Effect of Patient Empowerment Model on Smoking Cessation: Randomized Controlled Trial / 가정의학회지

Background@#Smoking is a preventable cause of chronic morbidity. Patient empowerment is a process through which people establish greater control over their health-related decisions and actions. To assess the effect of patient empowerment versus health education on the nicotine dependence score and progress of patients under different stages of smoking cessation. @*Methods@#This was a single-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial that included 76 smokers attending family medicine clinics. Participants were divided into two groups: empowerment and health education groups. Their nicotine-dependence score and smoking cessation stage were identified. All study participants were subjected to five health education sessions with a 3-month follow-up period. @*Results@#The mean nicotine-dependence score decreased significantly in both groups after the intervention. This decrease was slightly higher in the empowerment group; however, the difference was not statistically significant. After the intervention, 16.7% of the health education and 30.0% of the empowerment group transitioned from stage 1 to stages 2–4 of smoking cessation, with the change being statistically significant only in the empowerment group. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of study participants who stopped smoking between the health education and empowerment groups. @*Conclusion@#Both the empowerment model and traditional health education have similar positive effects on decreasing the nicotine-dependence level. There was a significant improvement in the stage of change for patients under the empowerment model, although there was no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding the number of participants who stopped smoking.

Effect of Patient Empowerment Model on Smoking Cessation: Randomized Controlled Trial / 가정의학회지

Background@#Smoking is a preventable cause of chronic morbidity. Patient empowerment is a process through which people establish greater control over their health-related decisions and actions. To assess the effect of patient empowerment versus health education on the nicotine dependence score and progress of patients under different stages of smoking cessation. @*Methods@#This was a single-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial that included 76 smokers attending family medicine clinics. Participants were divided into two groups: empowerment and health education groups. Their nicotine-dependence score and smoking cessation stage were identified. All study participants were subjected to five health education sessions with a 3-month follow-up period. @*Results@#The mean nicotine-dependence score decreased significantly in both groups after the intervention. This decrease was slightly higher in the empowerment group; however, the difference was not statistically significant. After the intervention, 16.7% of the health education and 30.0% of the empowerment group transitioned from stage 1 to stages 2–4 of smoking cessation, with the change being statistically significant only in the empowerment group. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of study participants who stopped smoking between the health education and empowerment groups. @*Conclusion@#Both the empowerment model and traditional health education have similar positive effects on decreasing the nicotine-dependence level. There was a significant improvement in the stage of change for patients under the empowerment model, although there was no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding the number of participants who stopped smoking.

biochemical, cognitive, and psychiatric effects of anticholinergics benzhexol hydrochloride and biperiden hydrochloride in schizophrenic patients

It is estimated that 45 million people suffer from schizophrenia around the world; it is among the top ten leading causes of disability. By 2050, this number will have grown to approximately 71 million people. Mental illnesses contribute more to the global burden of disease than all cancers combined. The present study has been planned to evaluate the effect of anticholinergic parkinol [benzhexol hydrochloride] and akineton [biperiden hydrochloride] on erythrocyte acetyl cholinesterase [AChE] activity and serum activities of gamma-glutamyl transferase [GOT], alanine transaminase [ALT], aspartate transaminase [AST], and alkaline phosphatase [ALP] in schizophrenic patients treated with haloperidol, and also to study the effect of the previously mentioned two anticholinergics on both the cognitive functions and psychiatric symptoms in such patients. The study was carried out on 30 male schizophrenic patients who were divided into two main groups [group 1 and group 2] each of 15 patients of comparable age. The present results revealed that the total score of [PANSS] showed a significant decrease in all studied groups. The total score of [MMSE] showed a significant increase in all studied groups. The AChE activity didn't show any significant difference in all comparisons in all studied groups. In our study, there was a significant elevation of serum GGT, ALT, AST and ALP levels in some groups of treated patients as compared to pretreatment groups. The results obtained in our study showed a significant increase in serum GGT, ALT, AST, and ALP levels in groups treated with either [haloperidol + benzhexol hydrochloride] or [haloperidol + biperiden hydrochloride] as compared to the corresponding levels in groups treated with haloperidol only, respectively. From all results we can concluded that the biochemical parameters used in this study are useful in detecting any side effects of antipsychotic and anticholinergic drugs on liver functions. The treatment with [haloperidol + benzhexol hydrochloride] and [haloperidol + biperiden hydrochloride] are effective in decreasing the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Serum bone TRAP 5b and ICTP as prognostic markers in bone metastases from primary breast cancer

Bone is one of the earliest and most common sites for breast cancer metastasis. One-third of cancer patients will have metastases of their primary tumor to bone. The incidence ofbone metastases from primary breast cancer is approximately 13%. Bone marker measurements are noninvasive, inexpensive, and can be repeated often. Markers are derived from both cortical and trabecular bone and reflect the metabolic activity of the entire skeleton. The aim of this work was to determine serum level of Tartrate Resistant Acid Phosphatase 5b [TRAP 5b], Carboxy terminal telopeptide of type I collagen [ICTP] and CA15.3 pre-and post-operatively in patients with primary breast, cancer to asses their values as prognostic factors for the subsequent metastatic disease. Serum samples were collected from 41 females [31 patients with primary breast cancer and 10 normal healthy volunteers]. three samples were collected from patients before surgery, after 10 and 20 months from surgery. Serum TRAP 5b, ICTP a"dCA15,3 were detected by using EIA techniques. Preoperative serum ICTP concentrations >4.6ug/l [2+2SD]. were highly predictive for bone as site of metastases and higher risk of death by three times than those with preoperative serum ICTP concentrations <4.6 micro g/l While after 10 months from surgery. Bone TRAP 5b activity >5.4U/Lwas significantly correlated with poor prognosis for breast cancer and shorter 'wall survival. Serum ICTP concentrations in bone metastases sub. group, after 10 months from surgery [before reflect any Metastasis], were significantly increased from control group. Serum ICTP. TRAP'5b and CA15-3 levels were elevated in bone metastatic patients after 20 months from surgery [bone mciastases had been already diagnosed]. ICTP and TRAP 5b could be useful markers in predicting bone meiastases and might identify patients who would need uliiesorptive treatment in addition to chemotherapy.

Effect of combined tobacco and marijuana abuse on some liver, cardiac enzyme activities and serum testosterone level

Addiction is a worldwide problem of public health that has many dimensions. This problem is shared by developed and developing countries and in spite of the effort done to face this problem, it seems to be escalating allover the world. The objective of our study was to evaluate the biochemical effect of bhang abuse and smoking on cardiovascular system, liver and reproductive system as well. During this study, the biochemical parameters including lactate dehydrogenase [LDH], aspartate aminotransferase [AST] and alanine aminotransferase [ALT] enzyme activities were determined in serum. In addition, testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone levels were also determined in serum of controls, bhang abusers, combined bhang and nicotine abusers and smokers alone. Our results indicated a significant increase in lactate dehydrogenase and aspartate, alanine aminotransferases [AST, ALT] in all groups when compared with control group with the exception of AST and ALT activities showed no significant change in cigarette smoking group. In contrast, bhang and nicotine produced a significant decrease in testosterone and follicle stimulating hormone levels in all studied groups when compared with control group. The degree of change in these biochemical parameters was more strongly in response to combined bhang and cigarette smoking than everyone alone. However, our results along with other findings in the recent literature suggest that the obvious harmful effect of bhang abuse and smoking on cardiovascular system, liver and on fertility system

Relationship of obesity to insulin resistance in Egyptian women: role of leptin

The aim of the present work was to study insulin resistance [IR] in obesity and to detect any possible role of leptin in the mediation of such resistance, as well as its consequences. Subjects and The present study was conducted on twenty obese otherwise healthy women [mean body mass index [BMI], 32.58 +/- 2.09kg/m2] and twenty nonobese healthy control women [mean BMI, 23.13 +/- 1.62kg/m2] of matched age and menopausal status. All subjects were subjected to the following measures: 1] anthropometric measurements including BMI, waist circumference and waist/hip ratio [WHR] [The first parameter was used as a surrogate for overall obesity, while the latter 2 parameters were used as surrogates for abdominal obesity], 2] systolic and diastolic blood pressure [SBP and DBP, respectively] measurements, 3] fasting and 2-hour postoral glucose tolerance test, 4] fasting plasma insulin and fasting plasma glucose/insulin ratio [both are surrogates for IR], 5] fasting serum lipid profile including total cholesterol [TC], high density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], low density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C], triglycerides [TG], free fatty acids [FFAs], and atherogenicity ratio [TC/HDL-C], and 6] plasma leptin. Compared to the nonobese healthy controls, obese women demonstrated statistically significant increase in the measures of abdominal obesity [waist circumference and WHR], both SBP and DBP, glycemic control measures [fasting and 2 hour postoral glucose tolerance test], fasting plasma insulin and leptin levels. Obese women also demonstrated statistically significant decrease in fasting plasma glucose/insulin ratio. They also showed statistically significant dyslipidemia [hyper-cholesterolemia, low HDL-C, high LDL-C, hypertriglyceridemia, and high FFAs] and high atherogenicity ratio. Conclusions: Obesity is frequently accompanied by both insulin resistance ana by leptin resistance that are parallel to each other. Obese subjects have a tendency for increased high blood pressure, increased blood glucose levels and atherosclerosis. They are also dyslipidemic. Hyperleptinemia of obesity may mediate such cardiovascular and metabolic abnormalities. The strong correlation of plasma leptin to the measures of abdominal [visceral] obesity [especially the waist circumference] and the measures of IR [e.g. fasting plasma insulin and fasting plasma glucose/insulin ratio] supports the possibility of the role of leptin in the link between abdominal visceral obesity and IR

Production of monoclonal antibodies against bovine parvovirus

Monoclonal antibodies [MAbs] against bovine parvovirus [BPV] were successfully produced after fusing the spleen cells of an immunized mouse with myelorna cells. A total of six hybridomas were found to produce MAbs against BPV with different reactivities using heamagglutination inhibition [HI] test. These clones are: 3B[10], 3C[5], 3D[6], 2H[6] and 1E[6]. The first three clones produced MAbs of IgG class, but the last three clones produced those of the IgM class and all of them contained K light chain