AGPN had no significant association with the graft or patient survival. CONCLUSION: AGPN is common after kidney transplantation, especially in women. However, AGPN was not associated with a poor long-term graft outcome.
Ceftriaxone ; Ciprofloxacin ; Escherichia coli ; Female ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Graft Survival ; Humans ; Kidney ; Kidney Transplantation ; Klebsiella ; Medical Records ; Pyelonephritis ; Rejection (Psychology) ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Transplants ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux

PURPOSE: Acute renal failure requiring dialysis (ARFD) after coronary intervention is a rare but serious complication, and it is associated with poor prognosis. This study investigated the clinical characteristics and risk factors of ARFD after coronary intervention in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: This study included 178 adult patients with CKD (baseline serum creatinine of >1.3 mg/dL) undergoing coronary intervention at Samsung Medical Center from April 2003 through June 2007. We retrospectively evaluated the incidence, clinical outcome, and risk factor of ARFD via medical records. ARFD was defined as a decrease in renal function necessitating hemodialysis in the first 7 days after percutaneous coronary intervention. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was obtained using the Levey Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula. RESULTS: Ten of the 178 patients (5.6%) developed ARFD with a subsequent in-hospital mortality rate of 10% (n=1). According to CKD stage, incidence of ARFD was 0/136 patients (baseline eGFR 30 to 90 ml/min/1.73m2 4/32 (15 to 29,) and 7/10 (<15) respectively (0% vs 9.4% vs 70%, p<0.0001). Multivariate analysis found eGFR (OR=0.5, 95% CI 0.3 to 0.9, p=0.02) to be only independent predictor of ARFD. Of those who developed ARFD (n=10), 2 patients stopped dialysis, 8 had required permanent dialysis. CONCLUSION: Incidence of ARFD increased according to the severity of renal dysfunction. The majority of ARFD patients had required permanent dialysis.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Adult ; Contrast Media ; Coronary Angiography ; Creatinine ; Dialysis ; Diet ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Incidence ; Medical Records ; Multivariate Analysis ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Prognosis ; Renal Dialysis ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: As the proportion of patients with diabetes and old age increases, the use of arteriovenous graft (AVG) is increasing. However, there are few data about the comparison of the patency rate of native arteriovenous fistula (AVF) to that of AVG in Korea. We compared the outcome of native AVF to that of AVG with analysis of the factors affecting the patency of the permanent vascular access in use. METHODS: A retrospective database of all vascular access related procedures performed from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2003 was established. We evaluated the primary unassisted and cumulative access patency rate with analysis of patency-related factors. We also evaluated the primary failure rate of AVF and AVG. RESULTS: 196 new vascular access surgeries were performed during the period. 14 cases were excluded due to loss of follow-up. 142 native arteriovenous fistulas (78%) and 40 grafts (22%) were constructed. The primary failure rate was similar between AVF and AVG group. The primary unassisted (78%, 72%, 68% vs. 62%, 41%, 22% at 1, 2, 3 year; p<0.001) and cumulative patency rate (93%, 88%, 85% vs. 84%, 74%, 73% at 1, 2, 3 year; p=0.087) were better in AVF group than in AVG group. The factors affecting the patency of vascular access were the type of vascular access and planned construction of permanent vascular access. CONCLUSION: Patency of native AVF as the permanent vascular access was better than that of AVG. Planned construction of permanent vascular access improved the patency of the access.
Arteriovenous Fistula ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Renal Dialysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplants ; Vascular Patency

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that serum Cystatin C is both a sensitive marker for renal dysfunction and a predictive marker for cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to evaluate the association between Cystatin C and various biomarkers and to find out its utility in estimating risk for cardiovascular diseases in type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: From June 2006 to March 2008, anthropometric measurements and biochemical studies including biomarkers for risk factors of cardiovascular diseases were done in 520 type 2 diabetic patients. A 10-year risk for coronary heart diseases and stroke was estimated using Framingham risk score and UKPDS risk engine. RESULTS: The independent variables showing statistically significant associations with Cystatin C were age (beta = 0.009, P < 0.0001), hemoglobin (beta = -0.038, P = 0.0006), serum creatinine (beta = 0.719, beta < 0.0001), uric acid (beta = 0.048, P = 0.0004), log hsCRP (beta = 0.035, P = 0.0021) and homocysteine (beta = 0.005, P = 0.0228). The levels of microalbuminuria, carotid intima-media thickness, fibrinogen and lipoprotein (a) also correlated with Cystatin C, although the significance was lost after multivariate adjustment. Calculated risk for coronary heart diseases increased in proportion to Cystatin C quartiles: 3.3 +/- 0.4, 6.2 +/- 0.6, 7.6 +/- 0.7, 8.4 +/- 0.7% from Framingham risk score (P < 0.0001); 13.1 +/- 0.9, 21.2 +/- 1.6, 26.1 +/- 1.7, 35.4 +/- 2.0% from UKPDS risk engine (P < 0.0001) (means +/- SE). CONCLUSIONS: Cystatin C is significantly correlated with various emerging biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases. It was also in accordance with the calculated risk for cardiovascular diseases. These findings verify Cystatin C as a valuable and useful marker for predicting future cardiovascular diseases in type 2 diabetic patients.
Biomarkers ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Coronary Disease ; Creatinine ; Cystatin C ; Fibrinogen ; Hemoglobins ; Homocysteine ; Humans ; Lipoprotein(a) ; Risk Factors ; Stroke ; Uric Acid

Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) has been used increasingly for the management of renal failure in hemodynamically unstable and critically ill patients. CRRT requires anticoagulation, usually with heparin, to prevent clotting in the extracorporeal circuit. Systemic heparinization is associated with a high rate of bleeding when used during CRRT in critically ill patients. We applied regional citrate anticoagulation for CRRT to two critically ill patients with high bleeding risk using calcium containing commercial solutions. We conclude that regional citrate anticoagulation with commercial calcium containing solution can be used alternative to heparin for CRRT in patients with high bleeding risk.
Calcium ; Citric Acid* ; Critical Illness ; Hemodiafiltration* ; Hemorrhage ; Heparin ; Humans ; Renal Insufficiency ; Renal Replacement Therapy