BACKGROUND: The 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-HT3) receptor is a member of the Cys-loop superfamily of ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs) and modulated by pharmacologic relevant concentrations of volatile anesthetics or n-alcohols like most receptors of LGICs. The goal of this study was to reveal whether the site-directed single mutations of E-106, F-107 and R-222 in 5-HT3 receptor may affect the anesthetic modulation of halothane known as positive modulator. METHODS: The wild-type and mutant receptors, E106D, F107Y, R222F, R222V, were expressed in Xenopus Laevis oocytes and receptor function was assessed using two electrode voltage clamp techniques. RESULTS: E106D, F107Y, R222F, R222V mutant 5-HT3A receptors were functionally expressed. F107Y mutant 5-HT3A receptors displayed decreased sensitivity to 5-HT compared to the wild type 5-HT3A receptor (P < 0.05). Halothane showed positive modulation in both wild and F107Y mutant 5-HT3A receptors but F107Y mutant 5-HT3 receptor showed greater enhancing modulation comparing to wild-type receptor. Meanwhile, R222F and R222V mutant 5-HT3 receptor lost positive modulation with 1 and 2 MAC of halothane. Most interestingly, positive modulation by halothane was converted into negative modulation in E106D mutant 5-HT3A receptor. CONCLUSIONS: The present study implicate the amino acid residues known for agonist binding and linking agonist binding to channel gating might also have important role for anesthetic modulation in 5-HT3A receptor.
Anesthetics ; Electrodes ; Electrophysiology ; Halothane ; Ligand-Gated Ion Channels ; Oocytes ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT3 ; Serotonin ; Xenopus laevis

The elderly are the most rapidly growing segment of the population in Korea and the largest consumers of expensive medical care. It is reasonable to believe that improving the nutritional status would be beneficial to reducing morbidity and to improving the quality of their lives. This study was conducted to assess the health status and the Nutritional Risk Index of the elderly, and to provide the basic data for the Elderly Nutrition Improvement Program at the Public Health Center. One hundred and forty seven(76 males. 71 females) aged 60 years and over living in Suwon, were assessed with anthropometric measurements, body fat analysis, blood pressure measurements, and a set of about health and other related variables. Over half of them had less than a junior middle school education and were considered low income. The percentage of overweight and obese subjects was 33% by the BMI(Body Mass Index), and the prevalence of hypertension was 28%(males) and 31%(females). They had a lot of self-recognized health problems, the male elderly complained about more than the female elderly. In the case of psychological health status, however, the female elderly showed a higher proportions of depression than the male elderly(p<0.05). In social health status, the elderly had good relationships with friends and collegues, whereas they had poor relationships with their families. They had many nutritional risk factors, and smoking was the most prevalent risk factor for the male elderly and anemia was for the female elderly. The results of this study suggest that Elderly Nutrition Improvement Programs should be planned that can be easily followed. It would be helpful to design a program focusing on individual phychological and social health status, this would increase the efficiency of the program.
Adipose Tissue ; Aged* ; Anemia ; Blood Pressure ; Depression ; Education ; Female ; Friends ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Male ; Nutritional Status ; Overweight ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Low energy intakes, poor nutritional quality, and low food diversity are among the factors affecting the nutritional status of elderly in Korea. Therefore, a nutrition counseling and education program was conducted to promote dietary change and to improve nutritional status of elderly. The 7 step program consisted of a individual nutrition counseling and weekly or biweekly group nutrition education programs. Pre- and post-test measurings of dietary behaviors, attitudes, nutrition knowledge, and 24-hour dietary recall data were collected. Positive changes in the attitude related to diet were noted, whereas nutritional knowledge scores were not improved. Significant increases were noted in the frequency of vegetable consumption in female and diversity of food consumption in male. The densities of vitamin C(male & female), B1, B2, and niacin, calculated using the INQ(Index of Nutritional Quality), were significantly improved by nutrition counseling and education programs. These results suggest the appropriateness of nutrition intervention programs for the improvement of elderly nutrition.
Aged* ; Community Health Centers* ; Counseling* ; Diet ; Education* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Niacin ; Nutritional Status ; Nutritive Value ; Vegetables ; Vitamins

No abstract available.
Brain Injuries*

BACKGROUND: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is the most frequent and discomforting side effect following general anesthesia. Most volatile anesthetics have a potent effect on serotonin (5-hydroxydtryptamine, 5-HT) type 3 receptor mediating PONV, and their antagonists have been currently used effectively to prevent and/or reduce the incidence and severity of PONV. The authors reported previously that ginsenosides have inhibitory effect on 5-HT3A receptor. In this study we intended to elucidate the inhibitory effect of ginsenosides on the potentiated 5-HT3A receptor by desflurane. METHODS: After in vitro transcription of the recombinant mouse 5-HT3A receptor in the Xenopus laevis oocyte, we examined the effects of ginsenosides (g-Rb1, g-Rg1, g-Rd, g-Rg2) as well as ginsenoside metabolite, compound K on the modulation of desflurane by measuring currents flowing through 5-HT3A receptor using two-electrode voltage clamp technique. RESULTS: Although normalized inhibitory responses of ginsenosides were same regardless of desflurane, some ginsenosides such as g-Rd, g-Rg2, and g-Rg1 showed potential inhibition to the enhanced 5-HT induced current of 5-HT3A receptor by desflurane. CONCLUSIONS: Although ginsenosides have substantial inhibitory effect on 5-HT3A receptor, the effects of ginsenoside on potentiation by desflurane of 5-HT induced current via recombinant 5HT3A receptor may depend on the types of ginsenoside, which suggesting that ginsenoside might have an antagonistic action to nausea and vomiting associated with volatile anesthetics.
Anesthesia, General ; Anesthetics ; Animals ; Ginsenosides ; Incidence ; Isoflurane ; Mice ; Nausea ; Negotiating ; Oocytes ; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting ; Serotonin ; Vomiting ; Xenopus ; Xenopus laevis

No abstract available.
Anesthetics, General* ; Brain Injuries* ; Brain*

To promote health status, strategies and interventions to improve nutrition should be based on the proper diagnosis of the subject's eating patterns. The elderly usually have traditional food habits and preferences, and it is very difficult to change them. This study was designed to identify dietary behavior and food preference of the elderly, in order to provide baseline data for the Elderly Nutrition Intervention Program for the Public Health Center. A survey questionnaire was made for use by trained interviewers to query 151elderly people from 5 community elderly centers located in Suwon, Korea. The majority of them ate regularly and partook of all available side dishes. Their major dietary problems were frequent consumptions of salty foods, and eating too quickly. They consumed grains and vegetables regularly, but seldomly ate dairy products, fruits, meat and food prepared with oil. They also tended to eschew ready made processed food, high cholesterol food, and fast food. Also they did not dine out as much as younger people. Desirable eating habit score were not significantly influenced by socioeconomic variables and nutrition-related characteristics. These included nutrition knowledge, Nutritional Risk Index(NRI) and a score of health concerns. However, meal balance scores were significantly higher in the younger group(p<.05), the higher household income group(p<.05). According to stepwise multiple regression analysis, NRI was the most important determinant of a desirable eating habit score for the male elderly, whereas the score of health concerns was most important for female elderly subjects. The greatest predictor of the meal f balance score was nutrition knowledge. The elderly liked sweet tasting food, grains, rice, stews and Korean style soups. They disliked sour food, dairy products, processed food, and bread. The results indicate that the Elderly Nutrition Education Program should focus on increasing consumption of dairy products, fruits and food with oil, prepared by traditional Korean cooking methods. It also suggests that the program planning should consider the socioeconomic status of the elderly, such as income and education level, as well as concern for health.
Aged* ; Bread ; Edible Grain ; Cholesterol ; Cooking ; Dairy Products ; Diagnosis ; Eating ; Education ; Family Characteristics ; Fast Foods ; Female ; Food Habits ; Food Preferences* ; Fruit ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Meals ; Meat ; Public Health ; Social Class ; Vegetables ; Surveys and Questionnaires

We had examined the invasive blood pressure monitoring of superficial temporal, radial and femoral artery in two eases of Takayasus syndrome with mitral regurgitation and acute renal artery infarction. Mitral valve replacement and aorto-renal bypass graft were done by using cardiopulmonary bypass and one-lung ventilation respectively, The results are ; 1) Superficial temporal artery monitoring was more reliable and less fluctuant than femoral and radial artery monitoring in blood pressure. But we dont know the relationship of adequate cerebral perfusion pressure and superficial temporal artery pressure. 2) The femoral artery pressure monitoring was not adequate when the patients had a problem with ascending and descending aorta patency. 3) We had good results in the patient management by the monitoring of superficial temporal artery pressure.
Aorta, Thoracic ; Blood Pressure Monitors* ; Blood Pressure* ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Femoral Artery ; Humans ; Infarction ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; One-Lung Ventilation ; Perfusion ; Radial Artery ; Renal Artery ; Temporal Arteries ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: The serotonin type 3 receptors are diffusely distributed in both the central and the peripheral nervous system. Physiological and pathophysiological processes thought to be mediated by this receptor include nausea and vomiting, peripheral nociception and central antinociception, conditioned aversion response to drugs, anxiety, and cognition. Because of the structural similarity between the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and the 5HT3 receptor, we investigated the effects of clinically used neuromuscular blockers on the 5HT3 receptor function related with PONV. METHODS: A cDNA clone encoding the full length murine 5HT3a receptor was subcloned into an oocyte expression vector and 50 ng of cRNA transcribed in vitro injected per oocyte. After 24 72 h incubation, oocytes were placed into a recording chamber continuously perfused with frog Ringer's solution and electrophysiological recordings were obtained by the two electrode voltage clamp technique. Serotonin with or without the various drugs were bath applied by a computer controlled solenoid valve. Peak currents induced by the drug applications were measured and dose responses were obtained. RESULTS: The 5HT3 receptor expression in Xenopus oocyte was identified by the pharmacologic tools. Serotonin induced rapid inward currents, and thus was showed dose-dependent: KD = 2.5 micrometer, Hill coefficiency = 2.09. Inhibition by the neuromuscular blockers showed dose-dependence and their inhibitory potency on 5HT3 receptor (IC50) was in order of d-tubocurarine (0.046 micrometer) > vecuronium (16.32 micrometer) > gallamine (1,169 micrometer). CONCLUSIONS: There was a different inhibitory effect of nicotinic cholinergic antagonists, clinically used neuromuscular blockers, on the 5HT3 receptor and a judicious selection of them might contribute to reducing the incidence of PONV clinically.
Anxiety ; Baths ; Cholinergic Antagonists ; Clone Cells ; Cognition ; DNA, Complementary ; Electrodes ; Gallamine Triethiodide ; Incidence ; Nausea ; Neuromuscular Blockade* ; Neuromuscular Blocking Agents* ; Nociception ; Oocytes* ; Peripheral Nervous System ; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting ; Receptors, Nicotinic ; RNA, Complementary ; Serotonin* ; Tubocurarine ; Vecuronium Bromide ; Vomiting ; Xenopus*

BACKGROUND: The serotonin type 3 receptors are diffusely distributed in both the central and the peripheral nervous system. Physiological and pathophysiological processes thought to be mediated by this receptor include nausea and vomiting, peripheral nociception and central antinociception, conditioned aversion response to drugs, anxiety, and cognition. Because of the structural similarity between the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and the 5HT3 receptor, we investigated the effects of clinically used neuromuscular blockers on the 5HT3 receptor function related with PONV. METHODS: A cDNA clone encoding the full length murine 5HT3a receptor was subcloned into an oocyte expression vector and 50 ng of cRNA transcribed in vitro injected per oocyte. After 24 72 h incubation, oocytes were placed into a recording chamber continuously perfused with frog Ringer's solution and electrophysiological recordings were obtained by the two electrode voltage clamp technique. Serotonin with or without the various drugs were bath applied by a computer controlled solenoid valve. Peak currents induced by the drug applications were measured and dose responses were obtained. RESULTS: The 5HT3 receptor expression in Xenopus oocyte was identified by the pharmacologic tools. Serotonin induced rapid inward currents, and thus was showed dose-dependent: KD = 2.5 micrometer, Hill coefficiency = 2.09. Inhibition by the neuromuscular blockers showed dose-dependence and their inhibitory potency on 5HT3 receptor (IC50) was in order of d-tubocurarine (0.046 micrometer) > vecuronium (16.32 micrometer) > gallamine (1,169 micrometer). CONCLUSIONS: There was a different inhibitory effect of nicotinic cholinergic antagonists, clinically used neuromuscular blockers, on the 5HT3 receptor and a judicious selection of them might contribute to reducing the incidence of PONV clinically.
Anxiety ; Baths ; Cholinergic Antagonists ; Clone Cells ; Cognition ; DNA, Complementary ; Electrodes ; Gallamine Triethiodide ; Incidence ; Nausea ; Neuromuscular Blockade* ; Neuromuscular Blocking Agents* ; Nociception ; Oocytes* ; Peripheral Nervous System ; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting ; Receptors, Nicotinic ; RNA, Complementary ; Serotonin* ; Tubocurarine ; Vecuronium Bromide ; Vomiting ; Xenopus*