Flow Diverter Performance Comparison of Different Wire Materials for Effective Intracranial Aneurysm Treatment.

A flow diverter (FD) is an effective method for treating wide-necked intracranial aneurysms by inducing hemodynamic changes in aneurysms. However, the procedural technique remains challenging, and it is often not performed properly in many cases of deployment or placements. In this study, three types of FDs that changed the material of the wire were prepared within the same structure.

Association between office visit intervals and long-term cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients.

Hypertension is a chronic disease that requires long-term follow-up in many patients, however, optimal visit intervals are not well-established. This study aimed to evaluate the incidences of major cardiovascular events (MACEs) according to visit intervals. We analyzed data from 9894 hypertensive patients in the Korean Hypertension Cohort, which enrolled and followed up 11,043 patients for over 10 years.

J-shaped association between LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular events: A longitudinal primary prevention cohort of over 2.4 million people nationwide.

Introduction: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol-lowering treatment is beneficial for the secondary or primary prevention of high-risk atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, the prognostic implications of low LDL cholesterol levels in patients without previous ASCVD and without statin use remain elusive.

Methods: From a nationwide cohort, 2,432,471 participants without previous ASCVD or statin use were included.

Association between renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockade and clinical outcomes in patients with hypertension: real-world observation from a nationwide hypertension cohort.

Objective: We investigated the association between the use of ACEi, ARB, or non-renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (non-RASi) and incident cardiovascular events in an unselected nationwide hypertension cohort.

Methods: The information regarding 2,025,849 patients who underwent general health checkup between 2010 and 2011 and were on antihypertensive medication was collected. Patients were allocated into ACEi, ARB, and non-RASi groups and followed until 2019.

Long-term cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients: full report of the Korean Hypertension Cohort.

Background/aims: This study evaluated the long-term cardiovascular complications among Korean patients with hypertension and compared them with that of controls without hypertension.

Methods: The Korean Hypertension Cohort (KHC) enrolled 11,043 patients with hypertension and followed them for more than 10 years. Age- and sex-matched controls without hypertension were enrolled at a 1:10 ratio.

Comparison of the efficiency between electrocardiogram and echocardiogram for left ventricular hypertrophy evaluation in patients with hypertension: Insight from the Korean Hypertension Cohort Study.

In patients with hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) represents a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and asymptomatic organ damage. Currently, electrocardiography (ECG) and two-dimensional echocardiography (Echo) are the most widely used methods for LVH evaluation. This study aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of LVH, as evaluated by ECG and Echo, in patients with hypertension.

U-Shaped Associations Between Body Weight Changes and Major Cardiovascular Events in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Longitudinal Follow-up Study of a Nationwide Cohort of Over 1.5 Million.

Objective: Despite the benefits of weight loss on metabolic profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), its association with myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic stroke (IS), atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure (HF), and all-cause death remains elusive.

Research Design And Methods: Using the National Health Insurance Service Database, we screened subjects who underwent general health checkups twice in a 2-year interval between 2009 and 2012. After identifying 1,522,241 patients with T2DM without a previous history of MI, IS, AF, and HF, we followed them until December 2018.

Focus on the notice: evidence of spatial skills' effect on middle school learning from a computer simulation.

This article represents the findings from the qualitative portion of a mixed methods study that investigated the impact of middle school students' spatial skills on their plate tectonics learning while using a computer visualization. Higher spatial skills have been linked to higher STEM achievement, while use of computer visualizations has mixed results for helping various students with different spatial levels. This study endeavors to better understand the difference between what high and low spatial-skilled middle school students notice and interpret while using a plate tectonic computer visualization.

The multi-dimensional generalized Langevin equation for conformational motion of proteins.

Using the generalized Langevin equation (GLE) is a promising approach to build coarse-grained (CG) models of molecular systems since the GLE model often leads to more accurate thermodynamic and kinetic predictions than Brownian dynamics or Langevin models by including a more sophisticated friction with memory. The GLE approach has been used for CG coordinates such as the center of mass of a group of atoms with pairwise decomposition and for a single CG coordinate. We present a GLE approach when CG coordinates are multiple generalized coordinates, defined, in general, as nonlinear functions of microscopic atomic coordinates.

In Vitro Evaluation of Fusiform-Shaped Stents for Wide-Neck Intracranial Aneurysm Treatment.

Purpose: Wide-neck aneurysms (WNAs) associated with a dilated parent artery (PA) are not uncommon morphological abnormalities and usually cause inappropriate wall apposition and incomplete neck coverage of a tubular stent in stent-assisted coiling of aneurysms. We aimed to introduce a fusiform-shaped stent (FSS) and test its effectiveness in treating intracranial WNAs associated with a dilated PA using a three-dimensional (3D) model.

Materials And Methods: Two FSS types were designed with the middle one-third segment dilated by 10% (FSS10) and 20% (FSS20) and were compared with the tubular-shaped stent (TSS).

Computing the non-Markovian coarse-grained interactions derived from the Mori-Zwanzig formalism in molecular systems: Application to polymer melts.

Memory effects are often introduced during coarse-graining of a complex dynamical system. In particular, a generalized Langevin equation (GLE) for the coarse-grained (CG) system arises in the context of Mori-Zwanzig formalism. Upon a pairwise decomposition, GLE can be reformulated into its pairwise version, i.

Incremental Prognostic Value of Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity to Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography in Patients with Suspected Coronary Artery Disease.

Aim: Arterial stiffness assessed by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is predictive of cardiovascular events. This study was designed to investigate whether baPWV has an additional prognostic value to single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: A total of 350 subjects (age, 66.

Left atrial intramural hematoma after removal of atrial myxoma: cardiac magnetic resonance in the differential diagnosis of intra-cardiac mass.

Left atrial (LA) dissection is a rare entity, which is, in most cases, observed after valvular intervention. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is considered to be a modality of choice in the diagnosis of LA dissection. However, LA dissection might be missed clinically in the absence of significant hemodynamic changes, and moreover physicians are occasionally reluctant to perform TEE due to its semi-invasiveness.

Successful Medical Treatment of Prosthetic Mitral Valve Endocarditis Caused by Brucella abortus.

Although Brucella endocarditis is a rare complication of human brucellosis, it is the main cause of the mortality in this disease. Traditionally, the therapeutic approach to endocarditis caused by Brucella species requires a combination of antimicrobial therapy and valve replacement surgery. In the literature, only a few cases of mitral prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by Brucella species have been successfully treated without reoperation.

Comparison of glomerular filtration rates calculated by different serum cystatin C-based equations in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the performance of serum cystatin C-based equations in calculating the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with varying stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: Serum cystatin C and creatinine levels were measured in 615 CKD patients. The CKD stage was determined by the creatinine-based estimated GFR (eGFR) equation using the four-variable abbreviated Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation suggested by the Kidney Disease Outcome Quality Initiative with the addition of a coefficient applicable to Korean populations (K-aMDRD).

Organized prosthetic tricuspid valve thrombosis treated successfully with medical treatment.

Prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT) can be a life-threatening complication that requires immediate treatment. We present a case of 57-year-old woman with tricuspid PVT who was definitely diagnosed by multi-detector-row computed tomography limited with echocardiography. The patient was treated successfully with an alternative approach using low molecular weight heparin bridging therapy followed by intensifying anticoagulation alone.

Social capital and depression: does household context matter?

The purpose of this study is 2-fold: (1) to examine how much variance of depression is attributed to the household level and (2) to examine the relationships between individual- and household-level social capital and depression using multilevel analysis from the Korean Welfare Panel Study data. Results show that more than 30% of variance in depression is derived from household-level differences. Results also show that individual level of trust and satisfaction with relationships in the family and household level of satisfaction with relationships among family members was related to depression.

A case of cardiac beriberi: a forgotten but memorable disease.

Thiamine (vitamin B1) serves as an important cofactor in body metabolism and energy production. It is related with the biosynthesis of neurotransmitters and the production of substances used in defense against oxidant stress. Thus, a lack of thiamine affects several organ systems, in particular the cardiovascular and nervous system.

β-Catenin activation contributes to the pathogenesis of adenomyosis through epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Adenomyosis is defined by the presence of endometrial glands and stroma within the myometrium. Despite its frequent occurrence, the precise aetiology and physiopathology of adenomyosis is still unknown. WNT/β-catenin signalling molecules are important and should be tightly regulated for uterine function.

Erratum: Use of low-dose sulodexide in IgA nephropathy patients on renin-angiotensin system blockades [Volume 31, Issue 3, September 2012, Pages 163-169].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.krcp.

Safety and efficacy of a novel hyperaemic agent, intracoronary nicorandil, for invasive physiological assessments in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.

Aims: Maximal hyperaemia is a key element of invasive physiological studies and adenosine is the most commonly used agent. However, infusion of adenosine requires additional venous access and can cause chest discomfort, bronchial hyper-reactivity, and atrioventricular conduction block. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of intracoronary (IC) nicorandil as a novel hyperaemic agent for invasive physiological studies.

Total Occlusion of Right Main Pulmonary Artery in a Patient with Takayasu's Arteritis and Severe Pulmonary Hypertension.

Takayasu's arteritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that mainly involves medium to large sized arteries. Although pulmonary artery involvement is reported with a prevalence of about 10% to 50%, its clinical significance is underestimated. We report here one case of Takayasu's arteritis complicated by severe pulmonary hypertension due to right main pulmonary artery total occlusion.