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*

The purpose of this study was to compare the anthropometry and nutrition knowledge, food behaviour and lifestyle of women college students with different obesity indexes. The subjects were 251 women college students who were randomly selected from Kunsan National University. The height, body weight, soft/lean mass, fat mass, percentage of body fat, and fat distribution were measured, and health-related lifestyle habits were evaluated based on questionnaires. The subjects were assigned to one of the following groups based on their Body Mass Index (BMI): underweight, normal weight and overweight. The results were as follows. Their body weight, soft/lean mass, fat mass, percentage of body fat, and fat distribution were significantly higher in the overweight subjects when compared to the underweight or normal weight subjects. Standard of living, self-recognition of health status and duration of exercise were significantly correlated with their BMIs. Self-satisfaction with body weight decreased as the BMI increased. Most subjects had poor habits such as skipping meals and lack of exercises. The overweight and the underweight groups skipped meals more frequently than the normal weight group. There were no significant differences in the scores on the nutritional knowledge and the dietary behaviour of the subjects with different BMIs. Therefore, proper nutritional education on regular meals and intervention are required if women college students are to have normal weights and healthy lifestyles.
Adipose Tissue ; Anthropometry* ; Body Height ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Education ; Exercise ; Female ; Humans ; Jeollabuk-do* ; Life Style* ; Meals ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Thinness ; Weights and Measures ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was done to examine the association between body mass index (BMI) and any type of clinical dementia. METHODS: Participants were 60,321 people over 60 years of age enrolled in the Seoul Dementia Management Project in 2011. K-MMSE was used to classify participants as having a cognitive impairment and the Clinical Dementia Rating or DSM-IV by psychiatrists or neurologists to determine whether participants were in the dementia group or the non-dementia group. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and binary logistic regression analysis were performed. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis, age, education level, living with spouse, BMI, alcohol consumption, and exercise were significantly associated with dementia. In multivariable analysis, increasing age was positively associated with dementia, and educational level was negatively associated with dementia. The exercise group had a lower prevalence of dementia than the non-exercise group. The odds ratio of dementia in the over-weight and obese groups compared to the normal group was 0.85 (95% CI 0.60, 0.98) and 0.64 (95%CI 0.46, 0.75), respectively. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that dementia is negatively associated with increasing BMI in people aged 60 years or older, but a prospective cohort study is needed to elucidate the causal effect relationship between BMI and dementia.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alcohol Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dementia/*epidemiology ; Exercise ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Residence Characteristics ; Risk Factors ; Smoking

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

This study has been focused on understandings for the problems of dietitian who perform nutrition service in the field of industry foodservice and then focused on using of its findings as basic material for smooth nutrition service performance through analyzing job satisfaction, job characteristic and its importance of dietitians' task in industry foodservice. A questionnaire survey of 120 nutritionists who have engaged themselves in industry foodservice-60 are under direct management and 60, held in trust-has been performed, and 95 responses (79%) have been collected and categorized, except some unfinished responses. The examined data have been classified statistically by using of SPSS, and then analyzed into frequency, percentage, mean value, standard deviation, and correlation among factors, according to questionnaires. The findings of the research can be summarized as following: The details of the surveyed dietitians were: 20~25 years old on an average; working less than two years; college graduates; mere employees; receiving monthly pay of 70~100 won on an average; working more than 52 hours weekly; and providing with four meals a day in a single menu. For job satisfaction and job characteristic, the service itself and the understanding of the service appear as main features. For the relative importance of the service, the findings show that the menu making, sanitation and cost control occupy an important position, while nutrition counseling, nutrition education and dietary control by ailments make up very low portion. For the cause of not enacting the nutrition service, the lack of counseling ability and the overburden of food service are at the top. The findings of this research, therefore, present the needs of the service capacity education and the reduction of excessive foodservice hours of dietitians in order to secure the efficient nutrition service in industry foodservice. To achieve this goal, first of all, there should be an intensive education course in school by using of practice hours. for enhancing practical service adaptability, and then the computerization of foodservice should be executed perfectly to reduce the excessive foodservice hours.
Cost Control ; Counseling ; Education ; Food Services ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction* ; Meals ; Nutritionists* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sanitation

This study examined the effect of self-perception of health and related factors of flood life and disease on health floods intakes among the middle aged(150 men and 159 women) in the Jeonbuk region. The health foods were classified into 4 groups including Chinese medicine(CM), toner foods(TF), nutritional supplements(NS), and other manufactured health foods supplements(MHFS). Differences of BMI and self-perception for body shape was that overweight was 30% in men and 24.5% in women on BMI, but conversely was 21.3% in men and 43.4% in women on self-perception for body shape. Men thought themselves more than normal weight, but women thought themselves less than normal weight for the criteria of normal weight. Consumption of CM was high in the overweight group on BMI and was a low in the overweight group on self-perception for bodyshape Men thought themselves better than women and those in their 40's thought better than those in their 50's on self perception of health status, and women were better than men on self-perception of food habits. The difference of health foods intakes according to the self-perception of health status and food habits was not significant. The points of food habits, food attitude and nutrition knowledge were 11.21 +/- 2.43, 68.18 +/- 15.56 and 15.53 +/- 1.59 in women and 10.49 +/- 2.71, 67.53 +/- 14.41, and 15.11 +/- 1.79 in men respectively. The points of all were higher for women than for men. Consumption of CM (p<0.01) and TF(p<0.01) were a low in groups that scored high points on nutrition knowledge. The points of climacteric symptoms were that men were 48.36 +/- 6.30 and woman were 46.43 +/- 6.70. Men thought themselves in good condition more than women(p<0.01), and those in their 40's thought themselves in good condition as opposed to those in their 50's in men(p<0.05). Consumption of TF and NS were high in the low points group on climacteric symptoms(p<0.01). Women were higher than men on morbidity, but men were more than women on cases of liver disease(p<0.01). Consumption of CM was high in the liver disease group(p<0.05), MHFS was high in the kidney disease group(p<0.05), TF and NS were hgih in the bone disease group(p<0.05) and NS was hgih in the endocrine disease group(p<0.05). People in their 40's were higher than those in their 50's in men on morbidity of cold(p<0.05), women were higher than men by about 2 times on constipation (p<0.01), those in their 40's were higher than those in their 50's in mein on gastritis(p<0.05). Consumption of NS was highest for those with diseases in respiratory organs and gastrointestinal tracts. This study suggests that nutritional education for the right recognition of self-perception of health status and food habits, and nutrition knowledge are needed to select for health floods. Consumption of health foods was different according to kinds of diseases. Thus, recognition of etiology, symptoms and dietetics of diseases is needed to select adequate health foods for diseases in middle age.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bone Diseases ; Climacteric ; Constipation ; Dietetics ; Education ; Endocrine System Diseases ; Female ; Floods ; Food Habits ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Food, Organic* ; Humans ; Jeollabuk-do* ; Kidney Diseases ; Liver ; Liver Diseases ; Male ; Middle Aged* ; Overweight ; Self Concept*