Cell growth rate and the secretion of ectopin hormones such as human chorionic gonadotropin(hCG), free beta-subunit and beta core fragment of hCG, were measured in the culture media with various serum concentrations from ovarian carcinoma cell lines, Bixler and Bix2NMB. The concentrations of fetal bovine serum contained in the culture media that showed the most active cell growth and hormone secretion were investigated to decide the best optimal serum concentration as one of the appropriate culture conditions in the experiment using cell culture. Ovarian concer cells were not able to proliferate in the media without serum. Cells proliferated more actively in higher concentration of serum. They secreted more hormone according to the increment of confluency as long as they secreted hormone. These findings suggest that serum is essential for surviving and cellular activity of cancer cells. The selection of the optimal serum concentration of culture media is very important to get appropriate data from the experiments which use cell culture technique. It is considered that we must have the knowledge on the most efficient concentration of serum in the culture media or on the exact percentage of serum in the media that matched to that of in vivo.
Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Line ; Chorion ; Chorionic Gonadotropin* ; Culture Media* ; Humans* ; Ovarian Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Amniotic Fluid* ; Female ; Humans ; Obstetric Labor, Premature* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate achievements of a community health center for vulnerable population in urban areas and to find out its strength and weakness. METHOD: This evaluative study employed system theories and analytic techniques. RESULTS: The purpose of improving vulnerable population's health-related self-care abilities adequately met the operation of programs. This center maintained close connection to a nursing college as a information resource. The subjects' satisfaction was high because team members who visited them were faithful and there were face-to-face contact, sufficient time set, closeness and resourcefulness. There were needs for regular meetings to discuss overall matters in organizing the program and to improve management skills. The mean score of health promotion lifestyle was 2.23 on a 4 point scale. This score indicates what in higher than vulnerable people in other communities. CONCLUSIONS: Community-based nursing centers for vulnerable population in urban areas should be developed as support organizations and community network.
Community Health Centers* ; Community Networks ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Life Style ; Nursing ; Self Care ; Vulnerable Populations*

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between the smart devices usage-related factors and self-regulation ability development in early childhood. METHODS: Parental questionnaires of 187 children aged 3–6 years were analyzed. The metrics included smart device usage frequency (times/week, scored as uFreq), smart device usage time (hours/day, scored as uTime), parental scale for appropriate smart device usage level (scored as uLevel), the Korean-developmental screening test (K-DST), and the scale for self-regulation ability in young children (scored as SRS, and including four sub-categories: self-appraisal, self-determination, behavior inhibition, and emotionality). The correlations were analyzed by total age group and by each age. RESULTS: In the total age group analysis, uFreq and uTime were negatively correlated with mean SRS (rs =−0.366, −0.330; P < 0.001) and sub-category SRS (rs =−0.186 to −0.370; P < 0.05). Mean uLevel score was positively correlated with mean SRS (rs =0.406; P < 0.001) and most of the mean sub-category SRS (rs =0.174 to 0.362; P < 0.05). In 3-year-old children, the mean SRS was strongly negatively correlated with uFreq (rs =−0.751; P < 0.001), negatively correlated with uTime (rs =−0.518; P < 0.001), and positively correlated with mean uLevel score (rs =0.533; P=0.013). Such correlations seemed to decrease at the age of 4–6 years. CONCLUSION: Self-regulation ability was significantly correlated with smart device-related factors and was the highest in the 3-year-old children. Encouraging appropriate smart device usage will be helpful for self-regulation development of young children.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnostic Self Evaluation ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Parents ; Self-Control* ; Smartphone

No abstract available.
Brain Diseases* ; Brain Stem* ; Humans ; Hypertensive Encephalopathy ; Stroke, Lacunar*

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of urinary incontinence and its correlation to the underlying diseases of women in Daegu. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Urinary incontinence questionnaire regarding age, body weight, height, body mass index (BMI), parity, delivery mode, menopausal status, history of hormonal replacement therapy, abortion history, and any underlying diseases were administered from May to November, 2001 to 412 women over 20 who had been randomly selected from the Outpatient Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Yeungnam University. The clinical characteristics of women who experience, and those who do not experience urinary incontinence were compared by means of the Student's t-test for continuous variables and by the Pearson's Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. A p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean age of the urinary incontinent group (N=193) was 44.2 years. There was a significant increase in the prevalence of incontinence with the increase of age (p=0.000). The prevalence of urinary incontinence was significantly related to the number of deliveries and the mode of delivery (p=0.007, p=0.001) No significant relationship was demonstrated between urinary incontinence and BMI (body mass index) ; the number of abortions; hormonal status; or any underlying diseases such as thyroid disease, diabetes mellitus, and chronic respiratory disease. Also, most of the urinary incontinent women didn't recognize their incontinence as pathological and consequently, didn't consult a physician. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that the prevalence of urinary incontinence is significantly correlated to age, parity, and the mode of delivery. Most of the middle-aged women who suffered from urinary incontinence didn't recognize their incontinence a pathological. Those results suggest that women in this age group need more information and more education about urinary incontinence.
Abortion, Induced ; Body Height ; Body Weight ; Daegu* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Education ; Female ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Obstetrics ; Outpatients ; Parity ; Prevalence* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Thyroid Diseases ; Urinary Incontinence*

BACKGROUND: A number of different weaning techniques can be employed such as spontaneous breathing trial, Intermittent mandatory ventilation(IMV) or Pressure support ventilation(PSV). However, the conclusive data indicating the superiority of one technique over another have not been published. Usually, a conventional spontaneous breathing trial is undertaken by supplying humidified O2 through T-shaped adaptor connected to endotracheal tube or tracheostomy tube. In Korea, T-tube trial is not popular because the high-flow oxygen system is not always available. Also, the timing of extubation is not conclusive and depends on clinical experiences. It is known that to withdraw the endotracheal tube after weaning is far better than to go through any period. The tube produces varying degrees of resistance depending on its internal diameter and the flow rates encountered. The purpose of present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of weaning and extubation following a 60 minutes spontaneous breathing trial with simple oxygen supply through the endotracheal tube. METHODS: We analyzed the result of weaning and extubation following a 60 minutes spontaneous breathing trial with simple oxygen supply through the endotracheal tube in 18 subjects from June, 1993 to June, 1994. They consisted of 9 males and 9 females. The duration of mechanical ventilation was from 38 hours to 341 hours(mean: 105.9 +/- 83.4 hours). In all cases, the cause of ventilator dependency should be identified and precipitating factors should be corrected. The weaning trial was done when the patient became alert and arterial O2 tension was adequate(PaO2 > 55mmHg) with an inspired oxygen fraction of 40%. We conducted a careful physical examination when the patient was breathing spontaneously through the endotracheal tube. Failure of weaning trial was signaled by cyanosis, sweating, paradoxical respiration, intercostal recession. Weaning failure was defined as the need for mechanical ventilation within 48 hours. RESULTS: In 19 weaning trials of 18 patients, successful weaning and extubation was possible in 16/19(84.2% ). During the trial of spontaneous breathing for 60 minutes through the endotracheal tube, the patients who could wean developed slight increase in respiratory rates but significant changes of arterial blood gas values were not noted. But, the patients who failed weaning trial showed the marked increase in respiratory rates without significant changes of arterial blood gas values. CONCLUSION: The result of present study indicates that weaning from mechanical ventilation following a 60 minutes spontaneous breathing with O2 supply through the endotracheal tube is a simple and effective method. Extubation can be done at the same time of successful weaning except for endobronchial toilet or airway protection.
Cyanosis ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Oxygen ; Physical Examination ; Precipitating Factors ; Respiration* ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Rate ; Sweat ; Sweating ; Tracheostomy ; Ventilators, Mechanical ; Weaning*

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence has shown a biochemical link between increased oxidative stress and reduced bone density. In our previous study, alpha-lipoic acid (alpha-LA), a thiol antioxidant, suppressed both osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption, and also prevented TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis of osteoblast lineages. The effects of alpha-LA were investigated on bone metabolism in rats with a low bone mass. METHODS: An ovariectomy (OVX) or Talc injection (inflammation-mediated osteopenia, IMO) was performed in 12 week old female Sprague-Dawley rats. Diets containing either 0.3%, 0.5% or 1.0% alpha-LA were administered to the OVX rats for 16 weeks, and to the IMO rats for 21 days. The bone mineral densities (BMD) of the anterior-posterior lumbar spine and total femur were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (Hologic QDR 4500-A), with small animal software. The plasma bone specific alkaline phosphatase activity (BSAP) and urinary free deoxypyridinoline concentration (DPD) were determined using enzyme immunoassay methods. RESULTS: The body weights were significantly decreased in the OVX rats on the diets containing 0.3 and 0.5% alpha-LA than in the OVX control. No significant differences in the BMD at either site were noted between rats administered the diets with or without alpha-LA. However, the administration of various doses of alpha-LA noticeably decreased the level of urinary DPD in both the OVX and IMO rats. High doses of alpha-LA (0.5% and/or 1.0%) also decreased the levels of plasma BSAP in both models. CONCLUSION: Although no increase in BMD was demonstrated by the administration of alpha-LA, these results suggest that alpha-LA suppresses the rates of bone turnover in rats with a low bone mass
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Animals ; Antioxidants ; Apoptosis ; Body Weight ; Bone Density ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic ; Bone Resorption ; Diet ; Female ; Femur ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Metabolism* ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoporosis ; Ovariectomy ; Oxidative Stress ; Plasma ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spine ; Talc ; Thioctic Acid*

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress is important in both diabetic complications and the development and the progression of type 2 diabetes via the effects on the pancreatic beta-cells. EGCG (epigallocatechin galleate), a major constituent of green tea, has been known to have beneficial effects on various diseases through the mechanisms of antioxidant and cell signaling modulation. But, very small numbers of studies were published about the direct effects of EGCG on the pancreatic beta cell lines. We performed this study to see the protective effect of EGCG on pancreatic beta cell line under H2O2 and the mechanisms of this phenomenon. METHODS: We used INS-1 cells and hydrogen peroxide as an oxidative stressor. Their viabilities were verified by MTT assay and FACS. The activity of glutathione peroxidase was assessed by total glutathione quantification kit. Western blot and semi-quantitative RT-PCR for the catalase, SOD (superoxide dismutase), PI3K and Akt were performed. Functional status of INS-1 cells was tested by GSIS (glucose stimulated insulin secretion). RESULTS: The biological effects of EGCG were different according to its concentrations. 10 micrometer EGCG effectively protected hydrogen peroxide induced damage in INS-1 cells. The expression and the activity of SOD, catalase and the glutathione peroxidase were significantly increased by EGCG. EGCG significantly increased PI3K and Akt activity and its effect was inhibited partially by wortmannin. GSIS was well preserved by EGCG. CONCLUSION: EGCG in low concentration effectively protected INS-1 cells from the oxidative stress through the activation of both antioxidant systems and anti-apoptosis signaling. Further studies will be necessary for the more detailed mechanisms and the clinical implications.
Androstadienes ; Blotting, Western ; Catalase ; Diabetes Complications ; Glutathione ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Insulin ; Insulin-Secreting Cells ; Oxidative Stress ; Tea

BACKGROUND: In some instances, thyroid cancer may be diagnosed only after resection of a putative or suspected benign nodule. In these cases a complete thyroidectomy is usually recommended to prevent recurrence. We analyzed the frequency of malignancy in the contralateral lobe after a complete thyroidectomy, and assessed the factors that may predict the presence of a malignancy, which might necessitate a complete thyroidectomy. METHODS: Between 1995 and 2001, 65 patients, who initially underwent a lobectomy and isthmectomy, but were finally diagnosed with differentiated thyroid carcinoma, underwent complete thyroidectomies. Their mean age was 39.8 +/- 12.4 years, ranging, 14 to 71 years. After initial surgery, 45 proved to have follicular carcinomas, 18 papillary carcinomas, 1 medullary and 1 insular carcinoma. The mean tumor size was 4.0 +/- 1.8 cm, ranging from 0.3 to 8.5 cm. After a complete thyroidectomy, the presence of a tumor the at contralateral lobe was assessed according to clinical parameters and the pathological findings in the ipsilateral lobe. RESULTS: The first surgeries revealed tumor multifocality in 27 cases, perithyroidal tumor extension in 4 and lymph node metastasis in 1. On completion of the thyroidectomy, 22 of the 65 patients had a malignancy in the contralateral lobe. Age, sex, size or the pathological primary tumor type, were not associated with the presence of additional tumors at the contralateral lobe. Tumor multifocality at the first surgery was the only significant variable to predict the presence of a tumor in the contralateral lobe. CONCLUSION: When thyroid cancer is diagnosed after ipsilateral surgery, the only predictive factor for the presence of a contralateral tumor was multifocality. We believe that a complete thyroidectomy is mandatory in these cases.
Carcinoma, Papillary ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Thyroidectomy*