The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception and utilization of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for diabetic patients in Busan. The subjects were 227 patients at two general hospitals (over 400 bed). This study was performed through the interviewing process using questionnaires conducted from January to April, 2010. Of a total of subjects, 109 patients (48.0%) had taken CAM at least one time. The patients used CAM recognized that they were 'auxiliary medicines' (39.4%), 'supplementary health foods' (32.1%) and 'medicines' (19.3%), but inexperienced patients perceived them as 'supplementary health foods' (29.6%), 'unscientific treatment' (22.6%) and 'medicines' (20.2%), It was significantly different between two groups of patients (p < 0.001). The number of CAM types used for the patients was 51. The CAM types were plant foods (64.3%), dietary supplement (23.6%) and animal diets (12.1%). The patients used an average of 5.9 different kinds of CAM and an average of 3.8 years them and paid \93,345 per month. The patients with diabetic complications and for longer morbidity periods used CAM for significantly (p < 0.05) longer periods. The mean effectiveness scores of the patients used CAM were 3.31/5.00 for efficacy satisfaction, 3.58/5.00 for fewer side effects compared to those of oral drugs, 3.60/5.00 for psychological stability, 3.81/5.00 for easiness to use, and 3.06/5.00 for economic satisfaction. Of the patients that used CAM, 55.9% did not consult with doctors about CAM. More than two-thirds of the patients (77.1%) did not feel the need to consult with doctors.
Animals ; Complementary Therapies ; Diabetes Complications ; Diet ; Dietary Supplements ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Plants ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Intraoperative hypothermia occurs frequently, but hyperthermia is relatively rare during general anesthesia. We experienced a case of hyperthermia during living donor liver transplantation that appeared to be significantly associated with biliary obstruction. A 65-year-old male patient was diagnosed with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and living donor liver transplantation was planned after confirmation of no metastasis via intraoperative frozen biopsy. Following resection of a segment of common bile duct for frozen biopsy, the surgeon clamped the common bile duct, and the patient's body temperature increased gradually to 39.5°C. As the congested bile was drained, the body temperature decreased to the normal range. This case report suggests that when a patient develops unexplained hyperthermia during hepatobiliary surgery or in a chance of biliary obstruction, clinicians should consider bile congestion as a possible reason for hyperthermia.
Aged ; Anesthesia, General ; Bile ; Biopsy ; Body Temperature ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Common Bile Duct ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Fever* ; Humans ; Hypothermia ; Liver Transplantation* ; Liver* ; Living Donors* ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Reference Values

BACKGROUND: Diabetic neuropathy (DN) is the most common complication of diabetes, and approximately 50% of patients with this disease suffer from peripheral neuropathy. Nerve fiber loss in DN occurs due to myelin defects and is characterized by symptoms of impaired nerve function. Schwann cells (SCs) are the main support cells of the peripheral nervous system and play important roles in several pathways contributing to the pathogenesis and development of DN. We previously reported that human tonsil-derived mesenchymal stem cells differentiated into SCs (TMSC-SCs), named neuronal regeneration-promoting cells (NRPCs), which cells promoted nerve regeneration in animal models with peripheral nerve injury or hereditary peripheral neuropathy. METHODS: In this study, NRPCs were injected into the thigh muscles of BKS-db/db mice, a commonly used type 2 diabetes model, and monitored for 26 weeks. Von Frey test, sensory nerve conduction study, and staining of sural nerve, hind foot pad, dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were performed after NRPCs treatment. RESULTS: Von Frey test results showed that the NRPC treatment group (NRPC group) showed faster responses to less force than the vehicle group. Additionally, remyelination of sural nerve fibers also increased in the NRPC group. After NRPCs treatment, an improvement in response to external stimuli and pain sensation was expected through increased expression of PGP9.5 in the sole and TRPV1 in the DRG. CONCLUSION The NRPCs treatment may alleviate DN through the remyelination and the recovery of sensory neurons, could provide a better life for patients suffering from complications of this disease.