Cedrol, a sesquiterpene alcohol, isolated from Juniperus chinensis has been reported to inhibit minichromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins as cancer biomarkers in human lung cancer in vitro. In the present study, we investigated the anti-cancer activity of cedrol in vitro and in vivo using human colorectal cancer HT29 cells and a human colorectal tumor xenograft model. Cedrol inhibited MCM protein expression and cell growth in HT29 cells, which are associated with G1 arrest and the induction of apoptosis. We demonstrated that cedrol effectively reduced HT29 tumor growth without apparent weight loss in a human tumor xenograft model.Compared with vehicle- and adriamycin-treated tumor tissues, cedrol induced changes in the tumor tissue structure, resulting in a reduced cell density within the tumor parenchyma and reduced vascularization. Moreover, the expression of MCM7, an important subunit of MCM helicase, was significantly suppressed by cedrol in tumor tissue. Collectively, these results suggest that cedrol may act as a potential anti-cancer agent for colorectal cancer by inhibiting MCM protein expression and tumor growth.

Objective: Bipolar disorder (BD) is complex genetic disorder. Therefore, approaches using clinical phenotypes such as biological rhythm disruption could be an alternative. In this study, we explored the relationship between melatonin pathway genes with circadian and seasonal rhythms of BD. Methods: We recruited clinically stable patients with BD (n=324). We measured the seasonal variation of mood and behavior (seasonality), and circadian preference, on a lifetime basis. We analyzed 34 variants in four genes (MTNR1a, MTNR1b, AANAT, ASMT) involved in the melatonin pathway. Results: Four variants were nominally associated with seasonality and circadian preference. After multiple test corrections, the rs116879618 in AANAT remained significantly associated with seasonality (corrected p=0.0151). When analyzing additional variants of AANAT through imputation, the rs117849139, rs77121614 and rs28936679 (corrected p=0.0086, 0.0154, and 0.0092) also showed a significant association with seasonality. Conclusion This is the first study reporting the relationship between variants of AANAT and seasonality in patients with BD. Since AANAT controls the level of melatonin production in accordance with light and darkness, this study suggests that melatonin may be involved in the pathogenesis of BD, which frequently shows a seasonality of behaviors and symptom manifestations.

Objective: Bipolar disorder (BD) is complex genetic disorder. Therefore, approaches using clinical phenotypes such as biological rhythm disruption could be an alternative. In this study, we explored the relationship between melatonin pathway genes with circadian and seasonal rhythms of BD. Methods: We recruited clinically stable patients with BD (n=324). We measured the seasonal variation of mood and behavior (seasonality), and circadian preference, on a lifetime basis. We analyzed 34 variants in four genes (MTNR1a, MTNR1b, AANAT, ASMT) involved in the melatonin pathway. Results: Four variants were nominally associated with seasonality and circadian preference. After multiple test corrections, the rs116879618 in AANAT remained significantly associated with seasonality (corrected p=0.0151). When analyzing additional variants of AANAT through imputation, the rs117849139, rs77121614 and rs28936679 (corrected p=0.0086, 0.0154, and 0.0092) also showed a significant association with seasonality. Conclusion This is the first study reporting the relationship between variants of AANAT and seasonality in patients with BD. Since AANAT controls the level of melatonin production in accordance with light and darkness, this study suggests that melatonin may be involved in the pathogenesis of BD, which frequently shows a seasonality of behaviors and symptom manifestations.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have examined the association between alcohol consumption and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adults, but studies in the elderly are lacking. We examined the relationship between high-risk alcohol consumption and MetS in elderly Korean men using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire from the 2010–2012 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. METHODS: Among 25,534 subjects, 2,807 were men >60 years of age; after exclusions, we included 2,088 men in the final analysis. We categorized the study participants into three groups according to AUDIT score: low risk (0–7), intermediate risk (8–14), and high risk (≥15 points). RESULTS: Among the study population, 17.0% of the men were high-risk drinkers, who had the highest mean waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and triglyceride (TG) levels. The overall prevalence of MetS was 41.9% in the elderly men, and it was significantly higher in the group with high (48.3%) versus low (31.9%) AUDIT scores. The prevalence of MetS components (elevated BP, high FPG, high TG, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) was associated with a high AUDIT score. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of the high-risk group for MetS, elevated BP, and high TG were 1.40 (1.03–1.89), 1.82 (1.28–2.60), and 1.77 (1.30–2.41) after adjustment for confounding variables. CONCLUSION: AUDIT score was correlated with most MetS components in elderly Korean men.
Adult ; Aged* ; Alcohol Drinking ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Drinking* ; Fasting ; Humans ; Lipoproteins ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Triglycerides ; Waist Circumference

OBJECTIVES: Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and meta-analyses indicate that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the a-1C subunit of the L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel (CACNA1C) gene increase the risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorders (BDs). We investigated the association between the genetic variants on CACNA1C and schizophrenia and/or BDs in the Korean population. METHODS: A total of 582 patients with schizophrenia, 336 patients with BDs consisting of 179 bipolar I disorder (BD-I) and 157 bipolar II disorder (BD-II), and 502 healthy controls were recruited. Based on previous results from other populations, three SNPs (rs10848635, rs1006737, and rs4765905) were selected and genotype-wise association was evaluated using logistic regression analysis under additive, dominant and recessive genetic models. RESULTS: rs10848635 showed a significant association with schizophrenia (p=0.010), the combined schizophrenia and BD group (p=0.018), and the combined schizophrenia and BD-I group (p=0.011). The best fit model was dominant model for all of these phenotypes. The association remained significant after correction for multiple testing in schizophrenia and the combined schizophrenia and BD-I group. CONCLUSION: We identified a possible role of CACNA1C in the common susceptibility of schizophrenia and BD-I. However no association trend was observed for BD-II. Further efforts are needed to identify a specific phenotype associated with this gene crossing the current diagnostic categories.
Bipolar Disorder ; Calcium Channels ; Genetic Association Studies ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Models, Genetic ; Phenotype ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Schizophrenia

Rodents are important reservoirs of diseases affecting people and livestock, and are major sources of parasite contamination of agricultural products. We surveyed the infection status of intestinal helminths in 2 species of field mice, Apodemus agrarius and A. peninsulae, captured in the agricultural fields of Gangwon-do and Chungcheongnam-do, Korea. Total 83 mice (57 A. agrarius and 26 A. peninsulae) were collected in 2 surveyed areas, and the intestines of each mouse were opened with scissors, and then intestinal contents were examined with microscope. Total 6 species of intestinal helminth were detected in 61 (73.5%) out of 83 mice examined. Four species of nematode, i.e., Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, Aspiculuris tetraptera, Heterakis spp. and ascarid, were found in 40 (48.2%), 14 (16.9%), 11 (13.3%) and 13 (15.7%) mice respectively. One species of cestode, Hymenolepis diminuta and 1 unidentified egg were also detected in the intestines of 14 (16.9%) and 1 (1.2%) mice, respectively. Conclusively, this study identified 5 helminth species in the gastrointestinal tracts of wild rodents captured in some areas in central and northern Korea, and N. brasiliensis was the most prevalent (dominant) species rather than zoonotic ones.
Animals ; Cestoda ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Gangwon-do ; Gastrointestinal Contents ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Helminths ; Hymenolepis diminuta ; Intestines ; Korea ; Livestock ; Mice ; Murinae ; Nippostrongylus ; Ovum ; Parasites ; Rodentia

BACKGROUND: Smoking is a well-known risk factor of cancer, chronic disease, and cerebrovascular disease. Hospital admission is a good time to quit smoking but patients have little opportunity to take part in an intensive smoking cessation intervention. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors of successful smoking cessation among stroke patients who undergo an intensive cessation intervention during the hospitalization period. METHODS: Thirty-nine male smokers who were admitted with stroke were enrolled in the study. They participated in a smoking cessation intervention during hospitalization. Smoking status was followed up by telephone 3 months later. Nicotine dependence, sociodemographic factors, and other clinical characteristics were assessed. RESULTS: After 3 months post-intervention, the number of patients who stopped smoking was 27 (69.2%). In addition, there was no significant difference in nicotine dependence, sociodemographic factors, and clinical characteristics. Only the stages of readiness for smoking cessation were a significant predictor (odds ratio, 18.86; 95% confidence interval, 1.59-223.22). CONCLUSION: This study shows that a patient's willingness to quit is the most significant predictor of stopping smoking after Inpatient cessation Intervention for stroke Patients.
Chronic Disease ; Counseling ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Inpatients* ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Smoke* ; Smoking Cessation* ; Smoking* ; Stroke* ; Telephone ; Tobacco Use Disorder

In this article, a part of fund and grant supports was omitted unintentionally.

BACKGROUND: Prescription of inappropriate medicine to elderly patients is a major public health care concern. The Beers criteria have been commonly employed as a screening tool to identify the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). The present study investigated the prevalence of PIM use according to the Beers criteria as well as factors related to PIM use. METHODS: Data obtained from a retrospective survey included 25,810 outpatients aged ≥65 years from a university medical center in Seoul, Korea. PIMs were defined using the Beers criteria. Factors associated with PIM use were evaluated using multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Of all participants, 7,132 (27.6%) were prescribed at least one PIM. The most commonly prescribed PIMs were alprazolam (11.2%), clonazepam (10.8%), zolpidem (8.7%), quetiapine (8.4%), and hydroxyzine (5.4%). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, having five or more prescription medicines (odds ratio [OR], 11.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9.38 to 13.66) and five or more prescribing doctors (OR, 4.40; 95% CI, 3.59 to 5.39) were strongly associated with PIM. In a likelihood ratio test for trend, an increasing number of medications and prescribing doctors were both significantly associated with PIM. CONCLUSION: At a university medical center, the number of medications and the number of prescribing doctors was associated with PIM in older outpatients.
Academic Medical Centers ; Aged ; Alprazolam ; Beer* ; Clonazepam ; Humans ; Hydroxyzine ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Mass Screening ; Outpatients* ; Potentially Inappropriate Medication List* ; Prescriptions ; Prevalence* ; Public Health ; Quetiapine Fumarate ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Seoul