Genetic influence and heritability in mandibular prognathism of Korean families

INTRODUCTION: This study examined the genetic influence of mandibular prognathism epidemiologically in Korean families. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over a 5-year period from 2005 to 2009, a questionnaire with a pedigree chart was given to 100 (male 51, female 49) probands with skeletal Class III mandibular prognathism, who had undergone orthognathic surgery in Samsung Medical Center. RESULTS: The average age of the probands was 22.1. The average SNA, SNB and ANB angles of the probands were 81.2degrees, 84.1degreesand -2.9degrees, respectively. A total of 2729 (male 1,354, female 1,375) family members were examined, and the affected ratio of the families was 3.5% with no significant difference between genders. 45% of families had at least one member with a Class III malocclusion other than the proband. The affected ratio of the first-degree relatives (10.9%) was significantly higher than those of the second-degree (3.3%) and third-degree (1.9%) relatives. The affected ratio of the total relatives from the male probands (4.2%) was significantly higher than that of the female probands (2.8%). Heritability (h2, Falconer'method) was estimated to be 29.8% (0.298+/-0.059) in first-degree relatives. CONCLUSION: These results showed the significant influence of mandibular prognathism with relatively low heritability in first-degree relatives in Korean families of probands, who had undergone orthognathic surgery to correct a skeletal Class III malocclusion.

Protective Effect of Kefir Grain Against Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis in Rats

Probiotics have emerged as a potential treatment modality for numerous gastrointestinal disorders, including IBD. However, few probiotics have undergone appropriate preclinical screening in vivo. Kefir is considered a probiotic, benefiting the host through its effects in the intestinal tract. Despite numerous studies examining the action of probiotics on the host organism, few have analyzed the effects on intestinal environment. We assessed the protective effect of kefir for three weeks before inducing colitis with 2% dextran sodium sulfate for five days. The DSS loads were similar in all DSS treatment group. The results of the experiment are as follows. Food intake and FER of experimental groups were not significantly different each other, but water consumption tended to be higher in all DSS treatment groups as compared with the normal control. And visual inspection of feces revealed mild diarrhea in rat given 2% DSS. The anti-inflammatory activity of kefir was determined by myeloperoxidase activity during the DSS treatment, and there was no significant difference in any group. The levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) as a colonic lipid peroxidation were significantly lower in the kefir intake groups than in rats treated with 2% DSS alone. The DNA % in tail and tail moment values as a DNA damage level of the blood lymphocytes in kefir intake groups tended to be lower than 2% DSS treatment alone, especially tail lengths were significantly diminished. According to the colonic histopathological assay, there were a severe inflammation of lamina propria and submucosa and mild edema in mucosa and sub mucosa in DSS alone treated group. We found a slight regenerative change in kefir treatment groups. In our experiments, this means that ulcerative colitis related to oxidative injury might be prevented by kefir as a probiotic. Further studies of the potential benefits of kefir as a probiotic in inflammatory condition are encouraged.