• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.426-436
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• 2006

Background : Particulate matters (PM) when inhaled is known to induce pulmonary diseases including asthma and chronic bronchitis when inhaled. Despite the epidemiological proofevidence, the pathogenesis of PM-related pulmonary diseases is unclearremain poorly understood. Methods : Primary alveolar macrophages were harvested from the SPF and inflammatory rats by bronchioalveolar lavage (BAL). The cultured primary alveolar macrophages were treated with the medium only, PM only ($5{\sim}40{\mu}g/cm^2$), LPS (5ng/ml) only, and PM with LPS for 24 and 48 hours. The level of secreted nitric oxide (NO) was assayed from the cultured medium by using the Griess reaction. The cultured cells were utilized for the western blotting against the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) proteins. Immunocyto- chemical staining against the iNOS and NT-proteins were performed in cells that cultured in the $Lab-Tek^{(R)}$ chamber slide after treatments. Results : The PM that utilizein this experiments induced NO formation with iNOS expression in the cultured SPF and inflammatory rats alveolar macrophages, by itself. When the cells were co-treated with PM and LPS, there was a statistically significant synergistic effect on NO formation and iNOS expression over the LPS effect. The cells from the sham control showed minimal immunoreactivity for the NT-proteins. Significantly higher quantities of NT-proteins were detected in the PM and PM with LPS co-treated cells than from the sham control. Conclusion : Increased iNOS expression and NO formation with increased NT-proteins formation might be involved in the pathogenesis of PM-induced lung injury.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.232-242
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was done to investigate effects of foot massage and supportive communication provided by hospice volunteers on depression, anxiety, and mood of cancer patients who are going under intravenous chemotherapy at out patient department (OPD). Methods: A non-equivalent control group non-synchronized design was used. Sixty-four participants were recruited from out-patients setting in a university hospital by a convenient sampling. Two trained- hospice volunteers first provided regular hospice volunteer service to 34 patients in the control group. Subsequently, foot massage and supportive communication were provided to 30 participants in the experimental group. After the intervention, all participants answered the structured questionnaire with visual analog scales on depression, anxiety, and mood including general characteristics. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, two sample t-test, and paired t-test by PASW 17. Results: After the intervention, changes in negative moods, i.e. strain and powerlessness in the experimental group were significantly different from those in control group; strain and powerlessness in the experimental group were significantly decreased by foot massage and supportive communication provided by hospice volunteers. Conclusion: The current findings provide an empirical evidence of a brief and efficacious intervention for cancer patients. Further studies are warranted with larger sample size to validate the effectiveness of foot massage and supportive communication as a solid intervention for cancer patients who are undergoing intravenous chemotherapy at OPD.