No abstract available.
Antioxidants* ; Oxidative Stress*

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality. It is well known that androgen and sex hormone-binding globulin(SHBG) in women were associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as obesity, central fat accumulation and atherogenic lipid profile. High resolution B-mode ultrasonography can visualize directly both luminal and vessel wall characteristics, and ultrasonic measurement of carotid intima-medial thickness(IMT) can be used to investigate the atherosclerosis of coronary, cerebral and peripheral arteries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate(DHEA-S) and SHBG, and body fat distribution pattern, cardiovascular risk factor and carotid atherosclerosis in women. METHODS: Blood pressure, fasting serum glucose, insulin, lipid profile, SHBG and DHEA-S were measured. Body fat distribution pattern was assessed by waist to hip ratio, waist to thigh ratio and subscapular to triceps skin fold thickness ratio, faf mass measured by bioelectric impedance analyzer, subcutaneous fat area, visceral fat area, and visceral to subcutaneous fat area ratio(VSR) at the level of umbilicus using the computed tomography. The IMT of the carotid artery was measured by high resolution B mode ultrasound as a marker of atherosclerosis. RESULTS: 1) There was no significant difference of age-adjusted values of carotid IMT among subjects with NGT(0.426+/-0.09mm), IGT(0.46+/-10.09mm) and NIDDM(0.453+/-0.11mm). 2) In postrnenopausal women, carotid IMT was greater(0.484+/-0.11mm, p=0.05) than premenopausal women(0.426+/-0.08mm), but it was not significant after age adjustment. Serum SHBG and DHEA-S levels in postmenopausal women were significantly lower(p<0.05) than premenopausal women, but they were not significant after age adjustment. 3) Carotid IMT was significantly correlated with age(r=0.37, p<0.01), fasting serum glucose (r=0.32, p<0.01), total cholesterol(r= 0.25, p<0.05), LDL-cholesterol(r=0.26, p<0.05), visceral fat area(r=0.35, p<0.01) and VSR(r=0.31, p<0.05). 4) By the stepwise multiple regression analysis, carotid IMT was positively and significantly associated with age(p<0.01) and serum DHEA-S concentration(p<0.05) in dent of age, body mass index, waist to hip ratio, fasting serum glucose. CONCLUSION: Carotid IMT was associated with age and serum DHEA-S concentration in women without cardiovascular disease. Therefore, serum DHEA-S may be one of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in women. However, we could not conclude its cause-result relationship because of cross sectional nature of our study, and prospective study will be needed.
Arteries ; Atherosclerosis ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Body Fat Distribution ; Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery Diseases* ; Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate* ; Dehydroepiandrosterone* ; Electric Impedance ; Fasting ; Female ; Humans ; Insulin ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Mortality ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Phenobarbital ; Risk Factors ; Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin* ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Thigh ; Ultrasonics ; Ultrasonography ; Umbilicus ; Waist-Hip Ratio

For the rapidly growing elderly population, the achievement and maintenance of good nutritional status is critical to health, functioning and quality of life. Elderly women living alone have been identified as a group associated with poor nutrition. The purpose of this study was to assess dietary intakes of elderly women living alone as compared to those of elderly women living with family in a rural area and to examine seasonal variation. The subjects are 49 elderly women living alone and 41 elderly women living with family who reside in Goryeong-gun, Gyeongbuk, and their food intakes were assessed once each time in summer 2005, winter 2005-2006, and spring 2006. The average ages were 74.7 years for living alone and 72.8 years for living with family. Education level was not different between the two groups. Height, weight, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and fasting blood glucose were not significantly different between the two groups. Average intakes of major nutrients, nutrient adequacy ratio, mean adequacy ratio and index of nutritional quality were lower in the elderly women living alone compared with the elderly women living with family in summer, but the differences in intakes of most nutrients became insignificant both in winter and in spring. High carbohydrate and low fat diet was prevalent and intakes of carbohydrate and fat in summer deviated from macronutrient acceptable distribution ranges. Percentages of the subjects who consumed energy less than 75% of the estimated energy requirement and nutrients less than the estimated average requirement were higher than those reported by the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In summer, the percentage of the subjects who consumed energy less than both 75% of the estimated energy requirement and 4 nutrients less than estimated average requirements was 58.5% of the elderly women living alone, which was higher than 26.5% of the elderly women living with family and that of National Nutrition Survey. Therefore, nutrition policies including nutrition education and support are necessary to improve nutritional status of elderly, especially elderly women living alone and should reflect regional and seasonal characteristics.
Aged* ; Blood Glucose ; Body Weight ; Diet ; Education ; Fasting ; Female ; Gyeongsangbuk-do* ; Humans ; Nutrition Policy ; Nutrition Surveys ; Nutritional Status ; Nutritive Value ; Quality of Life ; Seasons*

The purpose of this study was to assess dietary habits and seasonal variation and diversity of food intakes of elderly women living alone as compared to those of elderly women living with family in a rural area. Forty nine elderly women living alone and forty one elderly women living with family who reside in Goryeong-gun, Gyeongbuk, were interviewed using questionnaires in summer 2005, and their food intakes were assessed secondly in winter and thirdly in spring 2006. The average ages were 74.7 years for elderly living alone and 72.8 years for elderly living with family. Tooth status and bone fracture experience were similar between the groups. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disease was 61.2% and that of circulatory disease was 32.7% of the subjects. Average of total score of mental depression of the subjects was 5.94 out of 12 points, and it was not significantly different between the two groups. Skipping meals was more frequent and mealtime was more irregular in the elderly women living alone as compared with the elderly women living with family. Consumption of dietary supplements was also less in the elderly women living alone. Food intakes by the elderly women living alone tended to be lower than those by the elderly women living with family. Dietary diversity score was significantly lower with the elderly women living alone as compared with the elderly women living with family only in summer (p < 0.01). Percentages of the subjects who have taken meat group and vegetable group were significantly lower in the elderly living alone compared with the elderly living with family during summer. Therefore, it is necessary to develop food assistance or supporting program suited for the season within a community for elderly women living alone.
Aged ; Depression ; Dietary Supplements ; Eating ; Female ; Food Assistance ; Food Habits ; Fractures, Bone ; Humans ; Meals ; Meat ; Musculoskeletal Diseases ; Prevalence ; Seasons ; Tooth ; Vegetables

BACKGROUND: IL-8 is a potent chemotactic cytokine that plays an important role in the host defense mechanism against M. tuberculosis by recruiting inflammatory cells to the site of the infection. Lung epithelial cells, as well as alveolar macrophages are known to preduce IL-8 in response to M. tuberculosis. IL-8 gene expression is mainly regulated on the level of transcription by NF-κB. This study investigated whether or not A549 cells produce IL-8 in NF-κB dependent mechanism in response to macrophages phagocytosing M. tubersulosis. METHODS: Peripheral blood monocytes that were obtained from healthy donors were cultured for 24 h with M. tuberculosis and a conditioned medium(CoMTB) was obtained. As a negative control, the conditioned medium without M. tuberculosis (CoMCont) was used. A549 cells were stimulated with M. tuberculosis, CoMCont and CoMTB and the IL-8 concentration in the culture media was measured by ELISA. The CoMTB induced IL-8 mRNA expression in the A549 cells was evaluated using RT-PCR, and CoMTB induced IκBα degradation was measured using western blot analysis. CoMTB induced nuclear translocation and DNA binding of NF-κB was also examined using an electrophoretic mobility shift assay(EMSA), and the CoMTB induced NF-κB dependent IL-8 transcriptional activity was measured using a luciferase reporter gene assay. RESULTS: CoMTB induced IL-8 production by A549 cells(46.8±4.8 ng/ml) was higher than with direct stimulation with M. tuberculosis (6.8±2.9 ng/ml). CoMTB induced IL-8 mRNA expression increased after 2 h of stimulation and was sustained for 24 h. IκBα was degraded after 10 min of CoMTB stimulation and reappeared by 60 min. CoMTB stimulated the nuclear translocation and DNA binding of NF-κB. The CoMTB induced NF-κB dependent IL-8 transcriptional activity(13.6±4.3 times control) was higher than either CoMCont(2.0±0.6 times control) or M. tuberculosis (1.4±0.6 times control). CONCLUSION: A conditioned medium of peripheral blood monocytes phagocytosing M. tuberculosis stimulates NF-κB dependent IL-8 production by the lung epithelial cells.
Blotting, Western ; Culture Media ; Culture Media, Conditioned ; DNA ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epithelial Cells* ; Gene Expression ; Genes, Reporter ; Humans ; Interleukin-8* ; Luciferases ; Lung* ; Macrophages ; Macrophages, Alveolar ; Monocytes* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; RNA, Messenger ; Tissue Donors ; Tuberculosis

Carcinoma, Merkel Cell*

PURPOSE: To correlate radiologic findings with clinical findings in patients with a mosaic patten of lungattenuation, as seen on thin-section CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-one cases in which a mosaic pattern oflung attenuation was detected on combined expiratory and inspiratory scans of thin-section CT were retrospectivelyanalyzed. Cases involving infiltrative lung disease were excluded. Both thin-section CT and clinical findings wereanalyzed and the relationship between the extent of the area of hyperlucency -as seen on expiratory scan- andphysiologic parameters was evaluated. The subjects were 10 men and 21 women ranged in age from 25 to 76 (mean 50)years. RESULT: Twenty-nine patients with small airway disease, [chronic bronchitis and/or bronchiolitis(n=11),bronchiectasis(n=8), bronchial asthma(n=8), mycoplasmic pneumonitis(n=1) and hypersensitive pneumonitis(n=1),] andtwo patients with pulmonary vascular disease, [chronic pulmonary thromboembolism(n=1) and stenosis of the leftupper pulmonary artery(n=1)] were included in our study. Commonly associated thin-section CT findings in the casesinvolving small airway disease(n=29) were bronchial wall thickening(n=25), nodular opacity(n=25), bronchial andbronchiolar dilatation(n=20) and small branching opacity(n=16). These findings were not observed in two patientswith pulmonary vascular disease, though bronchial wall thickening was seen in the patient with chronic pulmonarythromboembolism. At expiratory scan level, there was statistical correlation between FEV1/FVC and the number ofpulmonary segments(r= 0.982, p<0.05), but no correlation between FEV1/FVC and the percentage area ofhyperlucency(r=0.803, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The mosaic pattern of lung attenuation seen on thin-section CT isindicative of various diseases, involving small airways such as bronchiolitis, bronchitis, bronchiectasis andbronchial asthma, and vascular lung disease. Bronchial wall thickening and nodular opacity can be associated withsmall airway diseases.
Asthma ; Bronchiectasis ; Bronchiolitis ; Bronchitis ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; Lung* ; Male ; Vascular Diseases

BACKGROUND: Recent studies indicate that light-emitting diodes (LED) may represent a novel and effective anti-aging light source for the skin. Among many candidate molecules known to control collagens, caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is known to play an inhibitory role in cutaneous collagen metabolism. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of LED irradiation on the expression levels of Cav-1 and procollagens (proCOLs) in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). METHODS: Cultured HDFs were irradiated with 630 nm LED at different doses, and the mRNA and protein expression levels of Cav-1 and proCOLs I/III were analyzed. RESULTS: In LED-irradiated HDFs, mRNA and protein levels of Cav-1 were found to be down-regulated, whereas those of proCOLs I/III were up-regulated in a dose-dependent manner. A negative correlation between Cav-1 and proCOLs was verified in Cav-1 siRNA transfected HDFs. LED was moreover found to result in up-regulation of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 and its receptors (TbetaRI, TbetaRII), SMAD1, and SMAD2 mRNA levels, indicating that LED may activate the TGF-1/TbetaR/SMAD pathway in HDFs. CONCLUSION: The anti-aging effects of 630 nm LED on human skin are likely mediated by up-regulation of proCOLs I/III and inhibition of Cav-1 expression levels in HDFs.
Caveolin 1* ; Collagen ; Fibroblasts* ; Humans ; Metabolism ; Procollagen* ; RNA, Messenger ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Skin ; Transforming Growth Factors ; Up-Regulation

BACKGROUND: Cardiopulmonary exercise test is a useful test for the evaluation of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Obese subjects have an increased resting metabolic rate (VO2) compared to non-obese subjects and the increase is more marked during dynamic exercise, which results in the limitation of maximal exercise in obese subjects. In this study, the influence of the obesity and fat distribution on the maximal exercise capacity were evaluated. METHODS: Maximal exercise capacity was represented by maximam maximum oxygen uptake and VO2 max in the cardiopulmonary test. Obesity, total fat content and abdominal obesity(waist to hip ratio, WHR) were measured by bioelectrical impedence method. Total of 42 volunteers(male 22, female 20) were evaluated. RESULTS: 1) Weight to height ratio(mean±SD) was 110%±14.9% in men and 100±11.1% in women. 2) Fat ratio(mean±SD) was 23.3±5.2% in men and 27.55±3.9% in woman. 3) Waist to hip ratio(mean±SD) was 0.85±0.04 in men and 0.8±0.03 in woman. 4) In men, VO2max/min/Kg was negatively correlate with obesity, fat ratio, and abdominal fat distribution. 5) In woman, VO2max/Kg was negatively correlated with obesity and fat ratio, but did not show significant relationship with abdominal fat distribution. CONCLUSION: Obesity was a limiting factor for maximal exercise in both men and women. Abdominal obesity was a limiting factor for maximal exercise in men but its implication to women needs further evaluation.
Abdominal Fat ; Exercise Test* ; Female ; Hip ; Humans ; Male ; Obesity ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Oxygen ; Respiratory System

Tumor suppressive effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on the experimentally induced hepatocellular carcinoma was investigated, especially focusing on glutatione transferase and transglutaminase with aptosis in the carcinogenesis. The chemical hepatocarcinogenic procedure of Solt-Farber method was used on Sprague-Dawley rats. Experimental groups were divided into AA group treated by the standard Solt-Farber regimen of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and 2-acetamidofluorene (AAF) and AD group treated with DHEA simultaneously with AAF and the AAD group treated by DHEA after treatment with AAF. Each group was divided by time sequence further into four subgroups, GI (8wk), G2 (16wk), G3 (28wk), and G4 (36wk). For neoplastic lesion, the immuno histochemical study with anti GSTP antibody was carried out, while the activity and expression of TGase was compared at the same time. The results were summarized as follows; GST-P positive foci detected in AD groups were significantly more suppressed by DHEA treatment than AA groups (P<0.05). AD groups. AD group showed higher activities of TGase than AA groups (P<0.05), which was confirmed by Western and Northern blot analysis. But the number of apoptotic bodies was not correlated with activity and expression of TGase in the nodule. These results suggest that the suppressive effect of DHEA on the murine hepatocellular carcinogenesis might be operating on the promotion process of carcinogenesis rather than regression process of transformed hyperplastic nodules.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular