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

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

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

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

Continuous assessment of arterial oxygenation is important in the clinical management of critically ill patients. Analysis of arterial blood gas is reliable but is invasive and only provides intermittent informations. In order to determine the accuracy of pulse oximeters in ICU patients, arterial oxygen saturation was measured in 58 patients in ICU using two kinds of pulse oximeters (Ohmeda, CSI), while simutaneously analyzing arterial blood gases. The relationship between the pulse oximeters saturation (SpO2) and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) was evaluated, Group l consisted of 102 samples of SpO2 using an Ohmeda pulse oximter in 45 of 72 patients. Group ll included 102 samples of SpO2 using a CSl pulse oximeter in 45 of 72 patients. Both Ohmeda and CSI pulse oximeters were applied to 32 patients. Group lll had 204 samples, thE Sum of Groups l and ll. The results were as follow ; 1) The correlation coefficients of SpO2 to SaO2 in Groups l, ll and lll were 0.97, 0.90 and 0.96 (p < 0.775). 2) Mean difference between SaO2 and SpO2 in Groups l, ll and lll were almost within the limit of 1%. 3) The correlation coefficient of SpO2 between Ohmeda andcsr pulse oximeter was 0.79, and there was no mean difference between them in the 32 patients who were tested with both the Ohmeda and the CSI pulse oximeters. In conclusion, a pulse oximter is an accurate noninvasive device which assesses arterial oxygenation and provides information continuously. Wider clinical indication will follow.
Critical Illness ; Gases ; Humans ; Oximetry* ; Oxygen

BACKGROUND: Studies in animals suggest that pipecuronium dose not induce hemodynamic chan-ges related to histamine release or to an effect on the autonomic nervous system. Therefore the effects of bolus administration of large doses of pipecuronium, up to 0.20 mg/kg, on the intubation condition, onset and duration of neuromuscular blockade, heart rate and blood pressure were studied during fentanyl- nitrous oxide anesthesia. METHOD: Forty adults were randomly assigned to receive a bolus injection of either 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 mg/kg of pipecuronium. Neuromuscular blockade was measured using mechanomyographic activity of the adductor pollicis muscle after supramaximal stimulation of the ulnar nerve. Four subgroups of 10 patients received pipecuronium doses of 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20 mg/kg, respectively, as an intubating dose. RESULTS: The times of onset and clinical duration (mean sem) after each dose were as follows: 0.05 mg/kg, 2.98 0.42 and 41.5 2.42 min; 0.10 mg/kg, 1.54 0.06 and 82.9 7.48 min; 0.15 mg/kg, 1.41 0.14 and 124.8 13.1 min; 0.20 mg/kg, 1.12 0.05 and 187.1 12.8 min. The intubation condition, time of onset and duration after doses of 0.05 mg/kg were significantly different from values after the higer doses. The duration was increased with dose-increments. No dose-related changes in heart rate or blood pressure were observed. CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that dose of 0.10 mg/kg and over has good intubation condition clinically and large bolus dose of pipecuronium can be safely used with a significantly prolonged duration of action without hemodynamic change.
Adult* ; Anesthesia ; Animals ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Blood Pressure ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics ; Histamine Release ; Humans ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal* ; Neuromuscular Blockade ; Nitrous Oxide ; Pipecuronium* ; Ulnar Nerve

Many historical general anesthetics have been waxed and waned in the market of anesthetic field, mostly due to organ toxicities related to their metabolism, active metabolites and biodegradation, or other reasons. Modern anesthetics available now are known to undergo metabolism to the extent of clinical insignificance compared with the old ones. However, animal studies provided extensive evidences showing that general anesthetics are neurotoxic or neuroprotective in certain circumstances along with the advancement of knowledge on simultaneous neural injury and healing processes. Until now, there have been few prospective randomized clinical trials conducted to reveal these two issues. In fact, the concerns of the long-term effect of anesthetics on cognitive and behavior decline seem to be in arrears compared with those of the immediate effect of anesthetics, such as the rapidity of onset/offset of action, intraoperative hemodynamic controls or postoperative nausea and vomiting, etc. At present, we anesthesiologists, are challenged with the rapidly changing environments, in which the elderly population grows or a variety of sedation depth are required especially for patients of extreme ages. Concerns on anesthetics' effects with double edged sword are mounting from basic scientists and/or anesthesiologists, as well as public society, such as FDA in US. Therefore, I review the current findings from animal and human researches regarding the anesthetic potentials for neuroprotection and/or neurotoxicity under certain circumstances and their links with findings of clinical researches.
Aged ; Anesthetics ; Anesthetics, General ; Animals ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting

We observed one patient who developed sudden unilateral blindness following general anesthesia. After genera1 anesthesia with the prone position of the patient, the affected eye had no perception of light. Three days after, funduscopic features revealed narrowing of retinal artery, whitening or opacification of the retinal and a cherry-red spot. Central retinal artery occlusion can occur after surgery, possible etiologic factors being hypotension, extrinsic pressure on the eyeball. Proper positioning of the head on an adequate headrest and avoidance of an ocular compression will prevent the extrinsic pressure on the eyeball.
Anesthesia* ; Anesthesia, General ; Blindness ; Head ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Prone Position ; Retinal Artery Occlusion* ; Retinal Artery* ; Retinaldehyde

Leventhal, et al. described a preoperative scoring system for myasthenic patients undergoing transsternal thymectomy, which includes four key risk factors. There were : 1) duration of myasthenia gravis greater than 6 years (12 points); 2) a history of chronic respiratory disease not due to myasthenia gravis(10 points); 3) a dose of pyridostigmine greater than 750mg per day 48 hours before operation (8 points); 4) a preoperative vital capacity less than 2.9L(4 points). Thirty-seven patients with myasthenia gravis undergoing transsternal thymectomy under general inhalation anesthesia with or without muscle relaxants were applied to scoring system by leventhal, et al. retrospectively. The predicitive score was assessed for each patient and the duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation was also noted for each patient. in this study, there was correct in 23/37(62.2%) of the cases, with 9 out of 27 being incorrectly predicted to be ready for tracheal extubation(false positive) and 5 out of 10 being incorrectly predicted to need ventilation(false positve). In conclusion, the scoring system proposed by leventhal, et al. may be some value in predicting whether or not a particular myasthenic patient was likely to need mechanical ventilation following transsternal thymectomy.
Anesthesia, Inhalation ; Humans ; Myasthenia Gravis* ; Pyridostigmine Bromide ; Respiration, Artificial* ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Thymectomy* ; Ventilation ; Vital Capacity