The efficacy of heart failure (HF) management programs is compromised by the challenge of early identification of patients at imminent risk. Segmental multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis can generate an “edema index”(EI) as a surrogate for the body fluid status. In this study, we tested whether integration of EI-guided management improved the 6-month outcomes of HF patients under multidisciplinary care. In total, 159 patients with acute HF were randomized into control, case management (CM), and EI-guided CM (EI) groups …

Objectives A segmental multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (SMBIA) is a noninvasive and reproducible modality for estimating the fluid state. The aim of this study was to test whether the SMBIA-derived edema index provides prognostic value in patients hospitalized due to acute heart failure (AHF). Methods To estimate the 6-month prognostic value of the predischarge edema index in patients hospitalized due to AHF, 112 patients were consecutively enrolled. Both predischarge edema index and B-type natriuretic peptide …

Background. Limiting egg consumption to avoid high cholesterolemia is recommended to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease. However, recent evidences suggest that cholesterol from diet has limited influence on serum cholesterol. Objective. To assess the effect of egg consumption on lipid profiles in hyperlipidemic adults treated with lipid-lowering drugs. Material and Method. Sixty hyperlipidemic subjects, mean age of 61 years, who had been treated with lipid-lowering drugs. Every subject was assigned to consume additional 3 eggs …

Pericardial fat surrounding the heart and coronary arteries might aggravate vessel wall inflammation and stimulate the progression of coronary atherosclerosis. However, there has been little comprehensive evaluation of the effects of pericardial fat on coronary artery disease (CAD). We investigated the relationship between pericardial fat volume and the severity of coronary artery stenosis assessed by computed tomography and angiography among patients with suspected CAD. Participants from the cohort of the Korean …

Results In hypertensive adolescents, blood pressure, anthropometric data, carotid IMT, baPWV, serum pro-MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 were no different between the 6A/6A group and the 5A/6A group. Serum MMP-9 was higher in the 5A/6A group than in the control group. Aldosterone, insulin, and homocysteine were higher in the 6A/6A group than in the control group, and vitamin B 12 and folate were lower in the 6A/6A group than in the control group. Conclusion In conclusion, serum MMP-3 levels were not significantly …

Objective This study was conducted to assess the feasibility of performing 100-kVp electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated coronary CT angiography, as compared to 120-kVp ECG-gated coronary CT angiography. Materials and Methods We retrospectively evaluated one hundred eighty five gender-and body mass index-matched 16-slice coronary CT sets of data, which were obtained using either 100 kVp and 620 effective mAs or 120 kVp and 500 effective mAs. The density measurements (image noise, vessel density, signal-to-noise ratio …

Results The genotypic frequency of AA was 87.5%, that for adenylate cyclase (AC) was 12.5% and no CC type was detected. The serum homocysteine level was higher in the subjects with the AC genotype than that in the subjects with the AA genotype (11.9±2.9 umol/L vs 17.1±4.2 umol/L, respectively). The carotid IMT of the subjects with the AA genotype was greater than that of the subjects with the AC genotype (5.0±0.1 mm vs 8.0±0.2 mm, respectively). Conclusion In conclusion, the A1166C mutation group had a significantly …

Increased intima-media thickness (IMT) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) are noninvasive markers of early arterial wall alteration and are more widely used in adult clinical research. We investigated whether IMT and PWV are useful predictors of cardiovascular risk in hypertensive adolescents. Fifteen hypertensive adolescents (13-18 yr old, systolic BP≥ 140 mmHg, diastolic BP≥ 90 mmHg) and seventeen normotensive subjects were included. Height, weight, obesity index, body mass index (BMI), and fat distribution were obtained from …

Recent studies have provided some clues with regard to the relationship existing between uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and blood pressure in animal experiments. In an attempt to determine the genetic polymorphisms that are associated with blood pressure in humans, we have analyzed genetic polymorphisms in UCP1 gene. In this study, we assessed the association between UCP1 genotypes and systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), in a population comprised of 832 Korean female subjects, using a …

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) has been identified as a strong independent risk factor of cardiovascular events. However, few data are available on hsCRP levels and their relationship with body fatness in Asian populations. We evaluated the relationships between hsCRP and various obesity indices: weight, body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM), fat percent (F,%), waist circumference (WC), waist–hip ratio (WHR), and subscapular and suprailiac skinfold thicknesses in a community-based Korean cohort with hsCRP≤ 10 mg/l …