• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.19-30
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• 2008

Osteoporosis, a disease characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to enhanced bone fragility and fracture risk, is a major public health problem. The diagnostic methods for osteoporosis include simple radiography, bone scan, DXA (Dual energy X-ray Absortiometry) and biochemical markers of bone turnover. Optimal treatment and prevention of osteoporosis require modification of risk factors, particularly smoking cessation, adequate physical activity, and attention to diet, in addition to pharmacologic intervention. The estrogens and raloxifene both prevent bone loss in postmenopausal women, and the estrogens probably also decrease the risk of first fracture. There is good evidence that raloxifene prevents further fractures in postmenopausal women who already have had fractures and some evidence that estrogen does as well. Bisphosphonate prevents bone loss and reduces fractures in healthy and osteoporotic postmenopausal women and in osteoporotic men as well. Risedronate is more potent and has fewer side effects than alendronate and reduces the incidence of fractures in osteoporotic women. Calcitonin increases bone mineral density in early postmenopausal women and men with idiopathic osteoporosis, and also reduces the risk of new fractures in osteoporotic women. All of the agents discussed above prevent bone resorption, whereas teriparatide and strontium increase bone formation and are effective in the treatment of osteoporotic women and men. New avenues for targeting osteoporosis will emerge as our knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms of bone remodeling increases, although issues of tissue specificity may remain to be addressed.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.199-205
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• 2006

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between severity of endometriosis and the incidence of endometrial polyp. Methods: The study population consisted of six hundred thirty-one women who had undergone laparoscopic operation due to infertility, severe dysmenorrhea or ovarian tumors. We divided two groups: 434 women with endometriosis (study group) and 197 women without the disease (control group). The presence of endometriosis was documented by diagnostic or therapeutic laparoscopic operation and the disease severity was scored according to revised The American Fertility Society classification. We confirmed the endometrial polyps by pathologic examination after hysteroscopic polypectomy, and compared endometrial polyp incidence according to severity of endometriosis. Results: There was no significant difference between groups with regard to age, mean duration of infertility. Endometrial polyps were found in 274 women (63.0%) with endometriosis and in 58 controls (29.8%, p=0.0000). The incidence of endometrial polyps differed significantly according to stage of endometriosis. The incidence of endometrial polyps were 77/142 (54.2%), 58/90 (64.4%), 73/108 (67.6%, p<0.05), 66/94 (70.2%, p<0.05) in endometriosis stage I, II, III, and IV. There was a linear correlation between stage of endometriosis and endometrial polyps incidence (p=0.008). Conclusion: Endometriosis is accompanied by endometrial polyps. This results showed positive correlation between severity of the endometriosis and incidence of endometrial polyps. It is the possible mechanism for low pregnancy rate in the severe endometriosis.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.31-40
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• 1999

Many factors may affect periodontal changes during the physiologic conditions of woman(e.g. puberty, menstrual cycle, pregnancy, menopause). Recently many research has focused on the immunological changes of host, but the exact mechanism is not clear. Collagen is a major constituent of periodontium, and collagenase specifically digests the collagen and plays a role in destruction of periodontal tissue. So, I suppose that it participates with the cytokines in the inflammation of gingiva and vascular response during the changes of female sex hormones. Because there are some evidences of the existence of the receptors of estrogen and progesterone in the gingiva, it may be a target tissue of female sex hormones. In this experiment, gingival fibroblast and periodontal ligament cell were cultured in the presence of various concentrations of estrogen or progesterone corresponding to the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. Collagenase activity of the supernatant of culture media was determined by Spectrophotometric collagenase assay. The enzyme activity was calculated by the % decrease of the coated collagen. 1. The estrogen at both concentrations had no effect on the activity of collagenase of the gingival fibroblast. 2. The progesterone had some effect on the collagenase activity of the gingival fibroblast at low and high concentration of menstrual cycle, and elevated the enzyme activity at all range of pregnancy concentrations. 3. In periodontal ligament cells, estrogen elevated the enzyme activity at the early pregnancy concentration and progesterone elevated at the concentration just before menstruation. In this experiment, pregesterone elevated the collagenase activity of gingival fibroblast and periodontal ligament cells. But the mechanism of the up-regulation of the enzyme activity was not confirmed. The more experiments of direct effect of progesterone on gingival at the molecular level(e.g. northern blot analysis) can reveal the exact mechanism.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.37 no.10
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• pp.888-898
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• 2004

This study was designed to investigate the effects of 8-week resistance exercise by using dumbell on the body com-position, serum hormone profiles and feeding patterns in young and healthy female students with over 30% of body fat, aged 22 years in Masan, Korea. The subjects were all six, performed successfully the entire exercise-program. Anthropometry, serum lipid and neurohormone profiles of subjects were analyzed at 0, 4 and 8 weeks after exercise. And also their food and nutrient intakes were self-reported by 3-day record and food frequency questionnaire. Triceps skinfold-thickness of the subject students significantly reduced after the exercise to 46% less than before (p < 0.002) . The serum concentrations of leptin, insulin and catecholamine appeared to decrease steadily, but not significantly. Total protein in serum increased significantly (p<0.05), and Na (p<0.005), K (p<0.001) and Fe (p<0.058) concentrations increased remarkably within the normal range. The 8-week resistance exercise tended to induce fiber consumption (p<0.089) of subject students and changed the P/M/S ratio changed into the desirable way from 0.8 : 1 : 1 to 1 : 1 : 1, and that of n-6/n-3 PUPA from 11 : 1 to 6 : 1. After taking exercise, the intake frequency of cookies (p<0.058) and raymeun (p<0.085) decreased, but finally this feeding pattern returned to the way as before even though at marginal significance. Consequently the resistance exercise may induce the desirable changes of body fat and improve serum lipid profiles and feeding patterns in young obese females.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.408-414
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• 1999

A number of chemical released into the environment eliciting their effects by disrupting normal hormonal pathways. Endocrine disrupting compounds are present in the aquatic environment and pose potential health consequences to wildlife and humans. This review are designing fur xenobiotic estrogens based on induction of the egg-yolk precursor protein vitelloge-nin. In fish of aquatic environment, it may result in decrease fertility and egg production in females or lead to reduced gonad size or feminization of genetic male fish. It has been known that male fish exposed to estrogenic compounds show induced production of vitellogenin. Vitello-genin production is normally restricted to adult females, which have elevated estrogen levels during egg production. However, vitellogenin can be induced in males by Pollution of environmental endocrine disruptors. Consequently, the presence of vitellogenin in male fish can serve as an indicator of exposure of environmental endocrine disrupting compounds. In immature fish pol-luted at low levels of environmental endocrine disrupter, vitellogenin can serve as a reliable biomarker for exposure to endocrine disrupter. This review demonstrates the utility of vitellogenin as a biomarker fur exposure to estrogenin agents in auqatic environment.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.409-416
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• 2001

In order to evaluate the effect of habitual Na and Ca intake on blood pressure regulation, we measured the habitual dietary intakes of Na and Ca, urinary excretion of Ca, Na and K, and plasma level of renin activity, aldosterone, and indices of Ca metabolism in 27 untreated hypertensive women and 30 age-matched normal women on a free diet. Hypertensive and total subjects were divided into four groups according to habitual dietary intakes of Na and Ca as low Na-low Ca(LNLC), low Na-high Ca(LNHC), high Na-low Ca(HNLC), and high Na-high Ca(HNHC). HNLC hypertensive group showed the lowest level of plasma renin activity, 25-(OH) Vit D$_3$, calcitonin and serum total Ca, and presented the highest level of PTH and urinary excretions of Na/K and Ca/Cr. There were no significant difference in plasma level of aldosterone and urinary excretion of Na and K among four hypertensive groups. When all subjects were divided into four groups according to the same method, HNLC group showed the highest level of blood pressure with no statistical significance and the lowest level of calcitonin and total serum Ca. The above results indicated that renin-aldosterone system and Ca regulating hormone has a mutual relationship in hypertension. Na and Ca may interact each other, rather than affecting independently blood pressure control. As a result, considering the fact that daily balance of Na and Ca intakes affects Na and Ca regulating hormones and urinary excretion of Na and Ca, it may be involved in blood pressure control. These results suggest that maintaining an adequate intake of Ca with less intake of Na may prevent from the risk of hypertension. (Korean J Nutrition 34(4) : 409~416, 2001)

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.37 no.1 s.144
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• pp.21-27
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• 2006

Yeast based estrogenicity assay is the simplest and useful for the assay and the discovery of novel estrogenic substances in natural specimens, The estrogen receptor(ER) modulation activity of 50% EtOH extracts of 101 traditional medicinal herbs was assessed using a recombinant yeast assay system with both a human estrogen receptor expression plasmid and a receptor plasmid. Among them, 14 species proved to be active. Pureariae Flos (flower of Puerraria thunbergiana BENTH.) had the highest estrogenic relative potency$(7.75{\times}10^{-3})$ $(EC_{50}=9.39\;{\mu}g/ml)$. The $EC_{50}$ value of $17{\beta}-estradiol$ used as the positive control was $0.073\;{\mu}g/ml)$ (Relative Potency=1.00). There results demonstrated that some of the traditional medical herb may be useful in the therapy of estrogen replacement.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.265-272
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• 1999

A simultaneous profile analysis of 19 environmental estrogens, which act like estrogen and may effect the endocrine system by binding to hormone receptors or influencing cell signaling pathways, was attempted. The present method was based on the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). It involves solid-liquid extraction, enzyme hydrolysis, liquid-liquid extraction and quantitative conversion into trimethylsilyl (TMS)-ether derivatives. Analytical recovery range was 47.6 ~ 99.5% and the RSD values of within-a-day and day-to-day test were 0.66 ~ 9.33%, 1.66 ~ 16.14%, respectively. The Korean reference values for the evaluation of environmental estrogen effects were established by this method.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.315-321
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• 1999

Vitamin D is one of important factors involved in the regulation of bone metabolism. In osteoporosis, the therapeutic effect of vitamin D on the healing process of fracture has still been controversial. These studies were designed to understand the healing process of normal fibular fracture and the therapeutic effects of $1\alpha$, 25 dihydroxycholecalciferol on the osteoporotic fracture in rats. The simple transverse fractures of rat fibulae were produced with a rotating diamond saw. The histological and ultrastructural changes of rats were observed. The histological and ultrastructural studies revealed the healing of the fibular fracture in the 5th week after simple transverse fracture. The osteoporosis impaired more the healing of osteoporotic fibular fracture than normal non-osteoporotic fibular fracture. The healing process of osteoporotic fracture was facilitated by the treatment with $1\alpha$, 25 dihydroxycholecalciferol, however, was delayed more than the healing process of normal fracture. These results suggest that $1\alpha$, 25 dihydroxycholecalciferol was effective for reducing the deleterious effects of osteoporosis in fracture healing.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.324-329
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• 2009

Cell-cell adhesion managed by various adhesion molecules is known to be one of pathophysiological phenomena found in numerous immunological diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and allergic diseases. In this study, we examined the regulatory role of ginsenosides (G)- Rh1, reported to display anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects, on CD29-mediated cell adhesion. G-Rh1 significantly suppressed U937 cell-cell adhesion mediated by CD29 but not CD43. It also blocked U937 cell-fibronectin adhesion, mediated by activated CD29, up to 30%. In agreement, this compound also significantly decreased the surface level of CD29 but not CD43 as well as other costimulatory molecules such as CD69, CD80, and CD86. Therefore, these results suggest that G-Rh1 may have inhibitory function on CD29-mediated cell adhesion events, probably contributing to its anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic activities.