• Clinical Nutrition Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.40-53
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• 2023

Differential bitterness perception associated with genetic polymorphism in the bitter taste receptor gene taste 2 receptor member 38 (TAS2R38) may influence an individual's food preferences, nutrition consumption, and eventually chronic nutrition-related disorders including cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the effect of genetic variations on nutritional intake and clinical markers needs to be elaborated for health and disease prevention. In this study, we conducted sex-stratified analysis to examine the association between genetic variant TAS2R38 rs10246939 A > G with daily nutritional intake, blood pressure, and lipid parameters in Korean adults (males = 1,311 and females = 2,191). We used the data from the Multi Rural Communities Cohort, Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. Findings suggested that the genetic variant TAS2R38 rs10246939 was associated with dietary intake of micronutrients including calcium (adjusted p = 0.007), phosphorous (adjusted p = 0.016), potassium (adjusted p = 0.022), vitamin C (adjusted p = 0.009), and vitamin E (adjusted p = 0.005) in females. However, this genetic variant did not influence blood glucose, lipid profile parameters, and other blood pressure markers. These may suggest that this genetic variation is associated with nutritional intake, but its clinical effect was not found. More studies are needed to explore whether TAS2R38 genotype may be a potential predictive marker for the risk of metabolic diseases via modulation of dietary intake.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.22-28
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• 2004

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence rate of OSA in subjects whose main sleep complaint is insomnia and to find differential factors of OSA in these insomniac subjects. Method: We reviewed the medical records and polysomnographic findings of patients referred to the Sleep Laboratory at Seoul National University Hospital from January 1996 to December 2002. Four-hundred and seventy subjects complained of insomnia as their main sleep problem (235 males and 235 females, mean age $53.6{\pm}12.4\;years$). First, we investigated the prevalence rate of OSA in these insomniac patients. Second, we compared the clinical and demographic characteristics of the OSA-associated group with those of the non-associated group. Third, we examined whether the degree or presence of differential factors within the OSA group correlate with severity of OSA, as determined by the respiratory disturbance index (RDI). Results: Among 470 insomniac subjects, 125 subjects (26.6%) were diagnosed as OSA by nocturnal polysomnography. OSA-associated subjects were significantly older ($58.4{\pm}12.3\;years$ vs. $51.8{\pm}11.2\;years$, p<0.01), and had significantly higher body mass index (BMI) ($23.4{\pm}3.3\;kg/m^2$ vs. $22.5{\pm}3.1\;kg/m^2$, p=0.44) than non-associated subjects. The OSA-associated group had more subjects with male gender (64.0% vs. 44.9%, p<0.01), hypertension (20.0% vs. 9.3%, p<0.01) or snoring (96.0% vs. 63.5%, p<0.01). Within the OSA-associated group, age had a significant positive correlation with RDI (p=0.01). Conclusion: We found that a considerable portion of patients complaining of insomnia as their main sleep problem were diagnosed as OSA. Snoring, old age, male gender, obesity, and comorbid hypertension were found to be differential factors of OSA in insomniac patients. We suggest that diagnostic efforts including nocturnal polysomnography are needed for insomniac patients with any of the above risk factors of OSA.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.746-752
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• 2011

To evaluate the degree of obesity based on differential combinations of BMI and body fat ratio, and thereby to obtain the comprehensive determination of coronary heart disease risk factors. The present study was conducted among 3,731 individuals(male; 2,312, female; 1,419) who underwent general health checkup in the general health promotion center in a university hospital during 2-year period from Jan. 2008 to Dec. 2009. Based on the obesity categories from combinations of BMI and body fat ratio, 30.2% were "normal", 8.9% were "seemingly obese", 31.2% were "occult obese", and 29.8% were "obese". By sexual comparison, the proportion of "normal" and "seeming obese" individuals were higher in men than women, while "occult obese" and "obesity" individuals were preponderant in women compared to men. By age, the proportion of "obesity" individuals were higher in the 40' and 50's than in 30's and 60's. Based on the association between obesity categories and each of CRF, SBP, DBP, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C and TG was significantly higher in "seeming obese" and "obesity" group than in "normal" group, but SBP, TC and LDL-C was significantly higher in "occult obese" and "obesity" group than in "normal" group. For odds ratios of each of CRF for obesity categories, it was higher in "obesity" group, "seeming obese" group, "occult obese" group than in "normal" group in that order.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.76
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• pp.92-123
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• 2016

This paper aims to examine systematically how audiences' exposure to crime news influences their multicultural acceptability. In particular, the analysis has focused on how the variance in the effects of contacts with crime news on foreigners takes place, according to the types of media and communication favored among the audiences. Also, with perceived risk toward crime as a mediating variable, this research scrutinizes the way crime news on foreigners comes to influence multicultural acceptability among the audiences. While various news sources and communication channels are influential in strengthening the perceived possibility of crime on the individual level, the results show, television seems to be particularly more effective with regards to the perceived prevalence of crime on the social level (RQ 1). Also, while contacts with crime news through 'dialogic' media rarely influence multicultural acceptability significantly, 'discursive' media and face-to-face contacts have negative impacts on the multicultural acceptability (RQ 2). Consequently, perceived risk on the social level seems to play the role of full mediation in the process where audiences' contact with crime news through discursive media influences their multicultural acceptability (RQ 3). Based on these findings, both theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.4559-4565
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• 2013

Background: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is involved in DNA synthesis and repair. We here aimed to investigate two common polymorphisms, C677T and A1298C, with genotype and haplotype frequencies in colorectal cancer (CRC) cases among Jordanian. Materials and Methods: 131 CRC cases were studied for MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms, compared to 117 controls taken from the general population, employing the PCR-RFLP technique. Results: We found the frequency of the three different genotypes of MTHFR C677T among Jordanians to be CC: 61.7%, CT: 35.2%, and TT 3.1% among CRC cases and 50.9%, 38.8% and 10.3% among controls. Carriers of the TT genotype were less likely to have CRC (OR=0.25; 95%CI: 0.076-0.811; p=0.021) as compared to those with the CC genotype. Genotype analysis of MTHFR A12987C revealed AA: 38.9%, AC: 45%, and CC 16% among CRC cases and 37.4%, 50.4% and 12.2% among controls. There was no significant association between genetic polymorphism at this site and CRC. Haplotype analysis of MTHFR polymorphism at the two loci showed differential distribution of the TA haplotype (677T-1298A) between cases and controls. The TA haplotype was associated with a decreased risk for colorectal cancer (OR=0.6; 95% CI: 0.4-0.9, p=0.03). Conclusions: The genetic polymorphism of MTHFR at 677 and the TA haplotype may modulate the risk for CRC development among the Jordanian population. Our findings may reflect an importance of genes involved in folate metabolism in cancer risk.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2010

Objectives: This study was attempted to identify the relationship between white blood cell counts and the metabolic syndrome. Methods: This study included 394 adults who visited the medical checkup center placed in Gwangju, January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008. Index of blood test and physical checkup were performed on the study such as triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, fasting sugar and white blood cell counts. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between white blood cell counts, white blood cell differential count and metabolic syndrome with an adjustment age and smoking status. Results: The prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome was 25.3% among males and 13.3% among females, and was particularly high among males in their 40s. The increase in white blood cell counts lead to high prevalence of metabolic syndrome for both males and females. As white blood cell counts increased, the values of body mass index and cardiovascular risk factors were increased significantly. The odds ratio for elevated white blood cell counts increased significantly in the subjects with each components of the metabolic syndrome compared to the subjects without them. The lymphocyte counts in the white blood cell differential counts were higher in patients with metabolic syndrome than in those without. Conclusions: High level of white blood cell counts in normal range can be used as indicator in chronic inflammation. Increased white blood cell counts were significantly associated with metabolic syndrome.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.299-304
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• 2005

Cardiac hypertrophy contributes an increased risk to major cerebrovascular events. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying cerebrovascular dysfunction during cardiac hypertrophy have not yet been characterized. In the present study, we examined the molecular mechanism of isoproterenol (ISO)-evoked activation of Ras/Raf/MAPK pathways as well as PKA activity in cerebral artery of rabbits, and we also studied whether the activations of these signaling pathways were altered in cerebral artery, during ISO-induced cardiac hypertrophy compared to heart itself. The results show that the mRNA level of c-fos (not c-jun and c-myc) in heart and these genes in cerebral artery were considerably increased during cardiac hypertrophy. These results that the PKA activity and activations of Ras/Raf/ERK cascade as well as c-fos expression in rabbit heart during cardiac hypertrophy were consistent with previous reports. Interestingly, however, we also showed a novel finding that the decreased PKA activity might have differential effects on Ras and Raf expression in cerebral artery during cardiac hypertrophy. In conclusion, there are differences in molecular mechanisms between heart and cerebral artery during cardiac hypertrophy when stimulated with β2 adrenoreceptor (AR), suggesting a possible mechanism underlying cerebrovascular dysfunction during cardiac hypertrophy.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.83-90
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• 2015

Purpose - This research aims to understand the different behaviors of consumers according to cognitive age. Specifically, this research is focused on pro-social behavior. Pro-social behavior is defined as behavior benefiting others, rather than behavior benefiting one's self. It often entails individual risk or cost, such as when giving resources to others, waiting in line, asking for or paying a fair price, or risking one's life in battle. Therefore, we sought to understand consumer psychology and cognitive age as a reflection of inner psychology. People frequently perceive themselves as younger or older than their chronological ages. This self-perceived or cognitive age is a subjective age perception independent of actual chronological age. The discrepancy degree between chronological and cognitive age represents how much individuals perceive themselves as younger than they are. This study examines the gap in donation intention based on cognitive age. In order to investigate cognitive age, composed of four sub-categories (feel-age, look-age, do-age, and interest-age), this study explores the differential donation intention based on cognitive age, which determines the relationship between the young age and old age. Research design, data, and methodology - Data research was conducted by gathering 216 survey samples, excluding those with unreliable answers. Data coding and cleaning were used and SPSS 19.0 software for the data analysis. The respondents were categorized into two types, younger cognitive ages and older cognitive ages. Additionally, we analyzed the moderating variables. In particular, we used cognitive age degree and congruency level (cognitive age low vs. cognitive age high) × (congruency close vs. congruency distant) between - subjects design. First, regression was done to verify the difference between chronological age and cognitive age. Second, a t-test was done to verify the difference of cognitive age level in donations. Third, ANOVA (analysis of variance) was done to verify the difference between cognitive age and congruency in donations. Last, ANOVA was done to verify the difference between cognitive age and moral judgments in donations. Result - The results show most respondents perceive themselves as younger than their chronological ages. In particular, older respondents feel they are younger than their actual age. Moreover, the result of the comparison between low degree and high degree groups of cognitive age, show high donations at the higher degree of cognitive age groups. In addition, the closer the distance to the beneficiaries, the higher the donation in high degree cognitive age groups. The higher moral judgment groups also show relatively high contributions in lower degree cognitive age groups. Conclusions - Donations belong to the category of pro-social behavior reflecting an individual's psychological state. Therefore, it is important in understanding cognitive age. This study implies that it is necessary to take into account both cognitive age and chronological age when segmenting donors. Moreover, this study confirmed that there are different factors affecting the motives behind donations. Thus, it may be utilized to create differential donation strategies.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.293-303
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• 2016

Analysis of bargaining games utilizing evolutionary computation in recent years has dealt with important issues in the field of game theory. In this paper, we investigated interaction and coevolution process among heterogeneous artificial agents using evolutionary computation in the bargaining game. We present three kinds of evolving-strategic agents participating in the bargaining games; genetic algorithms (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO) and differential evolution (DE). The co-evolutionary processes among three kinds of artificial agents which are GA-agent, PSO-agent, and DE-agent are tested to observe which EC-agent shows the best performance in the bargaining game. The simulation results show that a PSO-agent is better than a GA-agent and a DE-agent, and that a GA-agent is better than a DE-agent with respect to co-evolution in bargaining game. In order to understand why a PSO-agent is the best among three kinds of artificial agents in the bargaining game, we observed the strategies of artificial agents after completion of game. The results indicated that the PSO-agent evolves in direction of the strategy to gain as much as possible at the risk of gaining no property upon failure of the transaction, while the GA-agent and the DE-agent evolve in direction of the strategy to accomplish the transaction regardless of the quantity.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.12
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• pp.137-160
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• 2003

The association between accounting earnings and the stock price of an entity is the subject that has been most heavily researched during the past 25 years in accounting literature. Researcher's common finding is that there are positive relationships between accounting earnings and stock prices. However, the explanatory power of accounting earnings which was measured by $R^2$ of regression functions used was rather low. To be connected with these low results, The prior studies propose that there will be additional information, errors in variables. This study investigates empirically determinants of earnings response coefficients(ERCs), which measure the correlation between earnings and stock prices, using earnings level / change, as the dependent variable in the return/earnings regression. Specifically, the thesis tests whether the factors such as earnings persistence, growth, systematic risk, image, information asymmetry and firm size. specially, the determinable variables of ERC are explained in detail. The image / information asymmetry variables are selected to be connected with additional information stand point, The debt / growth variables are selected to be connected with errors in variables. In this study, The sample of firms, listed in Korean Stock Exchange was drawn from the KIS-DATA and was required to meet the following criteria: (1) Annual accounting earnings were available over the 1986-1999 period on the KIS-FAS to allow computation of variables parameter; (2) sufficient return data for estimation of market model parameters were available on the KIS-SMAT month returns: (3) each firm had a fiscal year ending in December throughout the study period. Implementation of these criteria yielded a sample of 1,141 firm-year observation over the 10-year(1990-1999) period. A conventional regression specification would use stock returns(abnormal returns) as a dependent variable and accounting earnings(unexpected earnings) changes interacted with other factors as independent variables. In this study, I examined the relation between other factors and the RRC by using reverse regression. For an empirical test, eight hypotheses(including six lower-hypotheses) were tested. The results of the performed empirical analysis can be summarized as follows; The first, The relationship between persistence of earnings and ERC have significance of each by itself, this result accord with one of the prior studies. The second, The relationship between growth and ERC have not significance. The third, The relationship between image and ERC have significance of each by itself, but a forecast code doesn't present. This fact shows that image cost does not effect on market management share, is used to prevent market occupancy decrease. The fourth, The relationship between information asymmetry variable and ERC have significance of each by. The fifth, The relationship between systematic risk$(\beta)$ and ERC have not significance. The sixth, The relationship between debt ratio and ERC have significance of each by itself, but a forecast code doesn't present. This fact is judged that it is due to the effect of financial leverage effect and a tendency of interest.