Effects of Very Low Calorie Diet using Meal Replacements on Weight Reduction and Health in the Obese Adult Women

This study was performed to investigate the effects of very low calorie diet (VLCD) using newly meal replacements that contain the wild grass extracts based on Samul-tang ingredients on weight reduction and health in the obese adult women (BMI > or = 25 kg/m2) for four weeks. Seventy five women participated in this experiment. Subjects were randomly classified three groups: 1) General Diet group (GD group, n = 25) consumed 3 regular meals within 600 kcal/day, 2) Meal replacements group (MR group, n = 25) consumed 1 regular meal and 2 meal replacements within 600 kcal/ day, 3) Herbal Meal replacements group (HMR group, n = 25) consumed 1 regular meal and 2 meal replacements within 600 kcal/day. Anthropometric measurements, body composition, biochemical measurements and body symptoms were assessed before (the initial) and after (the 4th week) the study. Anthropometry measurements such as weight, waist and hip circumference, and BMI and body composition such as body fat percent, fat mass significantly decreased in all groups after diet intervention. Anthropometric measurements and body composition of the HMR group significantly more than those of GD and MR groups. Serum Total cholesterol was significantly decreased in all groups. However, there was no significant difference among three groups during the experimental period. HMR group had significantly less felt a pain than GD and MR groups in body symptoms such as anemia, powerlessness, vomiting, constipation and dryness of skin during the experimental period. Therefore, very low calorie diet (VLCD) using meal replacements that contain the wild grass extracts based on Samul-tang ingredients was very effective on weight reduction and health in the obese adult women.

The Status of Nutrient and Food Intakes and the Nutritional Knowledge in Adolescent Rhythmic Gymnasts

The objectives of this study were to investigate 1) the foods intake as well as nutrients intake, 2) the nutritional knowledge, and 3) the relations between the foods and nutrients intakes and nutritional knowledge in adolescent rhythmic gymnasts (RGs). The results are summarized as follows. Average daily intakes of energy, calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and niacin were in 45 - 74% of the RDAs for Koreans. Average daily energy intake was only about 50% of energy expenditure by physical activities. Average daily intakes of each food group were generally lower, but intakes of breads and confectionaries, sugar and sweets, milks and dairy products, and instant foods were higher in the RGs compared to the nonathletic students of the same age from the National Health and Nutrition Suvey. The contribution of empty-calorie foods such as breads and confectionaries, beverage and instant foods to the major energy nutrients were high. Mean of total nutritional knowledge score of RGs was 28.4 of total score 50. In categorical score of nutritional knowledge, the RGs make a best score on food sources and they get the lowest marks for food exchange. Among the nutrients, intakes of crude fiber, animal Fe, Na, K, vitamin A, carotene, vitamin B1, niacin and vitamin C and, among the food groups, intakes of mushrooms, fruits and meats had relations with one of the total or categorical nutritional knowledge scores in the RGs. In conclusion, nutritional status of adolescent RGs was poor due to their unbalanced diet composed of empty-calorie foods, and their undesirable food intake pattern was supposed to be related to the low nutritional knowledge score of them. These results indicate that the RGs should be given more nutritional knowledge to improve their nutritional status and the exercise performance.

Synchronous Multiple Primary Malignant Neoplasm Involving the Uterine Endometrium and Ovary / 대한산부인과학회잡지

Multiple primary malignant neoplasm means that more than 2 cancers are independently developed in one individual. In general, the neoplasms are diagnosed simultaneously or within 6 month interval. Simultaneous presentation of carcinomas involving ovary and uterus is not a common event and presents a diagnostic dilemma when they are of the same histology. We experienced a rare case of multiple primary malignant neoplasm involving the uterine endometrium and the ovary synchronously. Thus we report this case with a review of literatures.

Clinical Significance of Each Parameter of Esophageal pH Monitoring in Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease / 소아알레르기및호흡기학회지

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to show the clinical importance of each parameter of esophageal pH-metry regarding age distribution. Also, the study was done to compare the reliability of each parameter in diagnosing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). METHODS: A retrospective study, based on hospital discharge registry, was conducted among 30 children who were given 24hr esophageal pH monitoring. The patients with GERD were divided into two groups i.e., group I, children under 12 months of age (24 patients), group II, children between 1-7 years of age (17 patients). We compared the clinical presentations between these two groups and analyzed each four parameters of 24hr pH monitoring. RESULTS: The study suggests that the parameter of 24hr pH monitoring with the highest effect on total score was reflux index common to both groups. In addition, comparing esophageal pH parameter, the number of the longest reflux episode according to body position, the upright positions were more associated with high total score in patients with GERD over 12 month of age. CONCLUSION: In interpretations of 24hr pH monitoring, taking each parameter and age into consideration is important. There is an inevitable overlap of data between normal and abnormal populations. Therefore, a further study with larger sample is required to establish the range of the physiologic and the pathologic GERD.

The Action Mechanism of Tamoxifen Via Estrogen Receptor on Uterine Leimyoma / 대한불임학회지

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the distribution of ERa, ERb, c-fos and c-jun in the uterine myoma and myometrium in oder to know how the tamoxifen cause the growth of myoma. METHODS: Myoma and myometrial tissue were obtained from the postmenopausal women treated with tamoxifen in the patients with breast cancer and in the premenopausal patients, who were undergoing myoma of uterus from 1998 through 2000. The espression of each gene was quantitated with quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: The expression of ERa was slightly increased in the myoma than the myometrium in the proliferative phase, and was slightly decreased in the myometrium than the myoma in the secretory phase. However it was not significant statistically. In the postmemopausal women treated with tamoxifen, ERa was expressed in all myoma and myometrial tissues and the expression was not statistically significant. The expression of ERb was slightly increased in the myometrium than the leiomyoma in the proliferative and secretory phase, but it was not significant statistically. In the postmemopausal women treated with tamoxifen, the expression of ERb was significantly incresed in the myometrium than the leiomyoma. The expression of c-fos was significantly increased in the myometrium than the leiomyoma in the proliferative and secretory phase. In the postmemopausal women treated with tamoxifen, the expression of c-fos was slightly increased in the leiomyoma than the myometrium, however, it was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Tamoxifen may cause the growth of leiomyoma by ERa with AP-1 pathway reducing the counteraction of ERb to ERa.