Comparing Oral Health Care Awareness and Practice in Pregnant Women with and without Oral Health Education Experience

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in awareness and practice of oral health care in pregnant women with and without oral health care education experience. METHODS: Participants in the survey for this study were 221 pregnant women in female exclusive hospitals located in B city and G city. Data were collected from October to December, 2014 using self-report structured questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS/Win 21.0 program. RESULTS: The number of pregnant women experienced in oral health education was 36.2%. The oral health care awareness of pregnant women experienced in oral health education total score was 15.14±1.96, and inexperienced pregnant women total score was 14.14±2.63 (t=3.26, p=.001). The oral health care practice of pregnant women experienced in oral health education total score was 12.90±2.48, and inexperienced pregnant women total score was 10.95±4.06 (t=3.89, p<.001). The relationship between the awareness and practice of oral health care was positively correlated. CONCLUSION: Based on this study outcomes, considering the importance for oral health education in the antenatal care program when the pregnant women visiting the hospital for medical check-up.

Effects of Phytoestrogens on Glucose Metabolism in C57BL/KsOlaHsd-db/db Mice

This study was conducted to evaluate the antihyperglycemic effects of three phytoestrogens, genistein, coumestrol, and enterolactone, in type 2 diabetic animals. Forty male C57BL/KsOlaHsd-db/db mice were used as a diabetic animal model. The animals were divided into four groups and fed a phytoestrogen-free AIN-76 diet (control), or one of three phytoestrogen-supplemented (3.75 mg/100 g diet) AIN-76 diets for six weeks. During the experimental period, fasting blood glucose levels were measured on week 0, 2, 5, and 6 of the experiment, and oral glucose tolerance tests were performed on the 5th week. After the experimental period, blood concentrations of HbA1c, insulin, and glucagon were measured, and hepatic glycogen content and glucose regulating enzyme activities were analyzed. Fasting blood glucose, HbA1c level, and the area under the blood glucose curve in the oral glucose tolerance test were significantly lower in all of the phytoestrogen-supplemented groups compared to the control group. Plasma glucagon levels were also significantly lower in all of the phytoestrogen-supplemented groups compared to the control group. Hepatic glycogen level was significantly higher in the coumestrol-supplemented group compared to the other groups. However, there were no significant differences in the activities of glucokinase and glucose-6-phosphatase between the groups. These results suggest that all of the three major phytoestrogens tested in the present study were effective in lowering blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetic animals. However, further studies need to be conducted to elucidate the exact mechanism for the hypoglycemic effects of phytoestrogens.

Analysis of Serum Antioxidant Materials Concentration and Their Relation with Blood Lipids and Anthropometric Indices in Middle-Aged Adults in Korea

The serum levels of antioxidant materials (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, lycopene, alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, retinol) of the healthy Korean middle-aged adults (n = 373) were measured and their relationships with the serum lipids and anthropometric indices were analyzed. The serum levels of beta-cryptoxanthin, beta-carotene, lutein were higher than those of lycopene and alpha-carotene. The levels of all measured carotenoids except lutein were significantly higher in females than in males, but retinol level was vice versa. There was a tendency of increase in serum levels of antioxidant vitamins with increasing age. The serum carotenoid levels had a positive correlation with serum cholesterol and a negative correlation with serum triglyceride. The serum levels of tocopherols or retinol showed a significantly positive relationship with blood cholesterol or triglyceride. In overall, anthropometric indices showed negative relations with serum carotenoids levels, but vice versa with serum tocopherol or retinol levels. Particularly, beta-carotene and lutein levels showed a significantly negative relation with blood pressure in male subjects. The serum levels of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin had significantly negative relations with body fat-related indices in female subjects. The results demonstrated that blood antioxidants levels differed by sex and age, and had significant relations with blood lipid levels and anthropometric indices. Therefore, the rationale and significance of the relationships need to be elucidated in the future study related to dietary intakes and life style.

Soybean isoflavone extract improves glucose tolerance and raises the survival rate in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

The present study evaluated the effect of various dosages of soybean isoflavone extract on body weight changes, glucose tolerance and liver function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. One group of normal rats (normal control) was fed an AIN-76-based experimental diet and four groups of diabetic rats were fed the same diet supplemented with four different levels of soybean isoflavone extract for seven weeks. The daily dosages of pure isoflavone for four diabetic groups were set to be 0 mg (diabetic control), 0.5 mg (ISO-I), 3.0 mg (ISO-II) and 30.0 mg (ISO-III) per kilogram of body weight, respectively. The daily consumption of isoflavone at the level of 3.0mg per kilogram of body weight resulted in the suppression of body weight loss and increased the survival rate of diabetic animals one and half times compared to that of the diabetic control group. Blood glucose levels in a fasting state and after the oral administration of glucose were significantly lower in the ISO-II group during the oral glucose tolerance test. The ISO-II group showed a tendency to elongate the gastrointestinal transit time. The activity of serum aminotransferases, indicator of liver function, was not negatively affected by any intake level of isoflavone. The present study demonstrated that the soybean isoflavone extract may be beneficial to diabetic animals by improving their glucose tolerance and suppressing weight loss without incurring hepatotoxicity at the daily dosage of 3.0 mg per kg of body weight.