• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.285-292
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• 1999

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a plasticizer known as one of endocrine disruptors. The present study was carried out to investigate the alterations of function and ultrastructure in rat testes after oral intubation of DEHP in dosages of 1g/kg/day, 2 g/kg/day or 3 g/kg/day in 0.5 ml of corn oil for 15 days. DEHP reduced the growth of body and testes, inhibited apermatogenesis and induced structural changes on various cell types of the rat testis. Leydig cells, Sertoli cells and the developing germ cells seemed to be impaired their differentiations in terms of the structural changes of cell organelles. The increase of heterochromatin in amount were common features in all 3 cell types. In addition, the Leydig cells were characterized by the swelling of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and perinuclear space, the increases in number and size of Iysosomes. The Sertoli cells became irregular in nuclear envelope and the number of Iysosomes and vacuoles seemed to be increased. There were some indications of necrosis of the germ cells, such as vacuolized nucleus and segregated nucleolus. And also, DEHP lowered the level of testosterone in experimental rat serum. DEHP suppressed apermatogenesis decreasing developing germ cells and these effects of DEHP on the rat testis were dose dependent. The detrimental effect of DEHP on apermatogenesis and ultrastructure of rat testes seems to be derived from the decreased level of testosterone by Leydig cells, followed by the abnomalities of Sertoli cells and the germ cells.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.314-317
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• 2011

A 16-year-old, spayed female, Maltese dog weighing 4.3 kg was presented with a 2-week history of yellowish nose-and oral-discharge, anorexia and lethargy. In physical examination, indefinite ulcerative mass about $3{\times}3$ cm in size in the left sublingual region, severe gingivoperiodontitis, halitosis, moderate dental calculus, fever and swelling of mandible soft tissue were noted. In radiographic view, periodontitis and bone lysis findings on the left rostral part of maxilla and mandible were observed. In complete blood count and blood chemistry test, thrombocytosis, increased levels of serum $NH_3$, AST and ALP were obtained. Urinalysis revealed hematuria and proteinuria. In histological examination, squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed. No surgery was performed, but combined treatment with carboplatin and piroxicam was initiated. Five days after initiation of medication, because of insistent vomiting, piroxicam was substituted to meloxicam. Although the therapeutic efficacy of meloxicam could not be known; administration of meloxicam might be less potential to gastrointestinal side-effects than piroxicam. The dog totally received 3 times of carboplatin infusion. Five days after third infusion of carboplatin, the dog was hospitalized with severe lethargy, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. In examination, severe renal failure signs were noted, and the dog was euthanized.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.218-225
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• 2006

Purpose: With a remarkable increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity, the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is assumed to be increasing. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, hyperlipidemia, and glucose intolerance in normal and obese children. Methods: A total of 2,206 elementary students (boys: 1340, girls: 866) were grouped according to obesity index; normal group and obesity group (mild, moderate, severe). Aspartate aminotransferase (AST, SGOT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT, SGPT) were measured with total cholesterol, triglyceride, and fasting blood glucose. Results: Compared with the 4.6% of elevated aminotransferases in normal group, obese groups showed significantly higher prevalence; 12.1% in mild obesity group, 19.4% in moderate group, and 21.6% in severe group (p<0.0001). The prevalence of hypertriglyceremia was 16.9% in normal weight group, which was significantly lower than obesity group (mild obesity group 30.3%, moderate and severe 37.6%, 38.2% each). In boys, the prevalences of elevated aminotransferases in normal weight and obese groups (mild, moderate, severe) were 6.8%, 18.0%, 23.0%, and 26.0%, respectively (p<0.0001). In girls, those were 2.1%, 5.1%, 12.0%, and 12.6%, respectively (p< 0.0001). The prevalence of hypertriglyceremia was relative to severity of obesity in boys and girls (p<0.0001). Conclusion: The prevalence of elevated serum liver enzymes increased with severity of obesity. For the prevention and treatment of fatty liver and hypertriglycemia, it is important to lower the obesity degree and enforce the education for a weight loss in the student and the parents.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.98-102
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• 1983

The hydrogen fluoride gas generated from making the cement hardener injured the plants growing at the neighbour field. This investigation was conducted on sample analysis of hydrogen fluoride gas damage plants which included the ratios of destroyed leaves, damage symptoms, and nutrient elements in paddy rice and weeds. The results obtained were as follows; 1) The ratio of destroyed leaves at near HF source was very high reaching about 95% at 100m, 65% at 500m, 5% at 2㎞, respectively. 2) The necrosis was the characteristic symptom of fluoride injury on rice plant and occurred predominantly at the tip and margins of damage leaf. It developed along the tip and margins of leaves with a dull, gray-green, water soaked discoloration. 3) The fluorine content of tip and margins of damaged rice leaves were 1,600 ppm, 3 to 20 times higher than that of center part and it ranged from 130 to 242.5 ppm in weed leaves, but from 10 to 15 ppm in normal weed leaves. 4) The contents of calcium, potassium, silicon, iron and manganese were higher in tip and margins than in the center of rice damage leaves. 5) The Cocculus trilolous. D.C was the most resistant plant to HF gas than any other plant growing in this site, while wild berry and aralia tree belong to most sensitive plant group.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.11
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• pp.1212-1218
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• 2005

Purpose : Forward pulmonary blood flow may be absent in some neonates with Ebstein's anomaly by anatomical or functional pulmonary atresia in association with the elevated pulmonary vascular resistance, patent ductus arteriosus and tricuspid regurgitation. We reviewed the presentation and outcomes of symptomatic neonates with Ebstein's anomaly focusing on the pulmonary atresia. Methods : Clinical presentation and outcome of 15 symptomatic neonates with Ebstein's anomaly seen at Asan medical center from 1998 to 2004 were reviewed. Results : Ten(67%) of 15 patients showed no forward pulmonary blood flow and 6 of them had functional pulmonary atresia. $O_2$ saturation and pH were lower and cardiothoracic(CT) ratio in chest radiography was more increased in the patients with pulmonary atresia than in the patients without pulmonary atresia(P<0.05). pH and CT ratio were not different between the anatomical and functional pulmonary atresia group, but $O_2$ saturation was lower in functional atresia group(P<0.05). 13 patients(87%) were managed with $PGE_1$. 4 of 6 patients with functional pulmonary atresia were treated with inhaled nitric oxide. Surgery was performed in 1 of 5 patients without pulmonary atresia and in 8 of 10 patients with pulmonary atresia during follow-up period(mean 37 months). 3 patients(20%) died and none of patients without pulmonary atresia died. Conclusion : We found that most symptomatic neonates with Ebstein's anomaly had functional or anatomical pulmonary atresia. The neonates with Ebstein's anomaly who had no forward pulmonary blood flow were more symptomatic and needed surgery earlier. Further studies will be needed to distinguish effectively functional and anatomical pulmonary atresia and to manage appropriately neonates with functional atresia.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.596-602
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• 2002

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to analyze the association of peripheral neutrophil count with the development of respiratory failure in preterm infants. Methods : A retrospective study was conducted from January 1993 to December 1999 on 44 preterm infants, who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of St. Francisco hospital. Preterm infants(birth weight 500 to 1,350 gm) who had a complete blood count obtained within 2 hours after delivery. Patients in the lowest of neutrophil count(early neutropenia, < $1.0{\times}10^9/L$) were compared with patients in the remaining group. Results : Low neutrophil count were transient in early neutropenia group. The concentration the circulating neutrophil count rose from $0.85{\pm}0.11{\times}10^9/L$ at average of 2 hours after delivery to $5.3{\pm}2.7{\times}10^9/L$ at 24 hours after delivery in the early neutropenia group and from $3.6{\pm}1.6{\times}10^9/L$ to $5.8{\pm}3.2{\times}10^9/L$ in the non-neutropenia group during the same time period. Compare to the non-neutropenia group, the neutropenia group had a lower birth weight($1,046.50{\pm}180.76gm$ Vs $1,156.70{\pm}124.99gm$), a lower Apgar score(1 min : $3.41{\pm}1.18$ Vs $4.30{\pm}1.46$, 5 min : $5.41{\pm}0.87$ Vs $6.15{\pm}0.95$), and a higher incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia(27.27% Vs 7.0%). Patients who had early neutropenia were more likely to require mechanical ventilation, supplemental oxygen and hospital stay. Also, main effect factors for the two groups were birth weight(Odds ratio=5.457, 95% CI=1.551-27.525), initial peripheral blood white cells(odds ratio=8.308, 95% CI=2.054-52.699), and bronchopulmonary dysplasia(odds ratio=0.099, 95% CI=0.017-0.397). Conclusion : A low count of neutrophil in the systemic circulation of premature infants within 2 hours of birth is associated with more severe respiratory distress.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.1501-1514
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health condition and nutritional status in female university students in Masan. The 285 subjects aged 20.1 years (18~26 years) were assessed with a set of questionnaire composed of general information, food, smoking, drinking and exercise habits, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure measurements, 24-hour recall and food frequency questionnaire. The rates of smoking and alcohol drinking habits were 1.8% and 82.5%, respectively. All the subjects had the experience of passive smoking. The 11% of the students exercised regularly and 11.6% ate meal regularly. The average height and weight of subjects were 161.0 ㎝ and 53.9 ㎏, respectively and the BMI was calculated as 20.8${\pm}$2.6 ㎏/$m^2$:The 13.3% of subjects were underweight, while 6.7% of them were overweight. The mean value for body fat was 26.4% and subscapular and tricep skinfolds thickness were 14.2 ㎜ and 16.9 ㎜, and waist-hip ratio was 0.72. The systolic/diastolic blood pressure of the subjects was 115.9 ㎜Hg/70.9 ㎜Hg. Except protein, phosphorous, vitamin E, B_6 and C, the average intakes of energy and nutrients were below the Korea recom-mended dietary allowance (RDA). Especially, intakes of calcium, iron and zinc were the lowest, as <70% of RDA. The proportion of energy derived from carbohydrates : protein : fat was 58.0 : 15.8 : 26.2. The 10 frequently consumed food were ssalbap (47.2/mon), kimchi (35.6/mon), onion (16.8/mon), japgokbap (15.1/mon), sesame oil (14.1/mon), carbonated drink (13.3/mon), grapes (12.7/mon), ice cream (12.4/mon), milk (11.9/mon) and water-melon (10.6/mon). Results of this study could be useful for planning nutrition education programs for female university students in this area to improve their dietary habit and health status.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.221-227
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• 2011

Purpose: The objectives were to identify the characteristics of neonates with hydrops fetalis, and to identify the risk factors associated with mortality. Methods: A retrospective review of AMC (Asan Medical Center) dataset was performed from January 1990 to June 2009. The characteristics of 71 patients with hydrops fetalis were investigated and they were divided into two groups: the survived group and the expired group. Various perinatal and neonatal factors in two groups were compared to find out risk factors associated with mortality based on univariate analysis, followed by multiple regression analyses (SPSS version 18.0). Results: Of those 71 neonates (average gestational age: 33 weeks, birth weight: 2.6 kg), 38 survived, 33 died, resulting in overall mortality rate of 46.5%. The most common etiology was idiopathic followed by chylothorax, cardiac anomalies, twin-to-twin transfusion, meconium peritonitis, cardiac arrythmias, and congenital infections. Factors that were associated independently with mortality in logistic regression analyses were low 5-minutes Apgar score, hyaline membrane disease and delayed in achieving 50th percentile ideal body weight for appropriate gestational age by 10 days. Conclusion: In this study, 5-minutes Apgar score, hyaline membrane disease and delayed in achieving 50th percentile ideal body weight for appropriate gestational age by 10 days were significant risk factors associated with mortality in hydrops fetalis. Therefore, the risk of death among neonates with hydrops fetalis depends on the illness immediately after birth and severity of hydrops fetalis. Informations from this study may prove useful in prediction of prognosis to neonates with hydrops fetalis.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2005

Purpose : Perinatal complications associated with maternal smoking and alcohol ingestion in pregnancy have been well documented. But until now there has been no clinical data on it collected in our country. In this paper, we tried to research the association between maternal smoking and alcohol ingestion in pregnancy and the physical indices of the neonate at delivery among unmaried mothers from one charitable institution. Methods : We enlisted 125 unmarried with a history of smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy who delivered a baby in National Medical Center from March, 2001 to March, 2004 as a study group. As a control, 174 unmarried mothers without a history of smoking and alcohol were enlisted. Then, we compared the physical indices - birth weight, height, and the head circumference - of the neonates from both groups. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of the period and the quantity of maternal smoking and alcohol ingestion on the physical indices of the neonates from the both groups. Results : Low physical indices of neonates were found in the study group(either smoking group, or drinking group) compared with the control group. The quantity of smoking or drinking and the period of smoking or drinking have no significant effect on physical indices. Conclusion : We found that maternal smoking and alcohol result in the low physical index of neonates, and educational initiatives must be directed at expectant mothers to emphasize the harmful effects of smoking and alcohol ingestion in pregnancy.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.10
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• pp.1119-1126
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• 2009

Purpose:This study compares the maternal characteristics and birth outcomes of infants of Asian immigrant mothers from developing countries with those of the infants of Korean mothers. Methods:In this multicenter and retrospective study, Asian immigrant women who had delivered between January 2005 and June 2008 were enrolled from9 Medical Centers. In all, 333 births to Asian immigrant women from developing countries (Asian-Korean infants) were included in this study. In addition, sex-, birth year-, and gestational age-matched 333 neonates born to Korean mothers were selected as the control group (Korean infants). On the basis of the hospital data, we investigated the nationality, age, and medical history of the mothers and compared the incidence of congenital infection, Apgar score, weight, height, and head circumference of Asian-Korean infants with those of the Korean infants. Results:The average maternal age of Asian women from developing countries at birth term was 26.7 years, which was significantly lower than that of Korean women (30.8 years, P<0.05). The birth weight of Asian-Korean infants (2,869 g) was significantly smaller than that of Korean infants (2,995 g, P<0.05). There was a significant difference in the incidence of congenital syphilis infection between the Asian-Korean infants and Korean infants (5 cases vs. 0 case, P<0.05). Conclusion:There were significant differences in the perinatal outcomes between the Korean and Asian-Korean infants. A multicenter large-scaled study should be performed to analyze the perinatal outcomes of Asian-Korean infants.