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Background: There has been no comparison of the determinants of admission route between acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We examined whether factors associated with direct versus transferred-in admission to regional cardiocerebrovascular centers (RCVCs) differed between AIS and AMI., Methods: Using a nationwide RCVC registry, we identified consecutive patients presenting with AMI and AIS between July 2016 and December 2018. We explored factors associated with direct admission to RCVCs in patients with AIS and AMI and examined whether those associations differed between AIS and AMI, including interaction terms between each factor and disease type in multivariable models. To explore the influence of emergency medical service (EMS) paramedics on hospital selection, stratified analyses according to use of EMS were also performed., Results: Among the 17,897 and 8,927 AIS and AMI patients, 66.6% and 48.2% were directly admitted to RCVCs, respectively. Multivariable analysis showed that previous coronary heart disease, prehospital awareness, higher education level, and EMS use increased the odds of direct admission to RCVCs, but the odds ratio (OR) was different between AIS and AMI (for the first 3 factors, AMI > AIS; for EMS use, AMI < AIS). EMS use was the single most important factor for both AIS and AMI (OR, 4.72 vs. 3.90). Hypertension and hyperlipidemia increased, while living alone decreased the odds of direct admission only in AMI; additionally, age (65-74 years), previous stroke, and presentation during non-working hours increased the odds only in AIS. EMS use weakened the associations between direct admission and most factors in both AIS and AMI., Conclusions: Various patient factors were differentially associated with direct admission to RCVCs between AIS and AMI. Public education for symptom awareness and use of EMS is essential in optimizing the transportation and hospitalization of patients with AMI and AIS., Competing Interests: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (© 2022 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.)

Background/aims: To examine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of apparent treatment-resistant hypertension among ambulatory hypertensive patients., Methods: We enrolled adult ambulatory hypertensive patients at 13 well-qualified general hospitals in Korea from January to June 2012. Apparent resistant hypertension was defined as an elevated blood pressure > 140/90 mmHg with the use of three antihypertensive agents, including diuretics, or ≥ 4 antihypertensives, regardless of the blood pressure. Controlled hypertension was defined as a blood pressure within the target using three antihypertensives, including diuretics., Results: Among 16,915 hypertensive patients, 1,172 (6.9%) had controlled hypertension, and 1,514 (8.9%) had apparent treatment-resistant hypertension. Patients with apparent treatment-resistant hypertension had an earlier onset of hypertension (56.8 years vs. 58.8 years, p = 0.007) and higher body mass index (26.3 kg/m2 vs. 24.9 kg/m2, p < 0.001) than those with controlled hypertension. Drug compliance did not differ between groups. In the multivariable analysis, earlier onset of hypertension (odds ratio [OR], 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97 to 0.99; p < 0.001) and the presence of comorbidities (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.27 to 3.35; p < 0.001), such as diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease, were independent predictors. Among the patients with apparent treatment-resistant hypertension, only 5.2% were receiving ≥ 2 antihypertensives at maximally tolerated doses., Conclusion: Apparent treatment-resistant hypertension prevalence is 8.9% among ambulatory hypertensive patients in Korea. An earlier onset of hypertension and the presence of comorbidities are independent predictors. Optimization of medical treatment may reduce the rate of apparent treatment-resistant hypertension.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ticagrelor versus clopidogrel on left ventricular (LV) remodeling after reperfusion of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in humans., Background: Animal studies have demonstrated that ticagrelor compared with clopidogrel better protects myocardium against reperfusion injury and improves remodeling after myocardial infarction., Methods: In this investigator-initiated, randomized, open-label, assessor-blinded trial performed at 10 centers in Korea, patients were enrolled if they had naive STEMI successfully treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and at least 6-month planned duration of dual-antiplatelet treatment. The coprimary endpoints were LV remodeling index (LVRI) (a relative change of LV end-diastolic volume) measured on 3-dimensional echocardiography and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide level at 6 months., Results: Among initially enrolled patients with STEMI (n = 336), 139 in each group completed the study. LVRI at 6 months was numerically lower with ticagrelor versus clopidogrel (0.6 ± 18.6% vs. 4.5 ± 16.5%; p = 0.095). Ticagrelor significantly reduced the 6-month level of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (173 ± 141 pg/ml vs. 289 ± 585 pg/ml; p = 0.028). These differences were prominent in patients with pre-PCI TIMI (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction) flow grade 0. By multivariate analysis, ticagrelor versus clopidogrel reduced the risk for positive LV remodeling (LVRI >0%) (odds ratio: 0.56; 95% confidence interval: 0.33 to 0.95; p = 0.030). The LV end-diastolic volume index remained unchanged during ticagrelor treatment (from 54.7 ± 12.2 to 54.2 ± 12.2 ml/m 2 ; p = 0.629), but this value increased over time during clopidogrel treatment (from 54.6 ± 11.3 to 56.4 ± 13.9 ml/m 2 ; p = 0.056) (difference -2.3 ml/m 2 ; 95% confidence interval: -4.8 to 0.2 ml/m 2 ; p = 0.073). Ticagrelor reduced LV end-systolic volume index (from 27.0 ± 8.5 to 24.7 ± 8.4 ml/m 2 ; p < 0.001), whereas no reduction was seen with clopidogrel (from 26.2 ± 8.9 to 25.6 ± 11.0 ml/m 2 ; p = 0.366) (difference -1.8 ml/m 2 ; 95% confidence interval: -3.5 to -0.1 ml/m 2 ; p = 0.040)., Conclusions: Ticagrelor was superior to clopidogrel for LV remodeling after reperfusion of STEMI with primary PCI. (High Platelet Inhibition With Ticagrelor to Improve Left Ventricular Remodeling in Patients With ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction [HEALING-AMI]; NCT02224534)., (Copyright © 2020 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Owing to the differential propensity for bleeding and ischemic events with response to antiplatelet therapy, the safety and effectiveness of potent P2Y12 inhibitor ticagrelor in East Asian populations remain uncertain., Methods: In this multicenter trial, 800 Korean patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndromes with or without ST elevation and intended for invasive management were randomly assigned to receive, in a 1:1 ratio, ticagrelor (180 mg loading dose, 90 mg twice daily thereafter) or clopidogrel (600 mg loading dose, 75 mg daily thereafter). The primary safety outcome was clinically significant bleeding (a composite of major bleeding or minor bleeding according to PLATO (Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes) criteria at 12 months., Results: At 12 months, the incidence of clinically significant bleeding was significantly higher in the ticagrelor group than in the clopidogrel group (11.7% [45/400] vs 5.3% [21/400]; hazard ratio [HR], 2.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.34 to 3.79; P =0.002). The incidences of major bleeding (7.5% [29/400] vs 4.1% [16/400], P =0.04) and fatal bleeding (1% [4/400] vs 0%, P =0.04) were also higher in the ticagrelor group. The incidence of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, or stroke was not significantly different between the ticagrelor group and the clopidogrel group (9.2% [36/400] vs 5.8% [23/400]; HR, 1.62; 95% CI, 0.96 to 2.74; P =0.07). Overall safety and effectiveness findings were similar with the use of several different analytic methods and in multiple subgroups., Conclusions: In Korean acute coronary syndrome patients intended to receive early invasive management, standard-dose ticagrelor as compared with clopidogrel was associated with a higher incidence of clinically significant bleeding. The numerically higher incidence of ischemic events should be interpreted with caution, given the present trial was underpowered to draw any conclusion regarding efficacy., Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02094963.

Although the new oral P2Y12 inhibitors, prasugrel/ticagrelor have shown greater efficacy than clopidogrel in patients with the acute coronary syndrome, but they have not shown better efficacy in Korean patients. So we evaluated the efficacy of the prasugrel/ticagrelor in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and diabetes, a more high-risk patients group.From the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry-National Institute of Health, 3985 patients with MI and diabetes who underwent PCI were enrolled between November 2011 and December 2015. The patients were divided into 2 groups: clopidogrel (n = 2985) and prasugrel/ticagrelor (n = 1000).After propensity score matching, prasugrel/ticagrelor group showed a no significant difference in risk of the composite of cardiac death (CD), recurrent MI or stroke (hazard ratio [HR], 0.705; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.474-1.048; P = .084). However, the risk of major bleeding was significantly higher in the prasugrel/ticagrelor group. (HR; 2.114, 95% CI; [1.027-4.353], P = .042). In subgroup analysis, major bleeding was significantly increased in the subgroup of creatinine clearance <60 ml/min/1.73 m, hypertension, underwent a trans-femoral approach and diagnosed as NSTEMI among the prasugrel/ticagrelor group.The use of prasugrel/ticagrelor did not improve the composite of CD, recurrent MI or stroke, however, significantly increased major bleeding events in Korean patients with MI and diabetes undergoing PCI.

This study sought to evaluate the impact of triple antiplatelet therapy on clinical outcomes in patients treated with second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) for coronary artery disease. There are limited data regarding the impact of triple antiplatelet therapy in patients who underwent implantation of second-generation DES. We planned to randomly assign 2,110 patients treated with second-generation DES to triple (aspirin, clopidogrel, and cilostazol) and dual (aspirin, clopidogrel, and placebo) antiplatelet therapy groups. The primary end point was a composite of death, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or target vessel revascularization (TVR) at 1 year since randomization. The study was stopped early owing to slow enrollment. In total, 404 patients (202 patients each in the triple and dual antiplatelet therapy groups) were finally enrolled. At 1 year, the primary end point had occurred in 3.6% and 9.4% of patients in the triple and dual antiplatelet therapy groups, respectively (hazard ratio [HR] of the triple group 0.396; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.166 to 0.949; p = 0.038). There was no significant difference between the 2 groups regarding the occurrence of a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or ischemic stroke (HR 0.583; 95% CI 0.229 to 1.481; p = 0.256). However, the rates of TVR were significantly lower in the triple antiplatelet therapy group than in the dual antiplatelet therapy group (HR 0.118; 95% CI 0.015 to 0.930; p = 0.043). In conclusion, triple antiplatelet therapy with cilostazol after implantation of second-generation DES improved clinical outcomes, mainly by reducing TVR., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Obesity and metabolic syndrome is a worldwide pandemic and associated with high cardiovascular risk. Metabolic endotoxemia (ME) is thought to be an underlying molecular mechanism. It triggers toll-like receptor 4-mediated inflammatory adipokines and causes a chronic low grade inflammatory status, which results in cardiovascular risk increase. Exercise is the best nonpharmacological treatment to improve prognosis. In this study, we examined the circulating endotoxin level in Korean obese women and investigated effects of exercise on it. Women over body mass index (BMI) 25 kg/m² participated in a resistance training exercise, Curves. At baseline and after 12 weeks exercise, tests including blood samples were taken. In Korean obese women, the fasting endotoxin was 1.45 ± 0.11 EU/mL. Ingestion of a high calorie meal led to a peak level after 2 hours (postprandial 2 hours [PP2]) and a significant rise over the 4 hours (postprandial 4 hours [PP4]) in it (1.78 ± 0.15 and 1.75 ± 0.14 EU/mL for PP2 and PP4, P < 0.05 vs. fasting). After exercise, BMI and hip circumference were reduced significantly. The total cholesterol (TC) at fasting, PP2 and PP4 were decreased significantly. All levels of circulating endotoxin at fasting, PP2 and PP4 showed reduction. But, the peak change was only significant (baseline vs. 12 weeks for PP2; 1.78 ± 0.15 vs. 1.48 ± 0.06 EU/mL, P < 0.05). We report the circulating endotoxin level in Korean obese women for the first time. Also, we establish that energy intake leads to endotoxemia and exercise suppresses the peak endotoxemia after meal. It suggests an impact for a better prognosis in obese women who follow regular exercise., Competing Interests: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Objective: The aim of this study is to compare the non-lipid effects of rosuvastatin-fenofibrate combination therapy with rosuvastatin monotherapy in high-risk Asian patients with mixed hyperlipidemia., Methods: A total of 236 patients were initially screened. After six weeks of diet and life style changes, 180 of these patients were randomly assigned to receive one of two regimens: rosuvastatin 10 mg plus fenofibrate 160 mg or rosuvastatin 10 mg. The primary outcome variables were the incidences of muscle or liver enzyme elevation. The patients were followed for 24 weeks during drug treatment and for an additional four weeks after drug discontinuation., Results: The rates of the primary outcome variables were similar between the two groups (2.8% and 3.9% in the combination and the rosuvastatin groups, respectively, p=1.00). The combination group had more, but not significantly, common treatment-related adverse events (AEs) (13.3% and 5.6%, respectively) and drug discontinuation due to AEs (10.0% and 3.3%, respectively) than the rosouvastatin group. Combination therapy was associated with higher elevations in homocysteine, blood urea nitrogen, and serum creatinine, whereas elevation in alanine aminotransferase was greater in the rosuvastatin group. Leukocyte count and hemoglobin level decreased to a greater extent in the combination group. The combination group showed greater reductions in TG and elevation in HDL-cholesterol., Conclusion: In our study population, the rosuvastatin-fenofibrate combination resulted in comparable incidences of myo- or hepatotoxicity as rosuvastatin monotherapy. However, this combination may need to be used with caution in individuals with underlying pathologies such as renal dysfunction (NCT01414803)., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: We compared 4-year efficacy and safety of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) and paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM)., Background: Four-year comparison of SES with PES in diabetic patients has not been evaluated in a randomized manner., Methods: This prospective, multicenter, randomized study compared SES (n = 200) and PES (n = 200) implantation in diabetic patients. We evaluated 4-year major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including death, myocardial infarction (MI), and target lesion revascularization (TLR)., Results: The 2 groups had similar baseline characteristics. At 2 years, TLR (3.5% vs. 11.0%, log-rank, p < 0.01) and MACE (3.5% vs. 12.5%, log-rank, p < 0.01) were significantly lower in SES versus PES group with no difference of death or MI. At 4 years there were no differences in death (3.0% vs. 5.0%, p = 0.45) or MI (1.5% vs. 1.0%, p = 0.99) between SES and PES group. The TLR (7.5% vs. 12.0%, log-rank, p = 0.10) and MACE (11.0% vs. 16.0%, log-rank, p = 0.10) were statistically not different between SES and PES group. At multivariate Cox regression, post-procedural minimal lumen diameter (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.24 to 0.81, p < 0.01), hypercholesterolemia (HR: 2.21, 95% CI: 1.29 to 3.79, p < 0.01), and use of intravascular ultrasound (HR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.26 to 0.99, p = 0.049) were independent predictors of 4-year MACE., Conclusions: Superiority of SES over PES during 2 years was attenuated between 2 years and 4 years in diabetic patients. Use of intravascular ultrasound and larger post-procedural minimal lumen diameter were independent predictors of the improved long-term clinical outcomes., (Copyright © 2011 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)