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Background The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the initial DSA appearance of the occlusion during mechanical thrombectomy (MT) can help distinguish the nature of the underlying lesion and predict radiological and clinical outcomes. Methods We retrospectively reviewed cases of patients with acute ischemic stroke who underwent MT for anterior circulation occlusion between March 2017 and February 2020. Underlying intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) was determined based on the presence of fixed stenosis after endovascular treatment. Patients were categorized based on the appearance of the occlusion observed in the initial DSA as tapering sign (+) or (-) groups. We performed 1:2 propensity score matching to establish a proper control group among the tapering sign (-) group. We analyzed and compared baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes between the two groups. Results A total of 293 patients (tapering sign (+), n=47; tapering sign (-), n=246) were included in the analysis. The procedure time of MT was significantly longer for the tapering sign (+) group, and the successful recanalization rate after MT was significantly lower in the tapering sign (+) group than in the tapering sign (-) group. Logistic regression showed that ICAS-related occlusion was strongly associated with a positive angiographic tapering sign, and the angiographic tapering sign was a negative factor for the first-pass effect during MT. However, a 3-month good functional outcome was not significantly associated with the angiographic tapering sign. Conclusions The tapering sign on the initial DSA could be a surrogate marker for ICAS-related occlusion and procedural difficulty. However, its clinical significance remains unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease in which patients are suffering various symptoms. Previous experimental studies suggested that herbalmedicineUkgansan (UGS) could be beneficial for PD. The aim of this pilot clinical trial was to evaluate the effcacy of UGS for improving clinical symptoms in patients with PD. Methods: Sixty patients with idiopathic PD were randomly assigned to receive either UGS plus acupuncture or acupuncture alone for 6 weeks. During the trial, all anti-parkinsonian medications were maintained. Subjects were evaluated for various clinical assessments of PD, including the Movement Disorder Society-Sponsored Revision of the Unified PD Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) and the 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), until 12 weeks. Results: In MDS-UPDRS between the groups, no significant time x group interaction was found. In the subgroup analysis of participants with anxiety, a significant time x group interaction was found in the PDQ-39 domain of mobility (P = 0.007), activities of daily living (P = 0.042), and the PDQ-39 summary index (P = 0.048). In addition, post-hoc analysis in participants with anxiety showed a significant decrease in the domains of mobility (P = 0.001) and activities of daily living (P = 0.013) at week 7. There were no adverse events associated with UGS. Conclusion: The additional administration of UGS has the potential to significantly improve the quality of life of PD patients with anxiety. In order to create more definitive evidence, clinical trials with more rigorous methodologies should be conducted in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate trends in medical costs and prognosis in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients in Korea from 2008 to 2017 using medical claims data. Materials and Methods: All data for the past decade was collected from a big data hub provided by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service. Using several Korean Standard Classification of Disease codes, we estimated the number of patients, the costs of medical insurance, and prognosis according to the treatment with or without endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) among in-patients with AIS. Results: Since 2014, when EVT was covered by insurance, the number of patients who underwent EVT for AIS has increased significantly. Also, in the past decade, the medical costs following inpatient care for AIS with EVT have increased gradually, and the overall medical costs for the first year post-stroke have also increased. The prognosis of AIS patients with EVT was different according to the time of treatment. Annual trends for both mortality and cerebral hemorrhage after treatment of AIS with EVT have gradually decreased. Conclusion: In this study, we found that both inpatient medical costs and 1-year cumulative medical costs have gradually increased, and the prognosis has gradually improved in patients receiving EVT treatment among AIS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The mechanical and physiological properties of the arterial wall might affect the behavior of spontaneous cervicocephalic arterial dissections (CCAD). We aimed to determine the affects of endothelial function and arterial stiffness on the clinical characteristics and outcomes of CCAD using brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (PWV). Methods: From a single-center database, we identified patients admitted from April 2011 to December 2021 with a diagnosis of CCAD who underwent both FMD and PWV. FMD was classified as normal and decreased according to institutional thresholds. PWV was categorized into tertiles. Comparative and multivariable analyses were performed to determine the affects of FMD and PWV values on major clinical outcomes. Results: A total of 146 patients (age: 47 ± 11 years; men: 77.4%) were included. The main presentation was ischemic stroke in 76.7% of the patients, while 23.3% presented with headache or other symptoms. Healing of the dissection was observed in 55.8%. In multivariable analysis, Normal FMD levels (vs. decreased; adjusted OR: 4.52, 95% CI [1.95 −10.52]) were associated with spontaneous healing of the dissection. Highest PWV tertile (vs. lowest; adjusted OR: 17.05, 95% CI [3.07–94.82]) was associated with ischemic presentation. There was a higher ischemic stroke recurrence in the 3rd PWV tertile, and more frequent aneurysmal enlargement in the lowest PWV tertile, but their frequency was low, precluding multivariable analysis. Conclusion: In spontaneous CCAD, preserved endothelial function was associated with spontaneous arterial healing. Arterial stiffness is associated with ischemic presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this preliminary study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Enterprise stent for intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) in patients who presented with acute stroke due to vessel steno-occlusion and in patients with symptomatic disease despite optimum medical management. Materials and Methods: A retrospective data analysis was performed on 15 consecutive patients who were treated with Enterprise stenting for recanalization of symptomatic intracranial steno-occlusive arteries due to underlying ICAD. Their clinical and radiological data were reviewed to evaluate procedural results, periprocedural and postprocedural complications, and clinical outcome. Results: Enterprise stents were deployed as a rescue method in 15 patients for recanalization of steno-occlusion. All patients achieved final modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) score improvement (53.3% with a mTICI score from 0 to 2b or 3, 46.7% with a mTICI score from 1 to 3). Two postprocedural complications (1 symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and 1 severe brain edema, 13.3%) occurred among 15 patients. Among 12 patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), 6 patients (50%) had improvement in their National Institute of Health Stroke Scale of more than 4 at discharge. Seven patients (58.3%) had a good functional outcome with 3-month modified Rankin Score (mRS)≤2, and mortality occurred (mRS=6) in 2 patients (16.7%). None of the 10 AIS and 3 transient ischemic attack patients experienced further ischemic events attributable to the treated steno-occlusion during the follow-up period (ranged from 4 to 36 months, median 12 months). Conclusion: This retrospective study suggests that Enterprise stenting can effectively and safely achieve recanalization in symptomatic steno-occlusive intracranial arteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Distinguishing between an infundibulum and a true aneurysm is clinically important. This study aimed to evaluate whether using source image based new three-dimensional rotational angiography (S-n3DRA) can increase the rate of aneurysm detection and improve distinction between a true aneurysm and an infundibulum. Methods: Twenty-two consecutive patients with 23 lesions, were evaluated by time-of-flight (TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), S-n3DRA, and digital subtraction angiography (DSA). The data were retrospectively and independently reviewed by two neurointerventionists, and the diagnoses based on TOF MRA, S-n3DRA, and DSA were compared. The diagnostic efficacy (interobserver agreement and diagnostic performance) of S-n3DRA was compared with that of TOF MRA. Results: S-n3DRA showed higher interobserver agreement (p=0.923) than TOF MRA (p=0.465) and significantly higher accuracy than MRA in distinguishing an aneurysm from an infundibulum (p=0.0039). Conclusion: Compared to MRA, S-n3DRA could provide better screening accuracy and information for distinguishing an aneurysm from an infundibulum. Therefore, S-n3DRA has the potential to reduce the need for DSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In Korea, endovascular treatment (EVT) for intracranial aneurysms (IAs) has increased steadily. We conducted a nationwide survey to evaluate the current status of EVT for IAs and to identify treatment preference in the real world. Materials and Methods: A Google online survey was distributed to representative clinicians at hospitals treating IAs, where members of Korean Society of Interventional Neuroradiology (KSIN). The data was collected from October 2017 to December 2017 The responding hospitals were divided into 2 groups (tertiary and non-tertiary hospitals). And variable factors involved in decision making for treatment were evaluated. Results: In total, 73 hospitals (tertiary: 37, non-tertiary: 36) responded to the survey. Most hospitals that responded had over 100 cases of diagnostic angiography (93%) and over 50 cases of EVT for IAs (74%) performed in 2016. The proportion of EVT for ruptured aneurysms in non-tertiary hospitals was significantly higher than tertiary hospitals (49% vs. 9%). The proportion of EVT for unruptured aneurysms at non-tertiary hospitals was significantly higher than tertiary hospitals (66% vs. 44%). Most physicians tended to make decision for treatment on location, shape, and size of unruptured IAs and patients' age, more than the results from previous clinical trials for unruptured IAs. Although EVT was preferred for older patients (age >70) with unruptured IAs (99%), surgical clipping was still considered as the first treatment of choice for younger patients (age 30 to 50 years) at considerable rates (56%). Over two-thirds of respondents preferred surgical clipping for middle cerebral artery aneurysms, while EVT was preferred initially at other locations. Conclusion: This nationwide survey showed that EVT is considered as the first treatment modality for IAs and there is a discrepancy between current guidelines and real-world practice for decision making of treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Previous studies have suggested a higher prevalence of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) in patients with aortic aneurysms (AAs). Objective To carry out a preliminary study to evaluate the prevalence of IAs in these patients and the diagnostic feasibility of extended aorta CT angiography (CTA), including intracranial arteries as well as the aorta. Materials and methods We retrospectively reviewed all patients with a clinical diagnosis of AA or aortic dissection (AD) who had undergone aorta CTA as well as MR angiography, CTA, and/or DSA of the brain between 2009 and 2014. Since 2012, the extended aorta CTA protocol has been applied in these patients. Characteristics of IAs were classified with baseline clinical data. For quantitative and qualitative assessment by two independent raters, brain images obtained by extended aorta CTA and brain CTA were compared. The radiation dose of the two aorta protocols was compared. Results The prevalence of IA was 22.2% (35/158). All IAs were detected by extended aorta CTA, except one small aneurysm (<3 mm). The mean vascular attenuation value between brain images showed no difference (p=0.83), but the contrast-to-noise ratio was significantly lower in extended aorta CTA (p<0.001). In qualitative assessment, the interobserver agreement was substantial (k=0.79). For the radiation dose, the dose--length product of the extended aorta CTA increased with increment of the scan range (p=0.048). Conclusions With a high prevalence of IAs in patients with ADs or AAs, extended aorta CTA could be used to evaluate aorta disease and IA in a single session. However, further prospective studies are needed to prove efficacy and safety of the extended aorta CTA protocol in patients with AAs or ADs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Double-pass Friction Stir Processing (FSP) was applied to fabricate an AZ31/CNT nano-composite for surface hardening of lightweight structural components. The effects of double-pass FSP as well as groove depth (i.e., volume fraction of CNT) on the CNT distribution, dynamically recrystallized grain size, and resulting microhardness were studied. Double-pass FSP was performed for the CNT-filled plate-type specimen with different groove depths of 2, 3, and 4 mm. By applying double-pass FSP, the average size of CNT clusters decreased, implying a more homogeneous distribution. Compared with the FSPed specimen without CNT, grain size was refined from 19 µm to 3 µm and microhardness increased from 52 Hv to 83 Hv (i.e., 71% increase). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite recent advances in the medical and surgical fields, complications such as infection, pneumonia, or brain swelling may occur after a craniotomy. In some patients, perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis causes adverse effects such as itching, rash, or digestive conditions. Certain patients still develop infections severe enough to require a repeat operation despite antibiotic prophylaxis. Acupuncture has been used to treat inflammatory conditions, and many basic and clinical studies have provided evidence of its anti-inflammatory and immune regulatory effects. The aim of this study is to explore the effects of acupuncture on inflammation and immune function after craniotomy.Methods: This trial will be a single-center, parallel-group clinical trial. Forty patients who underwent craniotomy for an unruptured aneurysm, facial spasm, or a brain tumor will be allocated to either the study or the control group. The study group will receive conventional management as well as acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and intradermal acupuncture, which will start within 48 h of the craniotomy. The patients will receive a total of six sessions within 8 days. The control group will only receive conventional management. The primary outcome measure will be the C-reactive protein levels, while the secondary outcomes will be the serum erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 levels measured at four different time points: within 48 h prior to the craniotomy and on days 2, 4, and 7 after surgery. The presence of fever and infection, the use of additional antibiotics, the presence of infection, including pneumonia or urinary tract infection, and safety will also be investigated.Discussion: In this trial, we will observe whether acupuncture has anti-inflammatory and immune regulatory effects after a craniotomy. If our study yields positive results and a placebo-controlled study also finds favorable results following our study, acupuncture could be recommended as an adjunctive therapy after a craniotomy.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02761096 . Registered on 27 April 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a neurological disease with a high mortality rate. Several serious complications frequently arise after successful surgery for this condition. Cerebral vasospasm, one such complication, occurs in 50 to 70% of SAH patients. These patients suffer neurological symptoms known as delayed ischemic neurological deficit (DIND); however, the effect of treatment of vasospasm is limited. The major pathogenesis of cerebral vasospasm is the reduction of nitric oxide (NO) and activation of vasoconstrictors. Acupuncture is known to increase the production and activity of vascular endothelial cell-derived NO and improve endothelium-dependent vasodilatation. A preliminary retrospective case study to investigate the ability of acupuncture to prevent the occurrence of cerebral vasospasm has been conducted. However, no randomized, controlled clinical trials have been carried out to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture for cerebral vasospasm. Methods/Design: This trial will be a single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group, patient-assessor-blinded clinical trial. A total of 80 patients with SAH will be randomized into two groups: a study group given acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and intradermal acupuncture, and a control group given mock transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and sham intradermal acupuncture. Intervention will start within 96 h after SAH, and a total of 12 sessions will be performed during a 2-week period. The primary outcome measure will be the occurrence of DIND, and the secondary outcomes will be vasospasm as measured by cerebral angiography, transcranial Doppler, clinical symptoms, vasospasm-related infarcts, NO and endothelin-1 plasma levels, mortality, and modified Rankin Scale scores. Discussion: This trial will examine the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for cerebral vasospasm after SAH. The placebo effect will be excluded and the mechanism of action of the treatments will be evaluated through blood testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We conducted systematic review to evaluate current evidence of herbal medicines (HMs) for Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: Along with hand searches, relevant literatures were located from the electronic databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, PsycInfo, CNKI, 7 Korean Medical Databases and J-East until August, 2010 without language and publication status. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-randomized controlled trials and randomized crossover trials, which evaluate HMs for idiopathic PD were selected for this review. Two independent authors extracted data from the relevant literatures and any disagreement was solved by discussion. Results: From the 3432 of relevant literatures, 64 were included. We failed to suggest overall estimates of treatment effects on PD because of the wide heterogeneity of used herbal recipes and study designs in the included studies. When compared with placebo, specific effects were not observed in favor of HMs definitely. Direct comparison with conventional drugs suggested that there was no evidence of better effect for HMs. Many studies compared combination therapy with single active drugs and combination therapy showed significant improvement in PD related outcomes and decrease in the dose of anti-Parkinson's drugs with low adverse events rate. Conclusion: Currently, there is no conclusive evidence about the effectiveness and efficacy of HMs on PD. For establishing clinical evidence of HMs on PD, rigorous RCTs with sufficient statistical power should be promoted in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objective of the study was to test whether acupuncture improves endothelial dysfunction in patients with hypertension and compare the effects of different acupoints to find out which one is the most suitable for the long-term follow-up study. Design: This study is a pilot, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. Subjects were randomly assigned to a sequence of four acupuncture treatment phases, each for 15 minutes with a 7-day washout period in between. Acupuncture needles were inserted at bilateral ST 36; PC 6; ST 36 plus PC 6; and placebo points. Subjects: Fifteen (15) patients with essential hypertension were the subjects. Outcome measures: Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and blood pressure were assessed before and after acupuncture treatment. Results: FMD significantly improved with the acupuncture treatment at ST 36 (0.266 ± 0.078 mm to 0.306 ± 0.077 mm, p = 0.003) and ST 36 plus PC 6 (0.284 ± 0.098 mm to 0.332 ± 0.103 mm, p < 0.001). In contrast, FMD was unchanged after the acupuncture treatment at PC 6 or the placebo treatment. The FMD response to the acupuncture treatment at ST 36 plus PC 6 was significantly different from the response to the acupuncture treatment at PC 6 and the placebo treatment ( p < 0.05, p < 0.01, respectively). The acupuncture treatment at ST 36 significantly increased FMD compared to the placebo treatment ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the acute treatment of acupuncture in hypertensive patients improves endothelial dysfunction. The beneficial effect of acupuncture could be of clinical importance to prevent the progression of cardiovascular diseases in hypertensive patients. However, the potential role of acupuncture treatment for long-term therapy has not been examined. Further studies will be necessary to demonstrate whether long-term acupuncture treatment can sustain the improvement in endothelial dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess differences in brain responses between pressure and acupuncture stimulation at the same acupoint using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Subjects: A total of 10 healthy right-handed volunteers were studied. Design: fMRI was performed with two different paradigms; namely, pressure and acupuncture stimulation at acupuncture points LI11 and ST36 on the left. fMRI data were analyzed using SPM2. Results: In comparison with the left LI11 pressure stimulation, both sides of the parahippocampal gyrus, cerebellum, left side of thalamus, and right side of posterior cingulate regions were more activated by the left LI11 acupuncture stimulation. In comparison with the left ST36 pressure stimulation, the secondary motor cortex, limbic system (cingulate gyrus, posterior cingulate), primary visual cortex, pons, and medulla regions were more activated by left ST36 acupuncture stimulation. In comparison with the left ST36 pressure stimulation, both side of BA 4 and BA 6 were more activated by the LI11 pressure stimulation. In comparison with the left LI11 acupuncture stimulation, left BA 6, BA 8, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) were more activated by the left ST36 acupuncture stimulation. Conclusions: In conclusion, brain signal activation patterns according to the stimulation methods and acupoints were observed to differ. Acupuncture stimulation activated more regions than pressure at the same acupoint. In particular, acupuncture stimulation activated the limbic system, such as the parahippocampal gyrus and ACC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore the type and frequency of short-term reactions, de qi associated with acupuncture treatment, and to determine the incidence of adverse events following acupuncture treatment in Korea. Subjects and methods: This study is a retrospective and cross-sectional survey of patient reports using 1095 subjects; 585 subjects are outpatients of the East-West NEO Medical Center and the remaining 510 subjects are outpatients of the Kyung Hee Medical Center. In the period of June to November 2006, the participating subjects, who had all received acupuncture, consented and completed a single survey form. On this form, patients were asked to report their short-term reactions to the acupuncture, de qi, a patient satisfaction score (using the Visual Analogue Scale [VAS]) and any adverse events related to the acupuncture treatment. The 8 acupuncturists involved in this study were Korean medicine doctors who had more than 10 years' experience working as practitioners. Results: The average age of the 1095 subjects was 58 years old. Positive short-term acupuncture reactions were reported by 878 (80.2%) of the 1095 subjects. Seventy-five (75) (6.8%) subjects described negative short-term acupuncture reactions. The most common positive short-term acupuncture reaction was that of a “relaxed” feeling in 472 (43.1%), followed by 90 (8.2%) who acknowledged a feeling of “less pain”; 16 (1.5%) felt “energized”; 16 (1.5%) experienced “tingling” and a sensation of “Heat” or “Coldness” was reported by 10 (0.9%). Negative short-term acupuncture reactions included feelings of “pain” 37 (3.4%), tiredness 24 (2.2%), and dizziness 9 (0.8%). Traditionally, the needling sensations of de qi refer to a patient's response to treatment, such as distension, pulling, soreness, heaviness, and numbness. Some (39.7%) subjects reported de qi during needling. A number experienced “distension” 333 (30.4%), “soreness” 52(4.7%), “pulling” 22(2.0%), “heaviness” 18(1.6%), and “numbness” 10 (0.9%). Positive short-term acupuncture reactions and de qi ratings were highest in those less than 40 years of age (83/96 86.5%, 50/96 52.1%). No reaction responses to acupuncture were the highest frequency in subjects over 70 years of age (31/187, 16.6%). Patient satisfaction level using VAS was comparatively high: 72.9 ± 19.9. The only adverse events reported were bleeding in 92 (8.4%) of the participants. The majority of patients treated with acupuncture had suffered from stroke (430; 16.9%), headache (185; 16.9%), hypertension (97; 8.9%), or dizziness (85; 7.8%). Conclusions: Short-term acupuncture reactions and de qi were related to the age group. With the exception of bleeding, there were no adverse events related to the acupuncture treatment in this study. We consider acupuncture treatment to be very safe if the practitioners are well educated, trained and experienced. The number of post-treatment positive short-term acupuncture reactions was 12 times higher than that of the negative short-term reactions. Overall, subjects were comparatively satisfied with the acupuncture treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Nanosized MX precipitates in ultra-low-carbon ferritic/martensitic heat-resistant 9Cr-W-Mo-VNbTiN steels were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM) using carbon film replicas. The steels were prepared by vacuum induction melting followed by hot forging and rolling into plates. The plates were normalized at 1100 °C for 1 hour, cooled in air, and tempered at 700 °C for 1 hour. The results show that bimodal nanosized MX precipitates distribute densely and homogeneously in the matrix within martensitic lath after normalizing-and-tempering heat treatment. The larger nanosized MX precipitates with the size of 30 to 50 nm are rich in Nb, while the smaller ones with the size of about 10 nm contain less Nb but more V. Small addition of Ti causes an increase in the number of the larger nanosized MX precipitates. The total number density of the nanosized MX precipitates in the ultra-low-carbon ferritic/martensitic steels is measured to be over 300/ μm2, much higher than that in conventional ferritic/martensitic steels. Short-term creep test results show that the ultra-low-carbon ferritic/martensitic steels with high dense nanosized MX precipitates have much higher creep rupture strength than conventional ASME-P92 steel. The strength degradation of the ultra-low-carbon ferritic/martensitic heat-resistant steels during creep is also discussed in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical acupoint stimulation (EAS) has been used to treat motor dysfunction of stroke patients with reportedly effective results. When we operate EAS treatment, we can modulate the intensity and frequency of stimulation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of different frequencies in treating motor dysfunction of ischemic stroke patients with EAS. The subjects of this study were 62 ischemic stroke patients with motor dysfunction in Kyunghee oriental medical center. They have been hospitalized after 1 week to 1 month from onset. They were treated with 2 Hz or 120 Hz EAS for 2 weeks, and had motor evoked potentials (MEPs) tests before and after 2 weeks of EAS treatment. We measured latency, central motor conduction time (CMCT) and amplitude of MEPs. After 2 weeks of treatment, we compared MEPs data of the affected side between the 2 Hz group and the 120 Hz group. The 2 Hz group showed more significant improvement than the 120 Hz group in latency, CMCT and amplitude (p = 0.008, 0.002, 0.002). In the case of the affected side MEPs data divided by normal side MEPs data, the 2 Hz group also showed higher improvement rate than the 120 Hz group in latency, CMCT and amplitude with significant differences (p = 0.003, 0.000, 0.008). These results suggest that low frequency EAS activates the central motor conduction system better than high frequency EAS, and EAS with low frequency could be more helpful for motor recovery after ischemic stroke than that with high frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to test the effectiveness of moxibustion therapy for patients with post-stroke urinary symptoms using International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). Stroke patients with urinary symptoms were enrolled and assigned into the moxibustion group (MO group) and the control group by stratified randomization. The MO group received moxibustion treatment on Zhong-Ji (CV-3), Guan-Yuan (CV-4) and Qi-Hai (CV-6) for 10 days, and the control group did not receive it. The effectiveness of urinary symptoms and activities of daily living were measured by IPSS and Barthel Index (BI), respectively. These scales were examined by an independent blinded neurologist before treatment, and 10 days after therapy. Thirty nine subjects (20 in the MO group and 19 in the control group) were included in the final analysis. The MO group showed more improvement on urinary symptoms than the control group. In conclusion, we suggest that moxibustion on Zhong-Ji (CV-3), Guan-Yuan (CV-4) and Qi-Hai (CV-6) is effective to post-stroke urinary symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was to test the importance of patterns identification (PI) and the effectiveness of Hwangryunhaedogtang (Huanglianjiedutang) (HT) treatment for patients with post stroke pathological laughter (PL). Fourteen subjects were enrolled. Eight subjects diagnosed with Yang Excess patterns (YEP) were assigned into group A and 6 subjects who had no YEP to group B. HT was administrated 3 times a day for 14 days to both groups. The duration of PL at one time, the frequency of PL in a day, and pathological laughter scale (PLS) were the primary outcome measures. Barthel index (BI) was the secondary outcome measure. The duration and the frequency of PL in group A were significantly decreased from 10.88 ± 4.67 to 6.63 ± 4.07 sec and from 6.38 ± 2.72 to 3.00 ± 1.77 times, respectively (p = 0.01) after 14 days administration of HT. PLS in group A was also significantly lowered from 9.13 ± 1.73 to 4.75 ± 0.71 points (p = 0.01). However, significant differences were not observed in BI in group A and in the primary and secondary outcome measures in group B. The duration and the frequency of PL and PLS were more markedly reduced in group A than in group B (p = 0.01, 0.02, and < 0.01, respectively). These results suggested that HT could be effective on subjects with post stroke PL diagnosed as YEP and PI, that prescription of herbal medications to such patients should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arterial stiffness is an important, independent determinant of cardiovascular risk. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) has been used as a valuable index of arterial stiffness and as a surrogate marker for atherosclerosis. Chunghyul-dan (CHD) has anti-hyperlipidemic activity, anti-inflammatory activity and anti-atherogenic effects. To determine its clinical effect on increased arterial stiffness, we examined whether CHD improves arterial stiffness in patients with increased brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV). Thirty-five subjects with increased baPWV (> 1400 cm/sec) were recruited and randomized to a treatment group (20 subjects) or a control group (15 subjects). The treatment group was administered CHD at a dose of 600 mg three times a day for 8 weeks, and the control group received no medication (observation only). baPWV was assessed using a pulse pressure analyzer at baseline and after 8 weeks. Blood pressure and serum lipid profile were monitored in the treatment group. Our results indicate that baPWV was lowered significantly in the treatment group after 8 weeks of medication (p < 0.05), but not in the control group. Moreover, there were no significant changes in blood pressure and serum lipids profile except triglyceride level suggesting that the effect is largely independent of CHD's lipid-lowering effect or a blood pressure change. In conclusion, CHD appears to improve arterial stiffness in patients with increased PWV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Hypertension is one of the modifiable risk factors for stroke. Lowering blood pressure is helpful for primary and secondary prevention of stroke. This study is aimed to assess the efficacy of Chunghyul-dan on stroke patients with stage 1 hypertension using 24 hours ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (24ABPM). Forty hospitalized stroke patients with stage 1 hypertension were included in the study and they were randomly assigned into two groups: group A was treated with Chunghyul-dan 1200 mg once a day for 2 weeks, while group B was not. Twelve subjects were dropped out because of unexpected early discharge or data errors, thus the remaining 28 subjects were included in the final analysis (15 in group A and 13 in group B). Blood pressure was monitored every 30 minutes for 24 hours at baseline and 2 weeks after medication. Blood pressure, pulse rate, trough/peak ratio (TPR) [the value calculated by dividing the blood pressure change at trough (22 to 24 hours after drug intake) by the change at peak (2 adjacent hours with a maximal blood pressure reduction between the second and eighth hour after drug intake)] and smoothness index (SI) (the value calculated as the ratio between the average of the 24 hours, treatment-induced blood pressure changes and its standard deviation) were compared to assess the efficacy of Chunghyul-dan. To assess the safety of Chunghyul-dan, any adverse effects during medication period were monitored. There was no significant difference in the baseline assessment between the two groups. Systolic blood pressure was lower in group A than in group B (141.37 ± 8.96 mmHg versus 132.28 ± 9.46 mmHg, P = 0.03), while diastolic blood pressure and pulse rate had no significant difference between the two groups. Systolic TPR and SI was 0.87 and 1.04 in group A, respectively. This suggests that Chunghyul-dan have anti-hypertensive effect on stroke patients with stage 1 hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chunghyul-dan has inhibitory effects on HMG-CoA reductase and pancreatic lipase. We investigated whether Chunghyul-dan has therapeutic effects on humans with hypercholesterolemia. This study was a case-control, open-labeled clinical study. Subjects were treated with Chunghyul-dan (600 mg/day) or Atorvastatin (10 mg/day) for 8 weeks. Serum lipids were checked at baseline after 4 and 8 weeks of medication. While, Chunghyul-dan showed significant lipid-lowering effects, it was less effective than Atorvastatin. In comparison with the histological controls, Chunghyul-dan's effects were superior to placebo. On safety assessment, there was no adverse effect with the use of Chunghyul-dan in hepatic or renal toxicity. In conclusion, we suggest that Chunghyul-dan is a useful herbal medicine for hypercholesterolemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first study that focuses on the effects of intradermal acupuncture on insomnia after stroke. We enrolled hospitalized stroke patients with insomnia and assigned them into a real intradermal acupuncture group (RA group) or a sham acupuncture group (SA group) by randomization. The RA group received intradermal acupuncture on Shen-Men (He-7) and Nei-Kuan (EH-6) for 2 days, and the SA group received sham acupuncture on the same points. The effectiveness was measured by the Morning Questionnaire (MQ), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). These scales were examined by an independent, blinded neurologist before, and 1 and 2 days after treatment, repeatedly. Thirty subjects (15 in the RA group and 15 in the SA group) were included in the final analysis. The RA group showed more improvement on insomnia than the SA group. Repeated measures analysis detected that there were significant between-subjects effects in the MQ, the ISI and the AIS. In conclusion, we suggest that intradermal acupuncture on Shen-Men and Nei-Kuan is a useful treatment for post stroke-onset insomnia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is a retrospective single case series. Two hundred and thirty-seven patients were treated with Jackyakamcho-tang (JKT) for relief of muscle spasm and pain; 81 of them were included in analysis. (The others were excluded because of insufficient medical records to confirm the diagnosis or assess the response.) There were 29 patients with nocturnal leg cramps, 28 with cervical spondylosis, 13 with thalamic pain and 11 with carpal tunnel syndrome, for which the effectiveness was assessed as 86.2%, 60.7%, 45.5% and 72.8%, respectively. Adverse effects (indigestion, diarrhea or edema) were seen in 11.1% of the total patients, but severe cases were only 3.7%. Taking the effectiveness and the safety into consideration, the usefulness was assessed as 86.2%, 57.1%, 53.9% and 72.8% for treating nocturnal leg cramps, cervical spondylosis, thalamic pain and carpal tunnel syndrome, respectively. In conclusion, we suggest that JKT is a useful herbal medicine with analgesic and anti-spasmodic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Interatomic potentials for the Ni–Co binary and Ni–Al–Co ternary systems have been developed on the basis of the second nearest-neighbor modified embedded-atom method (2NN MEAM) formalism. The potentials describe structural, thermodynamic, deformation and defect properties of solid solution phases or compound phases in reasonable agreements with experiments or first-principles calculations. The results demonstrate the transferability of the potentials and their applicability to large-scale atomistic simulations to investigate the effect of an alloying element, cobalt, on various microstructural factors related to mechanical properties of Ni-based superalloys on an atomic scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modified embedded-atom method (MEAM) interatomic potentials for Nb-C, Nb-N, Fe-Nb-C, and Fe-Nb-N systems have been developed based on the previously developed MEAM potentials for lower order systems. The potentials reproduce various fundamental physical properties (structural properties, elastic properties, thermal properties, and surface properties) of NbC and NbN, and interfacial energy between bcc Fe and NbC or NbN, in generally good agreement with higher-level calculations or experimental information. The applicability of the present potentials to atomic-level investigations to the precipitation behavior of complex-carbonitrides (Nb,Ti)(C,N) as well as NbC and NbN, and their effects on the mechanical properties of steels are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

‘Mibyou’ is taken as a presymptomatic clinical stage between the healthy and ill status. In Korea, Sasang Constitutional Medicine (SCM) provides life guidelines for each of the constitutional types, and these guidelines have been adopted in the management of‘Mibyou.’ The SCM claims that human constitutions are classified into four constitutional types and those are Tae-yang, Tae-eum, So-yang, and So-eum type. Tae-yang type is recommended to be diligent, calm down, and be gentle. Fresh and plain foods such as marine products and vegetables are desirable for this type. Tae-eum type is recommended to try to be outgoing. Foods with animal and bean protein are recommended for Tae-eum type. So-yang type is recommended to be patient. Fresh and cold foods such as vegetables and marine products are good for this type. So-eum type is recommended to be positive and active. The suitable foods for So-eum type are warm‘Qi’ foods or foods which are easy to digest. In conclusion, there is a recent trend to manage‘Mibyou’ by controlling the individual's behaviors, exercise, and diet according to the life guidelines suggested by the SCM in Korea. This has proven highly effective in preventing the diseases each constitution type can easily suffer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]