This study was performed to investigate nutritional intakes and preference food and blood composition of female college students of premenstrual syndrome. Based on physical measurement test results, both groups showed no noticeable difference and both groups were within the normal range according to body composition analysis. In terms of nutrients consumption, results showed nutritional intakes more than EAR (estimated average requirements) included phosphorus > vitamin B6>vitamin B1, while nutritional intakes less than EAR were vitamin A > vitamin B2> calcium > folic acid. A significant difference was observed for vitamin C intake (p < 0.05). The overall mean values of basic blood (WBC, RBC, Hct, and Hb), sex hormone (Estrogen, Progesterone), aldosterone, cortisol, Cu, Zn, and Ca, Mg indices in female college students were within the normal range and there was no significant difference between the PMS group and the Normal group. In conclusion, vitamin C intake of the PMS group showed a level of 84.8% EAR. Therefore vitamin C supplement can be beneficial to relieve the PMS Syndrome.
Aldosterone ; Ascorbic Acid ; Body Composition ; Calcium ; Ear ; Female ; Folic Acid ; Food Preferences ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Phosphorus ; Premenstrual Syndrome ; Reference Values ; Vitamin A ; Vitamins

This study was performed to investigate nutritional intakes and preference food and blood composition of female college students of premenstrual syndrome. Based on physical measurement test results, both groups showed no noticeable difference and both groups were within the normal range according to body composition analysis. In terms of nutrients consumption, results showed nutritional intakes more than EAR (estimated average requirements) included phosphorus > vitamin B6>vitamin B1, while nutritional intakes less than EAR were vitamin A > vitamin B2> calcium > folic acid. A significant difference was observed for vitamin C intake (p < 0.05). The overall mean values of basic blood (WBC, RBC, Hct, and Hb), sex hormone (Estrogen, Progesterone), aldosterone, cortisol, Cu, Zn, and Ca, Mg indices in female college students were within the normal range and there was no significant difference between the PMS group and the Normal group. In conclusion, vitamin C intake of the PMS group showed a level of 84.8% EAR. Therefore vitamin C supplement can be beneficial to relieve the PMS Syndrome.
Aldosterone ; Ascorbic Acid ; Body Composition ; Calcium ; Ear ; Female ; Folic Acid ; Food Preferences ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Phosphorus ; Premenstrual Syndrome ; Reference Values ; Vitamin A ; Vitamins

The purpose of this study was to estimate the mineral intakes and serum mineral levels of pregnant and lactating women. The subjects consisted of 34 non-pregnant, 56 pregnant and 20 lactating women. Nutrients intakes were investigated by the 24-hr recall method, and serum major and trace minerals were analyzed by the ICP-spectrometry. Calcium (Ca) and zinc (Zn) intakes were observed lower than RDA especially for both pregnant and lactating women. Iron (Fe) intake of pregnant women was 85 - 139% RDA through Fe supplementation, and that of lactating women was lower than RDA. Compared with non-pregnant women, the pregnant women had similar Ca intake and higher magnesium (Mg) intake. Comparing with the non-pregnant women, serum Ca level in pregnancy was lower, and that of lactating women was not significantly different. Serum phosphorus and Mg levels were not significantly different among the groups. Serum Fe level of pregnant and lactating women was lower than that of the non-pregnant women. Serum Zn level of pregnant women was lower than those in the lactating and non-pregnant women. Serum copper level decreased as the pregnancy progressed. Serum sodium (Na) level was higher in 2nd- and 3rd trimester and potassium (K) level was higher in 3rd trimester and lactating period than other groups. Na/K ratio was not significantly different among the groups. During all periods, there was no correlation between dietary intakes and serum levels in each minerals. Serum Ca level positively corrleated with serum Mg level, especially in 3rd trimester and lactating women. In general, serum mineral levels in pregnancy were changed compared to the levels in non-pregnancy and restored in lactation to the levels for non-pregnancy.
Calcium ; Copper ; Female ; Humans ; Iron ; Lactation ; Magnesium ; Minerals ; Phosphorus ; Potassium ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Sodium ; Zinc

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the intake of antioxidant vitamins and plasma concentrations of those in 60 maternal-infant pairs (30 in normal term delivery group, NT; 30 in preterm delivery group, PT). We also investigated the relationship between vitamin levels of maternal-umbilical cord plasma and pregnancy outcome. Mean energy intakes of NT and PT pregnant women were 93.2% and 85.4%, and their protein intakes were 113.3% and 110.9 % of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA), respectively. While vitamin A intakes were only 51.2% and 39.6% of the RDA in NT and PT pregnant women. The vitamin E intake was about 50% of the RDA (NT 6.27 mg, PT 7.78 mg). The levels of retinol in maternal plasma of NT and PT were 1.51 micronmol/l and 1.43 micronmol/l, respectively. The retinol levels in umbilical cord plasma in NT and PT were 0.72 micronmol/l and 0.61 micronmol/l, respectively. The level of beta-carotene in maternal plasma of NT was 0.49 micronmol/l, significantly (p < 0.01) higher than that of PT (0.31 micronmol/l). The beta-carotene of umbilical cord plasma of NT and PT were 0.02 micronmol/l and 0.01 micronmol/l, respectively. The plasma alpha- tocopherol of maternal of NT and PT were 29.51 micronmol/l and 27.17 micronmol/l, respectively. The alpha-tocopherol of umbilical cord plasma of NT and PT were 4.16 micronmol/l and 3.80 micronmol/l, respectively. The antioxidant vitamin levels retinol, beta-carotene, and alpha-tocopherol) in maternal plasma were significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than those in umbilical cord plasma. However, there was no correlation between the vitamin levels in maternal plasma and those in umbilical cord plasma. The maternal plasma beta-carotene level showed a positive correlation to gestational age. Also Apgar score at 1 min produced a positive correlation to maternal plasma beta-carotene level.
alpha-Tocopherol* ; Apgar Score ; beta Carotene* ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Plasma* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome* ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Recommended Dietary Allowances ; Tocopherols ; Umbilical Cord ; Vitamin A* ; Vitamin E ; Vitamins

BACKGROUND: The level of physical adaptation through active lifestyle can result in changes in appetite; and caused by physical activity and exercise, physical adaptation may change carbohydrate and fat metabolism during exercise. This study investigated the differences in carbohydrate and fat metabolism after moderate treadmill running and the difference in appetite response before and after exercise in active, regularly exercising individuals and those inactive. METHODS: We analyzed the effects of moderate physical activity (70% of oxygen uptake reserve, 30 minutes on the treadmill) on free fatty acids, glucose, growth hormone, insulin and an appetite visual analogue scale (VAS). Our subjects included 28 healthy males who were divided into two groups, the activity group (n=14) and the inactivity group (n=14) according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The serum samples and VAS were collected at pre, post and 30 min post-exercise. RESULTS: The results of the serum analysis showed no significant effects on free fatty acids, glucose, growth hormone and insulin between the groups, but showed significant changes in free fatty acids and growth hormone between points of measurement. Significant increases in VAS were seen with moderate exercise in both groups, with the inactivity group expressing greater hunger than the activity group. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that inactive persons were hungrier than active persons after moderate exercise. This information might be useful to staff and participants of weight loss programs.
Appetite ; Energy Metabolism ; Exercise ; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified ; Glucose ; Growth Hormone ; Humans ; Hunger ; Insulin ; Life Style ; Male ; Motor Activity ; Oxygen ; Running ; Weight Reduction Programs ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The purpose of this study was to investigate the implications of dietary intake and the level of serum micronutrients (Se, Mn, Cu, Zn), lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant capacity in Korean women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). From October 2002 to March 2003, 50 patients diagnosed with CIN (confirmed with colposcopy directed biopsy) and 50 patients without any cervical disease as the control group were enrolled in the study at the Department of Gynecology Cancer Center at Samsung Cheil Hospital. Animal fat intake in CIN group was significantly higher than that of the control group, but plant protein intake in the CIN group was significantly lower than that of the Control group. Energy and zink intakes were similar in the two groups. The serum concentration of antioxidant minerals in the CIN group were not signifi-cantly different from the control group. The total radical trapping antioxidant potential concentration of plasma was sig-nificantly lower in the CIN group (1.12 mM) than in the control group (1.25 mM)(p < 0.05). But MDA (malondialde-hyde) of serum was significantly higher in the CIN group (7.60 mM) than in the control group (4.99 mM)(p < 0.005). The serum selenium concentration of the control group showed significant positive correlation with the MDA level (r = 0.311). These findings are suggestive of protective roles for healthy dietary habit including increasing antioxidant nut-rients and decreasing intake of fat.
Animals ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia* ; Colposcopy ; Copper* ; Female ; Food Habits ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Manganese* ; Micronutrients ; Minerals ; Plants ; Plasma ; Selenium* ; Zinc*

Folate and Vitamin B12 are essential nutrients important during pregnancy. This study was conducted to evaluate the folate and vitamin B12 nutritional status of Korean pregnant women and to investigate the relationship between maternal-umbilical cord serum folate and vitamin B12 levels and pregnancy outcomes. Dietary intakes of the pregnant women were estimated by 24 hour-recall (3 times). Serum folate and vitamin B12 levels in maternal blood and umbilical cord of 27 pregnant women at 1'st-, 2'nd-, 3'rd- trimester and delivery were measured by RIA (radioimmuno assay), respectively. Means of folate and vitamin B12 intake were 283.53 +/- 58.01 microgram/day and 2.99 +/- 1.32 mg/day, respectively. Maternal mean serum folate levels of the trimester and delivery were 9.75 +/- 3.60 ng/ml, 10.46 +/- 4.63 ng/ml, 10.71 +/- 4.14 ng/ml and 15.05 +/- 7.04 ng/ml. Those maternal levels were significantly lower than that of umbilical cord blood (23.99 +/- 9.42 ng/ml). Serum vitamin B12 levels of maternal trimester and delivery were 479.07 +/- 137.56 pg/ml, 310.96 +/- 137.56 pg/ml, 308.22 +/- 74.65 pg/ml, and 295.67 +/- 93.36 pg/ml, which were significantly lower than those of umbilical cord blood (500.13 +/- 185.60 ng/ml). This finding indicates that the uptake of folate and vitamin B12 in the fetus may be due to an active placental transport mechanism. Maternal serum level correlated positively with those of umbilical cord blood, showing that folate and vitamin B12 concentration of umbilical cord blood might be affected by maternal status. There was no significant correlation between the serum folate levels in maternal-umbilical cord blood and the pregnancy outcomes. However, maternal vitamin B12 level at 1'st trimester was significant positive correlation between the gestational age except for birth weight and weight gain.
Birth Weight ; Female ; Fetal Blood* ; Fetus ; Folic Acid* ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Nutritional Status ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Umbilical Cord* ; Vitamin B 12* ; Vitamins* ; Weight Gain

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Telomeres are specialized structures found at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. Telomeres stabilize the chromosome and protect DNA from illegitimate recombination. Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein, a RNA dependent DNA polymerase, and acts as a reverse transcriptase-like enzyme, which maintains telomere length by adding telomeric repeat units of TTAGGG to the telomeric end. These telomeric repeat units have been found only in cells with unlimited replicative potential such as sperm cells, immortalized cell lines and cancer tissues, but not in normal somatic cells. Telomerase is believed to be characteristic of and may be the best indicator of cell immortality. This study was performed to indentify the role of telomerase activity in the multistep carcinogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We performed a telomeric repeat amplification protocol assay in 10 oral leukoplakia, 5 tongue cancers and 10 normal oral mucosa tissues. RESULTS: All the five tongue cancer tissues showed telomerase activity. Although telomerase activity was detected in 9 of 10 oral leukoplakia tissues and in 9 of 10 normal oral mucosa tissues, the activity of telomerase was low compared to that of cancer tissues by semiquantitative analysis. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that telomerase maybe play a key role in multistep carcinogenesis of oral malignancy. Telomerase activity was detectable in normal oral mucosa with renewal activity suggested that this enzyme might be an indicator of cell proliferation.
Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; DNA ; Leukoplakia, Oral* ; Mouth Mucosa ; Mouth Neoplasms ; Recombination, Genetic ; Ribonucleoproteins ; RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase ; Spermatozoa ; Telomerase* ; Telomere ; Tongue Neoplasms

The purpose of this study is to assess the maternal iron status during pregnancy and to evaluate the relationships between the iron indices of maternal, umbilical cord serum, placenta and pregnancy outcomes. Venous bloods samples were drawn from 54 pregnant women just before delivery and cord bloods of their newborn babies were collected immediately after birth. And also, placental tissues were extracted. We investigated the difference of the iron status indices of maternal, umbilical cord serum and placental tissue between two gestational age group (PT group, NT group : preterm delivery and normal term delivery at 34.9wk and 39.0wk of mean gestational length, respectively) and also assessed correlations of iron status indices of maternal, umbilical cord serum and placenta tissue. And lastly, we related between birth weight and iron status indices of maternal, umbilical cord serum and placental tissue. The concentrations of maternal serum ferritin and of placental iron were significantly higher in PT group (32.1 +/- 21.1 ng/ml, 68.5 +/- 16.7microgram / g), than those of NT group (20.8 +/- 11.6 ng / ml, 53.2 +/- 17.4 microgram / g) respectively (p < 0.001). However the serum ferritin of umbilical cord were significantly higher in NT group (PT : 109.4 +/- 65.7 ng/ml, NT : 147.0 +/- 56.8 ng / ml) than those of PT group (p < 0.05). Our results showed that a negative association between birth weight (r=-0.361) and maternal serum ferritin and that a positive association between birth weight and umbilical cord serum ferritin (r=0.261). Despite not a significant difference, there was tendency that highest concentration of maternal serum ferritin was associated with the lowest birth weight. These findings indicate that birth weight of newborn is dependent of multiple factors such as maternal iron status during pre-pregnancy, body size, general nutritional status. Although for women who enter pregnancy with low iron stores, enough intakes of iron during pregnancy could produce undesirable pregnancy outcome. Therefore we suggest for successful pregnancy outcome and delivery differential iron supplementation program will be carried out individual pregnant women on the basis of pre-pregnancy nutritional status.
Birth Weight* ; Body Size ; Female ; Ferritins ; Fetal Blood ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Iron* ; Nutritional Status ; Parturition* ; Placenta* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnant Women ; Umbilical Cord*

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are considered the first line treatment for a subset of EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Although transformation to small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is one of the known mechanisms of resistance to EGFR TKIs, it is not certain whether transformation to SCLC is exclusively found as a mechanism of TKI resistance in EGFR-mutant tumors. METHODS: We identified six patients with primary lung adenocarcinoma that showed transformation to SCLC on second biopsy (n = 401) during a 6-year period. Clinicopathologic information was analyzed and EGFR mutation results were compared between initial and second biopsy samples. RESULTS: Six patients showed transformation from adenocarcinoma to SCLC, of which four were pure SCLCs and two were combined adenocarcinoma and SCLCs. Clinically, four cases were EGFR-mutant tumors from non-smoking females who underwent TKI treatment, and the EGFR mutation was retained in the transformed SCLC tumors. The remaining two adenocarcinomas were EGFR wild-type, and one of these patients received EGFR TKI treatment. CONCLUSIONS: NSCLC can acquire a neuroendocrine phenotype with or without EGFR TKI treatment.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Phenotype ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma*