This study was aimed at development of a nutrition education program, which was designed for children, their parents and personnel in preschool nursery facilities and carried out by dieticians. The program was conducted at 6 preschool nursery facilities for 3 months from July to September 1998. Four-hundred thirty-three children aged 2 to 7 years were engaged in the program. Children in each class were given nutrition education practice once a week by dieticians using education materials and a guide book based on a 12-week program. The themes of nutrition education for children consisted of 'knowledge of food sources and foods', 'relations between food and health', 'other roles of food', 'right eating habit', and 'cooking practice'. Each of five leaflets on nutrition education for parents was delivered eery three weeks in a series and leaflets were posted on a bulletin board. Nursery school teachers were educated by their participation in the class with dieticians using education materials. Evaluation of nutrition education by children, parents and personnel was carried out by interviewing and using questionnaires before and after the program. Children responded more positively more positively on their eating behavior and sanitary behaviors after nutrition education. Parents'opinions on the nutrition education program were positive : 72.3 described the nutrition education program as 'very good'and 'good'. In addition, 71.3% answered that the education materials for parents were helpful. A majority(93.8%) of personnel in facilities evaluated the nutrition education program effective. Nursery personnel evaluated the importance of general nutrition knowledge, childhood nutrition, and obesity control for nutrition management and nutrition education more highly after nutrition education. This study indicates that nutrition management and nutrition education programs for preschool nursery facilities are necessary and they would be effective when implemented by dieticians.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; Eating ; Education* ; Feeding Behavior ; Humans ; Nurseries* ; Nutritionists ; Obesity ; Parents ; Schools, Nursery ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Plasma carotenoid levels were compared among 64 healthy male subjects (control) and 38 patients of ischemic heart disease(IHD) and 20 ones of cerebral infarction(CI) all of whom were over 50years of age. Another 98 healthy male subjects aged 23 to 58 were selected to compare their plasma carotenoid levels by age groups, Levels of lutein, zeaxanthin and crpytoxanthin were lower in IHD(34+/-2, 13+/-1 and 62+/-7 microgram/dl)and CI(36+/-3, 12+/-2 and 41+/-6 microgram/dl)patient groups than in control group (84+/-5, 16+/-2 and 69+/-3 microgram/dl) while those of lycopene, alpha-and beta-carotene varied little among the three groups. The sum of the six carotenoid levels were levels were, therefore,highest(205+/-14 microgram/dl) in the control group followed by IHD(155+/-15 microgram/dl) and CI(128+/-17 microgram/dl) patient groups, Among the 98 healthy male subject for the age group study, levels of the three major carotenoids increased with age from the twenties to the fifities ; lutein, from 64+/-6 to 89+/-8 microgram/dl, cryptoxanthin, 57+/-8 to 73+/-4 microgram/dl and beta-carotene were more significantly correlated(r=0.30 to 0.61, p<0.01), whereas levels of lycopene and alpha-caroteme were significantly(r=0.21 - 0.23, p<0.05) correlated.
beta Carotene ; Cardiovascular Diseases* ; Carotenoids ; Cerebral Infarction ; Daegu* ; Heart ; Humans ; Lutein ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Plasma*

BACKGROUND: Although insulin resistance and decreased insulin secretion are characteristics of established type 2 DM, which of these metabolic abnormalities is the primary determinant of type 2 DM is controversial. It is also not well known how insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction influence serum insulin, proinsulin, proinsulin/insulin ratio in type 2 DM. METHODS: We compared serum insulin, proinsulin and proinsulin/insulin ratio in type 2 diabetic patients and control subjects. We also investigated the relationship between serum insulin, proinsulin and proinsulin/insulin ratio and several biochemical markers which represent insulin resistance or beta cell function. RESULTS: Insulin, proinsulin and proinsulin/insulin ratio were significantly higher in type 2 DM than control(p < 0.001). In diabetic patients, total insulin level was correlated with urinary albumin excretion rates(r = 0.224, p = 0.025) and body mass index(r = 0.269, p = 0.014). Proinsulin level was correlated with fasting C-peptide(r = 0.43, p = 0.002), postprandial 2 hour blood glucose(r = 0.213, p = 0.05) and triglyceride(r = 0.28, p = 0.022). Proinsulin/insulin ratio was positively correlated with fasting C-peptide(r = 0.236, p = 0.031), fasting blood glucose (r = 0.264, p = 0.015), postprandial 2 hour blood glucose(r = 0.277, p = 0.001) and triglyceride(r = 0.428, p < 0.001). In control subjects, insulin level was correlated with triglyceride(r = 0.366, p = 0.002). Proinsulin/insulin ratio was correlated with age(r = 0.241, p = 0.044). CONCLUSION: The serum levels of insulin and proinsulin seem to be associated with several markers of insulin resistance. Whereas proinsulin/insulin ratio might represent beta cell function rather than insulin resistance. But more studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms of elevated proinsulin/insulin ratio in type 2 DM.
Aged ; Diabetes Mellitus, Non-Insulin-Dependent/etiology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Non-Insulin-Dependent/blood* ; Female ; Human ; Insulin/blood* ; Insulin Resistance* ; Islets of Langerhans/physiopathology* ; Male ; Middle Age ; Proinsulin/blood* ; Sulfonylurea Compounds/pharmacology

We investigated the livebirths prevalence and occurrence pattern of birth defects in Korea. After the survey on birth defects was done in 2,348 medical institutions around the nation, the birth defect prevalence of livebirths in 2005-2006 was calculated. This study was based on the medical insurance claims database of the National Health Insurance Corporation. The number of livebirths in Korea was 883,184 from 2005-2006, and 25,335 cases of birth defects were notified to our study, equivalent to a prevalence of 286.9 per 10,000 livebirths. Anomalies of the circulatory system were the most common defects, accounting for 43.4% of birth defects with a prevalence of 124.5 per 10,000 livebirths. It was followed by the musculoskeletal system anomalies, the digestive system anomalies, and the urinary system anomalies. The five major birth defects based on the ranking of prevalence were atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, hydronephrosis, patent ductus arteriosus, and cleft lip/palate. Birth defects in livebirths were associated with a high proportion of low birthweight, prematurity, multiple births and advanced maternal age. The prevalence of birth defects in Korea is similar to or lower than those reported in developed countries. Our study suggests baseline data to explain the current status of birth defects and to establish a registry system of birth defects in Korea.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cleft Lip/epidemiology ; Cleft Palate/epidemiology ; Congenital Abnormalities/*epidemiology ; Databases, Factual ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent/epidemiology ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial/epidemiology ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular/epidemiology ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis/epidemiology ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Live Birth ; Male ; Maternal Age ; Musculoskeletal Abnormalities/epidemiology ; Pregnancy ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology

The functional immaturity of PMNs is one of the major causes of overwhelming sepsis in newborns. In this study, we observed functions and surface markers of PMNs to investigate what causes the functional immaturity of PMNs in newborns. As results, the percentage of EA rosette forming PMNs (58.5 +/- 15.5%) and the chemotactic movement (0.14 +/- 0.09 mm) of cord blood PMNs were significantly lower than those of adult peripheral blood PMNs (70.8 +/- 9.9%, 0.60 +/- 0.34 mm). Cord blood PMNs showed decreased glass adherence and ADCC activity. The expression of Fc gamma RII or Fc gamma RIII was a little lower than those of adult peripheral blood PMNs, but the expression of Fc gamma RI (43.1 +/- 26.8%) was significantly higher than that of adult peripheral blood PMNs (3.2 +/- 1.8%). There was a significant difference in LFA-1 expression between EA rosette forming PMNs (92.9 +/- 9.1%) and EA rosette non-forming PMNs (25.6 +/- 22.6%). From these results, it is assumed that neonatal PMNs may consist of heterogeneous populations. And the relatively high percentage of EA rosette non-forming PMNs which express a low level of LFA-1 may be responsible for the functional immaturity of cord blood PMNs.
Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity ; Cell Adhesion ; Chemotaxis, Leukocyte ; Fetal Blood/*cytology ; Human ; Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1/*physiology ; Neutrophils/*physiology ; Receptors, IgG/*physiology ; Rosette Formation

Yacon is used in folk medicines as a medicinal tea for hypoglycemia. In a recent study described herein, anti-oxidative, -bacterial, -fungal activities and cell protective functions of leaf extract of Smallanthus sonchifolius have been reported. In this study, to evaluate the effect on pancreatitis by using yacon extract (YE), we examined the efficacy of YE on DBTC (8 mg/kg)-induced pancreatitis in rats. After the treatment of DBTC on day 21, highly increased inflammatory cells, necrosis of acinar cells and connective tissues were observed. However, the inflammation was strongly inhibited in YE as compared to control group (CON). As a result of immunoreactions against HSP27, HSP70 and MAC387, weak or no possibilities of normal group (NOR) were observed in pancreas, whereas in immunoreactions against HSP27 and HSP70, strong expression of CON was observed in acinar and duct cells on day 14. However, the expression of HSP27 was decreased in acinar cells for CON treatment on day 21 as compared to 14 days observation, whereas strong expression of HSP27 was observed in duct cells and blood vessels on day 21. As regards the immunoreactions against HSP70, weak or no possibilities of CON were observed in duct cells and blood vessels as well as in acinar cells on day 21. In CON, time-dependent increase of MAC387 was observed. However, the expressions of HSP27 and HSP70 were weakly observed in YE as compared to CON on day 14 with strong positive reaction in acinar cells on day 21. Immunoreactions against MAC387 were decreased in YE on day 14 than day 7, which increased on day 21 as compared to day 14. These results suggested that yacon extract has inhibitory and mitigatory effects against DBTC-induced pancreatitis.
Acinar Cells ; Animals ; Beverages ; Blood Vessels ; Connective Tissue ; Hypoglycemia ; Inflammation ; Necrosis ; Pancreas ; Pancreatitis* ; Rats

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to evaluate the clinical, endocrinological and histological characteristics of adrenal incidentalomas. METHODS: Eighty patients (41, males; 38, females; age range 17-80 years) who were diagnosed with adrenal incidentaloma at Korea University Hospital from 1992 to 2003 were studied retrospectively. RESULTS: Endocrinological investigation revealed 16 pheochromocytomas (20%), nine Cushing's syndromes (11%), eight primary aldosteronism (10%) and 46 non-functioning tumors (58%). Forty-four patients received operations, and biopsies were performed on two patients. Pathologic examination revealed 16 adrenocortical adenomas (20%), five carcinomas (6%), 13 pheochromocytomas (16%), three metastatic cancers (4%), and other tumors (10%). The diameter of the carcinomas (mean: 10.8 cm, range: 5-19 cm) were significantly larger than the diameter of benign adenomas (mean: 2.84 cm, range: 1-6 cm) (p=0.002). According to the receiver operating charactenstic (ROC) curve analysis, the cut-off value of tumor size for discriminate malignant tumor was 4.75 cm (sensitivity 90%, specificity 58%). Twenty-four patients with non-functioning tumors were followed up for a period of 3 to 72 months. During the follow up period, two patients showed an increase in tumor size of more than 1 cm, and one patient developed Cushing's syndrome. Changes in mass size and function were observed only between 10 and 26 months after the initial diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that an endocrine evaluation should be performed in all adrenal incidentalomas, and an adrenalectomy is recommended for tumors 5 cm or greater or tumors with adrenocortical hyperfunction. In addition, these tumors should be monitored for changes in mass size and function for a follow up period of approximately 26 months.
Retrospective Studies ; Pheochromocytoma/diagnosis ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Korea ; *Incidental Findings ; Humans ; Female ; Carcinoma/diagnosis ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aged ; Adult ; Adrenocortical Adenoma/diagnosis ; Adrenal Gland Neoplasms/*diagnosis ; Adolescent

BACKGROUND: Telmisartan, used for the treatment of hypertension, has been shown to function as a partial agonist of peroxime proliferative activated receptor-nu (PPAR-nu). Theoretically, telmisartan which simultaneously blocks the angiotensin II receptor and activates PPAR-nu should be more effective in improving atherosclerotic surrogate markers than angiotensin II receptor blockers alone. Therefore, this pilot study was designed to evaluate and compare the efficacy of telmisartan and valsartan on plasma adiponectin levels and pulse wave velocity as a marker of arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Thirty two patients with type 2 diabetes (mean duration 7.6 +/- 5.1 years) taking oral hypoglycemic agents were randomly assigned to receive telmisartan or valsartan for 12 weeks. RESULTS: Telmisartan and valsartan treatment significantly increased circulating adiponectin levels (P = 0.013 and P = 0.013, respectively) and reduced systolic (P = 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively) and diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively), and brachial-ankle PWV (P = 0.019 and P = 0.002, respectively), without significant differences between the two treatments. Before and after treatment, the fasting plasma glucose, interleukin-6, homeostasis model of assessment insulin resistance (HOMAIR) levels and lipid profile were unchanged in both treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Contrary to our expectation, telmisartan, even with its partial PPAR-nu activity, is not superior to valsartan in improving plasma adipocytokine levels and arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes. These data suggest that the partial PPAR-nu activity of telmisartan beyond valsartan may have less significant therapeutic implications than expected in treating patients with type 2 diabetes.
Adiponectin ; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists ; Benzimidazoles ; Benzoates ; Biomarkers ; Blood Pressure ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; Insulin Resistance ; Interleukin-6 ; Pilot Projects ; Plasma ; Pulse Wave Analysis ; Receptors, Angiotensin ; Tetrazoles ; Valine ; Vascular Stiffness ; Valsartan

OBJECTIVE: The acidic saline animal model of pain has been suggested to mimic fibromyalgia (FM). In this model, repeated intramuscular (IM) injections of acidic saline produce a widespread hyperalgesia that persists without evidence of significant peripheral tissue damage or inflammation, and is believed to be centrally maintained. We examined the changes of pain-related neurotransmitters in specific brain regions of this model after deep-sea water (DSW) drinking. METHODS: Rats were injected with 100microliter of acidic saline (pH 4.0) at days 0 and 5 into the left gastrocnemius muscle. Control rats received identical injections of physiological saline (pH 7.2) on the same schedule. Two acidic saline rats were given DSW from 1 week following the last IM injection to sacrifice. All rats were sacrificed on day 20. All regions of interest were examined for the changes of pain-related neurotransmitters with immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Preliminary results showed that compared to controls, acid injected rats demonstrated strong expression of serotonin in red and raphe nucleus. Acid injected rats showed significant reductions of the serotonin expression in red and raphe nucleus after DSW drinking. CONCLUSION: IM acid injections increased the expression of serotonin in red and raphe nucleus of rats. The overwhelming reduction of serotonin expression in the nuclei after DSW drinking suggests DSW might be helpful for pain and anxiety. These preliminary data support the validity of acidic saline treatment as a model of FM, and provide a foundation for future analyses of specific brain regions that contribute to this syndrome.
Rats ; Animals

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Yacon (Samallanthus sonchifolius), a common edible plant grown throughout the world, is well known for its antidiabetic properties. It is also known to have several other pharmacological properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-allergic, and anti-cancer effects. To date, the effect of yacon on gliomas has not been studied. In this study, we investigated the effects of yacon on the migration and proliferation of C6 glioma cells stimulated by fetal bovine serum (FBS). MATERIALS/METHODS: Cell growth and proliferation were determined by evaluating cell viability using an EZ-Cytox Cell Viability Assay Kit. FBS-induced migration of C6 glioma cells was evaluated by performing the scratch wound healing assay and the Boyden chamber assay. We also used western blot analysis to determine the expression levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), a major regulator of migration and proliferation of glioma cells. Matrix metallopeptidase (MMP) 9 and TIMP-1 levels were measured by performing reverse transcription PCR. RESULTS: Yacon (300 microg/mL) reduced both the FBS-induced proliferation of C6 glioma cells and the dose-dependent migration of the FBS-stimulated C6 cells. FBS-stimulated C6 glioma cells treated with yacon (200 and 300 microg/mL) showed reduced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and inhibition of MMP 9 expression compared to those shown by the untreated FBS-stimulated C6 cells. In contrast, yacon (200 and 300 microg/mL) induced TIMP-1 expression. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of these results, we suggest that yacon may exert an anti-cancer effect on FBS-stimulated C6 glioma cells by inhibiting their proliferation and migration. The most likely mechanism for this is down-regulation of ERK1/2 and MMP9 and up-regulation of TIMP-1 expression levels.
Blotting, Western ; Cell Proliferation* ; Cell Survival ; Down-Regulation ; Ethanol* ; Glioma* ; Phosphorylation ; Phosphotransferases ; Plants, Edible ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reverse Transcription ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 ; Up-Regulation ; Wound Healing