Differential Expression of Taste Receptors in Tongue Papillae of DBA Mouse

The tongue has 4 kinds of papillae, which are filiform, fungiform (FU), foliate (FO) and circumvallate papilla (CV). Tongue papillae except filiform papilla include taste buds. The papillae differ in taste sensitivities, likely due to differential expression of taste receptors. In this study, we evaluated differences in the expression levels of taste receptors in FU, FO and CV. Male DBA2 mice, 42-60 days old, were used in the study. Messenger RNAs were extracted from the murine epithelial tissues including FU, FO and CV. Cloned DNAs were synthesized by reverse transcription. Quantitative PCRs (qPCRs) were performed to determine mRNA expression levels of taste receptors. Results of qPCR revealed that the relative expression levels and patterns were different among FU, FO and CV. All three type 1 taste receptors were expressed FU, FO and CV at varying relative expression levels. All 35 kinds of type 2 taste receptors showed higher expression in FO and CV than in FU. Tas2r108 and Tas2r137 showed the two highest expression levels in all tested papillae. The differential expression levels and patterns of taste receptors among the three papillae could contribute to the different physiological sensitivities by tongue areas. Additional studies such as in situ hybridization or taste receptor cell activity recording is necessary to elucidate the functional relationship between expression levels of taste receptors and taste sensitivity.

Managing Outpatients with Dyslipidemia in a University Hospital

BACKGROUND: We evaluated physician's management of hypercholesterolemia on the basis of the third Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III) report of the National Cholesterol Education Program. METHODS: The subjects were, 85 adult patients. The inclusion criteria were follows: outpatients with an initial total cholesterol level of > or =200 mg/dL or HDL-cholesterol or =160 mg/dL for patients with risk factor or =130 mg/dL for patients with risk factors > or =2; > or =100 mg/dL for patients with CHD or diabetes). In 59.5% of patients with undesirable LDL reported that they did not provide education about TLC and in 40.0% of patients with desirable LDL were provided prescription of LDL- lowering drugs from physicians. Physicians were more likely to prescribe if the patients had more risk factors (P=0.001) and educated patients when they prescribed them (P=0.049). However, physicians did not educate on TLC and did not recheck lipid profile prior to first prescription. CONCLUSION: The physicians did not follow the ATP III guideline for management of hypercholesterolemia. Barriers to comply with these guidelines and ways to eliminate barriers should be found.

Parental perception on childhood obesity according to weight status in children of elementary schools in Busan

BACKGROUND: It has been found that parental role is essential for obesity management in childhood. However, there are few studies concerning parental perception on childhood obesity in Korea. Parental perception on childhood obesity according to weight status in elementary school children was examined. METHODS: The subjects were 3,996 elementary school children and their parents in Busan. The surveys which included socioeconomic characteristics, children's eating habits and activities, parental weight and height, parental perception on childhood obesity, were filled out by parents. Children's body mass index (BMI) were calculated using the height and weight measured in school children were classified into the obese group (BMI 95 Percentile) , the high risk group (85 percentile BMI <95 percentile) and the normal weight group (85 percentile) according to BMI gender and age. The analyses were done using x2_ test and ANOVA. RESULTS: Parental BMI in the obese group was higher than the normal weight group in boys a girls (P<0.001) . Participation in regular exercise was higher among the obese group compared to the normal weight group regardless of sex, but daily exercise time was lesser among the obese group only in boys (P <0.001) . Daily TV watching time was not different according to weight status in both sex. The parents with obese children perceived their children's weight as an appearance problem or a health problem about 7-18 times more likely than the parents of children with normal weight. 70% of obese children have tried weight control. The proportion of parental understanding on childhood obesity as a disease was not different among boys, but different among girls (P<0.001) . Eighty five percents of the parents perceived childhood obesity as a disease or a risk factor. But, their perception for the association of hypertension, fatty liver, sleep apnea syndrome with obesity was relative low. CONCLUSION: Most parents with obese children perceived childhood obesity as an appearance problem, a health problem and as a disease or a risk factor.