BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Nitric oxide (NO) reduces the intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in smooth muscle cells, whereas the effect of NO on [Ca2+]i in endothelial cells is still controversial. Therefore, the effect of NO on the [Ca2+]i, and its mechanism in mouse aortic endothelial cells (MAEC) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In primary cultured MAEC and HUVEC, cells were loaded with fura 2-AM and [Ca2+]i and measured using a microfluorometer. RESULTS: The NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), reduced the [Ca2+]i in 72% of the cells tested (n=100). In the remaining cells, the effect of SNP was biphasic, or the [Ca2+]i was increased. In addition, the membrane-permeable cGMP, 8-bromo cGMP, decreased the [Ca2+]i. The effects of SNP and 8-bromo cGMP were inhibited by the soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor, 1H-[1,2,4] oxadiazole[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ), and the cGMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor, KT5823, respectively. In contrast, in the presence of 8-bromo cGMP or ODQ, SNP increased the [Ca2+]i. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that NO inhibits the [Ca2+]i through a cGMP-dependent mechanism and increases the [Ca2+]i through a cGMP-independent mechanism.
Animals ; Cyclic GMP ; Endothelial Cells* ; Endothelium ; Guanylate Cyclase ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Mice ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitroprusside ; Protein Kinases ; Tissue Donors

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of inhaled clary sage (Salvia sclarea L.) oil or linalyl acetate on patients’ anxiety and stress levels before undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: Forty-five eligible participants were randomly assigned to inhale clary sage oil, or linalyl acetate, each at concentrations of 5% vol/vol in almond oil or pure almond oil (control). State-trait anxiety inventory (STAI), Stress rating scale, anxiety-visual analog scale (Anxiety-VAS), stress-visual analog scale (Stress-VAS), blood pressure, and heart rate were measured before and after the inhalation prior to undergoing chemotherapy. Results: Anxiety-VAS and StressVAS were significantly lower after than before inhalation of clary sage oil (p < .01 and p < .05, respectively) and linalyl acetate (p < .05 and p < .05, respectively), despite having no significant difference in the three groups compared with control group. Systolic (p < .05) and diastolic (p < .01) blood pressure before undergoing chemotherapy were significantly lower after than before inhalation of linalyl acetate, while there was no significant difference in after than before inhalation of clary sage oil, despite both reducing levels of anxiety and stress. Conclusion These findings suggest that linalyl acetate inhalation may be inappropriate in lowering anxiety and stress in patients undergoing chemotherapy, despite its anxiolytic and antistress effects, while clary sage oil inhalation may be useful in reducing anxiety and stress in patients undergoing chemotherapy, which has a risk of hypotensive side effects.

Hamartoma is a very rare congenital tumor. A few cases of hamartomatous pol yps in the stomach were reported. Most of harrurtomatous polyps in the stomach occur in patients of polyposis coli. We have experienced four cases of gastric hamartomatous polyps without polyposis coli. There are some differences between previously reported cases and ours. In our casee, the distribution of age is from fourth to ninth decade, men and women ratio is 1: 1. The number of polyps are one in three cases and two in one case. The size of polyps is from 5mm to 12 mm. The location of polyps are various, but most common in antrum. We have experienced four cases which were different from previously reported ones and report them with a brief review of literatures.
Adenomatous Polyposis Coli* ; Female ; Hamartoma ; Humans ; Male ; Polyps* ; Stomach

Hamartoma is a very rare congenital tumor. A few cases of hamartomatous pol yps in the stomach were reported. Most of harrurtomatous polyps in the stomach occur in patients of polyposis coli. We have experienced four cases of gastric hamartomatous polyps without polyposis coli. There are some differences between previously reported cases and ours. In our casee, the distribution of age is from fourth to ninth decade, men and women ratio is 1: 1. The number of polyps are one in three cases and two in one case. The size of polyps is from 5mm to 12 mm. The location of polyps are various, but most common in antrum. We have experienced four cases which were different from previously reported ones and report them with a brief review of literatures.
Adenomatous Polyposis Coli* ; Female ; Hamartoma ; Humans ; Male ; Polyps* ; Stomach

Low back pain is common during pregnancy and has been reported in as many as 56% of pregnant women.However, the incidence of symptomatic lumbar disc displacement in pregnancy is exceedingly rare, and anesthetic management is particularly important in such cases because the attending anesthesiologist and surgeon must consider the effects of the anesthesia, the patient's position, and surgery on the fetus.We administered an epidural anesthesia for percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy at 35 weeks of gestation with the patient in the prone position.The patient maintained an uneventful pregnancy and delivered a healthy baby at 38 weeks of gestation
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Epidural ; Back Pain ; Diskectomy ; Displacement (Psychology) ; Humans ; Incidence ; Pregnancy ; Prone Position

BACKGROUND: Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is effectively used for postoperative pain control. Fentanyl has a strong analgesic effect but has some side effects. The purpose of this study was to compare the side effects and analgesic effects of fentanyl alone and combination with nalbuphine in patients using intravenous PCA. METHODS: Forty six ASA class 1 or 2 patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group F (n = 23) received fentanyl 1,200microgram in 100 ml of normal saline. Group NF (n = 23) received nalbupine 60 mg and fentanyl 600microgram in 100 ml of normal saline. All patients used the same background infusion rate (2 ml/hr), bolus dose (2 ml) and lockout interval (15 min) just after emergence from general anesthesia. The analgesic effect was evaluated by using a visual analogue scale (VAS) at 1 hr, 6 hr, 12 hr, 24 hr and 48 hr postoperatively. Side effects and satisfaction degree were also checked. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of pain scores and satisfaction degrees. The side effects were similar in both groups except that sedation was significantly (P<0.05) lower in group NF. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that nalbuphine with fentanyl in combination is a useful method for intravenous PCA. On comparing the incidence of side effects in the two groups, sedation was found to be lower for the combined regimen.
Analgesia* ; Analgesia, Patient-Controlled ; Anesthesia, General ; Fentanyl* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Nalbuphine ; Pain, Postoperative ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Postoperative Complications

BACKGROUND: Extracellular K+ concentration ([K+]o) can be increased within several mM by the efflux of intracellular K+. To investigate the effect of an increase in [K+]o on vascular contractility, we attempted to examine whether extracellular K+ might modulate vascular contractility, endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR) and intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in endothelial cells (EC). MATERIAL AND METHOD: We observed isometric contractions in rabbit carotid, superior mesentery, basilar arteries and mouse aorta. [Ca2+]i was recorded by microfluorimeter using Fura-2/AM in EC. RESULT: No change in contractility was recorded by the increase in [K+]o from 6 to 12 mM in conduit artery such as rabbit carotid artery. whereas resistant vessels, such as basilar and branches of superior mesenteric arteries (SMA), were relaxed by the increase. In basilar artery, the relaxation by the increase in [K+]o from 1 to 3 mM was bigger than that by the increase from 6 to 12 mM. In contrast, in branches of SMA, the relaxation by the increase in [K+]o from 6 to 12 mM is bigger than that by the increase from 1 to 3 mM. Ba2 (30microM) did not inhibit the relaxation by the increase in [K+]o from 1 to 3 mM but did inhibit the relaxation by the increase from 6 to 12 mM. In the mouse aorta without the endothelium or treated with NG-nitro-L-arginine (30microM), nitric oxide synthesis blocker, the increase in [K+]o from 6 to 12 mM did not change the magnitude of contraction induced either norepinephrine or prostaglandin F2alpha. The increase in [K+]o up to 12 mM did not induce contraction of mouse aorta but the increase more than 12 mM induced contraction. In the mouse aorta, EDR was completely inhibited on increasing [K+]o from 6 to 12 mM. In cultured mouse aorta EC, [Ca2+]i was increased by acetylcholine or ATP application and the increased [Ca2+]i was reduced by the increase in [K+]o reversibly and concentration-dependently. In human umbilical vein EC, similar effect of extracellular K+ was observed. Ouabain, a Na+-K+ pump blocker, and Ni2 , a Na+-Ca2+ exchanger blocker, reversed the inhibitory effect of extracellular K+. CONCLUSION: In resistant arteries, the increase in [K+]o relaxes vascular smooth muscle and the underlying mechanisms differ according to the kinds of the arteries; Ba2 -insensitive mechanism in basilar artery and Ba2 -sensitive one in branches of SMA. It also inhibits [Ca2+]i increase in EC and thereby EDR. The initial mechanism of the inhibition may be due to the activation of Na+-K+ pump.
Acetylcholine ; Adenosine Triphosphate ; Animals ; Aorta ; Arteries ; Basilar Artery ; Calcium ; Carotid Arteries ; Dinoprost ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelium ; Endothelium-Dependent Relaxing Factors ; Humans ; Isometric Contraction ; Mesenteric Artery, Superior ; Mesentery ; Mice ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular* ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitroarginine ; Norepinephrine ; Ouabain ; Potassium ; Relaxation* ; Umbilical Veins ; Vasodilation

PURPOSE: This study was done to investigate the relationship of family function, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and general characteristics to loneliness in community dwelling Korean elders and identify factors affecting loneliness. METHOD: With a cross-sectional causal-relationship design and a convenience sample, 205 elders residing in three districts of the city of Seoul, S. Korea were recruited. Participants were assessed using the Family APGAR Score, Self-Esteem Scale, Life-Satisfaction Scale, and Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. RESULTS: The mean score for degree of loneliness (Mean=39.61, SD=10.09) was just below the mean for the scale (Possible range 20-80). Loneliness had significant negative correlations with family function (r= -.400, p<.001), self-esteem (r= -.399, p<.001), and life satisfaction (r= -.644, p<.001). Other general characteristics that had significant or nearly significant relationships with loneliness were perceived current financial and health status, whether doing any exercise or physical activities, degree of close relationship with family members, and length of living in current residence. Among variables, life satisfaction (Standardized beta = -.589, p<.001) and length of living in current residence (Standardized beta = -.136, p<.05) significantly predicted degree of loneliness. CONCLUSION: Findings of this study allow a comprehensive understanding of loneliness and related factors among community dwelling elders in Korea. However, further studies with a larger random sample from various living environments are necessary.
Apgar Score ; Humans ; Korea ; Loneliness* ; Motor Activity ; Seoul

Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is one of the most commonly used medications in global market, with a risk of intoxication in certain patients. However, monitoring blood drug concentration often requires frequent hospital visits; hence there is an unmet need to increase patientcentricity by conducting blood sampling at home. Volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS) is a device that allows collection of homogenous and accurate volume of blood without venipuncture, and can be utilized by patients who are not in hospital settings; but because ASA is prone to hydrolysis and stabilizing reagents cannot be added to VAMS samples, a way to improve sample stability must be developed. The objective of this study was to identify the cause of instability with ASA samples collected by VAMS, and to evaluate ways to improve sample stability. A liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used for analysis of ASA concentration in whole blood. Samples collected with VAMS were kept under different drying conditions (desiccator, pressurized, nitrogen gas and household vacuum sealer) and were compared to the control samples collected by conventional venous sampling. The recovery of ASA was about 31% of the control when VAMS sample was dried at room temperature, whereas VAMS samples under humidity controlled conditions showed more than 85% of recovery. Our results suggest that adequate level of humidity control was critical to ensure sample stability of ASA, and this humidity control could also be achieved at home using household vacuum sealer, thus enabling patient-centric clinical trials to be conducted.

BACKGROUND: The use of aroma oils dates back to at least 3000 B.C., where it was applied to mummify corpses and treat the wounds of soldiers. Since the 1920s, the term “aromatherapy” has been used for fragrance therapy with essential oils. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the essential oil of Eucalyptus (EOE) affects pain pathways in various pain conditions and motor coordination. METHODS: Mice were subjected to inhalation or intraperitoneal injection of EOE, and its analgesic effects were assessed by conducting formalin, thermal plantar, and acetic acid tests; the effects of EOE on motor coordination were evaluated using a rotarod test. To determine the analgesic mechanism, 5′-guanidinonaltrindole (κ-opioid antagonist, 0.3 mg/kg), naltrindole (δ-opioid antagonist, 5 mg/kg), glibenclamide (δ-opioid antagonist, 2 mg/kg), and naloxone (μ-opioid antagonist, 4, 8, 12 mg/kg) were injected intraperitoneally. RESULTS: EOE showed an analgesic effect against visceral pain caused by acetic acid (EOE, 45 mg/kg); however, no analgesic effect was observed against thermal nociceptive pain. Moreover, it was demonstrated that EOE did not have an effect on motor coordination. In addition, an anti-inflammatory effect was observed during the formalin test. CONCLUSIONS: EOE, which is associated with the μ-opioid pain pathway, showed potential effects against somatic, inflammatory, and visceral pain and could be a potential therapeutic agent for pain.
Acetic Acid ; Analgesics ; Animals ; Aromatherapy ; Cadaver ; Eucalyptus ; Formaldehyde ; Glyburide ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Mice ; Military Personnel ; Naloxone ; Narcotic Antagonists ; Nociceptive Pain ; Oils ; Oils, Volatile ; Pain Measurement ; Rotarod Performance Test ; Visceral Pain ; Wounds and Injuries