Ovarian Volume in Korean Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Its Related Factors.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of ovarian volume (OV) to age, height, and weight in Korean young women with the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) undergoing ultrasonography (US) and to investigate the relationship between ovarian follicle count and volume on US and serum hormone levels including the levels of the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and gonadotropin. METHODS: A total of 272 Korean nulliparous women aged 15 to 39 years who were newly diagnosed with PCOS at a university hospital were included in this study. Evaluation of the ovaries and measurement of OVs in all cases were randomly performed by ultrasound. The OV and follicle number (FN) were obtained in all cases. RESULTS: In Korean women with PCOS, mean OV was 7.9 ± 3.6 cm3 (right) and 6.7 ± 3.1 cm3 (left). Mean FN in the PCOS group was 14.2 ± 4.6 (right) and 13.8 ± 4.3 (left). OV and ovarian FN were unrelated to patient weight, height and body mass index. The left ovarian FN was related to patient age. AMH levels ranged from 5.31 to 43.1 ng/mL and the mean level was 13.9 ± 7.2 ng/mL. Serum AMH was related to OV and FN, and serum total testosterone was related to FN in Korean women with PCOS. CONCLUSIONS: In Korean nulliparous women with PCOS, OV was smaller than that in other ethnic groups and the right OV was larger than the left OV. Ovarian FN, AMH, testosterone are good markers for the diagnosis of PCOS in Korean women.

Changes in the antigenicity and allergenicity of ovalbumin in chicken egg white by N-acetylglucosaminidase.

Ovalbumin (OVA), an (hen) egg allergen, is one of the most abundant glycoprotein allergens associated with IgE-mediated hypersensitivity through the T-helper type 2 immune response. The effect of deglycosylation of the N-terminal glycan in OVA on allergenicity and antigenicity after N-acetylglucosaminidase treatment was studied. N-acetylglucosaminidase-treated OVA (N-OVA) evaluated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. N-OVA significantly (p<0.05) OVA-specific IgE and histamine levels. In addition, N-OVA decreased the antigenicity of OVA 1000-fold. These results suggest that the degree of allergenicity and antigenicity reduced with deglycosylation of N-terminal glycan in OVA.

Hematocolpos as a Result of Delayed Treatment of Acute Straddle Injury in an Adolescent Girl.

Accidental genital trauma is most commonly caused by straddle-type injuries and is usually treatable by nonoperative management, and most of the injuries have a good prognosis. When the bleeding occurred due to straddle injury in adolescent girl, experienced gynecological examination and treatment were very important. We experienced a case of straddle injury to the posterior fourchette that caused acute hematocolpos due to delayed adequate treatment with hypotension and acute abdomen in an adolescent girl. This case shows the importance of careful and accurate physical and gynecological examination and adequate and prompt treatment of genital trauma in adolescent girls.

Cooperative MIMO communication at wireless sensor network: an error correcting code approach.

Cooperative communication in wireless sensor network (WSN) explores the energy efficient wireless communication schemes between multiple sensors and data gathering node (DGN) by exploiting multiple input multiple output (MIMO) and multiple input single output (MISO) configurations. In this paper, an energy efficient cooperative MIMO (C-MIMO) technique is proposed where low density parity check (LDPC) code is used as an error correcting code. The rate of LDPC code is varied by varying the length of message and parity bits. Simulation results show that the cooperative communication scheme outperforms SISO scheme in the presence of LDPC code. LDPC codes with different code rates are compared using bit error rate (BER) analysis. BER is also analyzed under different Nakagami fading scenario. Energy efficiencies are compared for different targeted probability of bit error p(b). It is observed that C-MIMO performs more efficiently when the targeted p(b) is smaller. Also the lower encoding rate for LDPC code offers better error characteristics.

Multi-hop routing-based optimization of the number of cluster-heads in wireless sensor networks.

Wireless sensor networks require energy-efficient data transmission because the sensor nodes have limited power. A cluster-based routing method is more energy-efficient than a flat routing method as it can only send specific data for user requirements and aggregate similar data by dividing a network into a local cluster. However, previous clustering algorithms have some problems in that the transmission radius of sensor nodes is not realistic and multi-hop based communication is not used both inside and outside local clusters. As energy consumption based on clustering is dependent on the number of clusters, we need to know how many clusters are best. Thus, we propose an optimal number of cluster-heads based on multi-hop routing in wireless sensor networks. We observe that a local cluster made by a cluster-head influences the energy consumption of sensor nodes. We determined an equation for the number of packets to send and relay, and calculated the energy consumption of sensor networks using it. Through the process of calculating the energy consumption, we can obtain the optimal number of cluster-heads in wireless sensor networks.

Path renewal method in filtering based wireless sensor networks.

In applications of wireless sensor networks, there are many security issues. Attackers can create false reports and transmit the reports to the networks. These false reports can lead not only false alarms, but also the depletion of limited energy resources. In order to filter out such false reports during the forwarding process, Ye et al. proposed the statistical en-route filtering (SEF). Several research efforts to enhance the efficiency of SEF have been made. Especially, the path selection method proposed by Sun et al. can improve the detection power of SEF by considering the information on the filtering keys of and distances of upstream paths. However, such selection mechanism could lead to favored paths in heavy traffic, which would result in unbalanced energy consumption. In this paper, we propose a path renewal method to provide load balancing for sensor networks in terms of energy consumption. In our method, a node renews its upstream path to save energy resources if the remaining energy of and the communication traffic of the node exceed some threshold values. We show the effectiveness of the proposed method in terms of balanced energy consumption and filtering power by providing simulation results.

Effect of probiotic mix (Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus) in the primary prevention of eczema: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Controversy exists regarding the preventive effect of probiotics on the development of eczema or atopic dermatitis. We investigated whether supplementation of probiotics prevents the development of eczema in infants at high risk. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 112 pregnant women with a family history of allergic diseases received a once-daily supplement, either a mixture of Bifidobacterium bifidum BGN4, B. lactis AD011, and Lactobacillus acidophilus AD031, or placebo, starting at 4-8 wks before delivery and continuing until 6 months after delivery. Infants were exclusively breast-fed during the first 3 months, and were subsequently fed with breastmilk or cow's milk formula from 4 to 6 months of age. Clinical symptoms of the infants were monitored until 1 yr of age, when the total and specific IgE against common food allergens were measured. A total of 68 infants completed the study. The prevalence of eczema at 1 yr in the probiotic group was significantly lower than in the placebo group (18.2% vs. 40.0%, p=0.048). The cumulative incidence of eczema during the first 12 months was reduced significantly in probiotic group (36.4% vs. 62.9%, p=0.029); however, there was no difference in serum total IgE level or the sensitization against food allergens between the two groups. Prenatal and postnatal supplementation with a mixture of B. bifidum BGN4, B. lactis AD011, and L. acidophilus AD031 is an effective approach in preventing the development of eczema in infants at high risk of allergy during the first year of life.

Urban and rural differences in the prevalence of gender and age specific obesity and related health behaviors in Korea.

The objective of this study was to discuss the residential difference in gender and age specific prevalence of obesity by body mass index (BMI) and obesity related health behaviors in the Republic of Korea. A total of nationally representative 2,583 men and 3,087 women (age: 20-64 yr) was used as subjects from 1998 National Health and Nutrition Survey. All statistics were calculated using SUDAAN to consider a stratified multistage probability sampling design. The prevalence of obesity (BMI> or =25) was significantly different by age, gender and residential areas. Although younger men aged 20-49 yr did not show a residential difference in the prevalence of obesity, men aged 50-64 yr showed differences, highest in big cities and lowest in rural areas. However, in women, a higher prevalence was observed in rural areas compared to urban areas in the younger age group (20-49 yr), but not in the older age group. Residential differences of obesity related health behaviors existed mostly in the older population, but not in the younger population. The urban-rural differences demonstrate the various stages of behavioral transition that Korea is currently undergoing. Therefore, different strategies considering those factors are needed to manage obesity problems in Korea.

Prevalence of soy protein hypersensitivity in cow's milk protein-sensitive children in Korea.

This study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence of soy protein hypersensitivity in cow's milk protein-sensitive children in Korea. A total of 1,363 patients with atopic dermatitis, urticaria, enterocolitis syndrome, bronchial asthma or allergic rhinitis were recruited. First, we estimated the prevalence of sensitization to soy in children sensitized to cow's milk. Specific IgE levels > 0.7 kU/L by CAP assay were considered positive. Next, the prevalence of soy allergy in cow's milk allergy (CMA) patients was investigated. Those children whose parents agreed to participate the open challenge test with soy had a convincing history of allergic reactions elicited by cow's milk and these symptoms were relieved by elimination. All of them had negative soy-specific IgE. Patients with positive soy-specific IgE accounted for 18.3% of 224 children sensitized to cow's milk protein. The prevalence of sensitization to soy decreased with age (36.8% in the first year of life, 16.4% in the second year, and 13.7% in the third year). Of 21 CMA patients, 42.9% (n=9) were determined to have soy allergy (mean age 10.3 months). Our results suggest that soy protein formula should be carefully used as a substitute for cow's milk in CMA patients, especially during infancy.

Short-term effect of partially hydrolyzed formula on the prevention of development of atopic dermatitis in infants at high risk.

This short-term, prospective study was aimed to assess the effects of partially hydrolyzed formula (PHF) on the prevention of the development of atopic dermatitis in infants at high risk. The infants of parents with allergy symptoms and serum total IgE over 200 kU/L were divided into 3 groups by their feeding patterns: PHF group (n=15), standard formula (SF) group (n=32), and breast milk (BM) group (n=22). No allergenic food was given during the study period of 6 months, and breastfeeding mothers avoided egg ingestion. Their atopic symptoms were monitored every 2 months. The cumulative incidence and prevalence of atopic dermatitis at the age of 6 months were significantly less in the PHF group than in the SF group (47% vs. 78%, p<0.05; 20% vs. 59%, p<0.05). Those rates of the PHF group were also less than those of the BM group, but they were not statistically significant. There was no difference in the onset age and disease severity. These results suggest that early feeding of PHF to infants at high risk has a short-term preventive effect on the development of atopic dermatitis during the first 6 months of life. Long-term preventive effects should be evaluated.