No abstract available.
Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Echocardiography*

BACKGROUND: The previous studies suggested that the rate of the people who reported having sensitivity to cold and Raynaud's disease were 12% and 5~10% of general population respectively. There are surprisingly few data on 'cold hands and feet syndrome', the conventional circulatory disorder in far-eastern Asia in spite of the assumption that it is a common disorder among Korean population. Besides, the prevalence of Raynaud's disease has not been studied for Korean complaint of the syndrome. Therefore, we conducted the survey regarding the frequency of Baynaud's disease and phenomenon among the people appealed abnormal sensory symptoms on hands and feet, and 'cold hands and feet syndrome'. METHODS: The questionnaires were asked to 1,008 out- patients who complained abnormal sensory symptoms on hands and feet. The subjects were screened among the patients who visited the clinics, mainly department of family medicine in Uijongbu St. Mary's hospital from January to July 2003. RESULTS: The most common abnormal sensory symptoms were tingling feeling and coldness, pain in the descending order. The mean age of the patients is 47 years, the average age at the onset of the symptoms is 40 years, and the mean duration they had been suffered by the symptoms is 7 years. During interview, 289 patients voluntarily appealed 'cold hands and feet syndrome' in expression of "I have cold extremities" or "I have the syndrome". Among the screened patients, 510 patients answered, "yes" to the question "Are your fingers unusually sensitive to cold?" Two hundred and nineteen patients (43%) of them showed Raynaud's phenomenon. One hundred and sixty patients were diagnosed as Raynaud's disease among 219 patients who had Raynaud's phenomenon. The rest 59 patients were diagnosed as secondary Raynaud's phenomenon. Eighty-seven patients (30%) of 289 patients who voluntarily reported 'cold hands and feet syndrome' were diagnosed as Raynaud's disease. The average age of Raynaud's disease patients is 37 years old, average first attack age is 24 years, and average suffering period is 14 years. Only 10% of cases experienced the first attacks after 40 years old. The attack rates are different by gender. The ratio is 2.3 and higher in female. Only six patients (4%) of Raynaud's disease had been diagnosed accurately. Fifty-three patients (33%) have family history and 41 of them are the first-degree relatives. The causes of secondary Raynaud's phenomenon (59 patients) are connective tissue disorders, neurologic diseases, carpal tunnel syndrome, hypothyroidism, vascular disorders, etc. The statistically significant factors that influence on Raynaud's disease are female, below 40 years old, stress, family history, hypertension, diabetes, etc. The statistical analysis in this study does not prove the association between the disease and the factors such as physical labor, manual labor using hands heavily, smoking, drinking, thyroid diseases, joint disorders, ischemic heart disease, depression. CONCLUSION: Raynaud's disease has been underlooked even though it is not uncommon and can be easily diagnosed and treated. In conclusion, the result of our study suggests that abnormal sensory symptoms on hands and feet, especially 'cold hands and feet syndrome', the conventional circulatory disorder, are the medical condition where special concern on Raynaud's disease is required.
Adult ; Asia ; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ; Connective Tissue ; Depression ; Diagnosis* ; Drinking ; Female ; Fingers ; Foot* ; Hand* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypothyroidism ; Joints ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Nervous System Diseases ; Prevalence ; Raynaud Disease* ; Sensation* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Thyroid Diseases ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Many patients with "cold hands/feet syndrome" have been taking herbal medicine or medicine to improve blood circulation without proven evidence. Raynaud's disease had been neglected in primary care. This study was conducted to investigate the recognition for Raynaud's disease and "cold hands/feet syndrome" by family doctors. METHODS: A questionnaire was posted to 905 family doctors who were in practice from January to July 2003. RESULTS: Among the 274 respondents, 58 (21%) reported that they have seen patients with "sensitive to cold" frequently and 208 (76%) doctors have seen such patients sometimes. Only 8 (3%) doctors answered that they have never seen patients with such symptoms. When such patients see a doctor and complain of "cold hands/feet syndrome", most doctors (60%) prescribed medicine that improved blood circulation (83%) or calcium channel blockers (9%). In case of questions like 'Do you suspect "cold hands/feet syndrome" or "sensitive to cold" contain Raynaud's disease?', 132 (48%) doctors answered 'yes'. And among the 132 doctors, only 15 (11.2%) doctors thought that those patients with "cold hands/feet syndrome" had Raynaud's disease. In addition when the doctors diagnosed the condition as Raynaud's disease, 54% prescribed medicine that improved blood circulation (52%) or calcium channel blockers (40%). CONCLUSION: Most doctors prescribe medicine that improves blood circulation for cold hands/feet syndrome. Many doctors also prescribe medicine to improve blood circulation for Raynaud's disease frequently. The result of our study suggests that there is a need to train doctors so that recognized and diagnosed Raynaud's disease can be correctly.
Blood Circulation ; Calcium Channel Blockers ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Primary Health Care ; Raynaud Disease*

BACKGROUND: Many patients with "cold hands/feet syndrome" have been taking herbal medicine or medicine to improve blood circulation without proven evidence. Raynaud's disease had been neglected in primary care. This study was conducted to investigate the recognition for Raynaud's disease and "cold hands/feet syndrome" by family doctors. METHODS: A questionnaire was posted to 905 family doctors who were in practice from January to July 2003. RESULTS: Among the 274 respondents, 58 (21%) reported that they have seen patients with "sensitive to cold" frequently and 208 (76%) doctors have seen such patients sometimes. Only 8 (3%) doctors answered that they have never seen patients with such symptoms. When such patients see a doctor and complain of "cold hands/feet syndrome", most doctors (60%) prescribed medicine that improved blood circulation (83%) or calcium channel blockers (9%). In case of questions like 'Do you suspect "cold hands/feet syndrome" or "sensitive to cold" contain Raynaud's disease?', 132 (48%) doctors answered 'yes'. And among the 132 doctors, only 15 (11.2%) doctors thought that those patients with "cold hands/feet syndrome" had Raynaud's disease. In addition when the doctors diagnosed the condition as Raynaud's disease, 54% prescribed medicine that improved blood circulation (52%) or calcium channel blockers (40%). CONCLUSION: Most doctors prescribe medicine that improves blood circulation for cold hands/feet syndrome. Many doctors also prescribe medicine to improve blood circulation for Raynaud's disease frequently. The result of our study suggests that there is a need to train doctors so that recognized and diagnosed Raynaud's disease can be correctly.
Blood Circulation ; Calcium Channel Blockers ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Primary Health Care ; Raynaud Disease*

Cerebral ischemia can have severe results and disrupt quality of life. Current medicine is not effective at overcoming these problems. To find out more effective therapies, it is necessary to understand the microenvironment of cerebral injury after the ischemia. In the present study, to investigate the effects of inflammatory reaction, indomethacin, an anti-inflammatory drug, was used in a photothrombotic focal infarction rat model. It was revealed that cerebral ischemia increased neurogenesis in the subventricular (SVZ) and subgranular zones (SGZ), and in the penumbral region. Indomethacin treatment reduced the cerebral ischemia-induced neurogenesis by 86.2%, 53.8%, and 52.8% respectively. Cerebral ischemia increased gliosis and angiogenesis in the penumbral region and indomethacin reduced gliosis and angiogenesis by 48.2% and 58.1%, respectively. These results suggest that indomethacin treatment after the cerebral ischemia can reduce neurogenesis, angiogenesis, and gliosis in the penumbral region.
Brain Injuries* ; Brain Ischemia ; Brain* ; Gliosis ; Indomethacin* ; Infarction ; Inflammation ; Ischemia ; Models, Animal ; Neurogenesis ; Quality of Life

Neurogenesis can be induced by pathological conditions such as cerebral ischemia. However the molecular mechanisms or modulating reagents of the reactive neurogenesis after the cerebral ischemia are poorly characterized. Retinoic acid (RA) has been shown to increase neurogenesis by enhancing the proliferation and neuronal differentiation of forebrain neuroblasts. Here, we examined whether RA can modulate the reactive neurogenesis after the cerebral ischemia. In contrast to our expectation, RA treatment decreased the reactive neurogenesis in subventricular zone (SVZ), subgranular zone (SGZ) and penumbral region. Furthermore, RA treatment also decreased the angiogenesis and gliosis in penumbral region.
Animals ; Brain/blood supply ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Proliferation ; Ischemic Attack, Transient/metabolism/*pathology ; Male ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; Neuroglia/pathology/physiology ; Neurons/pathology/*physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tretinoin/*pharmacology/physiology