No abstract available.
Porphyromonas gingivalis* ; Porphyromonas* ; Virulence*

No abstract available.
Porphyromonas gingivalis* ; Porphyromonas* ; Virulence*

PURPOSE: This study was done to explore and have a deeper understanding of psychological experiences of mothers caring for their children with recurrent cancer. METHODS: This paper applied an ethnographic research method. Using maximum variation sampling, the participants consisted of 7 mothers who were caring for their children with recurrent cancer. Data were collected through in-depth informal interviews, participant observation and telephone interviews, and analyzed following Spradley's methodology. RESULTS: The mothers' psychological experiences were organized into one cultural theme, three categories and nine properties. The cultural theme was 'inner growth through adversity'. The three categories were 'daily life dancing on a tightrope', 'seizing hold of the string of hope', and 'being matured in life through the child's pain'. CONCLUSION: Supportive and effective nursing intervention must be provided on the basis of a deeper understanding of mothers' experiences caring for their children with recurrent cancer, so that it could strengthen their inner growth through adversity, and ultimately improve the mothers' quality of life.
Child* ; Dancing ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Mothers* ; Nursing ; Qualitative Research ; Quality of Life ; Recurrence

BACKGROUND: It is generally accepted that propofol does not inhibit hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV). However, because the previous studies for the effects of propofol on HPV were established in vivo, the effects of physiologic variables could not be ruled out. Therefore, we investigated the effects of various concentrations of propofol on HPV at isolated rat lungs and the relationship of these effects of propofol on HPV and endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) and an ATP-dependent K+ channel which were candidates as the mechanism of HPV. METHODS: In 30 isolated rat lungs, after three hypoxic challenges for 5 minutes, we administered saline in the control group, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) in the L group and glibenclamide in the G group followed by three hypoxic challenges for 5 minutes. In addition, we studied the effects of various concentrations of propofol on HPV in the three groups. RESULTS: L-NAME and glibenclamide did not alter baseline pulmonary arterial pressure but L-NAME significantly enhanced HPV. Clinical concentrations of propofol did not affect HPV and high concentrations of propofol inhibited HPV. The pretreatment of L-NAME and glibenclamide did not alter the inhibition of HPV even at high concentrations of propofol. CONCLUSIONS: The EDRF and ATP-dependent K+ channel did not largely contribute to baseline pulmonary arterial tone but EDRF might be released and downregulate HPV. Clinical concentrations of propofol did not inhibit HPV but high concentrations of propofol inhibited HPV. In addition, the mechanism of inhibition of HPV at high concentrations of propofol did not relate to the EDRF pathway and ATP-dependent K+ channel.
Animals ; Arterial Pressure ; Endothelium-Dependent Relaxing Factors ; Glyburide* ; Lung* ; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester* ; Propofol* ; Rats* ; Vasoconstriction*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to provide the basic data to develop the effective nursing intervention for the parent who have children with cancer by acquiring the deeper understanding of the mothers' adjustment of caring for their children with cancer. METHODS: The ethnographic research method was used to find out the pattern of caring adjustment in Korean cultural context. Informants consisted of 12 mothers who were caring for their children with cancer. The data were collected using in-depth interviews, participant observation, and telephone interviews by maximum variation purposive sampling. The data were analyzed following Spradley's methodology. RESULTS: The mothers' caring adjustment were organized into one cultural theme, four categories, and twelve properties. The cultural theme was 'standing alone as a mother with sin'. The four categories were 'blaming for falling illness', 'overcoming with motherhood', 'desperate struggling with side effects', and 'establishing new network as a dependent'. CONCLUSION: For the mothers who are caring children with cancer, the supportive nursing intervention based on the deeper understanding of mothers' pattern of caring adjustment for their children and centered on facilitating effective adjustment in each cultural context especially from the very early stage of caring in the hospital ward is extremely required.
Child* ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Korea* ; Mothers* ; Nursing ; Parents ; Qualitative Research

BACKGROUND: A clinical trial was performed to evaluate the antihypertensive efficacy and side effects of amlodipine, a new long-action calcium antagonist, in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension as measured by 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. METHODS AND RESULTS: 1) The study patients consisted of 4 men and 6 women, and the mean age was 51 years. Amlodipine monotherapy(5~10mg) was continued for 4 weeks, and blood pressure was measured by 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. 2) A smooth and sustained lowering of blood pressure was clearly achieved without affecting the circadian rhythm throughout dosing interval. The mean-pressure drop was 21.2/13.7mmHg after 4 weeks of amlodipine monotherapy. 3) The ambulatory pulse rate revealed virtually identical average hourly pulses during the recording period before and after amlodipine treatment. 4) All of the laboratory parameters including blood chemistry, glucose, lipid and electrolytes did not change significantly after 4 weeks of amlodipine monotherapy. 5) Amlodipine therapy resulted in minimal side effects that were well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Once-daily amlodipine monotherapy with 5 to 10mg in controlling blood pressure throughout each 24-h cycle is effective and well tolerated in the patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension.
Amlodipine* ; Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory ; Blood Pressure* ; Calcium ; Chemistry ; Circadian Rhythm ; Electrolytes ; Female ; Glucose ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male

We identified 6 sucrose-fermenting Vibrio vulnificus strains and examined their virulence characteristics. They were all encapsulated, motile, capable of producing toxins and utilizing transferrin-bound iron, cytotoxic to cultured cells, and virulent enough to kill mice. They could be definitely identified only by genetic identification methods such as PCR, and not by conventional culture-based identification methods such as API 20E (bioMerieux, France). These results indicate that it is essential to adopt genetic approaches as early as possible in order to avoid misdiagnosis of such strains, especially in clinical situations.
Animals ; Bacterial Proteins/genetics ; Fermentation ; Mice ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Sucrose/*metabolism ; Vibrio vulnificus/genetics/growth & development/*pathogenicity ; Virulence

The objective of the present study was to investigate the vertical and horizontal location of the molar furcations in korean. The samples used in this study included 132 maxillary molars and 120 mandibular molars. Of them, 47 maxillary molars and 34 mandibular molars had the fused roots. So, 85 maxillary molars(54 1st and 31 2nd molars) and 86 mandibular molars(46 1st and 40 2nd molars) were measured. The vertical and horizontal location of molars were measured with divider and digimatic micrometer and their means and standard deviation calculated. The results were summarized as follows: 1. The ratio of fused roots found in this study was the highest in the maxillary second molars with 59%, followed by mandibular second molars(46%) and maxillary first molars(7%) and none were discovered in the mandibular first molars. 2. In the study of the vertical location of molar furcation, the results were as follows : In the maxillary first molars, the length in descending order were distal(5.06mm), mesial(4.52mm) and buccal(4.01mm) and in the maxillary second molar, distal(4.04mm), mesial(4.02mm) and buccal(3.87mm). In the mandibular first molar, the length was 3.69mm on the lingual side and 2.81mm on the buccal side, and in the mandibular second molar, 3.87mm on the lingual and 3.61mm on the buccal side. 3. The location of the mesial and distal furcations in horizontal dimension measured showed following results : buccal and mesial furcations of the maxillary molars and buccal and lingual furcations of the mandibular molars generally found at the center, but the mesial furcation of the maxillary molars were found approximately two thirds toward the palatal aspect.

Lovastatin is a potent inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, which catalyzes the conversion of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A to mevalonate, anearly and rate-limiting step in the synthesis of cholesterol. We studied the therapeutic effect and safety of lovastatin in 18 patients with nonfamilial primary hypercholesterolemia. Patients received 20mg/day lovastatin therapy as a single evening dose. If the total cholesterol level exceeded 200mg/dl after 2weeks of lovastatin therapy, the dosage of lovastatin was doubled. Mean percent total cholesterol level reductions from baseline were 26.4% and 31.9% after 4, and 8 weeks of lovastatin therapy respectively. Mean percent HDL-cholesterol level increase from baseline were 12% and 13% after 4, and 8 weeks of lovastatin therapy respectively. Adverse effects attributable to lovastatin were mild and temporary and no patient was withdrawn from therapy. We concluded that lovastatin was a well tolerated and effective agent for the treatment of nonfamilial primary hypercholesterolemia. Further studies are needed to establish the long-term safety and effectiveness of this drug.
Cholesterol ; Coenzyme A ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia* ; Lovastatin ; Mevalonic Acid ; Oxidoreductases

Antihypertensive effect of angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE) inhibitor Captopril was studied in 34 cases of essential hypertension. A single oral dose of 50mg Captopril was administered daily and blood pressure was followed every 2 weeks. Diuretics were added to patients who responded inadequately after 2 weeks of Captopril single treatment. Alpha-blocker, beta-blocker or calcium channel-blocker was added to patients who responded inadequately after another 2 weeks of Captopril and diuretics combined treatment. In 5 cases, Captopril was raised to 100mg and further antihypertensives were added to unresponded 3 cases. The resuts were as follows; 1) In 15 patients, blood pressure dropped from 170.3+/-10.5mmHg/108.7+/-6.1mmHg to 148.3+/-4.4mmHg/93.3+/-3.7mmHg after 8 weeks of Captopril 50mg single therapy. 2) Hydrochlorothiazide 25mg was added to non-responders, and blood pressure dropped from 180+/-6.7mmHg/111.1+/-6.2mmHg to 155.0+/-15.0mmHg/106.2+/-8.7mmHg in 9 of 19 patients after 8 weeks of combined treatment. 3) Alpha-blocker, Beta-blocker or calcium channel blocker was added to 10 non-responders to Captopril-hyprochlorothiazide combination therapy, and blood pressure dropped from 189.0+/-27mmHg/116+/-10mmHg to 137.8+/-15.5mmHg/88.5+/-10.2mmHg after 8 weeks. 4) Increase of captopril from 50mg to 100mg in 5 random nonresponder cases of Captopril single treatment lowered blood pressure from 168.0+/-13.6mmHg/107.1+/-6.4mmHg to 161+/-15.2mmHg/99+/-8.8mmHg after 2 weeks. 5) Heart rate, and serum creatinine, electrolytes and lipid levels showed no significant interval change. 6) Six patients complained of dry cough and one patient complained of poor appetite but no other clinically significant complications were noted during Captopril treatment.
Angiotensins ; Antihypertensive Agents ; Appetite ; Blood Pressure ; Calcium ; Calcium Channels ; Captopril* ; Cough ; Creatinine ; Diuretics ; Electrolytes ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hydrochlorothiazide ; Hypertension