Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for approximately 30% of all deaths worldwide and its prevalence is constantly increasing despite advancements in medical treatments. Cardiac remodeling and dysfunction are independent risk factors for CVD. Recent studies have demonstrated that cardiac structure and function are genetically influenced, suggesting that understanding the genetic basis for cardiac structure and function could provide new insights into developing novel therapeutic targets for CVD. Regular exercise has long been considered a robust nontherapeutic method of treating or preventing CVD. However, recent studies also indicate that there is inter-individual variation in response to exercise. Nevertheless, the genetic basis for cardiac structure and function as well as their responses to exercise training have yet to be fully elucidated. Therefore, this review summarizes accumulated evidence supporting the genetic contribution to these traits, including findings from population-based studies and unbiased large genomic-scale studies in humans.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for approximately 30% of all deaths worldwide and its prevalence is constantly increasing despite advancements in medical treatments. Cardiac remodeling and dysfunction are independent risk factors for CVD. Recent studies have demonstrated that cardiac structure and function are genetically influenced, suggesting that understanding the genetic basis for cardiac structure and function could provide new insights into developing novel therapeutic targets for CVD. Regular exercise has long been considered a robust nontherapeutic method of treating or preventing CVD. However, recent studies also indicate that there is inter-individual variation in response to exercise. Nevertheless, the genetic basis for cardiac structure and function as well as their responses to exercise training have yet to be fully elucidated. Therefore, this review summarizes accumulated evidence supporting the genetic contribution to these traits, including findings from population-based studies and unbiased large genomic-scale studies in humans.

PURPOSE: To report the long term results of bifocal treatment in nonrefractive accommodative esotropia and to analyze the changes of accommodative convergence to accommodation (AC/A) ratio. METHODS: Sixteen patients treated with bifocal glasses for at least 5 years were evaluated retrospectively. Angle of deviation at near and distance, refractive error, and AC/A ratio by the lens gradient method were analyzed. The changes of AC/A ratios were also compared after dividing the patients according to continuation or cessation of bifocal therapy. RESULTS: Six patients (38%; bifocal stop group, BSG) were able to stop using bifocal glasses at an average age of 10.8 years (range, 6.5 to 15.4 years) during their follow-up. However, the other ten patients (62%; bifocal continue group, BCG) had to continue using bifocal glasses until the final visit, which was 13.8 years on average (range, 11.3 to 18.5 years). The AC/A ratio decreased from time of bifocal prescription to the last visit in both groups, from 4.4 to 2.7 in the BSG and from 5.9 to 4.5 in the BCG. AC/A ratios were significantly higher (p = 0.03) in the BCG than that of the BSG from the beginning of bifocal treatment and this difference was persistent until the final visit (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The AC/A ratio decreased with age in both groups but was significantly higher throughout the entire follow-up period in the BCG. AC/A ratio at bifocal prescription could be an important factor in predicting response to bifocal treatment.
Accommodation, Ocular/*physiology ; Adolescent ; Child ; Cyclopentolate/administration & dosage ; Esotropia/*physiopathology/*therapy ; *Eyeglasses ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Phenylephrine/administration & dosage ; Retrospective Studies ; Statistics, Nonparametric ; Tropicamide/administration & dosage

Several growth factors and polypeptides were studied for the regeneration of periodontal supporting tissues which had been lost due to periodontal disease. But these are not commonly used for regenerators of bone tissue or alveolar bone, because of the insufficiency of studies on their side effects, genetic engineering for mass production and stability for clinical application. Recently, many natural products, which have advantage of less side effects and possibility of long-term use, have been studied for their capacity and effects of anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and regenerative potential of periodontal tissues. Cnidii Rhizoma, Rhinocerotis Cornu and Drynariae Rhizoma have been traditionally used as a drug for treatment of bone disease in oriental medicine. The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of alkaline phosphatase synthesis of MC3T3-E1 cells when above medicines were supplimented. MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured with alpha-MEM(negative control), dexamethasone(positive control), and each natural products for 3 and 5 days. And then ALP synthesis was measured by spectrophotometer for enzyme activity and by naphthol AS-BI staining for morphometry. Except Cnidii Rhizoma, all of the natural products of this study induced higher activity of ALP synthesis than controls. Among them Drynariae Rhizoma induced the highest activity. In the aspects of culturing time, all medicines did not showed the difference between 3 and 5 days, but 10-7g/ml group of Rhinocerotis Cornu showed significant increase at 3 days than at 5 days. These results indicate that several natural products have a inducing ability of ALP synthesis on osteoblasts.
Alkaline Phosphatase* ; Biological Products* ; Bone and Bones ; Bone Diseases ; Genetic Engineering ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Osteoblasts ; Peptides ; Periodontal Diseases ; Polypodiaceae ; Regeneration

Multiple-system atrophy (MSA) is an adult-onset, sporadic, progressive neurodegenerative disease. Clinically, the cardinal features include autonomic failure, parkinsonism, cerebellar ataxia, and pyramidal signs in any combination, of which autonomic failure is an integral component in the diagnosis. Pathologically, MSA is characterized by alpha-synuclein-positive glial cytoplasmic inclusions and neuronal loss, predominantly in the basal ganglia, brainstem, cerebellum, and intermediolateral cell columns of the spinal cord. We report the first case of MSA confirmed by autopsy in Korea.
Atrophy ; Autopsy ; Basal Ganglia ; Brain Stem ; Cerebellar Ataxia ; Cerebellum ; Inclusion Bodies ; Korea ; Multiple System Atrophy ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Neurons ; Parkinsonian Disorders ; Spinal Cord

Eggs of Echinostoma sp. were found from two patients who were hospitalized between Oct. and Dec. 1985. Single dose of 10 mg/kg of praziquantel was prescribed to each patient and after purgation with magnesium salt seven and two adult worms of Echinostoma cinetorchis in respect were recovered from patients. The first case was a 54-year-old male residing at Chungju city in Chungbuk province. He was hospitalized because of severe weight loss and frequent urination. The second case was a 71-year-old male residing at Chungsun-kun in Kangwon province, and hospitalized due to suspected lung cancer. The average size of the eggs found in the stools was 98 x 63 micrometer (the first case) and 100 x 67 micrometer (the second case) respectively, and total nine worms collected were identified as E. cinetorchis.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Echinostoma cinetorchis ; case report ; praziquantel ; intestine

We report two cases of mirror image anomalies in two different pairs of monozygotic twins. In case 1, the twins exhibited mirroring of strabismus and refractive errors. Twin 1 had 35 prism diopters (PD) right intermittent exotropia at distant fixation and myopic anisometropia that was spherical 2.00 diopters more myopic in the right eye. Twin 2 had 35 PD left intermittent exotropia at distant fixation and her left eye was more myopic by - spherical 1.00 diopters. In case 2, the twins were diagnosed with infantile nystagmus with upbeat jerk. Twin 1 exhibited a habitual head turn of 30degrees to the left with dampening of her nystagmus in dextroversion. Twin 2 also exhibited abnormal head position, but in his case the habitual turn was 30degrees to the right. We believe that this is the first report describing mirror imaged intermittent exotropia with anisometropia and infantile nystagmus with opposite abnormal head positions in pairs of monozygotic twins.
Child ; Eye Abnormalities/*diagnosis/genetics/surgery ; Eyeglasses ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Twins, Monozygotic ; Visual Acuity

BACKGROUND: Biochemical markers can provide objective evidence of heavy alcohol drinking. In this study, we investigated the diagnostic usefulness of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), a relatively new marker of alcohol consumption. METHODS: We consecutively enrolled 81 participants aged between 28 and 69 years, consisting of 44 alcohol-dependent patients and 37 age-matched controls. Relative values (%) of CDT were determined in their sera with turbidimetric immunoassay (Bio-Rad %CDT assay, Axis-Shield ASA, Oslo, Norway), and were compared with two conventional markers of alcohol consumption, gammaglutamyl transferase (GGT) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV). RESULTS: The distribution patterns of %CDT among alcohol-dependent patients and controls were significantly different from each other (P=0.0000). Of the 44 alcohol-dependent patients, positive results of %CDT (> or =2.6%), GGT (>50 IU/L), and MCV (>98 fL) were observed in 43 (97.7%), 35 (79.5%), and 24 (54.5%) patients, respectively. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (95% confidence interval) for %CDT, GGT, and MCV were 0.995 (0.946-1.000), 0.894 (0.805-0.951), and 0.768 (0.661-0.855), respectively. Discrimination between alcohol-dependent patients and controls, as measured by the areas under the ROC curves, was significantly better for %CDT than for GGT and MCV (P=0.000 and P=0.006, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: CDT seems to be the most reliable of the three markers tested for chronic alcohol consumption, and it may provide a useful information to for the objective detection of alcohol-dependent patients.
Alcohol Drinking ; Alcoholism* ; Biomarkers ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Erythrocyte Indices ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; ROC Curve ; Transferases ; Transferrin*

Two cases of human Echinostoma hortense infection and their probable infection source were identified by praziqantel (Distocide) treatment of the patients and by examining two kinds of fresh water fish which were eaten raw by them. The result of the research can be summarized as follows: The patients, each aged 31 and 30, were residing in the same house in Wonju City, Kangwon Province. The first case was hospitalized due to epidemic hemorrhagic fever (E.H. fever) and the second case was healthy but had slight degree of abdominal pain and diarrhea from time to time. In the stool examination, eggs of E. hortense (114.3 x 71.0 micrometer average from the first case and 119.1 x 68.3 micrometer average from the second) were found. By administering single dose of praziquantel (10~15 mg/kg) and purgation with magnesium salt to them, six adults of E. hortense were collected from the diarrheal stools of the second case. By examining 84 Moroco oxycephalus and 20 Carassius carassius which were captured at the place where the two patients had captured and eaten the fresh water fish, the metacercariae of Echinostoma sp. were found from 3 (3.5 percent) M. oxycephalus. After the experimental infection of 3 isolated metacercariae to one albino rat three adults of E. hortense were recovered. By the present study, the two patients revealing the echinostomatid eggs in their stools were proven to be infected with E. hortense and to be the second and third human cases of this fluke infection in Korea. Moroco oxycephalus harboured the metacercariae of E. hortense and appeared to be a new second intermediate host.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Echinostoma hortense ; case report ; intermediate host ; rat ; Moroco oxycephalus ; Carassius carassius

Background: Since prediabetes is a risk factor for metabolic syndromes, it is important to promote a healthy lifestyle to prevent prediabetes. This study aimed to determine the effects of green coffee (GC), chlorogenic acid (CGA) intake, and exercise training (EX) on hepatic lipid metabolism in prediabetes male C57BL/6 mice. Methods: Forty-nine mice were randomly divided into two groups feeding with a normal diet (n=7) or a high-fat diet (HFD, n=42) for 12 weeks. Then, HFD mice were further divided into six groups (n=7/group): control (pre-D), GC, CGA, EX, GC+EX, and CGA+EX. After additional 10 weeks under the same diet, plasma, and liver samples were obtained. Results: HFD-induced prediabetes conditions with increases in body weight, glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, and lipid profiles were alleviated in all treatment groups. Acsl3, a candidate gene identified through an in silico approach, was lowered in the pre-D group, while treatments partly restored it. HFD induced adverse alterations of de novo lipogenesis- and β oxidation-associated molecules in the liver. However, GC and CGA supplementation and EX reversed or ameliorated these changes. In most cases, GC or CGA supplementation combined with EX has no synergistic effect and the GC group had similar results to the CGA group. Conclusion These findings suggest that regular exercise is an effective non-therapeutic approach for prediabetes, and CGA supplementation could be an alternative to partially mimic the beneficial effects of exercise on prediabetes.