Comparison of the portion sizes of Korean adults across eating places:Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2012–2016) / 한국영양학회지

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in portion size of 11 types of foods that Korean adults frequently consume, based on the parameters of eating place, gender, and age using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) data. @*Methods@#The dietary survey data from 2012–2016 KNHANES was used. A total of 19,779 subjects (8,034 male [40.6%], 11,745 female [59.4%]) were classified based on gender, three age groups (19–29 years old [15.7%], 30–49 years old [46.9%], 50–64 years old [37.4%]) and three eating places (home, institution, and restaurants/convenient stores etc.). @*Results@#The portion sizes according to the eating places were calculated as per the median intake of Korean adults. Foods that showed the highest median intake in restaurants/ convenience stores were boiled rice and kimchi stew. The median intake quantity of kimchi stew was the highest in restaurants/convenience stores in men across most age groups.Women in 30–49 years age group also consumed a lot of kimchi stew in restaurants/ convenience stores. Men in the age groups 30–49 and 50–64 years consumed soybean paste stew the most in institutions compared to home and restaurants/convenient stores. Stir-fried pork was consumed the most at institutional meal places across all age groups. @*Conclusion@#The portion sizes of kimchi stew and boiled rice were the highest in restaurants/ convenience stores. As kimchi stew and soybean paste stew is high in sodium, the intake should be reduced in institutions and restaurants/convenience stores. Furthermore, it is necessary to reduce sodium intake through consumer nutrition education and the development of low-salt standard recipes for restaurants.

Oncogenic Ras downregulates mdr1b expression through generation of reactive oxygen species

In the present study, we investigated the effect of oncogenic H-Ras on rat mdr1b expression in NIH3T3 cells. The constitutive expression of H-RasV12 was found to downregulate the mdr1b promoter activity and mdr1b mRNA expression. The doxorubicin-induced mdr1b promoter activity of the H-RasV12 expressing NIH3T3 cells was markedly lower than that of control NIH3T3 cells. Additionally, there is a positive correlation between the level of H-RasV12 expression and a sensitivity to doxorubicin toxicity. To examine the detailed mechanism of H-RasV12-mediated down-regulation of mdr1b expression, antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenylene iodonium (DPI) were used. Pretreating cells with either NAC or DPI significantly enhanced the oncogenic H-Ras-mediated down-regulation of mdr1b expression and markedly prevented doxorubicin-induced cell death. Moreover, NAC and DPI treatment led to a decrease in ERK activity, and the ERK inhibitors PD98059 or U0126 enhanced the mdr1b-Luc activity of H-RasV12-NIH3T3 and reduced doxorubicin-induced apoptosis. These data suggest that RasV12 expression could downregulate mdr1b expression through intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and ERK activation induced by ROS, is at least in part, contributed to the downregulation of mdr1b expression.

Comparison of the portion sizes of Korean adults across eating places:Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2012–2016) / 한국영양학회지

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in portion size of 11 types of foods that Korean adults frequently consume, based on the parameters of eating place, gender, and age using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) data. @*Methods@#The dietary survey data from 2012–2016 KNHANES was used. A total of 19,779 subjects (8,034 male [40.6%], 11,745 female [59.4%]) were classified based on gender, three age groups (19–29 years old [15.7%], 30–49 years old [46.9%], 50–64 years old [37.4%]) and three eating places (home, institution, and restaurants/convenient stores etc.). @*Results@#The portion sizes according to the eating places were calculated as per the median intake of Korean adults. Foods that showed the highest median intake in restaurants/ convenience stores were boiled rice and kimchi stew. The median intake quantity of kimchi stew was the highest in restaurants/convenience stores in men across most age groups.Women in 30–49 years age group also consumed a lot of kimchi stew in restaurants/ convenience stores. Men in the age groups 30–49 and 50–64 years consumed soybean paste stew the most in institutions compared to home and restaurants/convenient stores. Stir-fried pork was consumed the most at institutional meal places across all age groups. @*Conclusion@#The portion sizes of kimchi stew and boiled rice were the highest in restaurants/ convenience stores. As kimchi stew and soybean paste stew is high in sodium, the intake should be reduced in institutions and restaurants/convenience stores. Furthermore, it is necessary to reduce sodium intake through consumer nutrition education and the development of low-salt standard recipes for restaurants.

Anterior Approach Following Intraoperative Reduction for Cervical Facet Fracture and Dislocation

Objective@#: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the anterior approach following intraoperative reduction under general anesthesia in patients with cervical facet fracture and dislocation. @*Methods@#: Twenty-three patients with single level cervical facet fracture and dislocation who were subjected to the anterior approach alone following immediate intraoperative reduction under general anesthesia from March 2013 to December 2017 were enrolled in this study. Neurological status, clinical outcome, and radiological studies were evaluated preoperatively, postoperatively, and during the follow-up period. @*Results@#: The cohort comprised 15 men and eight women with a mean age of 57 years (from 24 to 81). All patients were operated on within the first 8 hours following the injury. After gentle manual reduction or closed reduction with Gardner-Wells traction, under general anesthesia monitored by somatosensory-evoked potentials, all operations were successfully completed using the anterior approach alone except in two patients, who had a risk of over-distraction. In them, a satisfactory gentle manual reduction or closed reduction was not possible, and required open posterior reduction of the locked facets followed by anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. In one patient, screw retropulsion was observed in 1 month after surgery. There were no reduction-related complications or neurological aggravations after surgery. All patients showed evidence of stability at the instrumented level at the final follow-up (mean follow-up, 12 months). @*Conclusion@#: Anterior approach following intraoperative reduction monitored by somatosensory-evoked potentials under general anesthesia for cervical dislocation and locked facets is a relatively safe and effective alternative when cervical alignment is achieved by intraoperative reduction.

Traditional Korean diet can alter the urine organic acid profile, which may reflect the metabolic influence of the diet / 한국영양학회지

Purpose@#To determine the metabolic influence of the traditional Korean diet (K-diet), which has been regarded as a healthy diet, we investigated the profile of urine organic acids that are intermediates of various types of metabolism including energy metabolism. @*Methods@#Ten women aged 50–60 years were recruited and randomly divided into 2 diet groups, K-diet and control diet, the latter of which is a Westernized Korean diet that is commonly consumed by Koreans nowadays. Before and after the 2-week intervention, 46 urine organic acids were determined using LC/MS/MS, along with clinical parameters. @*Results@#The average concentrations of succinate (4.14 ± 0.84 μg/mg creatinine vs. 1.49 ± 0.11, p = 0.0346) and hydroxymethylglutarate (3.67 ± 0.36 μg/mg creatinine vs. 2.97 ± 0.29, p = 0.0466), both of which are intermediates of energy metabolism, decreased in the K-diet group after the 2-week intervention, but these were not observed in the control diet group. In particular, the average concentration of succinate in the K-diet group was lower than that in the control group (3.33 ± 0.56 μg/mg creatinine vs. 1.49 ± 0.11, p = 0.0284) after 2 weeks. The concentrations of two tryptophan metabolites, 5-hydroxyindolacetate (3.72 ± 0.22 μg/mg creatinine vs. 3.14 ± 0.21, p = 0.0183) and indican (76.99 ± 8.35 μg/mg creatinine vs. 37.89 ± 10.06, p = 0.0205) also decreased only in the K-diet group. After the 2-week intervention, the concentration of kynurenate, another tryptophan metabolite, was lower in the K-diet group than that in the control diet group (3.96 ± 0.51 μg/mg creatinine vs. 2.90 ± 0.22, p = 0.0356). Interestingly, the urine level of kynurenate was positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.61424, p = 0.0003) and total cholesterol (r = 0.46979, p = 0.0088), which decreased only in the K-diet group (239.40 ± 15.14 mg/dL vs. 198.20 ± 13.25, p = 0.0163). @*Conclusion@#The K-diet alters the urinary excretion of organic acids involved in energy metabolism and tryptophan metabolism, suggesting the influence of the K-diet on these types of metabolism. Urine organic acids changed by the K-diet may serve as biomarkers in future studies.

Association between dairy product intake and hypertriglyceridemia in Korean adults

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Hypertriglyceridemia may be a more important predictor of cardiovascular disease in Asian population consuming carbohydrate-rich foods than in Western populations. Dairy products are known to play a beneficial role in obesity, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome, but the results vary depending on gender and obesity. In this study, we investigated the associations between dairy product intake and hypertriglyceridemia in Korean adults.SUBJECTS/METHODS: The participants were selected from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2012 (KNHANES IV and V). A total of 22,836 participants aged 19–64 years were included in the analysis. A food frequency questionnaire used to determine the frequency of consumption of products (milk and yogurt). Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the associations between dairy product intake and hypertriglyceridemia.RESULTS: A significantly decreased risk of hypertriglyceridemia was detected in the highest dairy product intake frequency group (≥ 1 time/day) (odd ratio [OR] = 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64–0.97, P for trend = 0.022) compared to that for the lowest dairy product intake frequency group. Among obese participants, the group with the highest intakes of milk (in men, OR = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.46–0.91, P for trend = 0.036) and yogurt (in women; OR = 0.53; 95% CI: 0.29–0.94, P for trend = 0.019) showed inverse associations with hypertriglyceridemia. No associations were detected in normal weight participants.CONCLUSION: The association between dairy product intake and hypertriglyceridemia differed by gender and obesity status. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these associations.

Application and evaluation of mobile nutrition management service for breast cancer patients / 한국영양학회지

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the effects of nutrition management application in a mobile device on obesity management of patients with breast cancer.METHODS: Fifty subjects, who were breast cancer survivors, aged 30 years and older, participated in an obesity management program for four weeks. They were divided randomly into two groups: a control group (n = 25) and a treatment group (n = 25). The treatment group was provided an application for nutrition management and diet consultant, while the control group maintained their ordinary life without any nutrition management.RESULTS: The weight of the treatment group decreased by 0.8 kg, but the change was not significant. In contrast, the waist-hip ratio of the treatment group decreased significantly from 0.75 to 0.71 (p = 0.012). The Nutrition Quotients of the treatment group increased significantly from 61.3 to 69.6 points (p < 0.001), whereas that of the control group decreased significantly from 61.5 to 59.0 (p = 0.002).CONCLUSION: This mobile nutrition management application for breast cancer patients is effective in managing obesity and dietary habits. These results can be used as basic information to prepare an obesity management program for breast cancer patients.

Oncogenic Ras downregulates mdr1b expression through generation of reactive oxygen species

In the present study, we investigated the effect of oncogenic H-Ras on rat mdr1b expression in NIH3T3 cells. The constitutive expression of H-RasV12 was found to downregulate the mdr1b promoter activity and mdr1b mRNA expression. The doxorubicin-induced mdr1b promoter activity of the H-RasV12 expressing NIH3T3 cells was markedly lower than that of control NIH3T3 cells. Additionally, there is a positive correlation between the level of H-RasV12 expression and a sensitivity to doxorubicin toxicity. To examine the detailed mechanism of H-RasV12-mediated down-regulation of mdr1b expression, antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenylene iodonium (DPI) were used. Pretreating cells with either NAC or DPI significantly enhanced the oncogenic H-Ras-mediated down-regulation of mdr1b expression and markedly prevented doxorubicin-induced cell death. Moreover, NAC and DPI treatment led to a decrease in ERK activity, and the ERK inhibitors PD98059 or U0126 enhanced the mdr1b-Luc activity of H-RasV12-NIH3T3 and reduced doxorubicin-induced apoptosis. These data suggest that RasV12 expression could downregulate mdr1b expression through intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and ERK activation induced by ROS, is at least in part, contributed to the downregulation of mdr1b expression.

The development of food image detection and recognition model of Korean food for mobile dietary management

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop Korean food image detection and recognition model for use in mobile devices for accurate estimation of dietary intake. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We collected food images by taking pictures or by searching web images and built an image dataset for use in training a complex recognition model for Korean food. Augmentation techniques were performed in order to increase the dataset size. The dataset for training contained more than 92,000 images categorized into 23 groups of Korean food. All images were down-sampled to a fixed resolution of 150 × 150 and then randomly divided into training and testing groups at a ratio of 3:1, resulting in 69,000 training images and 23,000 test images. We used a Deep Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN) for the complex recognition model and compared the results with those of other networks: AlexNet, GoogLeNet, Very Deep Convolutional Neural Network, VGG and ResNet, for large-scale image recognition. RESULTS: Our complex food recognition model, K-foodNet, had higher test accuracy (91.3%) and faster recognition time (0.4 ms) than those of the other networks. CONCLUSION: The results showed that K-foodNet achieved better performance in detecting and recognizing Korean food compared to other state-of-the-art models.

The association between dietary pattern and depression in middle-aged Korean adults

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The association between dietary patterns and depression has been reported but the results have been inconsistent. This study was conducted to investigate the association between dietary patterns and depression in middle-aged Korean adults. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The participants were selected from a community-based cohort, a subset of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. Depression was assessed using the Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and those with a BDI score ≥ 16 were defined as having depression. The subjects' food intakes over the year preceding the survey were estimated by using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were identified by using factor analysis. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association of dietary pattern with depression. RESULTS: Among 3,388 participants, 448 (13.2%) were identified as having depression. We identified two major dietary patterns: ‘Healthy’ dietary pattern was characterized by high intakes of vegetables, soybeans, mushroom, seaweeds, white fish, shellfish and fruits and a low intake of white rice. ‘Unhealthy’ dietary pattern was characterized by high intakes of white rice, meats, ramen, noodles, bread and coffee and a low intake of rice with other grains. Compared with subjects in the lowest quartiles, those in the highest quartiles of the healthy dietary pattern had a significantly lower odds ratio (OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.42–0.82, P for trend = 0.0037) after adjusting for potential confounders. In contrast, the unhealthy dietary pattern was negatively associated with depression (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.19–2.28, P for trend = 0.0021). CONCLUSION: This results suggest that a healthy dietary pattern (rich in vegetables, soybeans, mushroom, seaweeds, white fish, shellfish, and fruits) is associated with low risk of depression. Whereas an unhealthy dietary pattern (rich in white rice, meats, ramen, noodles, bread, and coffee) is associated with a high risk of depression in middle-aged Korean adults.

High dairy products intake reduces osteoporosis risk in Korean postmenopausal women: A 4 year follow-up study

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify the effect of dairy products, milk and yogurt on osteoporosis incidence among Korean postmenopausal women using prospective cohort data. MATERIALS/METHODS: Between 2001 and 2003, 10,038 participants were recruited in rural and urban areas for a baseline examination of a community-based cohort study. Of those, 1,573 postmenopausal women (aged 40–69 years at baseline) were eligible for the present study. Intakes of dairy products, milk, and yogurt were assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The speed of sound at the radius and tibia were measured using a quantitative ultrasound device and osteoporosis was defined based on the WHO criteria (T-score ≤−2.5). RESULTS: During the 4-years follow-up study, the cumulative incidence of osteoporosis was 18.4% (273 cases) in the radius and 33.6% (407 cases) in the tibia. The subjects with higher frequency of dairy product consumption showed a decreased risk of radius osteoporosis after adjusting for potential confounders [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.33–0.80 for >1 time/day vs. non consumer; P for trend = 0.0027]. Similarly, high frequency of milk and yogurt consumption had a protective effect on radius osteoporosis risk [milk: HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.42–0.87 for >5–6 times/week vs. non consumer (P for trend = 0.0130), yogurt: HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.30–0.85 for > 5–6 times/week vs. non consumer (P for trend = 0.0167)]. However, high dairy products consumption was not related with tibia osteoporosis. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that daily intake of dairy products could potentially reduce radius osteoporosis incidence among Korean postmenopausal women.

Association between nutrient intakes and prevalence of depressive disorder in Korean adults: 2014 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey / 한국영양학회지

OBJECTIVE: Dietary nutrients may play a significant role in depressive disorders. However, sufficient evidences in epidemiological studies are limited. We investigated the cross-sectional association between dietary nutrients and the prevalence of depressive disorder in Korean adults using representative Korean data. METHODS: Participants were 2,938 adults aged 19 ~ 64 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) conducted in 2014. Dietary intakes were assessed using 24-h recall method. Depressive disorder was assessed using Patients Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9, self-depression test) as applied in 2014 KNHANES only. We defined depressive disorder as having a PHQ-9 score of ≥10, which was characterized as moderate depression and more. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the adjusted odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CIs) of depressive disorder. RESULTS: Among the 2,938 subjects, 170 were identified as having depressive disorder. The multivariate-adjusted regression analysis demonstrated that the risk of depression was significantly associated with riboflavin (OR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.24-0.85, p for trend = 0.018), thiamin (OR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.23-0.99, p for trend = 0.045), and vitamin C (OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.34-0.95, p for trend = 0.025) in the highest versus lowest tertiles of intake. CONCLUSION: The high consumption of riboflavin, thiamin, and vitamin C was associated with the low prevalence of depressive disorder in Korean adults.

The oncogenic effects of p53-inducible gene 3 (PIG3) in colon cancer cells

The p53-inducible gene 3 (PIG3), initially identified as a gene downstream of p53, plays an important role in the apoptotic process triggered by p53-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Recently, several studies have suggested that PIG3 may play a role in various types of cancer. However, the functional significance of PIG3 in cancer remains unclear. Here, we found that PIG3 was highly expressed in human colon cancer cell lines compared to normal colonderived fibroblasts. Therefore, we attempted to elucidate the functional role of PIG3 in colon cancer. PIG3 overexpression increases the colony formation, migration and invasion ability of HCT116 colon cancer cells. Conversely, these tumorigenic abilities were significantly decreased in in vitro studies with PIG3 knockdown HCT116 cells. PIG3 knockdown also attenuated the growth of mouse xenograft tumors. These results demonstrate that PIG3 is associated with the tumorigenic potential of cancer cells, both in vitro and in vivo, and could play a key oncogenic role in colon cancer.

PIG3 Regulates p53 Stability by Suppressing Its MDM2-Mediated Ubiquitination

Under normal, non-stressed conditions, intracellular p53 is continually ubiquitinated by MDM2 and targeted for degradation. However, in response to severe genotoxic stress, p53 protein levels are markedly increased and apoptotic cell death is triggered. Inhibiting the ubiquitination of p53 under conditions where DNA damage has occurred is therefore crucial for preventing the development of cancer, because if cells with severely damaged genomes are not removed from the population, uncontrolled growth can result. However, questions remain about the cellular mechanisms underlying the regulation of p53 stability. In this study, we show that p53-inducible gene 3 (PIG3), which is a transcriptional target of p53, regulates p53 stability. Overexpression of PIG3 stabilized both endogenous and transfected wild-type p53, whereas a knockdown of PIG3 lead to a reduction in both endogenous and UV-induced p53 levels in p53-proficient human cancer cells. Using both in vivo and in vitro ubiquitination assays, we found that PIG3 suppressed both ubiquitination- and MDM2-dependent proteasomal degradation of p53. Notably, we demonstrate that PIG3 interacts directly with MDM2 and promoted MDM2 ubiquitination. Moreover, elimination of endogenous PIG3 in p53-proficient HCT116 cells decreased p53 phosphorylation in response to UV irradiation. These results suggest an important role for PIG3 in regulating intracellular p53 levels through the inhibition of p53 ubiquitination.

Bone Cement-Augmented Percutaneous Short Segment Fixation: An Effective Treatment for Kummell's Disease?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of bone cement-augmented percutaneous short segment fixation for treating Kummell's disease accompanied by severe osteoporosis. METHODS: From 2009 to 2013, ten patients with single-level Kummell's disease accompanied by severe osteoporosis were enrolled in this study. After postural reduction for 1-2 days, bone cement-augmented percutaneous short segment fixation was performed at one level above, one level below, and at the collapsed vertebra. Clinical results, radiological parameters, and related complications were assessed preoperatively and at 1 month and 12 months after surgery. RESULTS: Prior to surgery, the mean pain score on the visual analogue scale was 8.5+/-1.5. One month after the procedure, this score improved to 2.2+/-2.0 and the improvement was maintained at 12 months after surgery. The mean preoperative vertebral height loss was 48.2+/-10.5%, and the surgical procedure reduced this loss to 22.5+/-12.4%. In spite of some recurrent height loss, significant improvement was achieved at 12 months after surgery compared to preoperative values. The kyphotic angle improved significantly from 22.4+/-4.9degrees before the procedure to 10.1+/-3.8degrees after surgery and the improved angle was maintained at 12 months after surgery despite a slight correction loss. No patient sustained adjacent fractures after bone cement-augmented percutaneous short segment fixation during the follow-up period. Asymptomatic cement leakage into the paravertebral area was observed in one patient, but no major complications were seen. CONCLUSION: Bone cement-augmented percutaneous short segment fixation can be an effective and safe procedure for Kummell's disease.

Complete Separation of the Vertebral Body Associated with a Schmorl's Node Accompanying Severe Osteoporosis

A Schmorl's node is defined as a simple endplate intravertebral herniation resulting from trauma or idiopathic causes. Although Schmorl's nodes have been considered clinically insignificant, they might indicate an active symptomatic process or cause serious complications. In this study, we report an interesting case of complete separation of a vertebral body caused by an untreated Schmorl's node accompanying severe osteoporosis. To our knowledge, this is the first clinical report in the published literature to evaluate the complete separation of a vertebral body associated with a Schmorl's node.

Silibinin Inhibits LPS-Induced Macrophage Activation by Blocking p38 MAPK in RAW 264.7 Cells

We demonstrate herein that silibinin, a polyphenolic flavonoid compound isolated from milk thistle (Silybum marianum), inhibits LPS-induced activation of macrophages and production of nitric oxide (NO) in RAW 264.7 cells. Western blot analysis showed silibinin inhibits iNOS gene expression. RT-PCR showed that silibinin inhibits iNOS, TNF-alpha, and IL1beta. We also showed that silibinin strongly inhibits p38 MAPK phosphorylation, whereas the ERK1/2 and JNK pathways are not inhibited. The p38 MAPK inhibitor abrogated the LPS-induced nitrite production, whereas the MEK-1 inhibitor did not affect the nitrite production. A molecular modeling study proposed a binding pose for silibinin targeting the ATP binding site of p38 MAPK (1OUK). Collectively, this series of experiments indicates that silibinin inhibits macrophage activation by blocking p38 MAPK signaling.

Radicicol Inhibits iNOS Expression in Cytokine-Stimulated Pancreatic Beta Cells

Here, we show that radicicol, a fungal antibiotic, resulted in marked inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) transcription by the pancreatic beta cell line MIN6N8a in response to cytokine mixture (CM: TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and IL-1beta). Treatment of MIN6N8a cells with radicicol inhibited CM-stimulated activation of NF-kappaB/Rel, which plays a critical role in iNOS transcription, in a dose-related manner. Nitrite production in the presence of PD98059, a specific inhibitor of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase-1 and 2 (ERK1/2) pathway, was dramatically diminished, suggesting that the ERK1/2 pathway is involved in CM-induced iNOS expression. In contrast, SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38, had no effect on nitrite generation. Collectively, this series of experiments indicates that radicicol inhibits iNOS gene expression by blocking ERK1/2 signaling. Due to the critical role that NO release plays in mediating destruction of pancreatic beta cells, the inhibitory effects of radicicol on iNOS expression suggest that radicicol may represent a useful anti-diabetic activity.

Polymorphism of Haptoglobin in Patients with Premature Rupture of Membrane

PURPOSE: To investigate whether allelic polymorphism of haptoglobin (Hp) is associated with premature rupture of membrane (PROM), the Hp phenotypes of pregnant women with PROM were analyzed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Hp phenotypes of 221 pregnant Korean women (187 control and 34 PROM patients) were determined by benzidine/hydrogen peroxide staining, following native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of hemoglobin-mixed sera. The Hp allele frequencies were calculated from the data of Hp phenotypes, and overall association with PROM was evaluated using Pearson Chi-Square test. RESULTS: The polymorphic distribution of the patients cohort who underwent a normal delivery (control group) was similar to that of healthy Koreans. In contrast, however, patients with PROM showed significantly higher occurrence of the Hp 1-1 phenotype than control group (23.5% vs 8.0%). Hp 2-2 phenotype was lower in PROM cohort (38.2%) than in the control group (48.7%). The Hp1 allele frequency in PROM group was significantly higher than that in the control group (0.426 vs 0.297, p = 0.034) with odds ratio of 1.762 (95% CI: 1.038 - 2.991). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that pregnant Korean women who possess Hp1 allele (expressed as Hp 1-1 phenotype) have higher incidence of PROM than women with Hp2 allele (expressed as Hp 2-2 phenotype). This is the first study that evaluated the significance of Hp polymorphism with respect to the development of PROM.

The Risk Factors of the Pre-hypertension and Hypertension of Rural Inhabitants in Chungnam-do

The purpose of this study is to investigate risk factors of pre-hypertension and hypertension in rural residents. Nine hundred and ninety four subjects aged 40-70 yrs in Chungnam-do participated in this study. The subjects (n = 824) were classified into three groups of hypertensive, pre-hypertensive, and normotensive according to the Joint National Committee (JNC)-7 criteria. The weight, body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), and serum total protein, albumin, BUN, and triglyceride (TG) were positively correlated with SBP and DBP. After adjusted by age, sex and BMI, the total protein, albumin and TG were significantly correlated with SBP and DBP (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in eating habits according to the level of blood pressure. The serum albumin, creatinine, Glu-FBS, Glu-PP l20, and triglyceride were higher in both prehypertensive and hypertensive group than in the normotensive group. However, mean serum cholesterol was not different among three blood pressure groups. In this study, the common risk factors of pre-hypertension and hyper-tension were male, age of fifties, lower education level, ex-smoking, higher drinking frequency, higher BMI, body fat %, waist circumference, WHR, serum albumin and diabetes, even though the degree of risks in these variables were higher in the hypertensive group. The higher BUN was a risk factor of prehypertension, while the family history, prediabetes, serum total protein, Glu-PP l20 and higher alcohol drinking amount were the risk factors of hypertension. This result suggests that maintaining good health habit and normal range of blood parameters as well as controlling body weight have to be paid attention in order to prevent hypertention, and further reseasch on the relationship of blood pressure and BUN are needed.