Korean Studies on Blood Stasis: An Overview

Blood stasis is one of the important pathological concepts in Korean medicine. We analyzed the Korean studies concerning blood stasis. We searched for articles in eight electronic databases from their inception to September, 2014. We included reviews, clinical studies, and preclinical studies that had studied blood stasis and excluded articles in which blood stasis was not mentioned or in which the original authors had not explained blood stasis. Of 211 total included studies, 19 were reviews, 52 were clinical studies, and 140 were preclinical articles. “Stagnant blood within the body” was the most frequently mentioned phrase of the traditional concept of blood stasis. Traumatic injury was the most frequently studied disease/condition in the clinical studies. In the preclinical studies, coagulopathy was studied most frequently, followed by hyperviscosity, hyperlipidemia, inflammation, neoplasm, ischemic brain injury, and atherosclerosis. Hyeolbuchukeo-tang and Angelicae Gigantis Radix were the most frequent formula and single herb, respectively, used in the blood stasis researches. The results showed that blood stasis was mainly recognized as disorder of circulation and many studies showed the effectiveness of activating blood circulating herbs for diseases and pathologies such as traumatic injury or coagulopathy. Further studies are needed in the pathologic mechanisms and various diseases of blood stasis

Research on Linked Data and Co-reference Resolution

This project report details work carried out in collaboration between the University of Southampton and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information, focussing on an RDF dataset of academic authors and publications. Activities included the conversion of the dataset to produce Linked Data, the identification of co-references in and between datasets, and the development of an ontology mapping service to facilitate the integration of the dataset with an existing Semantic Web application, RKBExplorer.com

Risk of Atrial Fibrillation and Adverse Outcomes in Patients With Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices.

Background and objectives: Comprehensive epidemiological data are lacking on the incident atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). This study aimed to examine the incidence, risk factors, and AF-related adverse outcomes of patients with CIEDs.Methods: This was an observational cohort study that analyzed patients without prevalent AF who underwent CIED implantation in 2009-2018 using a Korean nationwide claims database. The subjects were divided into three groups by CIED type and indication: pacemaker (n=21,438), implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)/cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with heart failure (HF) (n=3,450), and ICD for secondary prevention without HF (n=2,146). The incidence of AF, AF-associated predictors, and adverse outcomes were evaluated.Results: During follow-up, the incidence of AF was 4.3, 7.3, and 5.1 per 100 person-years in the pacemaker, ICD/CRT with HF, and ICD without HF cohorts, respectively. Across the three cohorts, older age and valvular heart disease were commonly associated with incident AF. Incident AF was consistently associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke (3.8-11.4-fold), admission for HF (2.6-10.5-fold), hospitalization for any cause (2.4-2.7-fold), all-cause death (4.1-5.0-fold), and composite outcomes (3.4-5.7-fold). Oral anticoagulation rates were suboptimal in patients with incident AF (pacemaker, 51.3%; ICD/CRT with HF, 51.7%; and ICD without HF, 33.8%, respectively).Conclusions: A substantial proportion of patients implanted CIED developed newly diagnosed AF. Incident AF was associated with a higher risk of adverse events. The importance of awareness, early detection, and appropriate management of AF in patients with CIED should be emphasized

Outbreaks of mumps: an observational study over two decades in a single hospital in Korea

PurposeThe introduction of the mumps vaccine has dramatically reduced the number of mumps cases, but outbreaks have recently occurred among highly vaccinated populations in developed countries. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with mumps admitted between 1989 and 2012 in a single hospital in Korea are described in the present study.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated inpatients with mumps between 1989 and 2012 and outpatients and inpatients with mumps in 2011-2012.ResultsA total of 152 patients with mumps were admitted between 1989 and 2012, and 163 patients were recorded in 2011-2012. The highest number of admitted cases occurred in 1998 and 2012 (35 and 34 cases, respectively). Among the patients admitted in 2011-2012, the highest frequency was observed among people aged 15-19 years, and low frequency was observed in those aged 20 years, compatible to the city data and national data. In patients admitted to our department in 1998 (35 cases) and in 2010-2012 (27 cases), there were significant differences in the mean age and the rate of secondary measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination, but had similar clinical features, including complications, except aseptic meningitis. Antimumps immunoglobulin (Ig) G was positive in 83% and 100%, and IgM was positive in 67% and 41%, respectively, in the two periods.ConclusionIn Korea, recent mumps outbreaks have occurred mainly among secondary school students who received two doses of the MMR vaccine. The vaccinees might have a modified immune reaction to viral insults, manifesting modified epidemiological and clinical features

Efficacy and Tolerability of GCSB-5 for Hand Osteoarthritis: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of GCSB-5, a mixture of 6 purified herbal extracts, in treating hand osteoarthritis (OA).MethodsA randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 220 patients with hand OA who had baseline a visual analog scale joint pain score of >30 of 100 mm at 3 hospitals between September 2013 and November 2014. After randomization, patients were allocated to receive oral GCSB-5 600 mg or placebo, bid for 12 weeks. The primary end point was the change in the Australian/Canadian OA Hand Index (AUSCAN)-defined pain score at 4 weeks relative to baseline. Secondary end points included the frequency Outcome Measures in Rheumatology–OA Research Society International (OMERACT-OARSI)-defined response at 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after randomization.FindingsThe allocated treatment was received by 109 and 106 patients in the GCSB-5 and placebo groups, respectively. At 4 weeks, the median (interquartile range) change in AUSCAN pain score relative to baseline was significantly greater in the GCSB-5 group than in the placebo group (–9.0 [–23.8 to –0.4] vs –2.2 [–16.7 to 6.0]; P = 0.014), with sustained improvement at 8, 12, and 16 weeks (P = 0.039). The GCSB-5 group also had a significantly greater OMERACT-OARSI–defined response rate than did the placebo group at 4 weeks (44.0% vs 30.2%), 8 weeks (51.4% vs 35.9%), 12 weeks (56.9% vs 40.6%), and 16 weeks (50.5% vs 37.7%) (P = 0.0074). The 2 treatments exhibited comparable safety profiles.ImplicationsGCSB-5 was associated with improved symptoms of hand OA, with good tolerability, in these patients. GCSB-5 may be a well-tolerated alternative of, or addition to, the treatment of hand OA. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01910116

miR-140-5p suppresses BMP2-mediated osteogenesis in undifferentiated human mesenchymal stem cells

AbstractHuman mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have self-renewal and differentiation capabilities but the regulatory mechanisms of MSC fate determination remain poorly understood. Here, we aimed to identify microRNAs enriched in hMSCs that modulate differentiation commitments. Microarray analysis revealed that miR-140-5p is commonly enriched in undifferentiated hMSCs from various tissue sources. Moreover, bioinformatic analysis and luciferase reporter assay validated that miR-140-5p directly represses bone morphogenic protein 2 (BMP2). Furthermore, blocking miR-140-5p in hMSCs increased the expression of BMP signaling components and critical regulators of osteogenic differentiation. We propose that miR-140-5p functionally inhibits osteogenic lineage commitment in undifferentiated hMSCs

Korean Studies on Blood Stasis: An Overview

Blood stasis is one of the important pathological concepts in Korean medicine. We analyzed the Korean studies concerning blood stasis. We searched for articles in eight electronic databases from their inception to September, 2014. We included reviews, clinical studies, and preclinical studies that had studied blood stasis and excluded articles in which blood stasis was not mentioned or in which the original authors had not explained blood stasis. Of 211 total included studies, 19 were reviews, 52 were clinical studies, and 140 were preclinical articles. "Stagnant blood within the body" was the most frequently mentioned phrase of the traditional concept of blood stasis. Traumatic injury was the most frequently studied disease/condition in the clinical studies. In the preclinical studies, coagulopathy was studied most frequently, followed by hyperviscosity, hyperlipidemia, inflammation, neoplasm, ischemic brain injury, and atherosclerosis. Hyeolbuchukeo-tang and Angelicae Gigantis Radix were the most frequent formula and single herb, respectively, used in the blood stasis researches. The results showed that blood stasis was mainly recognized as disorder of circulation and many studies showed the effectiveness of activating blood circulating herbs for diseases and pathologies such as traumatic injury or coagulopathy. Further studies are needed in the pathologic mechanisms and various diseases of blood stasis