• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.1309-1314
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• 2007

Investigation on health conditions of Thai koi (Anabas testudineus) were carried out through clinical and histopathological observations from different farms of Mymensingh district for seven months during August 2006 to February 2007. Fish sampling and water quality parameters (temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH) were monitored on a monthly basis. Clinical examination of fishes was also carried out for any kind of abnormalities at monthly intervals. Samples of skin, muscle, gill, liver and kidney were observed by histological technique. Among the water quality parameters the values of water temperature, dissolved oxygen were found to be at unfavorable level for fish during the colder months in the farms. Clinically it was observed that fishes were more affected from December to January and almost normal in appearance during August to September and February. Different clinical symptoms like scale loss, dermal lesion, ulcer and loss of caudal fin were noticed in December and January. In histopathological study, structures of fish organs were normal from August to September. In the months of October and November, minor pathologies were found to be started. Marked pathological changes like necrosis, pyknosis, inflammation, hemorrhage, hypertrophy, hyperplasia, missing of primary and secondary gill lamellae were observed in the months of December and January. Whereas, in the month of February the pathological condition of fish gradually reduced. Again when considered individual fish farm, fishes of Reliance Aqua Farm were more affected than Sotota Matshya Hatchery. The study showed that severity of clinical and pathological changes were increased in December and January. During the period EUS and protozoan diseases were noticed in A. testudineus of the investigated farms.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.1255-1263
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• 1997

This study was performed to investigate the effects of green tea on fat metabolism of rats and prevention to cardiovascular disease in drinking green tea. Male Spague-Dawley rats were divided into seven groups consisting of the control, lard and cholestrol, aqueous green tea at the level of 1% and 3%. After 4 weeks of feeding serum lipid levels were measured for experimental rats, and analyzed the total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), phospholipid (PL). And total lipid (TL) to Folch method, lipid deposition to oil red O staining on liver tissue. The results are as follows: Total cholesterol (TC) decreased by administration of 1% aqueous green tea group and increased addition to lard and cholesterol (LC) group as compared to each groups (p<0.05). HDL-cholestrol in serum increased by administration of la aqueous green tea group (1G) and decreased to the control group, 1% aqueous green tea (L-1G) added lard group (p<0.05). Triglyceride (TG) decreased by administration of 3% aqueous green tea groups (L-3G, LC-3G) and increased by lard and cholesterol group (LC) (p<0.01). Phospholipid(PL) decreased by administration of 3% aqueous green tea added lard and cholesterol group (LC-3G) and increased by control group, lard and cholestrol group (LC) (p<0.05). Total lipid of liver decreased by administration of aqueous green tea at the level of 1% group and increased by LC group (p<0.01). The fat deposition of liver was increased in fat diet groups and decrease in the drink green tea of some but did not showed significant differences from concentration of the green tea.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.85-94
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• 2012

The anti-obese, hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective effects of post-fermented green tea by Monascus pilosus was tested with mice fed with high-fat diet for 7 weeks. The body weight gain and feed efficiency ratio (FER) in normal control group (NC), CHA (2% non-fermented green tea powder supplemented high-fat diet group) and mCHA (2% green tea powder post-fermented by M. pilosus supplemented high fat diet group) groups were significantly lower than those of high fat diet control group (HC). Epididymal fat weight in mCHA and NC were significantly lower than HC. The hepatic lipid peroxide was dramatically higher in HC than that of NC and was significantly lower in CHA and mCHA. In addition, dehydrogenase type activity of xanthine oxidoreductase in HC was lower than that of NC, but significantly higher than CHA and mCHA. In histopathological findings, hepatic fat accumulation in HC was higher than that of NC, CHA and mCHA. Antiobese, hypolipidemic and antifatty liver effect of green tea powder post-fermented by M. pilosus was slightly higher than that of non-fermented green tea. In conclusion, the constituents of green tea fermented by M. pilosus has been proven to not only inhibit obesity and hyperlipidemia but also decrease the hepatic fat accumulation in high fat diet-induced obese mice.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.7-16
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• 1998

Purpose : To evaluate survival rate and prognostic factors affecting survival of patients with esophageal cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiation. Materials and Methods : Eligibility included biopsy proven invasive carcinoma of the cervical or thoracic esophagus, confined to esophagus and mediastinum with or without regional lymph node and supraclavicular lymph node, and ECOG Performance status $H_0-H_2$. Patients received radiation therapy with 5940cGy over 7 weeks and chemotherapy, consisted of 5-FU(1000 $mg/m^2/day$ in continuous infusion for 5 days, days 1 to 5 and days 29 to 33) and mitomycin C($8mg/m^2$ intravenous bolus at day 1). After concurrent chemoradiation, maintenance chemotherapy was followed with 5-FU(1000 $mg/m^2/day$ in continuous infusion for 5 days at 9th, 13th, and 17th weeks) and cisplatin($80mg/m^2$ intravenous bolus at the first day of each cycle). Results : From November 1989 to November 1995, 44 patients were entered in this study. After treatment, complete response rate and partial response rate were $59\%$ and $41\%$. Overall 1, 2, and 5-year survivals were $59\%$, $38\%$, and $9.6\%$(median 17 months), Prognostic factors affecting survival were response to treatment and T-stage. Among 26 complete responders, there were 6 local recurrences, 3 distant recurrences, 1 local and distant recurrence, and 2 unknown site recurrences Acute and chronic complication rates with grade 3 or more were $20\%$ and $13.0\%$ and there was no treatment-related mortality. Conclusion : Concurrent chemoradiation, compared with historical control groups that treated with radiation alone, improved median survival and did not significantly increase treatment-related complications. Complete responders had longer survival duration than partial responders. Predominant failure pattern was local failure. So, efforts to improve local control should be proposed.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.64-71
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• 2007

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of rapid detection of Down syndrome and Edward syndrome by Interphase Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH) analysis. Methods : Aretrospective study in 309 cases of amniotic fluid samples, analysed by interphase FISH with DNA probes specific to chromosome 18 and 21, was performed. All FISH results w ere compared with conventional cytogenetic karyotypings. Results : The results were considered as informative and they were obtained within 48 hrs. A case of Down syndrome and a case of Edward syndrome were diagnosed by FISH and confirmed by subsequent cytogenetic analysis. In 12 cases with normal FISH results, the cytogenetic analysis showed a case of partial trisomy 22, three cases of sex chromosomal aneuploidy, two cases of mosaicism, two cases of microdeletion, and four cases of structural rearrangement. Conclusion : FISH is a rapid and effective diagnostic method, which can be used as an adjunctive test to cytogenetic analysis, for prenatal identification of chromosome aneuploidies. For the more genome-wide screening with variety of probes, the technique of FISH is both expensive and labor-intensive.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.5-15
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• 2011

Although iron is an essential mineral, excess iron intake during pregnancy may increase oxidative stress in tissues. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of iron overload during pregnancy on iron status and oxidative stress in maternal rats. Ten week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were mated with male rats. Non-pregnant (control) and pregnant rats were fed diets containing normal Fe (35 mg/kg diet), high Fe (350 mg/kg diet), or excess Fe (1,050 mg/kg diet) during pregnancy. Rats were sacrificed on pregnancy day 19. No significant difference in weight gain, diet intake, or litter size was observed according to iron intake levels. Furthermore, serum iron, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were not different among the rats administered the three levels of Fe both in the control and pregnant groups. However, the iron levels were lower in pregnant rats than those in the control. The liver and spleen iron contents increased significantly in the excess Fe group. An increase in liver ferritin levels with increasing iron intake was observed. Protein carbonyl content, as a marker of oxidative stress, increased significantly in liver with increasing iron intake but not malondialdehyde. Glutathione peroxidase activity in the liver of pregnant rats fed excess iron decreased significantly. Bcl-2 protein expression in the liver declined remarkably with increasing maternal iron intake in pregnant rats. Taken together, iron overload during pregnancy had little effect on hematology. However, the deposits of iron in the liver and the decline in antioxidant enzyme activity implied increased oxidative stress in tissues of the excess Fe group. These results suggest that excess iron intake during pregnancy increases oxidative stress in maternal tissues and may also affect fetal tissues.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.36 no.9
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• pp.1140-1147
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• 2007

A recipe for diet kimchi containing 20% of sea tangle to Korean cabbage kimchi (SK) was developed for weight reduction purpose. The fermentation process of SK showed typical Lactobacillus sp. growth pattern like other kimchis. The effects of SK on weight reduction was studied in high fat diet (HFD) fed rats (n=40). Diet groups used for the animal study were HFD, HFD supplemented either with Korean cabbage kimchi used as experimental control (HCK), or with SK (HSK), or with J-kimchi (JK) which was purchased at market (FJK). The effect of kimchi on preventing obesity in rat fed HFD was found to be obvious by means of reducing visceral fat contents and improving serum lipid profiles through enhancing the lipid excretion in the feces (p<0.05). Leptin concentration of rat was significantly decreased by kimchi consumption (p<0.05). This result can be interpreted that adipocytes in these animals were fewer than that of HFD group. The plasma bililubin concentration was lower in kimchi group than HFD, meaning that returning bile from ileum to the liver was reduced. When the observe beneficial effects of kimchi on preventing obesity were compared among kimchi groups, SK only reduced the relative visceral fat contents significantly than other kimchi groups (p<0.05). Besides this, other parameters such as plasma lipid profiles, feces lipids, leptin, and bililubin concentration were not significantly different, even though the most beneficial effect on these parameters was observed from SK. In conclusion, long term consumption of SK seems to have a beneficial effect on the prevention of obesity through enhancing the excretion of lipids in the feces. The dietary fiber content of SK was increased by 7% compared to CK when 20% of sea tangle was added.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.603-608
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• 2021

The purpose of this perspective research is to discuss the potential role of exercise-interventions in COVID-19, terms of prevention and prognosis in the periods of the COVID-19 vaccine. SARCO-CoV-2. COVID-19 was detected as a new virus causing severe cardiovascular and respiratory complications. It emerged as a global public health emergency and national pandemic. It caused more than 1 million deaths in the first 6 months of the pandemic and resulted in huge social and economic fluctuations internationally. Unprecedented stressful situations, such as COVID-19 blue and COVID-19 red impact on many health problems. In healthy individuals, COVID-19 infection may induced no symptoms (i.e., asymptomatic), whereas others may experience flu-like symptoms, such as ARDS, pneumonia, and death. Poor health status, such as obesity and cardiovascular and respiratory complications, are high risk factors for COVID-19 prevention, occurrence, and prognosis. Several COVID-19 vaccines are currently in human trials. However, the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines, including potential side effects, such as anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction) and rare blood clots, still need to be investigated. On the basis of direct and indirect evidence, it seems that regular and moderate physical exercise can be recommended as a nonpharmacological, efficient, and safe way to cope with COVID-19. Physical inactivity and metabolic abnormalities are directly associated with reduced immune responses, including reduced innate, CMI, and AMI responses. Due to prolonged viral shedding, quarantine in inactive, obese and disease people should likely be longer than physical active people. Multicomponent and systemic exercise should be considered for the obese, disease, and elderly people. More mechanism research is needed in this area.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.299-305
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• 2003

Purpose: In order to develop the national guide-lines for the standardization of radiotherapy we are planning to establish a web-based, on-line data-base system for laryngeal cancer. As a first step this study was performed to accumulate the basic clinical information of laryngeal cancer and to determine the items needed for the data-base system. Materials and Methods: We analyzed the clinical data on patients who were treated under the diagnosis of laryngeal cancer from January 1998 through December 1999 In the South-west area of Korea. Eligiblity criteria of the patients are as follows: 18 years or older, currently diagnosed with primary epithelial carcinoma of larynx, and no history of previous treatments for another cancers and the other laryngeal diseases. The items were developed and filled out by radiation oncologlst who are members of forean Southwest Radiation Oncology Group. SPSS vl0.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: Data of forty-five patients were collected. Age distribution of patients ranged from 28 to 88 years(median, 61). Laryngeal cancer occurred predominantly In males (10 : 1 sex ratio). Twenty-eight patients (62$\%$) had primary cancers in the glottis and 17 (38$\%$) in the supraglottis. Most of them were diagnosed pathologically as squamous cell carcinoma (44/45, 98$\%$). Twenty-four of 28 glottic cancer patients (86$\%$) had AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer) stage I/II, but 50$\%$ (8/16) had In supraglottic cancer patients (p=0.02). Most patients(89$\%$) had the symptom of hoarseness. indirect laryngoscopy was done in all patients and direct laryngoscopy was peformed in 43 (98$\%$) patients. Twenty-one of 28 (75$\%$) glottic cancer cases and 6 of 17 (35$\%$) supraglottic cancer cases were treated with radiation alone, respectively. The combined treatment of surgery and radiation was used in 5 (18$\%$) glottic and 8 (47$\%$) supraglottic patients. Chemotherapy and radiation was used in 2 (7$\%$) glottic and 3 (18$\%$) supraglottic patients. There was no statistically significant difference in the use of combined modality treatments between glottic and supraglottic cancers (p=0.20). In all patients, 6 MV X-ray was used with conventional fractionation. The iraction size was 2 Gy In 80$\%$ of glottic cancer patients compared with 1.8 Gy in 59$\%$ of the patients with supraglottic cancers. The mean total dose delivered to primary lesions were 65.98 ey and 70.15 Gy in glottic and supraglottic patients treated, respectively, with radiation alone. Based on the collected data, 12 modules with 90 items were developed or the study of the patterns of care In laryngeal cancer. Conclusion: The study Items for laryngeal cancer were developed. In the near future, a web system will be established based on the Items Investigated, and then a nation-wide analysis on laryngeal cancer will be processed for the standardization and optimization of radlotherapy.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.175-184
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• 1999

Background: Bronchial asthma is characterized by chronic eosinophilic inflammatory airway disease associated with bronchial hyperresponsiveness and reversible airway obstruction. Bronchial inflammation in asthma may depend in part on the activation of T helper lymphocytes that elaborate proinflammatory cytokines. T helper (Th) lymphocytes can be divided into two categories; Th1 lymphocytes, which secrete IL-2, IL-12 and IFN-$\gamma$, and Th2 lymphocytes, which secrete IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and IL-10. Th2 lymphocytes appear to induce allergic responses, whereas Th1 lymphocytes induce delayed-type hypersensitivity response. Some infections, such as tuberculosis, cultivate a Th1 immunological environment and inhibit Th2 lymphocytes function. The presence of such infections might inhibit Th2 immune responses and thus protect development of atopic diseases. Method: 15 patients with allergic bronchial asthma, 10 patients with intrinsic bronchial asthma, and 10 healthy volunteers were studied. The serum concentrations of IFN-$\gamma$, IL-12, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 were measured by ELISA method and tuberculin skin test was estimated in different groups. Results: The positive response rates of tuberculin test were 46.7% in patients with allergic asthma, 100% in patients with intrinsic asthma and 60% in normal controls. The positive response rates were significantly lower in patients with allergic asthma than those of in patients with intrinsic asthma (p<0.05). Degree of responses to tuberculin test were $12.0{\pm}9.6mm$ in patients with allergic asthma, $18.4{\pm}4.5mm$ in patients with intrinsic asthma and $10.9{\pm}8.8mm$ in normal controls. The degree of responses were significantly reduced in patients with allergic asthma than those of patients with intrinsic asthma (p<0.05). The serum levels of IL-5 in patients with allergic asthma were significantly higher than in patients with intrinsic asthma and normal controls (p<0.05), although it was insignificant. the serum levels of IL-4 and IL-10 in patients with allergic asthma were higher than that of intrinsic asthma and normal controls. The serum levels of IL-12 and IFN-$\gamma$ in patients with allergic asthma and intrinsic asthma were significantly lower than those in normal controls(p<0.05). The serum levels of total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and peripheral blood eosinophile counts in patients with allergic asthma were significantly higher than those in normal controls. Peripheral blood esinophil counts had a significant correlation with the serum levels of total IgE, IL-5 and IL-10 in patients with allergic asthma (p<0.05). Conclusion: These results have showed that Th1 lymphocyte functions were lowered and Th2 lymphocyte functions were elevated in patients with allergic asthma than those in normal controls. Suppression of Th1 lymphocyte functions by activation of Th2 lymphocyte might be one of the important aspects of pathogenesis in allergic bronchial asthma.