No abstract available.

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Blood Pressure*

No abstract available.
Geriatrics*

No abstract available.
Estrogens*

No abstract available.
Disasters*

No Abstract Available.
Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic* ; Fatigue* ; Prevalence*

BACKGROUND: Pain is among the most prevalent symptoms experienced by patients with cancer. Severe pain is incompatible with quality of life. Although cancer pain can be effectively treated in 70-90% of patients with the principle of pain management, between 60% and 70% of cancer patients pain is inadequately treated. Both knowledge and attitudes of medical professionals are important for effective pain management. This study was designed to survey residents knowledge and attitudes toward cancer pain management in order to offer the basic data for researching the problems and education program of cancer pain management. METHODS: In February 1997, we surveyed 116 residents practising in 7 departments of one university hospital, including physicians and surgeons, with a case-oriented questionnaire assessing knowledge and attitudes toward cancer pain management. RESULTS: The percentage of residents choosing the correct answer for knowledge about pain management was, pain in the drug abuser(42.2%), equianalgesic dosing(47.4%), physical dependence(50.9%), WHO analgesic ladder(61.2%), neuropathic pain(62.9%), around the clock dosing(69.8%). The percentage of residents choosing answer for attitude toward cancer pain management ; upper limit to opioid prescription(46.5%), reluctance to prescribe morphine(45.7%), need of education for pain management(99.1%). Fear of side effects was the most frequent reason of their reluctance to prescribe opioids(80.4%.) Physicians had higher level of knowledge than surgeons(P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the presence of barriers to adequate pain control in Korea as identified in other countries. There is the lack of konwledge about cancer pain management and doctors are reluctant to prescribe because of negative attitudes towards pain management. This suggests a need for not simply offering knowledge but problemsolving education and training of pain management.
Education ; Humans ; Korea ; Pain Management* ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMC) is a critical event in the development of atherosclerosis. Endothelin-1(ET-1), a vasoconstrictor peptide produced by endothelial cells and VSMC, might play a role in vascular remodeling. To investigate the proposed 'mitogenic' potential of ET-1, we examined the effects of ET-1 on the proliferation if cultured porcine aortic VSMC and on the potential synergism with platelet-derived growth factor(PDGF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: VSMC were obtained from porcine aorta and cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium supplmented with 10% fetal bovine serum(FBS). VSMC grown subconfluently in 12-well plate were stimulated by ET-1, PDGF, and ET-1 & PDGF and DNA synthesis was determined as the uptake of 3H-thymidine into cell cultures. We also examined the effects of BQ123, a selective ETA receptor antagonist, and NG-methyl-L-arginine(NMLA), a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor. RESULTS: ET-1 elicited a 2.5-fold increase of cultured VSMC DNA synthesis, comparing with basal medium, and PDGF elicited a 4.8-fold increase, whereas ET-1 and PDGF elicited a 8.8-fold increase, showing synergistic effect. Proliferative activity of ET-1 on VSMC was blocked(39%) by BQ123, however, the synergistic effect of ET-1 and PDGF was not blocked by BQ123. The synergistic effect of ET-1 and PDGF was increased when co-stimulated with NMLA. CONCLUSION: ET-1 is a co-mitogen for VSMC from porcine aorta, whose proliferative activity requires serum or other growth factors such as PDGF for its maximal activity. The proliferative activity of ET-1 is considered to be transduced partly by selective activation of the ETA receptor, however, the synergistic effect of of ET-1 and PDGF is to be stimulated by non-ETA receptor.
Aorta ; Atherosclerosis ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Proliferation* ; DNA ; Eagles ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelin-1* ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular* ; Nitric Oxide Synthase

BACKGROUND: Many studies reported that endothelium-dependent vasodilator response is impaired in patients with congestive heart failure. But the opposite results also were reported. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of endothelial dysfunction and its characteristics. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Forearm blood flow was measured in 12 patients with congestvie heart failure (7 males and 5 females, mean age 53+/-11 years old) and 10 normal control subjects (5 males and 5 females, mean age 41+/-10 years old) using strain-gauge plethysmography. The endothelium-dependent vasodilators were acetylcholine (7.5, 15, and 30 microgram/min), which uses a pertussis toxin-sensitive signal transduction pathway, and bradykinin (100, 200, and 400 ng/min), which uses a pertussis toxin-insensitive signal transduction pathway to activate nitric oxide production. Sodium nitroprusside (0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 microgram/min) was used as an endothelium-independent vasodilator. All drugs were infused into the brachial artery with random order. RESULTS: The basal forearm blood flow was similar between both groups. The maximum flow in response to acetylcholine, bradykinin, and sodium nitroprusside was also similar in two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with congestive heart failure showed normal endothelium-dependent vasodilator responses to both acetylcholine and to bradykinin. This finding indicates that the endothelial vasodilator function is normal in the patients with heart failure.
Acetylcholine ; Brachial Artery ; Bradykinin ; Endothelium ; Endothelium-Dependent Relaxing Factors ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP)* ; Female ; Forearm ; Heart Failure* ; Humans ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitroprusside ; Plethysmography ; Signal Transduction ; Vasodilation* ; Whooping Cough