Dietary Potassium Intake in Korean Population

Potassium plays various important roles in water balance, neuronal maintenance, blood vessel extension, arrhythmia prevention, and blood pressure maintenance. Its deficiency leads to arrhythmia, loss of appetite, convulsions, constipation, fatigue, asthenia, and hypoglycemia etc. Although foods are primary prevention for diseases, there are few literatures on dietary potassium in both Korea and U.S. Also, its acceptable level is not determined yet and is only recommended 2,000-3,000 mg and 1,500-5,000 mg for adult in Korea and US, respectively. The main source of potassium is vegetables such as calabash, fruit, sea tangle, yeast, bean, and banana etc. Therefore, this is to provide information on dietary potassium in order to prevent the risk of cardiovascular disease and guide for patients who suffer from kidney disease etc.

The relationship between C-reactive protein and cardiovascular risk factors

BACKGROUND: C-reactive protein is an acute phase reactant, which can be increased by either (both) infectious or (and) non-infectious and non-specific reaction of cells and tissue metabolism. Also C-reactive protein is known to have a relationship between changes in lipid and glucose metabolism. In recent studies, the possibility of being a prognostic factor of cardiovascular risk factors and serum C-reactive protein concentration within conventional reference ranges in otherwise normal people has also received little attention. Therefore, in this study, we tried to look for the relationship between C-reactive protein and cardiovascular risk factors of a healthy adult. METHODS: We analyzed the results of the surveys and chemistries given to 3,548 healthy men and women who have visited the heath promotion center in a certain university hospital. We assayed the C-reactive protein by means of rate nephelometry. We omitted the case of 123 people who went over 1mg/dL. We compared C-reactive protein of normal and abnormal range of each risk factor and went through the multiple regression analysis for the factors with significant differences. RESULTS: When C-reactive protein concentration of normal and abnormal of cardiovascular risk factors were compared by t-test, there were differences according to age (p<0.001), sex (p<0.001), body mass index (p<0.001), WBC (p<0.001), systolic blood pressure (p<0.001), diastolic pressure (p<0.001), total cholesterol (p<0.00), HDL-cholesterol (p<0.05) and smoking (p<0.01). We could not find any significant difference of triglycerides. After going through multiple regression analysis for the risk factors, which showed a significant difference by t-test, we found out that the C-reactive protein increased as cholesterol (p<0.01), body mass index (p<0.01) and WBC (p<0.001) increased. As for HDL-cholesterol (p<0.001), the C-reactive protein increased as it decreased. Age, sex, smoking history, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure did not show significant relationship we were looking for. CONCLUSION: C-reactive protein was not related to age, smoking history ,blood pressure, and triglycerides among cardiovascular risk factors, but was related to body mass index, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and WBC. This relationship indicated that even if the C-reactive protein was in normal range a person with C-reactive protein should be aware of the risk involved for cardiovascular diseases.

Effects of Neostigmine on Tracheal Smooth Muscle Contraction in Rabbits / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: Neostigmine, a cholinesterase inhibitor, is known to reverse the neuromuscular blocking action induced by nondepolarizing muscle relaxants at the end of general anesthesia. Some authors, however, reported that neostigmine has the properties of a neuromuscular block in skeletal muscles while others reported that neostigmine caused the smooth muscles such as the diaphragm to relax rather than to contract. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of neostigmine at different doses on the tracheal smooth muscle in rabbits. METHODS: Isolated tracheal ring preparation in rabbits was used. Groups were divided into 7 groups; acetylcholine group (acetylcholine cumulative administered at doses of 10 8, 10 7, 10 6, 10 5, 10 4 and 10 3 M), neostigmine group (neostigmine cumulative administered at doses of 10 8, 10 7, 10 6, 10 5, 10 4 and 10 3 M), acetylcholine 10 6 M + neostigmine group (acetylcholine 10 6 M prior to neostigmine administered at doses of 10 8, 10 7, 10 6, 10 5, 10 4 and 10 3 M), acetylcholine 10 4 M + neostigmine group (acetylcholine 10 4 M prior to neostigmine administered at doses of 10 8, 10 7, 10 6, 10 5, 10 4 and 10 3 M), neostigmine 10 5, 10 4 and 10 3 M groups (neostigmine administered at doses of 10 5, 10 4 and 10 3 M). Smooth muscle contraction was evaluated in isometric tension per gram of tissue. RESULTS: In the acetylcholine group, the contractions increased as the dosage increased (10 8 10 3 M). In the neostigmine group, the contractions increased as the dosage increased (10 8 10 4 M), but at 10 3 M of neostigmine, contractions suddenly decreased. In addition when acetylcholine 10 6 M was given as a pretreatment, there was a sudden decrease in muscle contractions induced by neostigmine at 10 3 M. Also the contractions induced by 10 3 M neostigmine were less than that of 10 4 and 10 5 M. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that neostigmine caused smooth muscle contraction at low concentrations by blocking acetylcholine metabolism, but at high concentrations, smooth muscle contractions were decreased and this might be due to direct action at the acetylcholine receptor.

The development of Korean health related Quality of Life Scale

BACKGROUND: The status of development of instruments to assess the "health related quality of life' reflecting Korean's own language expression and culture is still far from satisfaction, despite their importance in building basic data for health promotion, evaluation of effectiveness of treatment, health policy and so on. METHODS: Symptom descriptions in both ill and healthy conditions were collected from 292, Koreans based on definition and damains of 'health related quality of life' which was established by 7 family physicians. The collected results were categorized into each domain and edited to be used as questions. Questions of health change and spiritual health domains were added. A selection of most pertinent items were pursued through the internal consistency analysis on 417 patients. Pretest was performed on 20 ordinary people to see if they think selected questions were understandable and related to their quality of life. RESULTS: A total of 1934 symptom descriptions were collected and categorized into 44 items of 7 domains including physical function, mental health, social function, pain, role, vitality, and health perception. Two items of health change and 3 items of spiritual health domain were added. Among those 49 items, 45 items of 9 domains were selected after discarding 4 items lowering internal consistency coefficient. Some items were corrected for more precise meaning, concise sentence, proper expression and word order, and nuance after pretest. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a Korean health related Quality of Life Scale(KoQoLS) reflecting Korean's own language expression and culture.

Clinical Evaluation of the Neruomuscular Blocking Effect of Isoflurane / 대한마취과학회지

Isoflurane, which has only recently been introduced into clinical practice, is a nonflammable halogenated ether used as an inhalation anesthetic. It has pharmacological, physical, and clinical properties similar to those of halothane and enflurane: however, it differs from botn in several important aspecs. The potent neuromuscular blocking action of sioflurane in desirable, because it reduces the requirement for muscle relaxants and allows lower doses of anesthesis. To quantitatively clarify the neuromuscular blocking effect of isoflurane, neuromuscular function was monitored by "Train of Four" stimulus with and without administration of muscle relaxants under halothane and isoflurane anesthesis, respectively, in 60 patients. The patients were divided into 4 groups(halothane anesthesia without muscle relaxants, halothane anesthesis with muscle relaxants, isoflurane anesthesia without muscle relaxants and isoflurane anesthesia with muscle relaxants). Twich responses of thenar muscle were monitored and analysed for the value of maximaum twich depression by halothane and isoflurane anesthesia, respectively, and the onset time, degree of maximal neuromuscular blockade, duration of action and recovery index of pnscuronium bromide under halothane and isoflurane anesthesia, respectively. The results were as follows: 1) Isoflurane exhibited a neuromuscular blocking effect 2,3 times more potent than halothane. 2) Neuromuscular depression by halothane and isoflurane was not accompanied by "fade". 3) The recovery time from nuromuscular blockade by succinylcholine in isoflurane anesthesia was increased significantly compared with halothane anesthesia. 4) The duration of action and the recovery index were increased significantly in isoflurane anesthesia compared with halothane anesthesia.