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*

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to compare job satisfaction, self-esteem, and nursing task performance between registered nurses (RN) and nurse assistants (NA) in long-term care hospitals. METHOD: The sample consisted of 203 nursing personnel (RN 99 and AN 104), who were working in one of 5 long-term care hospitals in 5 different areas. Data were collected by structured questionnaires from March 15 to April 30, 2010, and analyzed using the descriptive statistics, independent t-test, One-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficients with SPSS/Win 17.0 program. RESULT: There was no significant difference between nurses and nurse assistants in job satisfaction and self-esteem. But nurses had higher levels of nursing task performance than nurse assistants. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate the necessity of developing programs that will help to improve job satisfaction and self-esteem in nurses and nursing task performance in nurse assistants. Strategies need to be developed to maximize the value of the existing workforce without impacting on the quality of care delivered.
Job Satisfaction ; Long-Term Care ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Self Concept ; Task Performance and Analysis

The purpose of this study was to compare the body compositions and food behaviors of middle aged men with different obesity indices. The subjects were 62 middle aged men who lived Gunsan city. Heights, body weights, soft/lean masses, fat masses, percentages of body fat, and fat distributions were measured. Food habits and health-related lifestyle habits were evaluated based on questionnaires. The subjects were assigned to one of the following groups based on their percentage of body fat (%Fat); normal, overweight and obesity. The results were as follows: their heights, fat masses, percentages of body fat, WHR, RBW, BMI and fitness scores were significantly higher in the obese subjects when compared to the normal and overweight subjects. Self-perceptions of weight and desires of weight control were significantly related with their percents of Fat. The overweight and the obese groups skipped meals, ate supper out, ate snacks, smoked tobacco, and exercised less frequently than the normal group. There were no significant differences in the scores of the dietary habits and drinking of alcohol among the three groups. Therefore, proper nutritional education on regular meals and intervention is required if middle aged men want to be of normal weight and have healthy lifestyles.
Adipose Tissue* ; Body Composition* ; Body Height ; Drinking ; Education ; Food Habits ; Humans ; Jeollabuk-do* ; Life Style ; Male ; Meals ; Middle Aged* ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Self Concept ; Smoke ; Snacks ; Tobacco ; 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

This study examined health foods intakes and related variables among the middle aged(150 men and 159 women) in the Jeonbuk region. Health foods were classified into 4 groups including Chinese medicine(CM), toner foods(TF), vitamin or mineral supplements(VMS), and other manufactured health food supplements(MHFS). The number of people taking health foods were higher for those in their 50's than in their 40's. The consumption rate of TF in men was the highest among health foods, this result had significance. The reasons for taking health foods were recovery from fatigue, supplement of nutrients and making smooth body activity in general, but TF was used to increase of vigor. The consumption rate of health foods was a little different according to social-economic factors, namely, the consumption rate of CM was higher in people in rural than urban areas, those who graduated from middle school than university, blue color & self-employed as opposed to housewives and service workers, low level income than high level income, and Buddhism and no religion than Christian. The consumption rate had a correlation with the habits of smoking, alcohol drinking and exercise ; namely, the consumption rate of CM was higher than VMS and MHFS on smokers and alcohol drinkers. The more the frequency of exercise, the higher the consumption rate of TF, but the duration of the exercise was not correlated. This study suggests that middle aged people need nutritional education for the right recognition and selection of health foods and to consider the nature of each type of health foods.
Alcohol Drinking ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Buddhism ; Education ; Fatigue ; Food, Organic* ; Humans ; Jeollabuk-do* ; Male ; Middle Aged* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Vitamins

The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in food habits of girl students 1985 and 1998. A similar study had been conducted in 1985 and this study was carried in May, 1998 using the questionnaires. The subjects were 746 female students in middle school, high school and university students living in Jeonbuk region. The average score of food habit was 4.11+/-1.63 out of a possible 10. This aversge is lower than the 4.91 score in 1985, especially the score of university students lowered from 4.80 points to 3.52+/-1.58 points. The correlation coefficient between the score of food habit and standard of living, utilizing increase as compared with the 54.9% in 1985. The most preferred side-dish changed from fried food to Kimchi. The preference of snacks was not changed. Eating bread increased at breakfast but eating noodles increased at lunch. University students' lunch basket preparation ratio decreased from 32.6% to 3.3%, so they had more noodles at refectory than lunch basket. The reason for skipping breakfast did not changes, but skipping lunch changed from annoyance due to lunch basket preparation to lack of time and no appetite. Skipping supper was changed from missing time to weight control. Having supper at home decreased from 96.6% to 75.9%. Substitution food on no preparation of lunch basket was changed from bread to noodles. The preference for biscuits and snack did not changes but fewer students preferend bread and fried food. In order to improve the nutritional status of the girl students, they must establish good food habits, especially by eating 3 regular meals per day and balancing their diet they should also be notified that severe weight control is very harmful for health.
Appetite ; Bread ; Breakfast ; Diet ; Eating ; Female* ; Food Habits* ; Humans ; Jeollabuk-do* ; Lunch ; Meals ; Nutritional Status ; Snacks ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires