• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.386-392
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• 2017

Objectives: Refugees resettled in the US may be at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, little is known about CVD-related issues among Karen refugees who have migrated to the US from the Thai-Myanmar border. The purpose of this study was to examine CVD-related health beliefs and lifestyle issues among Karen refugees resettled in the US. Methods: Karen refugees resettled in the US from the Thai-Myanmar border (n=195) participated in a survey study on health beliefs related to CVD, salt intake, physical activity (PA), and smoking in the fall of 2016. Results: A high-salt diet, physical inactivity, and smoking were major lifestyle problems. Participants who adhered to a low-salt diet considered themselves to be susceptible to CVD. Most participants did not engage in regular PA. Regular PA was associated with less perceived susceptibility to CVD and greater perceived benefits of a healthy lifestyle for decreasing the likelihood of CVD. Conclusions: Each refugee population may require individualized strategies to promote PA and a healthy diet. Future studies should develop health education programs that are specifically designed for Karen refugees and evaluate such programs. In addition to health education programs on healthy lifestyle choices, tobacco cessation programs seem to be necessary for Karen refugees. At the same time, it is important to foster strategies to increase the utilization of preventive care among this population by promoting free or reduced-fee resources in the community to further promote their health.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.289-299
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• 2017

To verify the association between susceptibility to chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and GSTM1, GSTT1 gene polymorphisms in Asian populations, 9 papers published until July 2017 were cited in a meta-analysis. The null present types of the GSTM1, GSTT1 gene were analyzed individually. The significant association was found between CML and GST polymorphism (GSTM1; OR=1.306, 95% CI=1.091-1.563, p=0.004, GSTT1; OR=1.987, 95% CI=1.438-2.746, p=0.000). In addition, there was association between CML and the null type of the combination GSTM1-GSTT1 polymorphisms (OR=4.191, 95% CI=2.833-6.201, p=0.000). Thus, genetic polymorphisms of the GSTM1, GSTT1 and combination GSTM1-GSTT1 polymorphism in Asian populations may be risk factors for CML.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.648-663
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• 2017

To verify the association between GSTM1/GSTT1 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to autoimmune diseases in Asian population. 18 published reports cited in EMBASE, Google, KISS, MEDLINE and PubMed up to December 2015 were collected for a meta-analysis. The GSTM1/GSTT1 polymorphism for null and present type were analysed separately. The significant association was found between the GST polymorphism and autoimmune diseases in an overall population (GSTM1, OR=1.334, 95% CI=1.137-1.567, p=0.000; GSTT1, OR=1.212, 95% CI=1.012-1.452, p=0.037). Asian population showed the significant association of GSTM1 in the autoimmune diseases, especially vitiligo and atopic dermatitis but non-significant association of GSTT1 in RA and SLE. The GSTM1 null and the GSTT1 present type showed the association with autoimmune diseases in Asian population. The null type frequency of the combination of GSTM1-GSTT1 polymorphism in autoimmune diseases in Asian population was higher than that of the control group. This result indicated that null type of GSTM1-GSTT1 combination can be a risk factor of autoimmune diseases in Asian population.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.8-12
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• 2011

Objective: Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) has a strong genetic component. Specific gene polymorphisms may be associated with OPLL in several genes which regulate calcification in chondrocytes, change of extracellular collagen matrix and secretions of many growth factors and cytokines controlling bone morphogenesis. Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) may playa role in the pathogenesis of OPLL by intermediate nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$). The current study focused on coding single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TLR5 for a case-control study investigating the relationship between TLR5 and OPLL in a Korean population. Methods: A total of 166 patients with OPLL and 231 controls were recruited for a case-control association study investigating the relationship between SNPs of TLR5 gene and OPLL. Four SNPs were genotyped by direct sequencing (rs5744168, rs5744169, rs2072493, and rs5744174). SNP data were analyzed using the SNPStats, SNPAnalyzer, Haploview, and Helixtree programs. Multiple logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age and gender was performed to calculate an odds ratio (OR). Results: None of SNPs were associated with OPLL in three alternative models (codominant, dominant, and recessive models; p> 0.05). A strong linkage disequilibrium block, including all 4 SNPs, was constructed using the Gabriel method. No haplotype was significantly associated with OPLL in three alternative models. Conclusion: These results suggest that Toll-like receptor 5 gene may not be associated with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament risk in Korean population.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2643-2646
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• 2012

Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the major etiological agent of cervical cancer, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women worldwide. Screening strategies for reducing the burden of HPV-mediated carcinogenesis are emerging as an effective means for cervical cancer control and prevention in developing countries. Our study, therefore, aimed to identify HPV infection status in North Indian women during random population screening. Methodology: Cervical/vaginal exfoliated cells and/or Pap smear specimens were collected from 890 women of North Indian ethnicity residing in Lucknow and adjoining areas, during random population screening from June 2009-March 2012. HPV viral loads in clinical specimens were determined by the Hybrid Capture (hc)-2 HPV DNA assay, and subsequently, positive/negative/borderline HPV status was calculated. Results: The HPV incidence in the present study was 11.7%. 751 out of a total of 890 women (84.4%) participating in our HPV screening program were HPV negative (HPV -), 104 (11.7%) tested positive (HPV +) while 35 (3.9%) showed borderline (HPV $^*$) infection status. Furthermore, in the HPV + subjects (N=104), 18 (17.3%) showed strong positivity. We observed that HPV positivity tends to increase with age in North Indian women; the higher the viral load with increasing age, higher is the susceptibility to HPV-mediated cervical cancer. Conclusions: HPV viral load/genotyping may help in identifying women at risk of developing cervical cancer. However, cost-effective HPV screening protocols with a wider population coverage are warranted so as to reduce the burden of cervical cancer in women worldwide in the vaccine-era.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.63 no.5
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• pp.559-565
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• 2020

Objective : Conflicting results regarding SOX17 genes and the risk of intracranial aneurysms (IA) exist in the Korean population, although significant positive correlations were noted in genome-wide association studies in European and Japanese populations. Therefore, we aimed to investigate an association between SOX17 gene variants and IA using exome sequencing data. Methods : This study included 26 age-gender matched IA patients and 26 control subjects. The SOX17 gene variants identified from whole-exome sequencing data were examined. Genetic associations to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were performed using the software EPACTS. Results : The mean age of the IA and control groups were 51.0±9.3 years and 49.4±14.3 years, respectively (p=0.623). Seven variants of SOX17, including six single nucleotide polymorphisms and one insertion and deletion, were observed. Among these variants, rs12544958 (A>G) showed the most association with IA, but the association was not statistically significant (OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 0.81-4.74; p=0.125). Minor allele frequencies of the IA patients and controls were 0.788 and 0.653, respectively. None of the remaining variants were significantly associated with IA formation. Conclusion : No significant association between SOX17 gene variants and IA were noted in the Korean population. A large-scale exome sequencing study is necessary to investigate any Korean-specific genetic susceptibility to IA.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.21
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• pp.9241-9247
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• 2014

Background: Rs31489 in the cleft lip and palate transmembrane1-like gene (CLPTM1L) has been identified to be associated with lung cancer through genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, some recent replication studies yielded inconclusive results. Thus, we undertook this study to investigate the precise effect of rs31489 on lung cancer susceptibility. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based case-control study in 1,673 Chinese subjects (611 individuals with lung cancer and 1,062 controls) and a meta-analysis among 32,199 subjects (16,364 cases and 15,835 controls) were performed in this study. Results: In our case-control study, rs31489 was inversely associated with lung cancer (AC versus CC: OR=0.68, 95%CI=0.52-0.88; additive model: OR=0.68, 95%CI=0.54-0.85; dominant model: OR=0.65, 95%CI =0.51-0.84). Stratification analysis by smoking status showed a significant association and strong genetic effect in non-smokers but not in smokers. Our meta-analysis further confirmed the association, although with significant heterogeneity contributed by study design and source of controls, as shown by stratified analysis. Sensitive and cumulative analyses both indicated robust stability of our results. In addition, there was no observable publication bias in our meta-analysis. Conclusions: Overall, the findings from our replication study and meta-analysis demonstrated that CLPTM1L gene rs31489 is significantly associated with lung cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.3855-3859
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• 2016

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is reproted to be the third most common cancer worldwide and the fourth most common cause of cancer related deaths. CRC is considered to be a multifactorial disease whose risk varies due to the complex interaction between individual genetic basis and disposure to multiple endogenous factors. Glutathione S-transferases are pro-carcinogenic in CRC and are required for the conjugation between chemotherapeutics and broad spectrum xenobiotics. One hundred and eleven patients with CRC and 128 control subjects without any cancer history were enrolled in this study. Multiplex PCR was applied to determine polymorphisms for the GSTT1 and M1 genes, and PCR-RFLP was applied for the GSTP1 (Ile105Val) gene polymorphism. Values p<0.05 were defined as statistically significant. We detected a significant high correlation between predisposition for CRC and presence of the Ile/Ile genotype of the GSTP1 (IIe105Val) gene polymorphism, but we did not find a significant relationship between predisposition for CRC and GSTT1 and M1 deletion polymorphisms. In addition, we did not determine a relationship between GSTT1, M1 and P1 gene polymorphisms and any clinicopathological features of CRC. GSTT1 null/GSTM1 positive and GSTT1 null/GSTM1 positive/GSTP1 Ile/Ile genotypes were significantly higher in the patient group. Our results revealed that there is no relationship among CRC, its clinicopathologic features, and GSTT1 M1 gene polymorphisms. However, there was a significant correlation between CRC and the GSTP1 Ile/Ile genotype. Further studies with larger patient groups are required to delineate the relationships between GST gene polymorphisms and the clinicopathologic features of CRC in Turkey.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2005

The elderly suffer from an impaired immune function being obvious in a higher susceptibility to infections. Although the inflammatory cells are the major immunomodulatory cells, fibroblasts also secrete a variety of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Therefore periodontal tissue aging might playa role in development and progress of periodontitis. In this study, we investigated the effect of in vitro periodontal ligament cellular aging on the inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and matrix metalloprotease(MMP)-2 expression induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS) treatment. Three different cell populations were used; passages 4-5, 14-15, and 24-25 (at passage 27, more than 90% cells were replicative senescent). LPS increased the expression of interleukin(IL)-1${\beta}$, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, IL-8, RANTES, and MMP-2. However, the order of induction folds were passages 14-15 > 4-5 > 24-25. While the expression level of Toll-like receptor(TLR) 4 decreased according to the increase in passage number, the level of TLR2 was highest at passages 14-15 and then decreased at passages 24-25. While the spontaneous expression of IL-8 decreased according to the increase in passage number, that of RANTES and proMMP-2 increased according to the increase in passage number. These results suggest that the aging of periodontal ligament fibroblasts differentially affect the role as immunomodulatory cells in response to periodontopathic bacteria and therefore might be another risk factor of periodontitis progression.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.314-327
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• 1992

Insecticide resistance is a serious is a serious threat to IPM, resulting in various adverse effects not to mention the loss of yield in agriculture. One approach to counter the problem is the disruption of resistance mechanisms. This can be achieved by (1) compounds which show a negative correlation with resistance at the site of action, (2) specific metabolic inhibitors which serve as synergists, or (3) a certain combination of two insecticides producing a joint action. This approach, however, requires certain precautions for the side effects may cause an increase in toxicity to mammals. Owing to the recent advances in theoretical studies on resistance management employing computer simulation and mathematical models, a few principles to reduce the risk of development of resistance have been clarified. They are helpful in designing operational strategies with regard to, for instance, insecticide doses to be applied, mode of application, and choice and nature of the insecticide(s) to be used. For restoration of insecticide susceptibility of a resistant population, reintroduction of susceptible individuals to the resistant population is feasible when certain conditions are met. Natural enemies which developed resistance to insecticides can be an important component of IPM as has been shown in the pest management in apple orchards. After all, the implementation of a successful resistance management program depends upon cooperation between different sigments of the agricutural community. Although resistance is a preadaptive phenomenon, in some cases spontaneous loss of resistance does occur without contamination by susceptible individuals. The instability of resistance in these insects implies the possible existence of a switch machanism controlling the expression of resistance gene(s). Elucidation of such a mechanism may eventually provide us with a new technical approach with which we can combat the problem of insecticide resistance.