Background and ObjectivesImplantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy is recommended as the primary tool for prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in symptomatic patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction. There is a paucity of information on whether this recommendation is appropriate for the Korean population with severe heart failure.Subjects and MethodsThe study group consisted of 275 consecutive patients (mean age 65 years, 71% male) who met the ICD implantation criteria for primary prevention (left ventricular ejection fraction ≤30% and New York Heart Association functional class II or III). We analyzed the clinical characteristics and outcomes of an ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICMP) group (n=131) and a non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICMP) group (n=144). The outcomes of these 2 groups were compared with the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial II (MADIT-II) conventional and Defibrillators in the Non-ischemic Cardiomyopathy Treatment Evaluation (DEFINITE) standard therapy groups, respectively.ResultsEighty patients (29%) died during a follow-up period of 40±17 months. The NICMP group had better all-cause mortality rates than the ICMP group (19% vs. 40%, p<0.001), however both groups had a similar incidence of SCD (7% vs. 10%, p=0.272). The 2-year all-cause mortality and SCD for the ICMP group were similar to those of the MADIT-II conventional therapy group (20% vs. 20%, 7% vs. 10%, respectively, all p>0.05). All-cause mortality and the incidence of SCD in the NICMP group were comparable to those of the DEFINITE standard therapy group (13% vs. 17%, 6% vs. 6%, respectively, all p>0.05).ConclusionKorean patients with severe heart failure in both the ICMP and NICMP groups had all-caused mortality and risk of SCD comparable to patients in the MADIT-II and DEFINITE standard therapy groups. Therefore, the primary prevention criteria for ICD implantation would be appropriate in both Korean ICMP and NICMP patients.
Mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome is a multisystem disorder, which is clinically characterized by encephalopathy, dementia, seizures and stroke-like episodes. Multiple organs can be affected and cardiac involvement often dominates the clinical picture because of its high energy requirement. We report a case of a 21-year-old woman with MELAS syndrome who had pre-excitation ECG and one episode of tachycardia attack.
Apolipoprotein E (apoE) plays a role in various physiological functions including lipid transport, synaptic plasticity, and immune modulation. Epidemiological studies suggest that the apoE4 allele increases the risk of post-traumatic sequelae. This study was performed to investigate regionspecific effects of the apoE4 isoform on post-traumatic neurodegeneration. Two focal brain injuries were introduced separately in the motor cortex and hippocampus of apoE4 knock-in, apoE3 knock-in, apoE knockout, and wild-type (WT) mice. Western blotting showed that the expression levels of pre-synaptic and post-synaptic markers at the recovery stage were lower in the hippocampal injury core in apoE4 mice, compared with apoE3 and WT mice. Fast glial activation (determined by immunohistochemistry with glial fibrillary acidic protein, ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1, and cluster of differentiation 45 antibodies) was characteristic of apoE4 mice with hippocampal injury penumbra. apoE4-specific changes were not observed after cortical injury. The intensity of microglial activation in the hippocampus was inversely correlated with the volume of injury reduction on sequential magnetic resonance imaging examinations, when validated using matched samples. These findings indicate that the effects of the interaction between apoE4 and focal brain damage are specific to the hippocampus. Manipulation of inflammatory cell responses could be beneficial for reducing post-traumatic hippocampal neurodegeneration in apoE4 carriers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.