• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.135-141
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• 2006

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of cumulus cells and porcine follicular fluid (pFF) on plasminogen activator (PA) activity and oocytes maturation in vitro in the pig. The cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) and denuded oocytes (DOs) were incubated in NCSU-23 medium with or without 10% pFF for 0, 24, or 48 hr. In the presence of cumulus cells, the proportions of oocytes matured to metaphase-II stage were significantly (P<0.05) higher in medium with pFF than without pFF (69.8 vs. 37.7%, respectively). When COCs and DOs were cultured in the presence of pFF, tissue-type PA (tPA), urokinase-type PA (uPA), and tPA-PA inhibitor (tPA-PAI) were observed in COCs, and PA activities were higher at 48 hr than 24 hr. When COCs and DOs were cultured in the absence of pFF, tPA and tPA-PAI were observed in COCs, and PA activities were increased as duration of culture increased. No PA activities were detected in DOs regardless of pFF supplementation. When porcine oocytes were cultured in the presence of pFF for 24 and 48 hrs, the activities of tPA-PAI, tPA, and uPA were observed in both COCs and DOs. In medium of absence of pFF, PA activities were observed in oocytes with cumulus cells only. On the other hand, three plasminogen-dependent lytic bands (tPA-PAI, tPA, and uPA) were observed in pFF cultures. Particularly uPA activity was higher than the other kinds of PA activity. When oocytes and cumulus cells were separated from porcine COCs at 0 hr of culture, tPA-PAI, tPA, and uPA were detected in cumulus cells at 48 hr of culture, but no PA activities were in DOs. The presence of pFF and cumulus cells in maturation medium stimulated not only nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation in porcine COCs, but also PA production by cumulus cells and COCs. It is possible that PAs produced by cumulus cells migrated through the gap junction between oocyte and cumulus cells. These results suggest that porcine oocytes have no ability to produce PA themselves.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.401-408
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• 2020

This study was undertaken among students majoring in Emergency Medical Technology, to comprehend the knowledge, attitudes and preventive behaviors associated with MERS. This study further provides basic data for education related to MERS prevention. A total of 167 students were enrolled in the study. Evaluation of MERS education revealed a higher number of inexperienced subjects: 74 experienced(44.3%) vs. 93 inexperienced(55.7%). Assessing the attitude items for MERS revealed that "have to wear personal protective equipment when dealing with MERS patients" ranked highest (average, 4.54 ± 0.87), whereas "washed my hands more often than usual" ranked highest (average, 3.82 ± 1.06) in the prevention items for MERS. Analyzing the correlation between attitude towards MERS and preventive behavior revealed that "canceled or delayed meeting with friends, eating out, watching sports, shopping, etc." showed that, although negatively correlated, a greater attitude showed a higher level of prevention (r=-0.63, p<0.004). Taken together, results of this study indicate the necessity to develop an education program that improves the level of education and knowledge about MERS, and to impart this education systematically and repeatedly.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.384-390
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• 2020

Purpose: Organophosphate insecticide poisoning can have clinically fatal results. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the occurrence of death in patients with organophosphate insecticide poisoning. Methods: For this retrospective study, data on patients with organophosphate insecticide poisoning who visited the emergency room between January 2008 and November 2018 were collected. The NLR was measured at the time of arrival in the emergency room. The patients were divided into survival and death groups. Results: Overall, 150 patients were enrolled: 15 (10%) in the death group and 135 (90%) in the survival group. In the univariate analysis, the following variables were significantly different between the two groups: age, white blood cell count, amylase level, creatinine level, Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, and NLR. In the logistic regression analysis of variables with significant differences in the univariate analysis, there were significant differences between the two groups with respect to age, APACHE II score, and NLR. The NLR was significantly higher in the death group than in the survival group (20.83 ± 22.24 vs. 7.38 ± 6.06, p=0.036). Conclusion: High NLR in patients with organophosphate insecticide poisoning may be useful in predicting mortality.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.638-652
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• 2010

A valid food or dish frequency questionnaire needs to be developed in Korea for accurate dietary assessment because the dietary practices of Koreans are very different from those of other countries. This study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of the newly developed, semi-quantitative, dish-based frequency questionnaire (Semi-DFQ) with 12-day dietary records (12-DRs) as a gold standard. The study subjects were 115 men and 173 women aged 30-65 years old. We calibrated the frequency, portion size and daily intake of 112 dish items reported in Semi-DFQ with those in 12-DRs by Spearman rank correlation coefficients (SCCs). The consumption frequency and portion size reported in Semi-DFQ were higher than those in 12-DRs. The SCCs for the consumption frequency of various dishes ranged from -0.07 (fried seaweed) to 0.70 (instant coffee), the portion size ranged from -0.09 (cold seaweed soup) to 0.68 (soju), and the daily intake ranged from -0.07 (fried seaweed) to 0.71 (soju). The SCCs were higher for dishes consumed daily, such as steamed rice,milk, coffee and alcohol, than those of foods eaten rarely. The overall agreements between the Semi-DFQ and 12-DRs were low for categories of consumption frequency and portion size, even though some dishes showed high SCCs. The SCCs of the two methods in consumption frequency and amount were higher among the women and younger subject. The results revealed the limitation of the Semi-DFQ for evaluating the status of usual individual intake. Therefore, the Semi-DFQ can be used in addition as dietary records and 24-hour recall depending on the research aims.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.158-164
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• 2014

Objective: To assess whether an early GnRH antagonist start leads to better follicular synchronization and an improved clinical pregnancy rate (CPR). Methods: A retrospective cohort study. A total of 218 infertile women who underwent IVF between January 2011 and February 2013. The initial cohort (Cohort I) that underwent IVF between January 2011 and March 2012 included a total of 68 attempted IVF cycles. Thirty-four cycles were treated with the conventional GnRH antagonist protocol, and 34 cycles with an early GnRH antagonist start protocol. The second cohort (Cohort II) that underwent IVF between June 2012 and February 2013 included a total of 150 embryo-transfer (ET) cycles. Forty-three cycles were treated with the conventional GnRH antagonist protocol, 34 cycles with the modified early GnRH antagonist start protocol using highly purified human menopause gonadotropin and an addition of GnRH agonist to the luteal phase support, and 73 cycles with the GnRH agonist long protocol. Results: The analysis of Cohort I showed that the number of mature oocytes retrieved was significantly higher in the early GnRH antagonist start cycles than in the conventional antagonist cycles (11.9 vs. 8.2, p=0.04). The analysis of Cohort II revealed higher but non-significant CPR/ET in the modified early GnRH antagonist start cycles (41.2%) than in the conventional antagonist cycles (30.2%), which was comparable to that of the GnRH agonist long protocol cycles (39.7%). Conclusion: The modified early antagonist start protocol may improve the mature oocyte yield, possibly via enhanced follicular synchronization, while resulting in superior CPR as compared to the conventional antagonist protocol, which needs to be studied further in prospective randomized controlled trials.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.1310-1319
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• 2005

This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of cage density (CD) and humate supplementation (HS) on laying performance, metabolic profile, and egg quality during the peak production period in hens. Lohman layers (n = 180, 46 wks of age) were blocked according to the location of cages and then allocated randomly to two levels of CD (4 or 6 hens per cage or 540 vs. 360 $cm^2$/hen) and three levels of HS (0, 0.15, and 0.30%). Egg production (EP) and feed consumption (FC) were measured daily; egg weight was measured bi-weekly; and BW was measured before and after the experiment. Blood and additional egg samples were obtained at the end of the experiment for determination of metabolic profile and egg quality. The data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA as repeated measures. Except for FC, CD did not affect laying performance parameters. Hens placed in high-density cages had lower FC than hens placed in normal-density cages. Increasing HS level linearly increased FC, EP, and feed conversion ratio (FCR). There was a CD by HS interaction effect on FC and EP. Hens placed in high-density cages had greater serum glucose, total protein, albumin, globulin, Ca, and P concentrations and tended to have greater serum corticosterone concentration than hens placed in normaldensity cages. Increasing HS level linearly increased serum glucose, total protein, albumin, globulin, creatine, and Ca concentrations and linearly decreased serum triglyceride and very low-density lipoprotein concentrations. There was a CD by HS interaction effect on serum glucose and albumin concentrations. There were no alterations in egg quality parameters in response to increasing CD. Albumen index and Haugh unit decreased linearly and other egg quality parameters did not change as HS level increased. In conclusion, increased caging density adversely affected metabolic profile, despite insignificantly deteriorating laying performance. Moreover, benefits from humate supplementation seem to be more noteworthy for hens housed in stressing conditions than for hens housed in standard conditions.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.1638-1652
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• 2000

Prolific females require better nutrition and feeding practice because of larger litter size and the substantial decline in body fat. Life-time pig output will be compromised if body protein and fat are not properly managed. First litter females are especially vulnerable because they can loose ${\geq}15%$ of whole-body protein. Conservation of body protein mass during first lactation minimizes wean to estrus interval and increases second litter size (up to 1.2 pigs). The ability to influence litter-size by amino acid nutrition is a new dimension in our understanding. A P2 fat depth below 12 mm at farrow and below 10 mm at wean compromised wean to estrus interval (>2 d) and next litter size (0.5 to 1.5 pigs) in sows. It is now clear that a 'modest' excess of feed during the first 72 h of pregnancy decreases embryo viability so that the potential for an increased litter size at birth is not realized. The capacity for milk production by prolific young sows is 25% higher than the standard used previously (NRC, 1988). First litter females averaged 9.82 kg milk/d for a 21 d lactation. Second and third litter counterparts averaged 10.35 kg/d. Milk production was 95% of peak by 10 d of lactation and sows were in greatest negative energy and lysine balance during the first 6 d. Nearly 45% of the total loss in body protein occurred within the first 6 d, but this could reduced to 30-35% by using a more aggressive feeding strategy after parturition. There appear to be 2 phases in lactation for lysine need (d 2-12 vs 12-21). Feeding to the higher level alleviates the second litter size decline. The lysine requirement for lactation can be predicted with accuracy, but we are not able to predict the second limiting amino acid. Mammary uptake of valine relative to lysine and recent work with practical diets suggest that the recent NRC (1998) pattern is realistic and that threonine and valine could be co-limiting for corn-soy diets for prolific sows nursing 10-11 pigs. Empirical studies are needed to refine the ideal pattern so that synthetic lysine can be used with more confidence. Milk fat output for the elite sow is extraordinary and poses an unnecessarily high energetic cost. Methods that reduce mammary fat synthesis will benefit the sow and may enhance piglet growth.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.554-561
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• 2017

Objective: This experiment was conducted as a $3{\times}2{\times}2$ factorial design to examine the effects of particle size (mean particle size of 331, 640, or $862{\mu}m$), evaluation method (direct vs indirect method) and adaptation duration (7 or 26 days) on the energy content and the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of various chemical components in wheat when fed to finishing pigs. Methods: Forty-two barrows ($Duroc{\times}Landrace{\times}Yorkshire$) with an initial body weight of $63.0{\pm}0.8kg$ were individually placed in metabolic cages and randomly allotted to 1 of 7 diets with 6 pigs fed each diet. For the indirect method, the pigs were fed either a corn-soybean meal based basal diet or diets in which 38.94% of the basal diet was substituted by wheat of the different particle sizes. In the direct method, the diets contained 97.34% wheat with the different particle sizes. For both the direct and indirect methods, the pigs were adapted to their diets for either 7 or 26 days. Results: A reduction in particle size linearly increased the digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) contents as well as the ATTD of gross energy, crude protein, organic matter, ether extract (EE) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) (p<0.05), and had a trend to increase the ATTD of dry matter of wheat (p = 0.084). The DE, ME contents, and ATTD of gross energy, crude protein, dry matter and organic matter were higher (p<0.05) when determined by the direct method, but the ATTD of ADF, EE, and neutral detergent fiber were higher when determined by the indirect method (p<0.05). Prolongation of the adaption duration decreased the ATTD of neutral detergent fiber (p<0.05) and had a trend to increase the ATTD of EE (p = 0.061). There were no interactions between particle size and the duration of the adaptation duration. The ATTD of EE in wheat was influenced by a trend of interaction between method and adaptation duration (p = 0.074). The ATTD of ADF and EE in wheat was influenced by an interaction between evaluation method and wheat particle size such that there were linear equations (p<0.01) about ATTD of ADF and EE when determined by the direct method but quadratic equations (p = 0.073 and p = 0.088, respectively) about ATTD of ADF and EE when determined by the indirect method. Conclusion: Decreasing particle size can improve the DE and ME contents of wheat; both of the direct and indirect methods of evaluation are suitable for evaluating the DE and ME contents of wheat with different particle sizes; and an adaptation duration of 7 d is sufficient to evaluate DE and ME contents of wheat in finishing pigs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.22
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• pp.9909-9913
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• 2014

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) remains an important cause of gastric cancer and peptic ulcer disease worldwide. Treatment of H. pylori infection is one of the effective ways to prevent gastric cancer. However, standard triple therapy for H. pylori eradication is no longer effective in many countries, including Thailand. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of adding bismuth and probiotic to standard triple therapy for H. pylori eradication. Materials and Methods: In this prospective single center study, H. pylori infected gastritis patients were randomized to receive 7- or 14-day standard triple therapy plus bismuth with probiotic or placebo. Treatment regimen consisted of 30 mg lansoprazole twice daily, 1 g amoxicillin twice daily, 1 g clarithromycin MR once daily and 1,048mg bismuth subsalicylate twice daily. Probiotic bacteria composed of Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus paracasei. Placebo was conventional drinking yogurt without probiotic. CYP2C19 genotyping and antibiotic susceptibility tests were also done. H pylori eradication was defined as a negative $^{13}C$-urea breath test at least 2 weeks after completion of treatment. Results: One hundred subjects were enrolled (25 each to 7- and 14-day regimens with probiotic or placebo). Antibiotic susceptibility tests showed 36.7% metronidazole and 1.1% clarithromycin resistance. CYP2C19 genotyping revealed 40.8%, 49% and 10.2% were rapid, intermediate and poor metabolizers, respectively. The eradication rates of 7- or 14 regimens with probiotics were 100%. Regarding adverse events, the incidence of bitter taste was significantly lower in the 7- day regimen with the probiotic group compared with 7- day regimen with placebo (40% vs. 64%; p=0.04). Conclusions: The 7-day standard triple therapy plus bismuth and probiotic can provide an excellent cure rate of H. pylori (100%) in areas with low clarithromycin resistance such as Thailand, regardless of CYP2C19 genotype. Adding a probiotic also reduced treatment-related adverse events.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.759-765
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• 2016

Background: Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer of women in Pakistan with the majority presenting with stage III or IV lesionsat initial diagnosis. Patient and health system related factors are well known determinants of delay in presentation and diagnosis. Additionally, breast cancer being a heterogeneous disease, the various molecular subtypes featuring different aggressiveness also need to be considered. The present study evaluated the association of stage at initial diagnosis of breast cancer with these two factors in local women at a tertiary level health care facility in Lahore, Pakistan. Materials and Methods: Patient and tumor features were recorded separately during diagnostic workup in Breast Clinics at INMOL and at Services Hospital, Lahore. Data were entered in MS Excel and analyzed by descriptive statistics and Chi-Square test. Results: Among the 261 patients, 64% were staged as late breast cancer (LBC), the mean age was 46.8 with standard deviation of 13 years. Some 92% had invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), 61% had luminal types (LT) of non-aggressive tumor while 39% had the non-luminal types (NLT) of of HER2-enriched or basal aggressive tumors. While 70% of patients presented within one year of symptomatic disease (early report group "ERG"), 30% reported after a mean delay of 4 years with a standard deviation of 3.75 years. The stage distribution among ERG patients was not statistically different from those reporting late (P=0.123). Statistically larger proportion of patients with NLT presented as LBC as compared to the LT (P =0.034). Among the ERG, statistically different stage distribution of disease was observed for the NLT versus LT (P=0.047). Among those presenting late, this difference was insignificant (P=0.416). Conclusions: Breast cancer is a distinct disease in Pakistan with a high frequency of aggressive molecular types affecting younger women, with the majority presenting as LBC. Association of NLT with higher stage at diagnosis is statistically significant whereas time delay in diagnosis is not. Further research is required to define the risk profile and features in local patients. The burden of LBC can be reduced by promoting breast health awareness and by establishing easily accessible dedicated breast care set ups in the hospitals.