Effects of education methods on self-efficacy of smoking cessation counseling among medical students.

Background: Medical students need to receive training in providing smoking cessation counseling to provide effective smoking cessation interventions to smokers when they become doctors. This study examined the smoking cessation education curricula and factors affecting counseling self-efficacy (CSE) in smoking cessation treatment among medical students.

Methods: In a multicenter cross-sectional study, we obtained demographic information, personal history of tobacco use and intention to quit smoking, exposure to secondhand smoke in the school premises during the past week, the experience of learning about tobacco in each medical school, tobacco-related medical knowledge, and self-efficacy in smoking cessation counseling on medical students of four Korean medical schools.

Associations of Urinary Cotinine-Verified Active and Passive Smoking with Thyroid Function: Analysis of Population-Based Nationally Representative Data.

Background: The effects of active and passive smoking on thyroid function in the Korean population have not been determined. Furthermore, related research is based on self-reported smoking status, which may be inaccurate, especially among women. The present study aimed at evaluating the association between biochemically verified smoking status and thyroid function in a nationally representative Korean population.

Effect of zinc supplementation on serum zinc concentration and T cell proliferation in nursing home elderly: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Zinc is essential for the regulation of immune response. T cell function declines with age. Zinc supplementation has the potential to improve the serum zinc concentrations and immunity of nursing home elderly with a low serum zinc concentration.

Association of intern and resident burnout with self-reported medical errors.

Background: Burnout is a common problem for interns and residents. It may be related to medical error, but little is known about this relationship. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between burnout and perceived medical errors among interns and residents.

Genetic Polymorphisms of Cytochrome P450 2C19 in Functional Dyspeptic Patients Treated with Cimetidine.

Inter-individual pharmacokinetic variation of H(2)-receptor antagonist is related to genetic polymorphism of CYP2C19. We investigated the frequency of CYP2C19 genetic polymorphism and the treatment duration of cimetidine by CYP2C19 genotypes in functional dyspeptic patients without definite causes who were treated with cimetidine in Korea. One hundred subjects with functional dyspepsia participated in this study from March 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011.

Dietary polyphenols, inflammation, and cancer.

A considerable amount of evidence indicates that tumorigenesis is associated with inflammation. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B), a master regulator of infection and inflammation, has been identified as a key modulator in which inflammation could develop into cancer. Dietary polyphenols have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity partially through inhibition of NF-kappa B activation.

Piplartine induces caspase-mediated apoptosis in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells.

The present study examined the anti-proliferative effects of piplartine on the human prostate cancer cell line PC-3. This is the first report demonstrating the piplartine anti-cancer activity toward prostate cancer cell lines, although its precise mechanism of action is still not completely defined. In MTT assays, it preferentially inhibited growth of androgen-independent PC-3 cells in a dose-dependent (3-30 microM) and time-dependent (12-48 h) manner.