Gender Differences in Sleep Disturbance among Elderly Koreans: Hallym Aging Study

Sleep is an important component in our lives as it is necessary throughout one’s entire life span. This study was conducted to elucidate whether there are gender differences in sleep quality and what factors can affect sleep quality in community-dwelling elderly Koreans. A total of 382 subjects (175 males and 207 females) were recruited among elderly aged 45 or over who participated in the 2010 Hallym Aging Study (HAS). They were invited to a general hospital and were evaluated for socioeconomic status, smoking history, and various clinical measures. Sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A higher score indicates poorer subjective sleep quality, (PSQI global score > 5 suggests sleep disturbance). After adjusting for potential covariates, our results show that alcohol increases the odds for poor sleep (odds ratio [OR] = 3.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11–10.10) in males. In females, lack of exercise was the major risk factor of poor sleep as they are 4.46 times more likely to suffer from low sleep quality than those who exercise regularly (95% CI=1.56–13.75). Stress was also a risk factor for poor sleep. It was 5.60 times higher in the "always have stress" group than the "do not have stress" group (95% CI = 1.54–20.34). Thus, alcohol consumption is associated with men’s sleep quality, while exercise and stress level affect women's.

A 6-Week Oral Toxicity Study of Oral Cholera Vaccine in Sprague-Dawley Rats

The present study was carried out to examine the toxicity and target organs of oral cholera vaccine (OCV) after repeated oral administration in Sprague-Dawley rats for 6 weeks (3 administrations, once every 2 weeks). OCV is an inactivated oral cholera vaccine that contains Vibrio cholerae and confers protection against cholera caused by V. cholera serogroups O1 (Inaba and Ogawa serotypes) and O139 (strain 4260B). The animals were orally administered either OCV placebo (negative control) or OCV at a dose equivalent to 240 times the anticipated human dose. Throughout the administration period, no significant change was detected in clinical signs, body weight, food or water consumption, urinalysis results, hematological and clinical biochemistry test results, organ weights, necropsy, or histopathological examination results. Minor changes were found in hematological and clinical biochemistry tests; however, these changes were within normal ranges. The above results suggest that oral administration of OCV in rats did not induce any toxicologically meaningful changes, and the target organs could not be determined. This study was conducted in accordance with the guidelines established by Good Laboratory Practice (2009-183, KFDA, December 22, 2009) and the OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Practice (1997).

Classified teaching of acupoints: standardized teaching in Jingluo Shuxue Xue (Channels and Acupoints science) / 中国针灸

The purpose of this study is to summarize teaching experiences on channel and acupoints. The method of classified teaching is put forward and approached to explore the law of acupoint teaching. It is held that the method could reduce randomness and enhance appropriateness, rationality and scientific validity of the teaching. Class hours are thus optimized and the best teaching result achieved. Acupoints are classified into 4 categories of core points, focal points, regular points and ordinary points according to their use frequency and theoretical importance. Classification methods, principles and categories are then determined. And content of courses, teaching techniques and requirements are introduced as well. Suggestions are offered on enriching teaching contents, for instance, paraphrasing of the acupoint names, indications, point prescriptions and clinical experiences. Thus the conclusion is made that it is imperative to reform the conventional sort of acupoints classified by only focal points and ordinary points as well as the related teaching methods.

Anti-hepatofibrogenic Effect of Turnip Water Extract on Thioacetamide-induced Liver Fibrosis / 한국실험동물학회지

Liver fibrosis is a chronic liver disease and lots of people in Korea are suffered. There are many efforts to find candidates to suppress liver fibrogenesis and several chemical-induced model or bile duct ligation model have been used to research and develop hepatic fibrogenic suppressor. From the previous study about functional effects of turnip which cultivated in Kangha Island, we got the feasibility which turnip might be able to inhibit heptatic fibrogenesis. TAA is a representative hepatic fibrosis inducer, repeated 7-weeks i.p. injection of it results in hepatic fibrosis. We compared the level of hepatic fibrosis in TAA-turnip group, TAA group, and vehicle control group. Nodules-formed by TAA were observed; they were rarely shown in vehicle control group, observed in most area in TAA group, but only shown in periportal regions in TAA-turnip group. These results were confirmed through Masson's trichrom stain; fibrous structures increased in TAA group (fibrosis score: 4) but significantly decreased in TAA-turnip group (fibrosis score: 2-3). In conclusion, we got the result that turnip water extract has a potency to protect TAA-induced hepatic fibrogenesis but it is necessary further study to find its mechanism.

Discussion on the treatment amount of acupuncture and moxibustion / 中国针灸

In the present paper, the theory and practice of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy by a clinical point of view are explored and summarized. Such concepts as the total treatment amount, the unit treatment amount, the immediate treatment amount, the overtreatment amount, the inferior treatment amount and the measurement of treatment amount are proposed and discussed. The basic constituent elements of treatment amount of acupuncture and moxibustion, i. e. acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, acupoint injection, electroacupuncture are summarized. It is held that the treatment amount of acupuncture and moxibustion in condition of suitable controlling is the fundamental guarantee for the best clinical therapeutic effect, the key to which include correct acupuncture manipulation, rational selection acupoints for the prescriptions, suitable acupuncture therapy combination, the variety of treatment amount assignment being related with the state of disease and so on. The overtreatment amount and the inferior treatment amount must be avoided.

Effects of exercise with different intensity on glucose transport protein contents in the skeletal muscle of diabetes rats / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Exercise affects glucose transport 4(Glut4) protein levels in the skeletal muscle, but different intensions of exercise effects are unknown to people. OBJECTIVE: To explore effects of different intensity exercise on Glut4 protein expression in the skeletal muscle of rats. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: The randomized control animal experiment was performed at the Central Laboratory of Liaoning Normal University from September to October 2007. MATERIALS: A total of 60 healthy SD rats weighing (200?16) g of both genders were used in the following study. METHODS: Rat models of diabetes mellitus were created and divided into six groups: a normal control group, a diabetes mellitus control group and a diabetes mellitus group including 15 m/min group, 20 m/min group, 25 m/min group and 30 m/min group. Each group consisted of 10 rats. The exercise groups did the running exercise each day for 50 minutes, 6 days in a week, lasting for 6 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Western bolt analysis was used to determine Glut4 protein on cell membrane of the skeletal muscle. Different intensions of exercise effects on body weight, blood glucose and insulin levels were observed in rats from each group. RESULTS: Compared with the diabetes mellitus control group, Glut4 protein contents enhanced up to 44.2% and 48% (P