Although the genetic basis for bone mineral density (BMD) has been studied by many groups so far, genes responsible for this complex trait has not been completely revealed. In order to localize quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for BMD variation in Asian population, the study was designed using a group of Mongolian population, a genetically closed population with a homogeneous lifestyle. BMD was measured at the left and right wrists and ankles using DEXA in 1,082 participants from 142 families. Genotyping of 13 polymorphic microsatellitemarkers on chromosome 13 (average spacing 8-9 cM) and two-point and multipoint linkage analysis wereperformed. In two-point linkage analysis, we identified two markers, D13S175 (6.03 cM) and D13S265 (68.73cM) that had LOD scores greater than 1 for left ankle (LOD=2.09, LOD=1.49, respectively). We also found a marker D13S175 (6.03 cM) with a high LOD for left wrist (LOD=1.49) and the markers D13S265 (68.73 cM) and D13S217 (17.21 cM) for the right wrist (LOD= 1.82, LOD= 1.62, respectively). Among these significant marker regions, only two regions at 17 cM (13p11) and 65 cM (13q21) for the right wrist overlapped with major QTLs reported in following multipoint linkage analysis (LOD= 1.7549, LOD=1.4462, respectively). This study provides the possible evidence of the presence of QTLs affecting right wrist BMD in Mongolian populations on 13p11 and 13q21. Modest evidence was also found for genes affecting left ankle and left wrist BMD on 13p13.
Animals ; Ankle ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bone Density ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 13 ; Humans ; Life Style ; Lod Score ; Morphinans ; Quantitative Trait Loci ; Wrist

A dog (5.6 kg, 4-year-old, castrated male, Miniature pinscher) with diffuse symmetric alopecia on the chest and excessive scales was referred to Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital of Chungnam National University, Korea. On physical examination, diffuse alopecia on ventral aspect of the neck and caudomedial thighs, and severe scales were presented. Dermatologic tests of lesions revealed bacterial infections. Histopathologically, atrophy of hair bulb was observed in the severely alopecic lesion of caudomedial thighs. ACTH stimulation test was performed to differentiate the endocrine disorder related to generalized alopecia. The pre-ACTH serum testosterone and progesterone concentrations were above normal ranges and the post-ACTH serum testosterone concentration was high. The pre- and post-ACTH serum estradiol and cortisol concentrations were within normal ranges. Canine pattern alopecia was diagnosed based on history, physical examination, hormonal assay and dermatohistopathologic examination. After 3 months of melatonin administration, multifocal alopecia on the trunk was improved and general hair regrowth was identified.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Alopecia ; Alopecia Areata ; Animals ; Atrophy ; Bacterial Infections ; Dogs ; Estradiol ; Hair ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Korea ; Male ; Melatonin ; Neck ; Physical Examination ; Preschool Child ; Progesterone ; Reference Values ; Testosterone ; Thigh ; Thorax ; Weights and Measures

We investigated the inhibitory effects of hesperidin on melanogenesis. To find melanosome transport inhibitor from natural products, we collected the structural information of natural products from Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) and performed pharmacophore-based in silico screening for Rab27A and melanophilin (MLPH). Hesperidin did not inhibit melanin production in B16F10 murine melanoma cells stimulated with alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), and also did not affect the catalytic activity of tyrosinase. But, hesperidin inhibited melanosome transport in melanocyte and showed skin lightening effect in pigmented reconstructed epidermis model. Therefore, we suggest that hesperidin is a useful inhibitor of melanosome transport and it might be applied to whitening agent.
Biological Agents ; Computer Simulation ; Epidermis ; Hesperidin* ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Melanins ; Melanocytes ; Melanoma ; Melanosomes* ; Monophenol Monooxygenase ; Skin ; United States Food and Drug Administration

The inducible 70 kDa heat shock proteins (Hsp70) in mice are encoded by two almost identical genes, hsp70.1 and hsp70.3. Studies have found that only hsp70.1 is induced by hypertonic stress while both hsp70.1 and hsp70.3 genes are expressed in response to heat shock stress. It is unclear if the human counterparts, hsp70-2 and hsp70-1, are differentially regulated by heat shock and osmotic stress. This study found that only hsp70-2 was induced by hypertonic stress in human embryonic kidney epithelial cells and fibroblasts, while heat shock stress induced both hsp70-1 and hsp70-2. The human hsp70-2 promoter region contains three TonE (tonicity-responsive enhancer) sites, which were reported to play an important role in the response to hypertonicity. When the reporter plasmids containing different parts of the 5' flanking region of hsp70-2 were transfected into human embryonic kidney epithelial cells or fibroblasts, one TonE site at -135 was found to play a key role in the response to hypertonicity. The inactivation of the TonE site using site-directed mutagenesis led to the complete loss of induction by hypertonicity, which demonstrates the essential role of the TonE site. This suggests that the TonE site and the TonEBP (TonE binding protein) are the major regulators for the cellular response against high osmolarity in human kidney tissue.
Transcription, Genetic/drug effects/genetics ; Transcription Factors/genetics/*physiology ; Saline Solution, Hypertonic/*pharmacology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Protein Binding ; Promoter Regions (Genetics)/genetics ; Point Mutation ; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed ; Humans ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins/*genetics/metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation/*drug effects ; DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Cell Line ; Binding Sites/genetics ; Base Sequence ; 5' Flanking Region/genetics

The epidermis is a physiological barrier to protect organisms against environment. During the aging process, skin tissues undergo various changes including morphological and functional changes. The transcriptional regulation of genes is part of cellular reaction of aging process. In order to examine the changes of gene expression during the aging process, we used the primary cell culture system of human keratinocytes. Since UV radiation is the most important environmental skin aggressor, causing skin cancer and other problems including premature skin aging, we examined the changes of gene expression in human keratinocytes after UV irradiation using oligonucleotide microarray containing over 10,000 genes. We also compared the gene expression patterns of the senescent and UV treated cells. Expression of the variety of genes related to transcription factors, cell cycle regulation, immune response was altered in human keratinocytes. Some of down-regulated genes are represented in both senescent and UV treated cells. The results may provide a new view of gene expression following UVB exposure and aging process in human keratinocytes.
Aging* ; Cell Cycle ; Epidermis ; Gene Expression* ; Humans* ; Keratinocytes* ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Primary Cell Culture ; Skin ; Skin Aging ; Skin Neoplasms ; Transcription Factors

Objective: This study aimed to establish the basic veterinary clinical skills required to ensure graduates of Korean veterinary universities have the day-one competency to independently perform their professional duties. Methods: The Education Committee of the Korean Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges, composed of veterinary school professors and an experienced veterinarian in the clinic, reviewed domestic and international veterinary education-related materials to define basic clinical skills. Results: The Korean Veterinarian Entrustable Professional Activities (KVEPA) was introduced, followed by the subsequent development of 54 essential clinical skills based on the KVEPA. Conclusions and Relevance: The veterinary basic clinical skills established through this study can be used as a specific guide for clinical education in Korean veterinary school, and is expected to play an important role in meeting the needs of the educational sector of the veterinary education accreditation standards.

Anthropometric traits for eyes and nose are complex quantitative traits influenced by genetic and environmental factors. To date, there have been few reports on the contribution of genetic influence to these traits in Asian populations. The aim of this study was to determine the genetic effect and quantitative trait locus (QTL) of seven traits eyes- and nose-related anthropometric measurements in an isolated Mongolian population. Frontal and lateral photographs were obtained from 1,014 individuals (434 males and 580 females) of Mongolian origin. A total of 349 short tandem repeat markers on 22 autosomes were genotyped for each individual. Heritability estimates of the seven ocular and nasal traits, adjusted for significant covariates, ranged from 0.48 to 0.90, providing evidence for a genetic influence. Variance-component linkage analyses revealed 10 suggestive linkage signals on 5q34 (LOD = 3.2), 18q12.2 (LOD = 2.7), 5q15 (LOD = 2.0), 9q34.2 (LOD = 1.9), 5q34 (LOD = 1.9), 17q22 (LOD = 1.9), 13q33.3 (LOD = 2.7), 1q36.22 (LOD = 1.9), 4q32.1 (LOD = 2.1) and 15q22.31 (LOD = 2.9). Our study provides the first evidence that genetics influences nasal and ocular traits in a Mongolian population. Additional collaborative efforts will further extend our understanding of the link between genetic factors and human anthropometric traits.
Anthropometry ; *Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Eye ; Facial Bones/*anatomy & histology ; Female ; *Genetic Linkage ; *Genome, Human ; Humans ; Lod Score ; Male ; Mongolia ; Nose ; Quantitative Trait Loci

OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to examine and evaluate the psychological health of the residents of Taean during the cleanup of the Hebei Spirit (HS) oil spill and to review some factors associated with the results. METHODS: A community survey of 71 men and women was conducted 8 weeks after the HS oil spill. Questionnaires used were the PWI (Psychological Well-being Index) scale for psychosocial distress, the CES-D (Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression) scale for depressive symptoms, and a questionnaire created to assess suicidal impulses. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of high-risk psychosocial distress among the study group was 64.2%. The percentages of respondents with scores on the CES-D Scale above 16 and above 21 were 77.6% and 62.7%, respectively. The percentage of respondents categorized as having suicidal impulses was 18.3%. When compared with unexposed groups in the general population taken from various sources, the residents of Taean were 6.5 times as likely to have high stress and 9.4-9.7 times as likely to be depressed. No significant difference in the rate of suicidal impulse was found between the residents of Taean and the general population. Factors associated with high stress, depression, and suicidal impulses were age, a change in income, educational level, number of days working on the cleanup, and positive responses to questions about "affected daily activity" and "hospital visit due to work on cleanup." CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the HS oil spill had a significant impact on the psychological health of residents of Taean, but the comparability of the unexposed groups is a limitation of the study.
Adult ; Aged ; Depression ; *Disasters ; Environmental Exposure ; Environmental Pollution ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; *Mental Health ; Middle Aged ; Oceans and Seas ; *Petroleum ; Questionnaires ; Risk Factors ; Stress, Psychological ; Suicide, Attempted

Competencies are defined as an observable and assessable set of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Graduation competencies, which are more comprehensive, refer to the required abilities of students to perform on-site work immediately after graduation. As graduation competencies set the goal of education, various countries and institutions have introduced them for new veterinary graduates. The Korean Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges has recently established such competencies to standardize veterinary education and enhance quality levels thereof. The purpose of this study is to describe the process of establishing graduation competencies as well as their implication for veterinary education in Korea.Graduation competencies for veterinary education in Korea comprise 5 domains (animal health care and disease management, one health expertise, communication and collaboration, research and learning, and veterinary professionalism). These are further divided into 11 core competencies, and 33 achievement standards, which were carefully chosen from previous case analyses and nation-wide surveys. Currently, graduation competencies are used as a standard for setting clear educational purposes for both instructors and students. Establishing these competencies further initiated the development of detailed learning outcomes, and of a list of basic veterinary clinical performances and skills, which is useful for assessing knowledge and skills. The establishment of graduation competencies is expected to contribute to the continuous development of Korean veterinary education in many ways. These include curriculum standardization and licensing examination reform, which will eventually improve the competencies of new veterinary graduates.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the protective effects of wearing protective devices among the residents and volunteers who participated in the cleanup of the Hebei Spirit oil spill. METHODS: A total of 288 residents and 724 volunteers were surveyed about symptoms, whether they were wearing protective devices and potential confounding variables. The questionnaires were administered from the second to the sixth week following the accident. Spot urine samples were collected and analyzed for metabolites of 4 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 2 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and 6 heavy metals. The association between the wearing of protective devices and various symptoms was assessed using a multiple logistic regression adjusted for confounding variables. A multiple generalized linear regression model adjusted for the covariates was used to test for a difference in least-square mean concentration of urinary biomarkers between residents who wore protective devices and those who did not. RESULTS: Thirty nine to 98% of the residents and 62-98% of volunteers wore protective devices. Levels of fatigue and fever were higher among residents not wearing masks than among those who did wear masks (odds ratio 4.5; 95% confidence interval 1.23-19.86). Urinary mercury levels were found to be significantly higher among residents not wearing work clothes or boots (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Because the survey was not performed during the initial high-exposure period, no significant difference was found in metabolite levels between people who wore protective devices and those who did not, except for mercury, whose biological half-life is more than 6 weeks.
Adult ; Aged ; Biological Markers/urine ; *Disasters ; Environmental Exposure/*prevention & control ; Environmental Pollutants/*urine ; Female ; Gloves, Protective ; Humans ; Male ; Masks ; Metals, Heavy/urine ; Middle Aged ; Oceans and Seas ; *Petroleum ; Polycyclic Hydrocarbons, Aromatic/urine ; Protective Clothing ; *Protective Devices ; Respiratory Protective Devices ; Shoes ; Volatile Organic Compounds/urine ; Voluntary Workers