Pravastatin is a lipid-lowering agent that attenuates atherosclerosis. However, the multifactorial pathogenesis of atherosclerosis requires other drugs with different anti-atherogenic mechanisms. We chose sarpogrelate as an anti-platelet agent and a novel component of a complex drug with pravastatin due to its high potential but little information on its beneficial effects on atherosclerosis. Low-density lipoprotein receptor-knockout mice were fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet and treated with pravastatin alone, sarpogrelate alone, or a combination of both drugs. Although sarpogrelate alone did not significantly reduce atherosclerotic plaque areas, co-treatment with pravastatin significantly decreased aortic lesions compared to those of the pravastatin alone treated group. The combined therapy was markedly more effective than that of the single therapies in terms of foam cell formation, smooth muscle cell proliferation, and inflammatory cytokine levels. These results suggest that pravastatin and sarpogrelate combined therapy may provide a new therapeutic strategy for treating atherosclerosis.

These results suggest that TNF-inhibitory intervention should be added to the conventional therapy as a novel strategy for treating the elderly patients with atherosclerosis.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the immediate and long-term effects of a 12 week problem-solving (PS) counseling program to facilitate intensified walking with machinery monitoring on persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Korea. Methods:The study used a quasi-experimental design. The participants were 57 patients with diabetes from three endocrinology or internal medicine clinics in an urban city of South Korea. Moderate-intensity walking and PS counseling were recommended to both groups. The difference between the two groups was whether the intensity of the exercise was monitored by an ambulatory heart rate monitor (experimental group) or was self-regulated (comparison group). Those programs were evaluated in relation to BMI, glycemic control (blood glucose level, glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1c]), a vascular complication index (total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, tissue plasminogen activator [t-PA], plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 [PAI-1], Parma Cardiovascular Risk Index), and coping strategies at 3 and 6 months. Results: The experimental group members showed dramatic decreases in their glucose and HbA1c levels at 3 months. The values of t-PA decreased significantly at baseline, compared to at 3 months. The levels of PAI-1 continuously declined and the Parma Cardiovascular Risk Index score did not change significantly from baseline to at 3 months, but showed significant effects at 6 months. Conclusion: A combined program of intensified walking, using a heart rate monitor, with PS counseling is more helpful to prevent complications than self-regulated exercise for persons with type 2 diabetes in Korea.

This study was done to explore the predictors asssociated with Korean women smokers' intentions to quit smoking. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study including 3,578 women smokers. Data from the 2010 Community Health Survey conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were examined and analyzed using SPSS 21.0 for multiple logistic regression. Results: Of the women smokers 52.2% reported having an intention to quit smoking but only 3.9% had received education in smoking cessation. In the logistic analysis, factors associated with intention to quit smoking were age (Odds ratio and 95% [confidence interval]: 0.97 [0.96-0.98]), health-related quality of life (OR=2.39 [1.14-5.03]), perceived stress (OR=1.11 [1.00-1.22]), marital status (OR=0.93 [.86-1.00]), age of starting to smoke (OR=1.14 [1.04-1.24]), number of cigarettes per day (OR=0.84 [0.76-0.93]), exposure to smoking-quitting campaigns (OR=1.48 [1.22-1.80]), previous attempts at weight-control (OR=1.37 [1.15-1.63]), frequency of alcohol use (OR=1.16 [1.01-1.34]), hypercholesterolemia (OR=1.62 [1.18-2.24]), experiences of trying to quit smoking (OR=4.04 [3.45-4.73]), and regular medical check-up (OR=1.13 [1.03-1.43]). Conclusion: Identifying factors associated with the intentions to quit smoking provides possibilities for shaping effective policies and programs to increase smoking cessation among Korean women.

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