Search

BACKGROUND: An enlarged left atrium (LA) is a well-known risk factor for ablation failure of atrial fibrillation (AF). We analyzed the result of concomitant AF ablation in patients with a giant LA and evaluated the effect of LA volume reduction. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2011, 116 patients with a giant LA (antero-posterior dimension ≥70 mm) who underwent surgical AF ablation during MV surgery were retrospectively reviewed. Among these, 28 patients received aggressive LA volume reduction procedure (reduction group) while the other 88 patients received the surgery without LA volume reduction (non-reduction group). Mean follow-up duration was 6.8±3.0 years. RESULTS: Aortic clamping and cardio-pulmonary bypass times were significantly longer in reduction group than non-reduction group (P0.99) and major complication rates. Rates of freedom from AF at 1, 3 and 5 years were 84.2%, 74.3% and 54.5%, respectively in reduction group and 49.0%, 33.2% and 28.4%, respectively in non-reduction group (P=0.013). Multivariable analysis revealed severe pulmonary hypertension as an independent risk factor for AF recurrence (HR, 15.9; 95% CI, 1.69–149.54, P=0.015) while LA volume reduction (HR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.28–0.89, P=0.018) and the use of cryoablation instead of radiofrequency (HR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.01–0.95, P=0.045) were found to be protective against AF recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Aggressive LA volume reduction was found to improve rhythm outcomes in patients with a giant LA undergoing surgical AF ablation.

Heart transplantation is the best option for irreversible and critically advanced heart failure. However, limited donor pool, the risk of rejection, infection, and right ventricular dysfunction in short-term post-transplant period, as well as, the development of coronary allograft vasculopathy and malignancy in the long-term post-transplant period limits the utility of heart transplantation for all comers with advanced heart failure. Therefore, selection of appropriate candidates is very important for the best short and long-term prognosis. In this article, we discuss the principles of selection of candidates and compare to the recently updated International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) listing criteria with the goal of updating current clinical practice. We found that while most of the recommendations in the new listing criteria are continuous with the previous criteria, updated recommendations are made on the risk stratification models in choosing transplantation candidates. Recommendation on hepatic dysfunction is not directly included in the updated ISHLT listing criteria; however, adoption of the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score and modified MELD scores in the evaluation of risk are suggested in recent studies. In conclusion, evaluation of patient selection for heart transplantation should be comprehensive and individualized with respect to indications and the risk of comorbidities of candidates. With the advancement of mechanical circulatory support (MCS), the selection of heart transplantation candidate is continuously evolving and widened. MCS as bridge to candidacy should be considered when the candidate has potentially reversible risk factors for transplantation.

The presence of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with atrial septal defect (ASD) is still thought to preclude shunt closure, although there are several reports of good clinical outcomes after vasodilator therapy. We report the case of a young woman with ASD and severe PAH who was able to successfully undergo percutaneous shunt closure following 1 year use of the oral endothelin receptor antagonist, bosentan.

Background An enlarged left atrium (LA) is a major risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after a maze operation. Methods Between 2000 and 2009, 35 patients underwent circumferential left atrium resection (CLAR), during mitral valve surgery. All patients had continuous AF. Results Hospital mortalities occurred in two patients (5.7%). Postoperative bleeding occurred in two patients (5.7%). The average follow-up was 64 months. The mean New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class had significantly decreased to 1.16 ± 0.37 from 2.77 ± 0.65 (p

In this paper, we propose a predictive scheme to generate reduced neighbor lists. In addition, we formulate a predictive association game. The game is designed to determine an optimal base station for maximum throughput and reduced handover frequency. Several simulation scenarios are set forth herein for analysis to show how our schemes improve performance in terms of throughput and handover frequency.

Alkaptonuria is a rare metabolic disorder of tyrosine catabolism in which homogentisic acid (HGA) accumulates and is deposited throughout the spine, large joints, cardiovascular system, and various tissues throughout the body. In the cardiovascular system, pigment deposition has been described in the heart valves, endocardium, pericardium, aortic intima and coronary arteries. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease in patients with alkaptonuria varies in previous reports . We present a series of 76 consecutive adult patients with alkaptonuria who underwent transthoracic echocardiography between 2000 and 2009. A subgroup of 40 patients enrolled in a treatment study underwent non-contrast CT scans and these were assessed for vascular calcifications. Six of the 76 patients had aortic valve replacement. In the remaining 70 patients, 12 patients had aortic sclerosis and 7 patients had aortic stenosis. Unlike degenerative aortic valve disease, we found no correlation with standard cardiac risk factors. There was a modest association between the severity of aortic valve disease and joint involvement, however, we saw no correlation with urine HGA levels. Vascular calcifications were seen in the coronaries, cardiac valves, aortic root, descending aorta and iliac arteries. These findings suggest an important role for echocardiographic screening of alkaptonuria patients to detect valvular heart disease and cardiac CT to detect coronary artery calcifications.

We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of dual-source computed tomography coronary angiography (DSCT-CA) in the measurement of the ascending aorta (AA) diameter and compare the AA diameter in patients with severe bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) stenosis. Eighty-eight consecutive patients (50 men, mean age 60.3 ± 13 year) with severe aortic stenosis (AS) underwent DSCT-CA before aortic valve surgery. Seventy-four of the 88 patients underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). The internal diameter of AA was measured from early-systole with DSCT-CA and CMR by 2 radiologists independently at 4 levels (aortic annulus, sinuses of Valsalva, sinotubular junction, and tubular portion at the right pulmonary artery). The patients were divided in to 2 groups (BAV [n = 53]; TAV [n = 35]) according to operative findings. Patients with BAV were significantly younger than those with TAV (P = 0.0035). Inter-observer agreement of AA diameters at 4 levels with DSCT-CA and CMR was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.89–0.97). Also, the DSCT-CA and CMR measurements of the AA diameter strongly correlated (r = 0.871–0.976). Mean diameter of the AA by DSCT-CA was significantly larger in patients with BAV (34.4 ± 8.2 mm) as compared to those with TAV (30.6 ± 5.5 mm). The diameters at the sinuses of Valsalva, sinotubular junction, and tubular portion were significantly larger in BAV than in TAV. Twenty-two of 53 (41.5%) patients with BAV and 2 of 35 (5.7%) patients with TAV had AA dilatation > 45 mm. DSCT-CA allows accurate assessment of the AA diameters in patients with severe AS. Patients with severe BAV stenosis had larger AA diameters and higher prevalence of AA dilatation > 45 mm as compared to those with severe TAV stenosis.

Staphylococcus simulans, a coagulase-negative staphylococcal species, can cause several diseases in humans and animals. This report describes a case of dermatosis characterized by broad, well-circumscribed hyperkeratosis and alopecia on the back of a household pygmy hedgehog (Erinaceous albiventris). Quills and exudates were studied by microscopy. The microscopic examination of the exudates collected from the lesion revealed several leukocytes and numerous gram-positive cocci. An aerobic bacterial culture revealed overgrowth of the same gram-positive bacteria. The bacterium was identified as S. simulans by polymerase chain reaction amplification and direct sequencing targeted to the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. This report is the first to show that S. simulans could be related to the dermatitis of hedgehogs.

The detection of a thrombus at the left atrial appendage (LAA) is an important step for management in a patient with a suspected embolic infarction. However, spontaneous echocardiographic contrast (SEC), which can mimic thrombus, can confuse clinicians in many cases. We examined electrocardiographic-gated 64-slice multidetector computed tomography with a 2-phase scan and transesophageal echocardiography in 314 patients with suspected embolic stroke. The transesophageal echocardiographic findings were classified using a 5-grade scale and the multidetector computed tomographic findings were categorized as no filling defect, an early filling defect (a filling defect seen on early-phase images without considering the late-phase images), and a persistent filling defect (a filling defect seen on added late-phase images, as well as on early-phase images). For quantitative analysis, the ratio of Hounsfield units in the LAA to the ascending aorta (AA) was calculated for each early-phase and late-phase image (LAA/AA(L)). Using transesophageal echocardiography as the reference standard, for no filling defect seen on early-phase images, the presence of a thrombus, including severe SEC, could be ruled out with 100% sensitivity and a 100% negative predictive value. When considering the addition of late-phase images, all persistent filling defects had resulted from the presence of a thrombus and severe SEC. However, using the optimal cutoff value of 0.5 for the LAA/AA(L) ratio, thrombi could be distinguished from severe SEC where all thrombi had a LAA/AA(L) ratio0.5. In conclusion, our findings suggest that 2-phase multidector computed tomography is useful for the detection and differentiation of a thrombus from SEC at the LAA in patients with suspected embolic stroke.

This case report describes 3 cases of necrotizing dermatomycosis caused by Chrysosporium sp. related to Nannizziopsis vriesii in captive green iguanas ( Iguana iguana ). The infection was diagnosed by microscopic examination, fungal culture, sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer ribosomal RNA gene, and histopathological examination. This report suggests that the fungus can induce severe infections in green iguanas.

We describe asymptomatic piroplasmosis caused by a Babesia microti-like parasite in wild raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) diagnosed by blood smear and DNA analysis. This is the first description of natural B. microti-like parasite infection in raccoon dogs and suggests that the wild raccoon dog can be a source for B. microti-like parasite infection of domestic dogs and humans.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is associated with faster progression of degenerative aortic stenosis (AS). However, the influence of MS on AS progression and clinical outcomes in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) has not been studied. A total of 1,640 patients with BAVs were identified at two

The exponential increase of global mobile data traffic requires future 5G system. Millimeter Waveform (mmWave) band is being considered as a candidate for new radio bands for 5G systems. In this paper, we present beam-forming technology on patch antenna array to cope path loss of mmWave band. In order to reduce the interference between beams and to compensate for this problems of limitation of user number, we proposed beam group method and GMPS(Group based MultiLevel Packet Scheduling) in 5G system based multi-beam. This paper evaluates performance of the GMPS in beam-forming system through the system level simulation.

Toxicants, which may cause the inhibition to the biological process in sewage/wastewater treatment plant, need to be monitored within short time to prevent from serious damage. A new method, Temperature-based rapid toxicity test (TempTox test) using Ceriodaphnia dubia, was developed and compared with the standard 48 hr acute bioassay (Std. 48-hr test). Inorganic toxicants of cadmium, zinc, copper, cyanide, chromium (III), chromium (VI) and organic toxicants of phenol, PCP and pesticides of BPMC, Diazinon, Fenitrothion were tested for TempTox test and Std. 48-hr test. Because the TempTox test is based on just temperature control, C. dubia neonates were exposed to toxicants under high temperature (35.5 °C) condition without any complicated pretreatment. After given exposure time of 1, 1.25, 1.5 hours, the number of the live (no toxic effect) or the dead (toxic effect) was counted with eye without the aid of any microscope and median effective concentrations (EC50 values) were determined. From the results for all toxicants, the TempTox test was proved to be as sensitive as the Std. 48-hr test with shorter-time of just 1.25–1.5 hours. Moreover, the TempTox test was further much more sensitive than alternative bioassays such as the 1-hour I.Q. test and 30-minute Microtox. The TempTox test showed a high applicability of toxicity bioassay for real sewage/wastewater treatment plant by its easiness, rapidity and sensitivity. Finally, the prototype for short-term TempTox test was introduced.

Homocystinuria is an autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism that is most often caused by mutation in the cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) gene. Patients may develop serious clinical manifestations such as lens dislocation, mental retardation, osteoporosis, and atherothrombotic vascular disease. Over 100 mutations have been reported, but so far, none have been reported in Korea. Mutation analysis of the CBS gene in six Korean patients with homocystinuria was performed by direct sequencing. Eight mutations were identified, including four known mutations (T257M, R336C, T353M, and G347S) and four novel mutations (L154Q, A155V, del234D, and A288T). All patients were compound heterozygotes. To characterize these mutations, normal or mutated forms of CBS were cloned into pcDNA3.1 expression vector followed by transfection into mammalian cells for transient expression. Whereas the expression levels of mutant proteins were comparable to that of normal control, enzyme activities of all the mutant forms were significantly decreased. In addition, a novel single nucleotide polymorphism, R18C, was identified, which showed one-third to two-thirds the enzyme activity of wild type and 1% of the allele frequency in normal control. The spectrum of mutations observed in Korean patients bears less resemblance to those observed in Western countries.

Sensorineural hearing loss associated with enlargement of the vestibular aqueduct (EVA) can be associated with mutations of the SLC26A4 gene. In western populations, less than one-half of the affected individuals with EVA have two mutant SLC26A4 alleles, and EVA is frequently caused by unknown genetic or environmental factors alone or in combination with a single SLC26A4 mutation as part of a complex trait. In this study, we ascertained 26 Korean probands with EVA and performed nucleotide sequence analysis to detect SLC26A4 mutations. All subjects had bilateral EVA, and 20 of 26 were sporadic (simplex) cases. Fourteen different mutations were identified, including nine novel mutations. Five mutations were recurrent and accounted for 80% of all mutant alleles, providing a basis for the design and interpretation of cost-efficient mutation detection algorithms. Two mutant alleles were identified in 21 (81%), one mutant allele was detected in three (11%), and zero mutant allele was detected in two (8%) of 26 probands. The high proportion of Korean probands with two SLC26A4 mutations may reflect a reduced frequency of other genetic or environmental factors causing EVA in comparison to western populations.

This study was performed to evaluate the effects of the volume fraction of an anaerobic reactor (VFAR) and SRT on the removal of T-N and T-P in both an intermittently aerated system (IAS) and intermittently aerated dynamic-flow system (IADS), respectively. When the VFAR in the total volume of reactor from both IAS and IADS are 13%, 7%, and 0% at 5 days of SRT, the removal efficiencies of T-P were 80-87%, 62-65% and

To meet avalanche of traffic volume, the mmWave band in the 30-300GHz range is being considered as a candidate for new radio bands for 5G mobile communication systems. ETRI is developing mmWave based 5G mobile communication system in the Giga KOREA 5G (GK-5G) project. This paper introduces overview and features of the GK-5G mobile communication system and evaluates system coverage of the GK-5G mobile communication system through the system level simulation considering real geospatial information.

This paper proposes an efficient bandwidth request method for a non-real-time polling service and best effort service in the IEEE 802.16 system. The proposed method produces a bandwidth request code to indicate the channel quality and the necessary number of slots. The base station allocates uplink bandwidth depending on the bandwidth request code. Thus, the proposed method can omit the transmission procedure of the bandwidth request message. The performance analysis results show that the proposed method can reduce the delay for the uplink data transmission.

Ranging in IEEE 802.16 systems is used to synchronize an uplink or to request an uplink bandwidth. The base station sends a ranging response message as a positive acknowledgment of a successfully received code. However, the base station does not provide a negative acknowledgment; hence, a mobile station is unable to determine if its ranging code is unsuccessfully transmitted. This paper proposes a negative acknowledgment method based on a ranging slot indicator and the frame number of a ranging response message. The results of the performance analysis show that the proposed method can reduce the delay of a code retransmission.

An enlarged left atrium (LA) is a major risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after a maze operation.Between 2000 and 2009, 35 patients underwent circumferential left atrium resection (CLAR), during mitral valve surgery. All patients had continuous AF.Hospital mortalities occurred in two patients (5.7%). Postoperative bleeding occurred in two patients (5.7%). The average follow-up was 64 months. The mean New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class had significantly decreased to 1.16 ± 0.37 from 2.77 ± 0.65 (p 0.01). The mean LA dimension and the cardiothoracic ratio had significantly decreased to 52.8 ± 7.9 mm, and 0.55 ± 0.06 from 72.6 ± 11.0 mm, and 0.66 ± 0.11, respectively (p 0.01). The mean early postoperative LA volume had decreased to 178 ± 68 mL (102-343 mL) from 332 ± 133 mL (124-655 mL) (p 0.001). These LA volume reductions had been maintained until the last echocardiogram, which was done at an average of 29 months. In patients who underwent the maze procedure, the rate of sinus rhythm restoration was 82.1%, 81.5%, and 74% at three to six months, one year, and the last visit, respectively.CLAR significantly reduced the LA volume. CLAR had an additional beneficial effect with the maze procedure of a relative rate of sinus rhythm restoration. To clarify the role of CLAR in marked symptom improvements after mitral valve surgery in patients with a giant LA, well-designed comparative studies are required.

Existing positioning systems such as global positioning system (GPS) or WiFi positioning system (WPS) are limited mainly to outdoor applications or are of poor accuracy without associated maps. Indoor work environment where one spend most of the time and wide adoption of smartphones with numerous embedded sensors provide new opportunities for researches on indoor user positioning. In this paper, we present an indoor positioning scheme using recently introduced smartphones equipped with sensors such as accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope. We propose a practical indoor positioning method to handle complicated human movements and noisy inertial sensors in smartphones. We focus on providing indoor locations with accuracy by applying improved heading estimation solution. The key concept is to reduce errors caused by directional change since the critical component of positioning system is a heading orientation. We have simply used iPhone 4S for experiments and validated its practical usage in indoor environments. The extensive experimental results show that our system is needily applicable as a fundamental system for various mobile services on smartphones providing 2.42 times accuracy over than traditional methods on the average.

This paper reviewed brief transition of TV services and new challenge from existing TV service domains. We reviewed different service roles for each TV service domains, as well common direction and goals. Recently, new types of TV service are emerging, for example, IPTV from network providers, more competitive portal TV from content providers and advanced TV terminal from TV manufacturers. Also, we suggest a seamless TV service scenario between TV domain and mobile domain, which demands several service requirements to provide such kind of seamless TV service in current vertical TV environments. From this example, we focused on existing relevant standardization requirements from W3C and ITU-T. As well, further requirements are considered for harmonization of current standards.

In this paper, we propose a programmable string matching architecture to process multiple characters at a single cycle. To simplify the architecture of the previous works, we employ a method of realigning the input data stream by offsets. We show that some registers can be eliminated by using the method. Additionally, we present two different approaches to implement a programmable hardware for string matching on FPGA. We show the synthesis results for these two approaches.

Cognitive radio and femtocells are recent technology breakthroughs that aim at achieving throughput improvement by means of spectrum management and interference mitigation, respectively. However, these technologies are limited by the former's susceptibility to interference and the latter's dependence on bandwidth availability. In this paper, we overcome these limitations by integrating cognitive radio and femtocell technology and explore the byproduct's feasibility and throughput improvement. To realize this, we propose an integrated architecture and optimization framework based on power control, coverage assignment, and compensation schemes. Based on numerical results, the optimization framework is found to be both stable and converging. Simulation studies further show that the proposed architecture and optimization framework improves the aggregate throughput as the client population rises, hence confirming the successful and beneficial integration of these technologies.

Broadband wireless access network based on the IEEE 802.16e is one of the most promising solutions to provide broadband services. This paper proposes an efficient bandwidth request scheme for non real-time polling service and best effort service. In order to reduce the delay for bandwidth request, the proposed scheme makes BR code indicate the UIUC and the number of subchannels required by mobile station. Accordingly, it can omit the transmission procedure of bandwidth request message. We perform the mathematical analysis. The results show that the proposed scheme can reduce the delay and the signaling overhead compared to the IEEE 802.16e scheme.

Background and Purpose: Cardiac multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is less dependent upon the patient’s condition and may be valuable in the diagnosis of embolic sources when the patient’s cooperation is limited due to a neurologic deficit. However, its role has never been validated in acute stroke patients whose stroke mechanism is assumed to be embolic. Methods: Consecutive patients who were admitted with acute ischemic stroke from May 1, 2007 to November 30, 2007 were included in this study. Inclusion criteria were (1) any cardiac evidence of high-risk embolic sources for cerebral embolism, or (2) radiological or (3) clinical evidence of embolic stroke. All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography first, and then cardiac MDCT or transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was attempted, if possible. The results and feasibility of cardiac MDCT and TEE were compared. Results: One hundred and forty-three patients met the inclusion criteria. Cardiac MDCT was performed in 124 patients (86.7%), TEE in 83 patients (57.3%), whereas 75 patients (52.4%) underwent both studies. Renal insufficiency for cardiac MDCT and lack of cooperation for TEE were found to be the most impeding factors. Among the patients with both evaluations, cardiac MDCT identified a high-risk intracardiac embolic source in 8 and an extracardiac source in 20, while TEE found an intracardiac source in 1 and an extracardiac source in 7. Statistically significant differences were found with respect to detecting cardioembolic sources and high-risk aortic atheroma. Conclusions: Cardiac MDCT is a feasible and accurate diagnostic tool for embolic sources in an acute stroke setting.

Wild Chinese Water Deer exist in large numbers in Northeast Asia, including South Korea. The deer population is so widespread that they are common even in urban areas, resulting in increased contact with humans and domestic animals. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of Theileria sp. infection in wild Chinese Water Deer in South Korea. Using biomolecular techniques, blood samples taken from 18 wild Chinese Water Deer were examined. Thirteen of the 18 samples (72%) tested positive for infection. In 11 of the deer, a Theileria sp. was detected that is nearly identical to the highly pathogenic Theileria sp. reported in China. Theileria ovis and Theileria capreoli were also detected individually in two deer. These results indicate that there may be a high prevalence of Theileria sp. infection in wild Chinese Water Deer, and that the deer may act as a reservoir for the Theileria sp. infection of domestic animals.

Essential oils have been widely used in anti-infectious application. In the present study, we elucidated the antifungal activities of eugenol and nerolidol isolated from Japanese cypress oil in a guinea pig model infected by Microsporum gypseum (M. gypseum). A minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), skin lesion scoring, hair culture and histopathologic examination of skin tissues were performed to evaluate the antifungal effect of these oils. The MICs of eugenol, nerolidol and econazole (positive control) were 0.01-0.03% and 0.5-2% and 4-16 microg/ml, respectively. Based on these MICs, eugenol and nerolidol were adjusted to 10% concentration with a base of Vaseline petroleum jelly and were applied topically to the skin lesion infected with M. gypseum daily for 3 weeks. Both eugenol and nerolidol were clinically effective at improving the lesion during the first week of application, as determined by skin lesion scoring. Nerolidol improved the skin lesions infected by M. gypseum, but eugenol did not, as determined in the hair culture test. Histopathologic examination revealed that the eugenol- and nerolidol-treated groups had a lower degree of hyperkeratosis and inflammatory cell infiltration than the positive control. Taken together, these results suggest that eugenol and nerolidol could apply supplementary antifungal agents.

In this paper, we propose keep-alive algorithm based periodic ranging code group (PRCG), in which the periodic ranging code is divided into groups and the AP (access point) performs this algorithm when the periodic ranging code arrives at AP in WiBro (wireless broadband Internet) system. In order to increase the radio bandwidth resource efficiency in this system, we propose keep-alive algorithm for finding abnormal AT (access terminal). From the numerical results, our proposed PRCG algorithm can support more radio resource efficiency compared to message-driven keep-alive algorithm.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inborn error of metabolism that results from a deficiency of phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). We characterized the PAH mutations of 79 independent Korean patients with PKU or hyperphenylalaninemia. PAH nucleotide sequence analysis revealed 39 different mutations, including ten novel mutations. The novel mutations consisted of nine missense mutations (P69S, G103S, N207D, T278S, P281A, L293M, G332V, S391I, and A447P) and a novel splice site variant (IVS10−3C>G). R243Q, IVS4−1G>A, and E6−96A>G were the most prevalent mutations, as they accounted for 32% of the total mutant alleles in this study. Although some common characteristics of allele frequency and distribution were identified among oriental populations, several distinctive characteristics were revealed in Korean patients. Although the R413P allele is the most prevalent form (30.5%) in Japanese, we detected it in only five chromosomes from 158 independent chromosomes (3.2%). The A259T allele, which has not yet been found in oriental populations, was frequently found in this study. We also observed that tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) responsiveness was associated with specific genotypes (R53H, R241C, and R408Q), suggesting there are some correlations between phenotype and genotype.

This paper describes an anti-jamming algorithm in DS-CDMA cellular system. The proposed algorithm consists of detection, verification and control module. The detection module is based on the investigation of user's Eb/No received at the channel element (CE) of Base Station (BS) for finding jamming MS when all the SNRs of the mobile stations are greater than the threshold SNR. The verification module verifies whether the MS is jamming MS or not. The control module is based on the disconnection of the active call of jamming MS. Therefore, we can prevent the cell coverage from shrinking due to jamming MS. As a result, we can locate the jamming MS using the proposed anti-jamming algorithm in a CDMA cellular system and prevent the cell coverage from shrinking due to the jamming MS and decrease the load of system by hand-off.

The traffic control model based wireless ATM network which has a high speed and a broad range of quality of service (QoS) is used to support wireless multimedia services such as voice, video, and data file. One critical reason for applying ATM technology to a wireless multimedia network is that it has wireless environments that are different from the conventional wired ATM network such as error control, QoS control, and various data control. The system requirements to deploy the traffic control function in a wireless multimedia network are discussed. Also, we propose and establish the traffic control model to handle an integrated wireless multimedia traffic. Finally we analyzed an ATM cell structure to realize traffic control functions and reduce the error during transmission over the air interface.

Purposes: We assessed the association between arterial stiffness, as determined by brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), and the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) by conventional coronary angiography (CAG) in patients who visited outpatient clinic for angina without any previous history of heart disease. Method: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 583 consecutive patients who had undergone baPWVand elective CAG for suspected CAD between January 2012 and November 2013 in single cardiovascular center. Results: The baPWV was one of the statistically meaningful predictors of significant CAD (diameter of stenosis >50%) in addition to male gender, age, the level of HDL-cholesterol and HbA1c in multivariate analysis. However, baPWV was not the significant predictor of revascularization. When the extent of CAD was classified into following 4 groups; no significant CAD, 1-, 2and 3-vessel disease, there was significant difference of baPWV between the significant and non significant CAD group, but there was no difference of baPWV among the three significant CAD groups, although there was trend toward the positive correlation. Conclusion: Although baPWV was an independent predictor of significant CAD, it was not significantly associated with the extent of CAD.

Heart transplantation is the last treatment option in refractory end stage heart failure, which can prolong survival. The number of heart transplantations has increased and the survival rate has improved during the last few decades which was contributed by advanced understanding of immunologic mechanism of rejection, pharmaceutical development and clinical management of donors and recipients. However, only a fraction of patients can be offered to transplantation due to shortage of donor heart and many patients suffer high mortality while waiting. Meanwhile, technical advancement of mechanical assist device in recent years enabled long term implantable left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) to bridge the patients with high mortality in the waiting list to transplantation and to assist as a long term destination therapy for patients who are not eligible for transplantation. Development of solid phase assay increased the sensitivity and the specificity of detection of anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies in the recipient. It enabled identifying unacceptable HLA antigens, acquire calculated Panel Reactive Antibodies and perform virtual cross match that can enhance the efficacy of donor allocation system to decrease the waiting time, obviate prospective cross match to decrease ischemic time and to assess the risk of rejection in presensitized patients. Antibody mediated rejection is a challenging entity in diagnosis and management. However, standardized classification of histology and immunology of endomyocardial biopsies was made recently and immunotherapy is moving toward targeted therapies directed at antibody production and function. This review focuses on those major changes in the heart transplantation field in the last decade.

For evaluation of post-operative stent associated cardiac events after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation we analyzed data of 138 patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery after DES implantation and compared the data with those of 101 patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery after bare metal stent (BMS) implantation. Three patients (2.2%) in DES group developed post-operative cardiac events and none in BMS group (p=0.2). One patient died due to suspected stent thrombosis and the other two had myocardial infarction due to angiographically proven stent thrombosis. The time interval between stent implantation and surgery in those with cardiac events was 6, 264, and 367 days, respectively. Our data shows that peri-operative stent-related thrombotic complications can occur long after DES implantation and careful peri-operative monitoring for cardiac events is needed in patients receiving non-cardiac surgery after DES implantation.

Background and Objectives:Our purpose was to assess the characteristics of ST segment deviation in the lateral leads (aVL, I, V5, V6) of patients with acute inferior myocardial infarction (AIMI) and elucidate any relationship with the culprit arteries. Materials and Method:The subjects were comprised 51 patients diagnosed as AIMI by standard electrocardiogram, cardiac enzymes and typical chest pain. The subjects were divided into two groups by angiographically proven culprit arteries:a left circumflex artery (LCx) group and a right coronary artery (RCA) group. We compared the frequencies of a ST segment depression more than 1 mm and less than 1 mm in aVL and I, and a ST segment elevation more than 0.5 mm and less than 0.5 mm in V5 and V6 in each culprit artery group. Results:Among the 51 patients with AIMI, 42 were in the RCA group and 9 were in the LCx group. The frequency of a ST segment depression more than 1 mm in aVL was 44% in the LCx group and 71% in the RCA group (p=0.140). 11% of the LCx group and 43% of the RCA group showed more than 1 mm ST segment depression in lead I (p=0.128). 56% of the LCx group showed more than 0.5 mm ST segment elevation in V5 and V6 and 81% of the RCA group showed less than 0.5 mm ST segment elevation in V5 and V6 (p=0.036). Conclusion:Culprit arteries in patients with AIMI and ST segment deviation in V5 and V6 are significantly related. ST segment elevation more than 0.5 mm in V5 and V6 was predominantly found in the LCx group, rather than the RCA group. Observation for ST segment deviation in the lateral precordial lead V5 and V6 would be important in predicting the culprit artery in AIMI. (Korean Circulation J 2001;31(10):982-987)