BACKGROUND: Since the demonstration of the fact that vascular relaxation by acetylcholine(Ach) results from the release of relaxing factor from the endothelium, the identity and physiology of this endothelium-derived relaxing factor(EDRF) has been the target for many researches. EDRF has been identified as nitric oxide(NO). With the recent evidences that EDRF is an important mediator of vascular tone, there have been increasing interests in defining the role of the EDRF as a potential mediator of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. But the role of EDRF in modulating the pulmonary circulation is not compeletely clarified. To investigate the endotbelium-dependent pulmonary vasodilation and the role of EDRF during hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, we studied the effects of N(G)-monornethyl-L-arginine(L-NMMA) and L-arginine on the precontracted pulmonary arterial rings of the rat in normoxia and hypoxia. METHODS: The pulmonary arteries of male Sprague Dawley(300~350g) were dissected free of surrounding tissue, and cut into rings. Rings were mounted over fine rigid wires, in organ chambers filled with 20ml of Krebs solution bubbled with 95 percent oxygen and 5 percent carbon dioxide and maintained at 37℃. Changes in isometric tension were recorded with a force transducer(FT. 03 Grass, Quincy, USA). RESULTS: 1) Precontraction of rat pulmonry artery with intact endothelium by phenylephrine(PE, 10(-6)M) was relaxed completely by acetylcholine(Ach, 10(-9) -10(-5)M) and sodium nitroprusside (SN, 10(-9) -10(-5)M), but relaxing response by Ach in rat pulmonary artery with denuded endothelium was significantly decreased. 2) L-NMMA(10-4M) pretreatment inhibited Ach(10(-9) -10(-5)M)-induced relaxation, but L-NMMA(10-4M) had no effect on relaxation induced by SN(10(-9) -10(-5)M). 3) Pretreatment of the L-arginine(10(-4)M) significantly reversed the inhibition of the Ach(10(-9) -10(-5)M)-induced relaxation caused by L-NMMA(10(-4)M). 4) Pulmonary arterial contraction by PE(10(-6)M) was stronger in hypoxia than normoxia but relaxing response by Ach(10(-9) -10(-5)M) was decreased. 5) With pretreatment of L-arginine(10(-4)M), pulmonary arterial relaxation by Ach(10(-9) -10(-5)M) in hypoxia was reversed to the level of relaxation in normoxia. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that rat pulmonary arterial relaxation by Ach is dependent on the intact endothelium and is largely mediated by NO. Acute hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is related to the suppression on NO formation in the vascular endothelium.
Animals ; Anoxia ; Arginine ; Arteries ; Carbon Dioxide ; Endothelium ; Endothelium, Vascular ; Humans ; Male ; Nitric Oxide* ; Nitroprusside ; omega-N-Methylarginine ; Oxygen ; Physiology ; Poaceae ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Circulation ; Rats* ; Relaxation* ; Vasoconstriction* ; Vasodilation

PURPOSE: To evaluate the biologic changes of xenograft (Lubboc, Transphyto S. A., Clermont-Ferrand, France) applied in the surgical treatment of calcaneal fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Xenograft were used in twenty-five calcaneal fractures, as bone substitutes for mechanical support of the articular surface from March 1994 to December 1996. Twenty-four cases had obtained clinical and radiological bony union without complications. We performed biopsy at the xenograft area in eight cases when the hardware was removed. And then we took a magnetic resonance imaging of the calcaneus after the biopsy in three cases. RESULTS: The pathologic findings of the xenografts showed dead bony trabeculae with inflammed fibrous tissue. There was no osteoblastic activity but some osteoclastic activity was seen in the graft-host junctional area. MRI findings showed that there was well-circumscribed, low-signal intensity in the xenograft area contrast to the normal bony signal intensity. Its lesion was equal to the sclerotic finding in the calcaneal radiograph. CONCLUSIONS: Xenograft (LUBBOC'), which is used in the mechanical support of the articular surface, apparently lacks osteogenic capacity.
Biopsy ; Bone Substitutes ; Calcaneus ; Heterografts* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoclasts

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Neointimal hyperplasia, which was caused by smooth muscle cell proliferation, was noted to occur after performing percutaneous coronary intervention. Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor has been shown to inhibit smooth muscle cell proliferation. Udenafil is one of the PDE5 inhibitors, and it is also expected to inhibit smooth muscle cell proliferation and reduce neointimal hyperplasia. We investigated the effect of udenafil on the smooth muscle cell proliferation and neointimal hyperplasia that occurs after balloon injury in the carotid arteries of rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Smooth muscle cells were treated with 1 mM, 100 micrometer, 10 micrometer, 1 micrometer and 100 nM concentrations of udenafil. The viability of the smooth muscle cells was evaluated by MTT assay. The carotid arteries of rats were injured with a balloon catheter. Udenafil (100 micrometer, 10 micrometer and 1 micrometer) was applied on the carotid artery adventitia after balloon injury. At 21 days after treatment, the carotid arteries were harvested and stained with H & E. The neointima and media area were measured with a computerized image analysis program. RESULTS: In the in vitro experiment, treatment with 1 mM udenafil reduced smooth muscle cell viability by 68.8+/-4.42% compared to the control group. In the balloon injured rat carotid artery, treatment with 100 micrometer udenafil reduced the neointima area by 71.8% compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: Udenafil administration effectively inhibited smooth muscle cell proliferation and it reduced neointimal hyperplasia in the balloon-injured rat carotid artery.
Adventitia ; Animals ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery Injuries ; Catheters ; Cell Proliferation ; Hyperplasia ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Neointima ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors ; Pyrimidines ; Rats ; Sulfonamides

PURPOSE: To compare high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels and lipid profiles between Korean normal tension glaucoma (NTG) patients and healthy controls. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 38 Korean patients with NTG and 38 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. We excluded the patients with cardiovascular risk factors and other systemic diseases that might affect CRP levels and lipid profiles. Each patient underwent a Humphrey visual field examination and blood sampling for hsCRP and lipid profile analyses. Subsequently, the NTG patients were classified into two groups based on their untreated intraocular pressure (IOP) level: low NTG (LNTG) with IOP< or =13 mmHg (13 subjects) and high NTG (HNTG) with relatively high IOP (>13 and < or =21 mmHg, 25 subjects). The hsCRP levels and lipid profiles were compared between NTG patients and healthy controls, and between LNTG, HNTG, and healthy controls. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in hsCRP and lipid profiles between either the NTG patients and healthy controls, or between the LNTG, HNTG, and controls (p>0.05) after exclusion of Korean patients with cardiovascular risk factors. There was no significant association between hsCRP and visual field indices (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein-related vascular inflammatory conditions may not be directly associated with the development of NTG, regardless of the untreated IOP level.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; *Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; C-Reactive Protein/*metabolism ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Lipids/*blood ; Low Tension Glaucoma/*blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Hearing impaired people have a lot of difficulty in communicating when they visit medical institutions. This study was to reveal the family physicians' perception and attitude for the hearing impaired people, and the effect of those factors on the actual physicians' practice behavior for the disabled. METHODS: We sent questionnaires by post mail to 1,000 members listed in the 2007 address book of the Korean Association of Family Medicine. RESULTS: Among the total of 90 family physicians who had answered, 72 (80.8%) had willing attitude to treat the hearing impaired people, and the most important reason was that it was essentially a doctor's duty. In the group who were unwilling to treat the disabled, the most principal reason was that they were not equipped with sufficient facility and medical system. Gender was the only factor affecting the physicians' attitude significantly and the female doctors had a higher intention to treat the hearing impaired people than male doctors (P=0.035). Age, location of hospital, number of patients, practical experience of hearing impaired people had no significant effect on doctors' attitude. The number of physicians who volunteered to participate for the hearing impaired people's health promotion personally was significantly higher in the group of treatment intention (P=0.007). Nevertheless, few physicians had the willingness to equip the hospital facility for the hearing disabled, even in the group of willingness to treat the disabled. The most important reason was that very few disabled patients visit their clinic, and so forth they felt no necessity to improve and re-organize their clinical environment. CONCLUSION: Most family physicians are willing to treat hearing impaired people. But even in the willing group, almost all of them are unwilling to improve or equip the medical facilities for the hearing impaired people personally, because only a few disabled people visit the primary care hospital in the real practice.
Female ; Health Promotion ; Hearing ; Humans ; Intention ; Male ; Physicians, Family ; Postal Service ; Primary Health Care ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: In these days the metabolic syndrome threatens many people of Korea. Several studies have suggested that the dietary habits are associated with the risk of the metabolic syndrome. The purpose of this study was to find out relations between the components of the metabolic syndrome and the dietary habits. METHODS: The subjects of this study included 1,005 non-smoking premenopausal females aged from 20 to 49 years old who visited the health promotion center of a university hospital. Dietary questionnaire was composed of dietary habits and specific food intake frequency during the past 3 months. RESULTS: The subjects who had more than one metabolic components were 361 (36%), and those who had the metabolic syndrome was 35 (3.5%). After multivariate logistic analysis adjusted with age, BMI, smoking status, alcohol intake, and exercise, the abdominal obesity risk was significantly increased in those who had irregular meals (P for trend= 0.049), skip meals (P for trend=0.050), faster meal time (P=0.017), and intake of saturated fat more frequently (P=0.043). The abdominal obesity risk was significantly increased in those who overate or binged eating 7gt; or =3 times/week than <1 time/week {OR (95% CI), 2.49 (1.07~5.80)}, intake fruit <1 time/week than 6~7 times/week {OR (95% CI), 4.46 (1.20~16.54)}. A risk for high blood pressure was significantly increased in those who had breakfast 1~2 times/week than those had it 6~7 times/week {OR (95% CI), 1.91 (1.07~3.42)}. The risk for impaired fasting glucose was significantly increased in those had breakfast <1 time/week than those who had 6~7 times/week {OR (95% CI), 2.27 (1.20~4.28), P for trend=0.018}. CONCLUSION: There was a correlation between dietary habits and metabolic syndrome components. Among the dietary habits, irregular meals, skipping breakfast, skipping meals, fast meal time, overeating or binge eating tendency, low intake of fruits and high intake of saturated fat were associated with the risk of the metabolic syndrome components.
Aged ; Breakfast ; Bulimia ; Eating ; Fasting ; Female ; Food Habits ; Fruit ; Glucose ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Hyperphagia ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Meals ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Recently, the mass media serves a major role in the public health education, but have not been proven whether they are being appropriately utilized in the elderly. The aim of this study was to identify the elderly person's concern in the mass media health information and utilization behavior. METHODS: Between March to June 2008, one to one survey with the elderly people over 60 years was performed in two elderly welfare centers, one public health center, and two secondary hospitals outpatients and inpatients in Seoul and Chungju. RESULTS: A total of 999 subjects were included. By multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with low concern in the mass media health information were low educational level, non-exercise group, and low concern in own health (P = 0.001, 0.009, < 0.001, respectively). The most frequently utilized health information source was the mass media. By comparing the frequency of health information utilization, women, low educational level, low income, non-exercise group, underweight, low level of self-evaluated health status, and low concern in health information were significantly associated with the lowest quintile of utilization (P value: < 0.001, 0.005, 0.05, < 0.001, 0.002, 0.03, 0.005, respectively). However, the presence of chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, had no association. CONCLUSION: In community-dwelling elderly, important factors associated with concern in and utilization of the mass media health information were concern in health, self-evaluated health status, exercise status and socioeconomic factors such as education or income level, rather than comorbid chronic disease.
Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Inpatients ; Mass Media ; Multivariate Analysis ; Outpatients ; Public Health ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Thinness

BACKGROUND: Whole body vibration exercise is currently being researched for potential therapeutic and exercise performance benefits. Little is known about the physiological effects of whole body vibration on humans. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of whole body vibration on body weight and body compositions. METHODS: One hundred and twelve healthy college students were separated into two groups; one was the whole body vibration exercise group, the other the control group. The exercise program was more than 10 minutes of whole body vibration exercise and the frequency was more than 3 times per week during three months. Body weight and body composition were checked at the beginning and the end point of this study. RESULTS: A total of 91 students finished this study (56 males, 35 females). No significant difference was found in body weight, body mass index, muscle mass, fat mass, body fat ratio, visceral fat area between the study and the control groups. In females, slight increase as found in body weight (exercise vs. control; 1.1 +/- 1.1 kg vs. 0.3 +/- 1.9 kg, P = 0.03), body mass index (0.5 +/- 0.4 kg/m2, 0.0 +/- 0.5 kg/m2, P = 0.002), fat mass (0.8 +/- 0.9 kg, -0.3 +/- 1.4 kg, P = 0.008), and fat ratio (1.0 +/- 1.5%, -0.6 +/- 2.4%, P = 0.03) in the study group compared with the control group, clinically significant or not. The increase mainly occurred in normal body mass index group in the female study group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that whole body vibration exercise has no significant effect on reducing body weight and fat mass, visceral fat area and on increasing muscle mass.
Adipose Tissue ; Body Composition ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Female ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Male ; Muscles ; Vibration ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: More than half of the causes of male osteoporosis is due to secondary osteoporosis. Therefore, it is important to detect and modify its related factors. The aim of this study was to find related lifestyle factors and biochemical markers with low bone mineral density (BMD) in Korean men. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was performed in men aged 40-69 years who visited a hospital for health checkup from January to March 2007. BMD was measured at proximal femur and lumbar spine by dual energy x-ray absorptionmetry. Lifestyle factors were estimated by a self-administered questionnaire and fasting glucose, uric acid, gamma glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, free testosterone, 25-OH vitamin D, urine deoxypyridinoline, osteocalcin were measured. Multivariate logistic regression was used to find the association to the lowest tertile of BMD. RESULTS: A total of 152 subjects were included. After multivariate analysis adjusted with age, BMI, smoking, alcohol and exercise, different factors were correlated with low bone density in each site of femoral neck and lumbar spine. Factors correlated at both sites were BMI and exercise; lower BMI and doing no exercise increased risks of low bone density. Increasing age and alcohol intake > or = 14 drinks/week were associated with lower BMD at femoral neck. The factors associated with lower lumbar spine BMD only were lower level of uric acid and higher level of urine deoxypyridinoline. CONCLUSION: Different factors were associated with low bone density at femoral neck and lumbar spine in men. BMI and exercise were related in both sites; age, alcohol intake, uric acid and deoxypyridinoline were related on either site.
Adult ; Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Amino Acids ; Biomarkers ; Bone Density ; Creatinine ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Fasting ; Femur ; Femur Neck ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; Glucose ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Life Style ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Osteocalcin ; Osteoporosis ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spine ; Testosterone ; Uric Acid ; Vitamin D ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common problem in patients undergoing thyroidectomy. In this study we evaluated the effects of prophylactic dolasetron and/or induction with propofol on PONV. METHODS: Two hundred three patients scheduled thyroidectomy under general anesthesia with sevoflurane were included and were randomly allocated to one of four groups. In control (group C) and dolasetron groups (group D), the patients received thiopental sodium 4-5 mg/kg intravenously for the induction of anesthesia, and the patients in group D received prophylactic intravenous dolasetron 210 microgram/kg. In propofol (group P) and dolasetron + propofol groups (group D + P), the patients received propofol 2 mg/kg intravenously for the induction of anesthesia, and the patients in group D + P received prophylactic intravenous dolasetron 210 microgram/kg. The incidence and severity of PONV, the need for rescue antiemetics, adverse events were assessed during 0 to 1 hour and 1 to 24 hours postoperatively. RESULTS: During the first 24 hours after anesthesia, the incidences of PONV and postoperative vomiting were significantly reduced in group D + P compared with group C (P < 0.05, respectively). There were no significant differences in postoperative nausea, need for rescue antiemetics, severity of PONV, and adverse events of antiemetics among the four groups. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with thyroidectomy, combination of prophylactic dolasetron administration and induction with propofol was found to reduce the incidence of PONV during the first 24 hours after anesthesia, compared with that of routine induction with thiopental sodium.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Antiemetics ; Humans ; Incidence ; Indoles ; Methyl Ethers ; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting ; Propofol ; Quinolizines ; Thiopental ; Thyroidectomy