Chang Youl Lee

Changes in the prevalence of COPD in Korea between 2001 and 2011 in the KNHANES data

BACKGROUNDnChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a serious public health problem. Understanding the longitudinal trend in prevalence is important for characterizing the burden of COPD and planning health services.nnnMETHODSnWe analyzed the prevalence of airflow obstruction between 2001 and 2011 using data from Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (2001, nxa0=xa02217; 2011, nxa0=xa03101). Participants >40 years of age with an FEV1/FVC <0.7 were defined as having COPD. We used data from the Population and Housing Census, which was conducted by Statistics Korea in 2010, to compare the prevalence of COPD after standardizing by age.nnnRESULTSnThe crude prevalence of COPD was not significantly different between 2001 and 2011 (2001, 13.0%; 2011, 13.2%), but the age-standardized prevalence of COPD decreased significantly over the 10-year period (2001, 15.7%; 2011, 12.4%). While significant decreases were observed for ex-smokers and current smokers, significant increases were noted for subjects who smoked <20 pack-years and those with a BMI ≤18.5xa0kg/m2. The prevalence of mild and severe COPD decreased (2001, mild 8.5%, severe 1.4%; 2011, mild 5.4%, severe 0.5%), while the prevalence of moderate COPD increased (2001, 5.7%; 2011, 6.4%) after age standardization.nnnCONCLUSIONSnWe report a reduction in the age-standardized prevalence of COPD in Korea from 2001 to 2011. Continued surveillance and early prevention are required because the socioeconomic burden of COPD remains substantial.

The activity of 2′-benzoyloxycinnamaldehyde against drug-resistant cancer cell lines

Abstract This study investigated the inhibitory effects of 2-benzoyloxycinnamaldehyde (BCA) on cancer cells, including various drug-resistant cancer cell lines. To observe this activity, the anticancer drug-resistant cell lines were established by continuously exposing the parental cells to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cyclophosphamide (CDDP), and examining the cells with the MTT assay and flow cytometric analysis. The BCA treatment produced similar growth inhibit - ory effects and apoptotic cell death on the drug-resistant cancer cells as their parental cells. The activation of the p38-mitogen activated protein kinase, an increased level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and downregulation of Bcl-2 were observed in both the drug resistant and non-drug resistant cell lines. The GSH treatment effectively inhibited BCA-induced apoptosis by blocking ROS generation, suggesting that ROS is a major regulator in BCA-induced apoptotic cell death. These results suggest that BCA can be a useful drug candidate for treating drug-resistant cells.

The Effect of Positive end Expiratory pressure on the Pulmonary Capillary Pressure in Acute Lung Injury Patients

Background : Positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) ventilation is well established as an integral part of the management of patients with the acute lung injury. PEEP is a key element in the treatment of hypoxemia resulting from pulmonary edema. Pulmonary capillary pressure (Pcap) is the most important factor influencing lung edema formation, and an understanding of how Pcap is altered by variations of PEEP or pulmonary arterial occlusion pressure (PAOP) is important to improve the treatment of acute lung injury patients. This study was performed to evaluate the effects of PEEP on the pulmonary capillary pressure in acute lung injury patients. Methods : This was a prospective study of 11 acute lung injury patients. The effect of PEEP on pulmonary circulation at four different levels (0,4,8, and 12cm) was analyzed. Pcap was estimated visually at bed side with Swan Ganz catheters. The pulmonary vasculature was analyzed by calculating the pressure difference at the arterial and venous parts of the circulation. Results: As PEEP increased from 0 to 12 cm, the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and Pcap increased respectively from to mmHg and to mmHg (p to mmHg and the central venous pressure increased from to mmHg(p