PURPOSE: To examine the expression of Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF) in osteosarcoma and to evaluate its role in osteosarcoma invasion and proliferation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The mRNA expression of CTGF from 23 patient-derived osteosarcoma cell lines was examined, and the role of CTGF in cell invasion and proliferation was examined using siRNA transfection. RESULTS: The over-expression of CTGF mRNA was observed in 17 cell lines (74%). CTGF-specific siRNA transfection into SaOS-2 and MG63 cell lines resulted in efficient knockdown of CTGF expression on Western blot analysis. siRNA transfected cells showed decreased migration on Matrigel invasion assay and decreased cell proliferation on WST-1 assay. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that the CTGF expression may play an important role in osteosarcoma progression, and may be a therapeutic target of osteosarcoma.
Blotting, Western ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Connective Tissue Growth Factor ; Osteosarcoma* ; RNA, Messenger ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Transfection

PURPOSE: This study was to analyze the effect size of complementary and alternative intervention studies in reference to dysmenorrhea and menstrual distress. METHODS: In order to conduct a meta-analysis, a total of 393 studies were retrieved from the database. Twenty-eight studies that were published from March 2001 to February 2011 were selected. RESULTS: Intervention studies included seven studies on aromatherapy, five on auriculotherapy, three on each Koryo-Sooji-Chim and moxibustion, two on each heat therapy and magnetic therapy and six on other therapy. The effect size of the intervention studies on dysmenorrhea and menstrual distress was greater than 0.48 for Koryo-Sooji-Chim, moxibustion, aromatherapy, auriculotherapy and other therapy. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that drug free therapy can reduce the levels of menstrual distress, despite the small number of intervention studies and randomized controlled trials.
Aromatherapy ; Auriculotherapy ; Dysmenorrhea ; Female ; Hot Temperature ; Clinical Trial ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Menstruation ; Moxibustion

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of maternal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impact, parental stress, parenting behavior, and spousal support on changes in parenting behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A total of 162 mothers who raised infants and toddlers under 24 months of age participated in this descriptive study via a web survey. The researchers collected data, which included demographic variables about mothers and babies, COVID-19 impact, parenting stress, spousal support, parenting behavior, and changes in parenting behavior after the pandemic. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 24.0 using descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression tests. Results: With the spread of COVID-19, mothers with infants and toddlers appeared to be affected in the order of psychological burden, resources, and financial burden, and their parenting stress increased compared to that before the pandemic. The change in mothers’ parenting behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic increased significantly as the mothers were significantly influenced by COVID-19. In addition, it was confirmed that the change in parenting behavior significantly decreased as mothers’ parenting stress increased. Conclusion Change in infants’ and toddlers’ mothers’ parenting behavior was associated with both COVID-19 impact and parenting stress in South Korea during the pandemic.

The present study was aimed at investigating the effect of cyclosporine A (CsA) on the renal renin-angiotensin systems. In rats chronically treated with CsA, the intrarenal expression of various genes of the renin-angiotensin system was assessed by Northern blot analysis. Along with the increases in plasma and renal renin activities, chronic CsA-treatment differentially affected the renal expression of renin-angiotensin system. The treatment with CsA for one week did not significantly alter the expression of either type 1 angiotensin II receptor (AT1A) or angiotensinogen gene, but increased the renin mRNA level. The three-week-treatment caused increases in the expression not only of renin but also of AT1A and angiotensinogen genes. Supplementation with L-arginine kept the expression of renin mRNA normal in the one-week-treated, but failed to prevent the alterations of the gene expression in the three-week-treated. Feedback control among components of the renin-angiotensin system also influences angiotesinogen. In the liver, the expression of angiotensinogen mRNA was decreased by the CsA-treatment for either one- or three-weeks. In conclusion, chronic CsA-treatment is associated with a differential expression of various genes for the renin-angiotensin system. L-Arginine may be effective in maintaining the normality of renin-angiotensin system only during early period after beginning the use of CsA.
Angiotensinogen ; Animals ; Arginine ; Blotting, Northern ; Cyclosporine* ; Gene Expression ; Liver ; Plasma ; Rats ; Receptors, Angiotensin ; Renin ; Renin-Angiotensin System* ; RNA, Messenger

No abstract available.
Mass Screening*

Dietitians' satisfaction between elementary school and high school in KangWon Do region were surveys with questionnaires. 61 elementary school dietitians and 30 high school dietitians participated. The dietitians in elementary schools had higher scores in age, marital status, years at work, types of employment, average annual income and had lesser hours of work. In overall, elementary schools had higher percentage on self operation and on the period of their food distribution to students. High schools had higher percentage on conventional systems, freedom in the amount of food distribution, number of meals per day and the meal charge. It was clear that dietitians in high schools showed more interests in changing their careers due to the poor working environment and salary. The highest score was on the relationship with other coworkers and the lowest score was on the poor working environment and salary. In general, dietitians in both types of schools are not satisfied with their career, especially with the working environment and salary.
Employment ; Freedom ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction* ; Marital Status ; Meals ; Nutritionists* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Salaries and Fringe Benefits

Bullous pemphigoid(BP) and herpes gestationis(HG) are subepidermal bullous diseases which show clinical and immunological similarities. Both diseases show immune deposits along the basement membrane zone and their autoantibodies bind a common antigenic site within the non-collagenous stretch of the 180 kDa BPAG2 ectodomain. Besides its association with pregnancy, HG has some characteristic features that distinguish it from BP. The serum of patients with HG often contains an IgG that avidly fixes complement, and showes IgG1 subclass predominance. We report here two cases of non-pregnant young women presenting clinical and histological features of bullous pemphigoid or herpes gestationis. The immunopathology, IgG subtyping and immunoblotting studies showed that the autoantibodies in the patients were the characteristic ones of herpes gestationis. The patients might be a subtype of BP that have characteristics of autoantibodies of HG patients.
Autoantibodies* ; Basement Membrane ; Complement System Proteins ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Immunoglobulin G ; Pemphigoid Gestationis* ; Pemphigoid, Bullous* ; Pregnancy

PURPOSE: This study was performed to examine predictors of allied health science students' exercise behavior using Pender's Health Promotion Model. METHOD: The subjects were 203 university students majoring in nursing, emergency medical service, and exercise prescription. The hypothetical model was based on the HPM(Pender, 1996). Exogenous variables of the model were exercise habit and role belief. Endogenous variables were exercise-related affect, exercise self-efficacy, exercise barrier, exercise intention, and exercise behavior. The data were analyzed by SAS PC program and LISREL 8.12 program. RESULT: The degree of exercise behavior was low(mean 1.86, range 1~4). The overall fit of the model to the data was acceptable. Exercise habit, exercise self-efficacy and exercise-related affect were significant predictors of exercise intention and exercise behavior. CONCLUSION: This study shows the necessity of the program to increase the level of exercise participation of university students majoring in allied health science. The model constructed in this study is applicable to explain exercise behavior of university students majoring in allied health science, and suggests that we should focus on exercise habit, exercise self- efficacy and exercise-related affect to increase the level of exercise behavior of this group.
Emergency Nursing ; Health Promotion* ; Humans ; Intention ; Models, Structural ; Prescriptions

The purpose of this study was to evaluate students' satisfaction with foodservice of middle school by region in Gangwon province. Students' satisfaction concerning foodservice quality characteristics was surveyed by using importance performance analysis(IPA) technique in middle school foodsevice operations. Middle school students from four cities(Gangnung, Sokcho, Wonju, Chuncheon) were surveyed by self-developed questionnaire. Total of 1,025 questionnaires(female 521 and male 504 respectively) were analyzed using SAS program. The results of this study are summarized as follows: 1.The performance level of foodservice quality attributes was significantly different according to region. 2.The attribute of the highest performance level was taste of food. The attributes of the lower performance level were waiting time of meal service and treatment about complaints. The attributes of the higher importance level were hygiene of food and dining room and hygiene of spoon and cup and drinking water table. 3.Satisfied quality attributes identified were taste of food and variety of menu. Dissatisfied quality attribute identified was treatment about complaints. 4.The satisfaction of middle school lunch service was lower than their elementary school period. 5.The satisfied quality attributes of middle school foodservice were portion size, facility of dining room, hygiene of food, variety of menu compared with their elementary school period.
Drinking Water ; Gangwon-do* ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Lunch ; Male ; Meals ; Portion Size ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Customer satisfaction concerning foodservice quality characteristics were evaluated by using importance performance analysis(IPA) techniques in middle school foodsevice operations. One hundred students from each of 17 middle schools in Gangwon province were surveyed by self-developed questionnaire. Total of 1,675 questionnaires(female 943 and male 732 respectively) were collected and data were analyzed using SAS program. The results of this study are summarized as follows: 1.The male and female students scored the importance level as 3.99 and 4.03 out of 5 respectively, which means 'important' The performance level of female(2.71) was significantly lower than male(2.86) which means 'between bad and so-so'. it is suggested that the statistical analysis should be conducted respectively according to gender. And there is no performance level over 4(good). 2. Dissatisfied quality attributes identified were convenience of dinning room and the managerial attitude of dissatisfaction in the female and male students. 3. Satisfied quality attributes identified were hygiene of food and dinning room and spoon and cup and drinking water table and distribution process, taste of food, variety of food in the female and male students. 4. The performance scores of lower price(less than 1500 won) lunch group was higher than higher price(more than 1800 won) lunch group in the female and male students.
Drinking Water ; Female* ; Gangwon-do* ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Lunch* ; Male* ; Surveys and Questionnaires