PURPOSE: The widely used chemotherapeutic agents exert their anti-cancer effects by the inducing of apoptosis in sensitive tumor cells. Recently, the protective effect of zinc ion on apoptosis has been reproted. However, it is not well understood about the effects of zinc ion on the anticancer drug-induced apoptosis. In general, zinc inhibits a nuclear endonuclease, thereby causing inhibition of apoptosis. In addition, there is other possibility that zinc can prevent apoptosis at earlier stage such as the activation of caspase-3 than that of the activation of endonuclease. Therefore, we investigated the effects of zinc ion on the apoptosis of HL-60 cells caused by adriamycin (ADR). METHODS: HL-60 cells were cultured in RPMI 1640 and treated with various concentrations and time periods of ADR with or without pretreatment of zinc ion. Cellular DNA was extracted and analyzed by electrophoresis on a 1.5% agarose gel to detect DNA fragmentation. The activity of caspase-3 was measured by the proteolytic cleavage of the fluorogenic substrate DEVD-AMC. Poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage was analyzed by western blotting using anti-PARP antibody. RESULTS: ADR induced the apoptotic death of HL-60 cells in a dose and time dependent manner, which was characterized by increasing ladder-pattern DNA fragmentation. Pretreatment of HL-60 cells with zinc ion caused potent inhibition of ADR-induced apoptosis. Consistent with apoptotic death of HL-60 cells, ADR induced the catalytic activation of caspase-3. After pretreatment of zinc ion, the activation of caspase-3 and the proteolysis of PARP induced by ADR were markedly inhibited. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that zinc ion prevents the ADR-induced apoptosis of HL-60 cells through an inhibition of caspase-3 activity, which occurs upstream from the activation of endonuclease.
Apoptosis* ; Blotting, Western ; Caspase 3 ; DNA ; DNA Fragmentation ; Doxorubicin ; Electrophoresis ; Fluorescent Dyes ; HL-60 Cells* ; Humans ; Proteolysis ; Sepharose ; Zinc*

This study was aimed to evaluate the ability of imaging parameters measured on dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI), diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) to serve as response markers in breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). In 20 patients with breast cancer, DCE-MRI and DWI using a 3 T scanner and PET/CT were performed before and after NAC. DCE-MRI was analyzed using an automatic computer-aided detection program (MR-CAD). The response imaging parameters were compared with the pathologic response. The areas under the curve (AUCs) for DCE-MRI using MR-CAD analysis, DWI and PET/CT were 0.77, 0.59 and 0.76, respectively. The combination of all parameters measured by MR-CAD showed the highest diagnostic performance and accuracy (AUC = 0.77, accuracy = 90%). The combined use of the parameters of PET/CT with DCE-MRI or DWI showed a trend toward improved specificity and negative predictive value (100%, 100%, accuracy = 87.5%). The use of DCE-MRI using MR-CAD parameters indicated better diagnostic performance in predicting the final pathological response compared with DWI and PET/CT, although no statistically significant difference was observed. The combined use of PET/CT with DCE-MRI or DWI may improve the specificity for predicting a pathological response.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/*therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms/*diagnosis/*drug therapy ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant/methods ; Female ; Humans ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/*methods ; Mammography/methods ; Middle Aged ; Multimodal Imaging/methods ; Neoadjuvant Therapy/methods ; Positron-Emission Tomography/*methods ; Reproducibility of Results ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/*methods ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: 'Partial deafness' characterized by normal or slightly impaired hearing in the low frequency band and nearly total deafness in the high frequency range, is difficult to assess with conventional behavioral tests in infants and young children. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the usefulness of objective hearing tests, such as auditory brainstem response (ABR) and auditory steady state response (ASSR) in evaluating patients with partial deafness. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: One hundred thirty three patients who underwent ASSR in Ajou University Hospital from January 2008 to January 2013 were enrolled to this study. Correlations between ASSR, ABR and pure tone audiometry (PTA) thresholds were analyzed. RESULTS: ASSR thresholds of 133 patients were highly correlated with both ABR and PTA thresholds in majority of the tested frequencies. Partial deafness was detected in 9 out of 133 patients, based on the results of PTA and ASSR. ASSR thresholds of patients with partial deafness were significantly correlated with PTA thresholds in all frequencies, with especially high correlation found at 1 and 4 kHz. However, there was no significant correlation between ASSR and ABR thresholds. ABR thresholds of partial deafness patients were measured at 65 dB in one patient, 70-90 dB in 3 patients, and no response at 90 dB in 5 patients, respectively. In 8 (6%) out of 124 patients, ABR thresholds were measurable with profound hearing loss and residual hearing was observed at low frequencies. CONCLUSION: ASSR is useful for predicting residual hearing at low frequencies of infants and young children for whom assessment of hearing is difficult using conventional behavioral tests.
Audiometry ; Child ; Deafness* ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Tests* ; Hearing* ; Humans ; Infant ; Mass Screening*

PURPOSE: This study was done to analyze how a death preparation education program have the effects on awareness of hospice palliative care and withdrawing life sustaining treatment in older adults. METHODS: This study employed a non-equivalent control group design among quasi-experimental designs. The experimental group was comprised with 35 adults and the control group with 40 adults. The death preparation program consisted of five two-hour sessions and was administered once a week for five straight weeks. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, chi2 test, Fisher's exact test, and ANCOVA using SPSS version 18.0. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 66.2 years. A significant difference between the experimental and control groups was observed in withdrawing life sustaining treatment (F=3.380, P=0.040). However, no significant difference was found in awareness of hospice palliative care (F=0.163, P=0.850). CONCLUSION: The study results indicate that death preparation training could positively affect people's awareness of withdrawing life sustaining treatment. More studies should be conducted to explore effects of death preparation education for all ages and help people better understand hospice palliative care.
Adult ; Education* ; Hospices* ; Humans ; Life Support Care ; Palliative Care*

BACKGROUND: Dietary supplements affect the health and disease status of Koreans. We assessed the patterns of dietary supplements use and the related factors in Korean adults from the 2005 Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES). METHODS: Among the subjects, 2,024 men and 2,811 women underwent all the three parts of 2005 KNHANES, which consisted the health survey, the health examination, and the nutritional survey. Reported supplements were classified according to the 2008 Korea Food and Drug Administration Notification. We assessed the relationship between supplements use and socioeconomic state, health behaviors, and chronic diseases. RESULTS: Twenty-nine percent of Korean adults was taking dietary supplements. Vitamin/mineral supplements were the most commonly taken one. Glucosamine/mucopolysaccharide, ginseng, spirulina/chlorella, omega-3, and aloe followed in listing. Supplement users were likely to be woman and middle-aged. Supplement use was associated with older, high income, with spouse, higher education, urban-living, regular exercise, non-smoker, and lower BMI. Musculoskeletal diseases were associated with supplement use. CONCLUSION: Dietary supplement use is prevalent in Korean adults. The supplement use was associated with some demographics characteristics, health behavior, and chronic diseases. These factors should be considered when evaluating the efficacy of dietary supplements.
Adult ; Aloe ; Chronic Disease ; Demography ; Dietary Supplements ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Musculoskeletal Diseases ; Nutrition Surveys ; Panax ; Spouses ; United States Food and Drug Administration

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between -1438A/G polymorphism of 5-HT2A receptor gene and schizophrenia in Korean and Han Chinese population. METHODS: A sample of 184 Korean patients with schizophrenia and 96 Korean healthy normal controls and 96 Han Chinese patients with schizophrenia and 96 Han-Chinese healthy normal controls were genotyped for a single nucleotide polymorphism with in 5-HT2A receptor gene (promoter region, A-1438G) by Msp I Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP). RESULTS: There was no difference in allelic frequencies and genotype frequencies of -1438A/G polymorphism between Korean schizophrenics and controls (p=0.13) and Han Chinese schizophrenics and controls (p=0.40). Also, -1438A/G polymorphism did not show ethnical difference between Korean and Han Chinese controls. The Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) scores showed no significant differences between genotypes of -1438A/G polymorphism in both of Korean and Han Chinese schizophrenics. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that -1438A/G polymorphism of the 5-HT2A receptor gene is not causally related to the development of schizophrenia in Korean and Han Chinese population, and there no ethnic difference between Korean and Han Chinese population.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A* ; Schizophrenia*

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between -1438A/G polymorphism of 5-HT2A receptor gene and schizophrenia in Korean and Han Chinese population. METHODS: A sample of 184 Korean patients with schizophrenia and 96 Korean healthy normal controls and 96 Han Chinese patients with schizophrenia and 96 Han-Chinese healthy normal controls were genotyped for a single nucleotide polymorphism with in 5-HT2A receptor gene (promoter region, A-1438G) by Msp I Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP). RESULTS: There was no difference in allelic frequencies and genotype frequencies of -1438A/G polymorphism between Korean schizophrenics and controls (p=0.13) and Han Chinese schizophrenics and controls (p=0.40). Also, -1438A/G polymorphism did not show ethnical difference between Korean and Han Chinese controls. The Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) scores showed no significant differences between genotypes of -1438A/G polymorphism in both of Korean and Han Chinese schizophrenics. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that -1438A/G polymorphism of the 5-HT2A receptor gene is not causally related to the development of schizophrenia in Korean and Han Chinese population, and there no ethnic difference between Korean and Han Chinese population.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A* ; Schizophrenia*

PURPOSE: A structural equation model was analysed to explore the determinants of health behaviors of university students in Korea. METNOD: Nine hundred sixty nine university students were selected by random cluster sampling from five universities located in the central area of Korea. DATA COLLECTION: The data was collected by questionnaires about demographic characteristics, stressful life events, perceived social support, perceived health status and health behaviors. RESULTS: 1. Gender showed indirect effect on health behaviors. 2. Living together with(out) family had a direct effecton health behaviors: students living with family showed more positive health behaviors. 3. Stressful life events had an indirect effect on health behaviors via perceived health status;a higher score of stressful life events was the predictor for negative health behaviors. 4. A higher score of perceived health status predicted positive health behaviors. RECOMMENDATION: Each university should be encouraged to develop a health behavior control program and health promotion program for their own university students. It would be more effective to develop health programs separately according to the demographic or social characteristics of the students. It is also necessary for the Ministry of Education to reform the School Health Act and school health policy to strengthen a health promotion program for university students. In conclusion, following studies should identify and promote the validity and reliability of perceived health status and health behaviors measurements.
Adult ; Attitude to Health ; Female ; *Health Behavior ; Health Status ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Change Events ; Male ; Social Support ; *Students/psychology ; Universities

PURPOSE: This cross-sectional study was designed to explore the relationship among social support, experienced stressful life events and health behaviors of Korean undergraduate students, and validate the mediator effect of social support. METHOD: One thousand four hundred fifty-three undergraduate students were randomly selected from five universities located in the middle area of Korea. RESULT: The health behaviors of Korean undergraduates tend to have unhealthy patterns. In the case of the students living without family, experiencing more stressful life events and perceiving lower social support, health behaviors are poor. The relationship between perceived social supports, the frequency of the experienced stressful life events and the score of health behavior patterns is statistically significant. After controlling the effect of social support, the correlation coefficient between the frequency of experienced stressful life events and the score of health behavior patterns was slightly lower. The score of health behaviors between the group with an extremely high score of social support and the group with an extremely low score were statistically significantly different. CONCLUSION: Future studies need to be pursued to develop various strategies such as a health education programs and counseling programs for health maintenance and health promotion of undergraduates.
Counseling ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Health Behavior* ; Health Education ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Korea

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims to identify whether the sequential bilateral cochlear implantation in children with a long inter-implant interval provides functional benefits in everyday situation. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Seventeen children with sequential bilateral cochlear implants (BiCIs) (mean age at first implantation, 2.6 years; mean age at second implantation, 8.5 years; mean inter-implant interval, 6.0 years) and 17 children with unilateral cochlear implants (UniCIs) were included in this study. The questionnaire SSQ (The Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of hearing scale for parents of children with impaired hearing, Galvin, 2007) was used to evaluate the performance of two groups by individually interviewing the parents of the subjects. For the BiCIs, anecdotal reports of the performance in everyday listening situation and device use were also collected in interviews. RESULTS: The BiCI group showed significantly better performance in all three areas (speech perception, spatial hearing, and other qualities of hearing) of the SSQ than did the UniCI group. The differences between the two groups were significantly larger in performance on 'spatial hearing' and 'other qualities of hearing' than on 'speech perception'. All subjects with bilateral cochlear implants had a positive attitude on bilateral hearing. Anecdotal reports indicated that bilateral hearing has positive effects such as reduced repeated questions, increased participation in conversation, facilitated language and learning acquisition, and improved concentration. CONCLUSION: Children who received sequential bilateral cochlear implantation with a long inter-implant interval could obtain functional benefits in daily life. Also it turned out that these benefits have positive effects on children's communication, language, learning, and socio-emotional areas.
Child* ; Cochlear Implantation* ; Cochlear Implants* ; Hearing ; Humans ; Learning ; Parents