Kyung Woo Park

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To investigate the clinical characteristics and survival outcomes of a large cohort of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated at a single institute in a hepatitis B virus (HBV)-endemic area. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2003, 904 patients with HCC treated at our institute were enrolled, and followed until 2005. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 56 years and 76.3% were HBV-positive. The 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-year survival rates were 53.8%, 40.0%, 31.4%, and 25.7%, re

One session of TACE using doxorubicin and lipiodol does not significantly aggravate HBV hepatitis in patients with HBV-related HCC.

OBJECTIVE: Observational studies have reported enhanced response to clopidogrel in smokers (the smokers' paradox). We examined whether genetic variations in the cytochrome and drug transporter system are associated with the effect of smoking on clopidogrel response. METHODS AND RESULTS: Clopidogrel on-treatment platelet reactivity (OPR) was measured in 1431 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography. Gene samples were available and genotyping was successful in 1123 patients. Nine ca

INTRODUCTION: High posttreatment platelet reactivity to clopidogrel (HPPR) is associated with major adverse cardiac events. However, the clinical predictors of HPPR in Asians have not been studied previously. AIMS: We sought to determine clinical predictors of HPPR in Koreans. RESULTS: We measured platelet reactivity with the VerifyNow P2Y12 assay in 1431 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography. We used the cut-off value of greater than 275 P2Y12 Reaction Unit (PRU) to define patien

OBJECTIVE: We examined the effects of FKHRL1 (forkhead transcription factor in rhabdomyosarcoma like-1) overexpression on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle, in vitro, and the role of FKHRL1 and p27 in the pathophysiology of neointimal growth after balloon angioplasty, in vivo. Furthermore, we tested whether FKHRL1 overexpression can inhibit neointimal hyperplasia in a rat carotid artery model. METHODS AND RESULTS: Adenovirus expressing the constitutively

To demonstrate the association of the serum creatinine/serum cystatin C ratio (sarcopenia index, SI) with clinical outcomes including cardiovascular and bleeding risk in older patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), we analyzed a multicenter nation-wide pooled registry. A total of 1086 older patients (65 years or older) who underwent PCI with second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) were enrolled. The total population was divided into quartiles according to the SI, st

OBJECTIVE: Glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3beta is a crucial factor in many cellular signaling pathways and may play an important role in smooth muscle proliferation and apoptosis after angioplasty. METHODS AND RESULTS: To investigate the effect of GSK-3beta modulation on neointima formation, smooth muscle proliferation, and apoptosis after balloon injury in vivo, we delivered adenoviral vectors expressing the constitutively active form of GSK-3beta (GSK-S9A: 9th serine switched to alanine) or a