• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.40 no.7
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• pp.639-649
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• 2007

This study was performed to investigate the effects of very low calorie diet (VLCD) using meal replacements that contain the wild grass extracts based on Samul-tang ingredients on psychological factors and quality of life in the obese women $(BMI{\geq}25kg/m^2)$ for four weeks. Seventy five women $(20{\leq}age<26)$ participated in this experiment. Subjects were randomly classified three groups: 1) General diet group (GD roup, n=27) consumed 3 regular meals within 600 kcal/day 2) Meal replacements group (MR group, n=27) consumed 1 regular meal and 2 meal replacements within 600 kcal/day 3) Herbal Meal replacements group (HMR group, n=27) consumed 1 regular meal and 2 meal replacements within 600 kcal/day. Physical factors (weight, BMI, fat (%)) of the HMR group significantly decreased more than those of GD and MR groups. Moreover, binge eating habit and environmental factors (surrounding support, emotional reaction, expression of opinion) of the HMR group significantly decreased more than those of GD and MR groups. Psychological factor and quality of life were no significant differences among three groups during the experimental period, because both were significantly decreased in all groups after 4 weeks. Therefore, very low calorie diet using meal replacements that contain the wild grass extracts based on Samul-tang ingredients for 4 weeks was effective on improvement of psychological factor and quality of life as well as weight reduction in the obese premenopausal women.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.137-147
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• 1993

The purpose of this study is to identify the presence of the circulating antibodies directed toward ovarian proteins{antiovarian antibodies, AOA) and the nature of antigenic ovarian structure by comparing the binding activities to 4 types of ovarian proteins, particulated and solubilized forms of pig ovarian and granulosa cell membranes in sera of patients with premature ovarian failure(POF) and to evaluate the usefulness of circulating AOA as a follow up tool after treatment. Measurements of AOA were performed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) in sera of 58 patients with POF, 51 had normal chromosomes and 7 had X chromosome abnormalities. Sera of 21 natural menopausal women and 17 castrated women were also tested and sera of 32 healthy premenopausal women were served as controls. ELISA reactivities against particulated porcine granulosa cell membrane proteins was the greatest among 4 different ovarian proteins. Fifteen(29%) of 51 POF patients with normal chromosome and 1(14.3%) of 7 POF patients with X chromosome abnormalities had AOA while none of 32 controls and 21 natural menopausal women and 17 castrated women had AOA. One POF patient with 47, XXX was identified AOA positive. The ELISA reactivities were followed up monthly up to 5 months in 4 AOA positive POF patients after estrogen-progestin{E-P) therapy. There was a decreasing tendency of the ELISA reactivities in all these patients after E-P therapy and two of them converted to AOA negative. These data suggest that antigenic structure may be components of granulosa cell membrane and the determination of circulating AOA may be useful in the follow up after treatment in patients with autoimmune POF.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.80-85
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• 2014

Objective: To investigate: the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Korean women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and the relationship between vitamin D status and clinical or metabolic features in this group. Methods: We recruited 38 women with PCOS using the Rotterdam criteria. A total of 109 premenopausal control women were matched with patients based on age and body mass index. Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D concentrations less than 20 ng/mL were classified as frank vitamin D deficiency. Since vitamin D may play a significant role in metabolic disturbances in women with PCOS, correlations between clinical or metabolic parameters and vitamin D status were analyzed separately in patients and controls. Results: Women with PCOS showed no differences in the level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D ($19.6{\pm}6.6ng/mL$ in patients vs. $20.1{\pm}7.4ng/mL$ in controls, respectively, p=0.696) or prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (57.9% in patients vs. 56.5% in controls, respectively, p=0.880). In addition, we did not find any correlations between serum vitamin D level and clinical or metabolic profiles in either PCOS patients or controls. Conclusion: Our study found no differences in the absolute level of serum vitamin D between PCOS patients and matched controls. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was equally common among both patients and controls. Additionally, we did not find any correlations between serum vitamin D level and clinical or metabolic profiles, suggesting that the role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of PCOS is not yet clear.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.916-930
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• 2019

Objective: To investigate the relationships of T₂^*-corrected 6-echo Dixon volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) imaging-based fat fraction (FF) and R₂^* values with bone mineral density (BMD); determine their associations with sex, age, and menopause; and evaluate the diagnostic performance of the FF and R₂^* for predicting osteopenia and osteoporosis. Materials and Methods: This study included 153 subjects who had undergone magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, including MR spectroscopy (MRS) and T₂^*-corrected 6-echo Dixon VIBE imaging. The FF and R₂^* were measured at the L4 vertebra. The male and female groups were divided into two subgroups according to age or menopause. Lin's concordance and Pearson's correlation coefficients, Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement, and the area under the curve (AUC) were calculated. Results: The correlation between the spectroscopic and 6-echo Dixon VIBE imaging-based FF values was statistically significant for both readers (p_c = 0.940 [reader 1], 0.908 [reader 2]; both p < 0.001). A small measurement bias was observed for the MRS-based FF for both readers (mean difference = -0.3% [reader 1], 0.1% [reader 2]). We found a moderate negative correlation between BMD and the FF (r = -0.411 [reader 1], -0.436 [reader 2]; both p <0.001) with younger men and premenopausal women showing higher correlations. R₂^* and BMD were more significantly correlated in women than in men, and the highest correlation was observed in postmenopausal women (r = 0.626 [reader 1], 0.644 [reader 2]; both p < 0.001). For predicting osteopenia and osteoporosis, the FF had a higher AUC in men and R₂^* had a higher AUC in women. The AUC for predicting osteoporosis was highest with a combination of the FF and R₂^* in postmenopausal women (AUC = 0.872 [reader 1], 0.867 [reader 2]; both p < 0.001). Conclusion: The FF and R₂^* measured using T₂^*-corrected 6-echo Dixon VIBE imaging can serve as predictors of osteopenia and osteoporosis. R₂^* might be useful for predicting osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.365-371
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• 2007

Recent studies suggest a possible pathogenic linkage between the osteoporosis and atherosclerosis. We investigated the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors, including high sensitivity C-reactive (hs-CRP), hs-CRP and bone metabolism in females. Anthropometric measurements were performed on 300 women, and cardiovascular risk factors, including fasting blood glucose, lipid profiles and hs-CRP. An atherogenic index was calculated using the serum total cholesterol level divided by the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. The lumbar spine bone mineral density was measured using dual X-ray abosorptiometry. By bivariate analysis, the lumbar spine BMD showed negative correlations with age, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, serum total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The Age, BMI and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol showed significant correlations with the lumbar spine BMD. From linear regression analyses of all the study subjects, age, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were found to be determinants of the lumbar spine BMD($R^2=0.272$).

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 1992

Bone mineral density was measured to assess whether the patients with premonopausal hypogonadism, comprised of 19 patients with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism(HH), 55 with premature ovarian failure(POF), 23 with hyperprolactinemia(HPLN), and 8 with Sheehan's syndrome. All aged from 20 to 39, were associated with some decrease in regional bone mass compared with that of 63 normal-associated with some decrease in regional bone mass compared with that of 63 normal-cycling control women matched with age and sex. Measurement of bone mineral density was carried out using Dual photon absorptiometry at four sites; femur neck, ward's triangle, trochanter and spine(L2-L4). Bone mineral density at all four sites were significantly decreased in patients with HH(p<0.01), POF(p<0.01). In hyperprolactinemic patients, the decrease in bone mass was significant at femur neck and Ward's triangle(p<0.05). The patients with POF were noted to be associated with significant bone loss when their duration of amenorrhea exceeded one year. In this study, the degree of loss of bone mass and the affected sites seemed to be different depending on the various types of hypogonadism and POF was noted have caused the appearance of loss of bone mass earlier than other thpes of hypogondism we experienced.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.2225-2229
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• 2013

Background: As data on the relation between obesity and lymph node ratio are missing in the literature, we here aimed to assess the impact of obesity on this parameter and other clinicopathological features of breast cancer cases and patient survival. Materials and Methods: Medical data of 646 patients, all referred to two centers in Tehran, Iran, were reviewed. Factors that showed significant association on univariate analysis were entered in a regression model. Kaplan-Meier and Cox-regression were employed for survival analysis. Results: Obesity was correlated with the expression of estrogen and progesterone receptor (p=0.004 and p=0.039, respectively), metastasis to axillary lymph nodes (p=0.017), higher lymph node rate (p<0.001) and larger tumor size (p<0.001). The effect of obesity was stronger in premenopausal women. There was no association between obesity and expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor. Three factors showed independent association with BMI on multivariate analysis; tumor size, estrogen receptor and lymph node ratio. Obesity was predictive of shorter disease-free survival with a hazard ratio of 3.324 (95%CI: 1.225-9.017) after controlling for the above-mentioned variables. Conclusions: The findings of this study support the idea that obese women experience more advanced disease with higher axillary lymph node ratio, and therefore higher stage at the time of diagnosis. Furthermore, obesity was associated with poorer survival independent of lymph node rate.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5445-5450
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• 2012

Although benign uterine leiomyomata (LMA) is the most common reproductive tumor in premenopausal women, its etiology is largely unknown. We aimed in the present study to demonstrate the potential role of environmental factors with estrogenic activity in tumor etiology by focusing on the role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) which mediates the effects of many environmental endocrine disruptors and contributes to the loss of normal ovarian function in polluted environments. This case-control study aimed to compare the interactions between AhR and lifestyle factors in a clinical setting for the first time among 138 newly diagnosed LMA patients and 138 normal controls who lived in Tehran and Mashhad, respectively, during the last 10 years. To conduct immunohistochemical studies using appropriate monoclonal antibodies, 30 cases were selected retrospectively from 2009-2011 from the pathology departments of two university hospitals in Tehran. Although the levels of sex steroid receptors were similar in adjacent myometrium and uterine leiomyomas of all cases, AhR was significantly overexpressed (p=0.034, OR=1.667) in uterine LMA and this overexpression was correlated with living in Tehran [(p=0.04, OR=16 (1.216-210.58)], smoking[P=0.04, OR=2.085 (1.29-3.371)], living near polycyclic aromative hydrocarbon producing companies [p=0.007, OR=2.22 (1.256-3.926)] and eating grilled meat [p=0.042, OR=1.28 (1.92-3.842)]. Our study contributes to the understanding of the effects of EDCs on AhR levels as well as women's health and points out possible risk factors for the development and growth of uterine LMA. It seems that the development of LMA could be the result of interactions between hormonal and environmental factors.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.24-35
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• 2014

Objectives: Although the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is thought to play an important role in treatment of obesity, no study has been conducted to investigate acupuncture's effects on this aspect of the ANS. This study aimed to describe the effects of acupuncture in the ANS by means of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Methods: A total of 46 obese women aged from 21 to 54 with body mass index ranging from 25.1 to $39.3kg/m^2$ were recruited and randomized into both the real acupuncture group (n=23) and sham acupuncture group (n=23). A total of 3 instances of HRV analysis were conducted before, during, and after treatment. Statistically significant differences between time and groups were analyzed using repeated measure analysis of variance. Results: All parameters of time domain analysis and frequency domain analysis except for the square root of the mean squared differences of successive normal sinus intervals (RMSSD) and very low frequency (VLF) showed significant differences between times. The mean of all R-R intervals (mean RR) showed significant level of interaction between time and group. Between groups, time domain analysis of standard deviation of the normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), RMSSD and frequency domain analysis of total power (TP) and high frequency (HF) showed significant differences. Conclusions: The real acupuncture group showed deactivation of parasympathetic function and relative increase of sympathetic activity in obese subjects. Further studies are necessary to uncover the mechanisms of acupuncture in obesity treatment.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.175-179
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• 1992

The factors involved in the initial neoplastic transformation and subsquent growth of uterine fibroid are poorly understood. The reduction in uterine fibroid volume associated with the chronic administration of the mechanisms mediating the decrease in fibroid volume in GnRH-a treated patients are poorly defined. The purpose of this study was to determine the proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA) in fibroid from-women pretreated with GnRH analogue(GnRH-a) compared with controls. Tissue was obtained from 16 premenopausal women with uterine fibroid who received GnRH-a(D-Trp6-GnRH) intramusculary every 28 days for four injections. The mean proliferating index(PI) in patients with uterine fibroids was $2.25{\pm}0.9$, and in controls was $8.82{\pm}1.8$(P<0.001). The proliferating index was not corrleated with the reduction of fibroid volume. In this clinical study, although hypoestrogenism may be the main factor that reduce the volume of fibroid, other factors are also considered to be involved in that process. And the regrowth of uterine fibroid may be affected by increased production of PCNA after stopping GnRH-a.