The most common disease in Korea is smoking and the number of the sufferers is about twelve million. The prevalence of smoking among doctors may indicate the likelihood of success of population-based anti-tobacco campaigns. It has been established that the decline in the prevalence of smoking among physicians has preceded the decline in the general population according to the Kunz's two-phase model in smoking epidemic. There is also evidence that physicians who smoke are less likely to counsel patients about the hazards of smoking. For these three reasons it is important to understand the current smoking status among medical doctors. The smoking rate was reported to be 34.9% among Korean doctors in male and 2.3% in female in 2000. In the same period it has been reported to be 67.6% in male and 3% in female in the general population. According to Kunz, Korea is a mature country in terms of smoking epidemic. All the doctors should be well aware that there are effective and scientific ways of smoking cessation. But the proportion of doctors who have never been educated for smoking cessation was 97.9%. Undergraduate and continuous medical education for smoking cessation should be reinforced. The drop smoking rate among Korean medical doctors is mandatory.
Education, Medical ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Prevalence ; Smoke* ; Smoking Cessation ; Smoking*

No abstract available.
Ethics*

No abstract available.
Tobacco Smoke Pollution*

BACKGROUND: It has been found that sterss challenge with heat shock produces the acquisition of cellular resistance to ischemin injury in the hearts, which is associated with stress protein induction. The conventional heat shock(42degrees C of rectal temperature for 15min, anesthetized animal), however, is strong enough to endanger the animal life and then not suitable for practiocal application in human. The present study was performedd in an attempt to search the safely applicabel stress modalities to acquire the myocardial tolerance to ischemia-reperfusion in jury. METHODS: Male, Sprague-Ddawley rats(200-250g) were exposed to various stressful conditions, such as heat stimulation(environmental temperature of 42degrees C for 30min, live animal), swimming(20min), immobilization(60min), treadmill exercise(20M/min, 30min) and hyperbaric oxygenation(3atm, 60min) given once a day for 5 days. Twenty-four hours after the last application the hearts were isolated and perfused with oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit buffer solution by Langendorff method. Ischemia-reperfusion injury was produced by 20 min-global ischemia followed by 30 min-reperfusion. Cardiac mechanical function, lactate dehydrogenase release, the induction of stree proteins were assayed and compared dbetween the stressed dand the control animals. RESULTS: Upon reperfusion after ischemia the recovery of cardiac function was significantly improved in the stressed animals. The percentile recovery at 30min of reperfusion was in a range from 55.3%(swimming) to 89.3%(treadmill exercise), which was significantly higher than that of the control hearts(38%). The functional recovery of the conventional heat shocked heart was 57.7%. In stressed animals, lactate dehydrogenase release, which indicates myocardial cell injury, was significantly reduced by 20 to 30% compared to that for the control. The expression of an inducible form of 70 series stress protein, SP72, which was assayed by immunoblotting method, was markedly increased by heat stimulation while the other stress modalities failed to increase, it. There were no appreciable inductions of SP73(constitutive form) and GRR78 in the stressed animals. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the cardiac protection from the ischemia-reperfusion injury could be induced by the repetitive non-fatal stress stimulations and that SP70 family proteins may be partly involved in the cardioprotective effect produced by heat stimulation, but not play the essential roles in anti-ischemic effects produced by other stress modalities.
Animals ; Heart* ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Ischemia ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Male ; Oxygen ; Rats* ; Reperfusion ; Reperfusion Injury ; Shock

No abstract available.
Humans ; Patient Education as Topic* ; Primary Health Care*

No abstract available.
Chest Pain* ; Thorax*

The origin of the periodic health examination can be traced to Horace Dobell, a British physician. The periodic health examination became popular in the early 20th century with many advocates such as the life insurance companies, private corporate industry, medical professionals, and the prepaid health care in North America. The contents and legitimacy of periodic health examination has changed markedly over time according to the objectives. There were various objectives of the periodic health examination according to the advocates: reduction of morbidity and mortality, scientific knowledge, economic savings, professional empowerment, the patient-physician relationship, satisfaction of patient demand, and efficient administration. Recent remarkable changes led by Canadian Task Force and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force were the emphasis of reduction of disease-specific morbidity and mortality, risk adjusted application, and the inclusion of counseling, immunization, and chemoprophylaxis. Health screening has become a promising medical practice in Korea. The main environment of the periodic health examination in Korea is fee-for-service system, the national medical insurance system, and Korean cultural background. However, the consensus of Korean government and society for controlling medical cost will limit the irrational prosperity of periodic health examination in near future.
English Abstract ; History of Medicine, 20th Cent. ; Patient Education/*history ; Preventive Health Services/*history

No abstract available.
Humans

BACKGROUND: To investigate the possibie difference, if any, between office blood pressure(BP) and home BP may be important in the diagnosis and treatment of hypersensive patients. This report deails the difference between the two BP's and the usefulness of digital electronic sphygmomanometer(DES) for self-monitoring of home BP. METHODS: The BP's of 14 patients with essential hypertension were measured with mercury sphygmomanometers at outpatient department by physician and with DES at home(twice a day) by the patients. Patients were followed up every 2 weeks for 4 weeks and previous 2 weeks' average home BP's were compared with the office BP's of each 2 weeks' end. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between office and home BP(both systolic and diastolic) ; office average BP(151/95mmHg) was higher than home average BP(136/86mmHg). CONCLUSION: Caution may be needed in the interpretation of office BP unless it is measured several times after adequate rest.
Blood Pressure* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Outpatients ; Sphygmomanometers*