• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.64-67
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• 2005

Leptin is a small polypeptide hormone secreted primarily by adipocytes. Leptin regulates energy balance by decreasing food intake and increasing energy expenditure. This study investigated the relationships between serum leptin levels and BMI (body mass index) in 49 adults in Pohang, Korea. The subjects were 25 males and 24 females, aged 21 to 64 years attending an outpatient clinic at Handong University Sunlin Presbyterian Hospital. Values are given +/- the standard error of the mean. Our study shows that the serum leptin levels in these subjects were positively correlated with BMI. The leptin levels were higher in females (2.39+/-1.82 ng/mL) than in males (0.43+/-0.455ng/mL), although lower than previously reported. We therefore compared the serum leptin levels from the male Korean subjects (BMI 24.3+/-0.74㎏/㎡) with serum from six British males with a similar BMI (23.4+/-1.48㎏/㎡). The serum leptin concentrations (1.76+/-0.76 ng/mL) were lower than that of plasma (4.28+/-1.66 ng/mL) in the British subjects. The serum leptin in the British subjects (1.76+/-0.76ng/mL) was higher than that in the Koreans. There was no correlation between leptin levels and BMI in either male (slope 0.018 ± 0.036, p=0.624) or female (slope 0.382±0.433, p=0.417) type 2 diabetic patients in Pohang, Korea. Taken together, our study shows that the serum leptin level in Koreans varies with the BMI, but is lower than that of BMI-matched British subjects.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.48-55
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• 2015

1-Deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) has been extensively investigated for its applications as an a-glucosidase inhibitor in postprandial hyperglycemia, and has been applied to nutraceuticals and medicines to prevent or delay the progression of type 2 diabetes. However, the amount of DNJ in mulberry leaves is low (approximately 0.1%), therefore, a more effective extraction method is needed. In this study, microbial DNJ production was developed as an alternative to chemical methods. We identified fermented sericultural products and bacteria that produce DNJ in large quantities using high performance liquid chromatography and thin layer chromatography. The inhibition of a-glucosidase activity was examined with respect to DNJ production or non-production. Crude DNJ from the isolated strains exhibited greater than 70% a-glucosidase activity. An investigation of the effect of mulberry leaf powder concentration (1~5%), using high DNJ producing bacteria, provided evidence for microbial mass production of DNJ.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.466-476
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this secondary analysis study was to examine the incidence of abuse and the contributing factors for that abuse among the Korean elderly with stroke. Methods: Data were derived from the 2008 Korean National Survey on Older Adults. The participants were 934 community-dwelling elderly with stroke. Data were analyzed using the Rao-Scott $x^2$-test, simple logistic regression and multiple logistic regression with the PASW 18.0 complex samples analysis module. Results: The prevalence of elder abuse was 13.5%. Emotional abuse (10.0%) was the most frequently reported abuse, followed by financial neglect (3.8%), caring neglect (3.3%), financial abuse (2.1%), and physical abuse (1.9%). 44.6% of the perpetrators of emotional abuse were coresidential family members. Participants without spouses (odds ratio=2.05, 95% CI=1.14~3.68), those without diabetes (odds ratio=2.24, 95% CI=1.15~4.39), and depressed participants (odds ratio=2.72, 95% CI=1.34~5.52) were more likely to be abused. Conclusion: Emotional abuse was the most frequently reported type of abuse while physical abuse was least frequent among the elderly with stroke. Nurses caring for the elderly with stroke should be aware of the types of abuse and risk factors such as lack of spouse and incidents of depression.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.260-266
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• 2011

Objectives: We evaluated the association between common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT), brachialankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), carotid plaque, and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) as indicators of macroangiopathy and diabetic retinopathy as an indicator of microangiopathy in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: We analyzed 605 type 2 diabetic patients registered at a public health center in Korea. Following overnight fasting, venous blood and urine samples were collected and analyzed. The CCA-IMT, levels of carotid plaque, baPWV, and ankle-brachial index (ABI) of the subjects were assessed. We used non-mydriatic fundus photography to diagnose diabetic retinopathy. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between macroangiopathy and diabetic retinopathy. CCA-IMT and baPWV were divided into tertiles: CCA-IMT, 0.39 to 0.65 mm, 0.66 to 0.78 mm, and 0.79 to 1.30 mm; baPWV, 9.9 to 15.8 m/s, 15.9 to 18.9 m/s, and 19.0 to 38.0 m/s. Results: The association between baPWV and diabetic retinopathy remained significant after adjustment, with an increasing odds ratio (OR) in the second tertile (OR, 2.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27 to 4.55) and the third tertile (OR, 4.63; 95% CI, 2.33 to 9.21). No significant differences were observed in carotid plaque, PAD, and each tertile of CCA-IMT. Conclusions: BaPWV was associated with diabetic retinopathy, while CCA-IMT, carotid plaque, and PAD were not. This study suggests that the association between macroangiopathy and microangiopathy may be attributable to functional processes rather than structural processes within the vascular system.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.31 no.spc
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• pp.534-548
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• 2020

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence and lifestyle habits of cardiovascular disease (CVD) according to the type of disability in Korean adults compared to adults without disability. Methods: This study was secondary data analysis using the National Health check-up database from 2010 to 2013. Among the total 395,627 adults aged 30~80, the physically disabled (n=21,614) and the mentally disabled (n=1,448) who met the diagnosis criteria were extracted and compared with non-disabled (n=372,565) through 1:2 propensity score matching for nine characteristics. Results: Prior to matching, the prevalence of CVD was 34.4% in individuals without disabilities, accounting for 53.8% in those with physical disabilities and 22.4% in those with mental disabilities, showing significant differences between groups (p<.001). After matching, compared to the individuals without disability, those with physically disabled had significantly higher prevalence of CVD and the average number of CVD (p<.001). The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and vascular disease was significantly higher in the physically disabled (p<.05). Drinking was significantly higher in the non-disabled than in the physically and mentally disabled, and smoking was more in the non-disabled than in the mentally disabled. Physical activity was found to be significantly less in both the physically and mentally disabled than in the non-disabled (p<.01). Conclusion: It is necessary to confirm the differences in the prevalence of CVD risk factors and lifestyle according to the type of disability, suggesting the development and verification of health promotion programs including physical activity for CVD prevention in the disabled with CVD risk factors.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.445-452
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of DA-9801, an optimized extract of Dioscorea species, on diabetic peripheral neuropathy in a type 2 diabetic animal model. In this study, db/db mice were treated with DA-9801 (30 and 100 mg/kg, daily, p.o.) for 12 weeks. DA-9801 reduced the blood glucose levels and increased the withdrawal latencies in hot plate tests. Moreover, it prevented nerve damage based on increased nerve conduction velocity and ultrastructural changes. Decrease of nerve growth factor (NGF) may have a detrimental effect on diabetic neuropathy. We previously reported NGF regulatory properties of the Dioscorea genus. In this study, DA-9801 induced NGF production in rat primary astrocytes. In addition, it increased NGF levels in the sciatic nerve and the plasma of type 2 diabetic animals. DA-9801 also increased neurite outgrowth and mRNA expression of Tieg1/Klf10, an NGF target gene, in PC12 cells. These results demonstrated the attenuation of diabetic peripheral neuropathy by oral treatment with DA-9801 via NGF regulation. DA-9801 is currently being evaluated in a phase II clinical study.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.339-344
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• 2009

Diabetic cataract is a major complication of diabetes mellitus. Excess accumulation of sorbitol plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications such as cataract formation. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of the extract of the aerial parts of Aster koraiensis (AK) on diabetic cataractogenesis. To examine this further, we evaluated sorbitol accumulation during cataract development using streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat, an animal model of type 1 diabetes. Diabetic rats were treated orally with AK (100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg body weight) once a day orally for 9 weeks. In vehicle-treated diabetic rats, lens opacity was increased, and lens fiber swelling and membrane rupture were observed. In addition, sorbitol accumulation in diabetic lens was markedly enhanced. However, AK treatment delayed the progression of diabetic cataract through the inhibition of sorbitol accumulation, and prevented lens fiber degeneration in a dose-dependent manner. These observations suggest that AK treatment can delay the progression of lens opacification in the diabetic rats during the early diabetic cataractogenesis.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.40-61
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• 1995

This study was performed to investigate concept, systoms, causes of disease, pathogenic mechanisms, therapies and precriptions about senile constipation through the successive medical literature, recent chinese medical literature and chinese medical joumals. Senile constipation seems to be applicable to dryness syndrom and constipation of insufficiency type, have something to do with kidney(the most), lung, spleen and large intestine. The most principal cause of disease is yin-fluid, the rest deficiency of qi, insufficiency of yang, stagnation of qi and retention of fever etc. There are enriching the blood and moistening dryness in principal therapy, the rest are invigorating qi and loosing the bowel, warming and invigorating the spleen and kidney, regulating the flow of qi and promoting the stagnancy of qi and expelling the pathogenic heat etc. In prescriptions there are Yunjangtang, Jengaektang, Hwanggitang, Jechunjeon, Yukmatang and Majainhwan as the causes of disease, meanwhile are Yungjang-tang, Jechunjeon and Majainhwan in the vulgaris prescriptions. And in medical herbs there are nourishing yin medicines as Rhizoma rehmanniac, Radix ophiopogonis and Radix scrophulariae etc., invigorating qi medicines as Radix astragali, Radix codonopsitis and Radix polygoni multiflori etc, invigorating yang medicines as Caulis cistanchis and Semen psoraleae etc., promoting qi circulating medicines as Radix saussurea, Lignum aquilariae and Radix linderae etc., and reducing fever and therapeutic method to keep the adverse qi flowing downward medicines as Semen cannabis, Rhizoma rhei, Fructus immaturus ponciri, and Cortex magnoliae etc.. Meantime Rhizoma rehmanniae, Radix ophiopogonis, Caulis cistanchis, Radix angelicae gigantis, Semen cannabis, Semen biotae, Semen pruni japonicae and Semen persicae in principal herb-medicines. In clinical reports the process of disease was between 10 to 20 years, the evacuation cycle between 4 to 7 days, generally possessed chronic diseases as hypertension, diabetes, arteriosclerosis and cerebro- vascular disorders etc. and the efficiency rate was more than 90%. The senile constipation is occured in succession or promoted by chronic diseases as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, arteriosclerosis. hrperlipemia, cerebro- vascular disorders etc., so diet-regulating, adequate exercise, proper evacuation-habit and psychologic rest etc. are important more than medicine-treatments.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.79-79
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• 2003

Recently diabetes has been found to be associated with metabolic bone diseases such as osteoporosis. In the present study, attempts have been made-to explore the effect of high glucose in bone formation. Osteoblast-like UMR 106 cells were treated with high glucose (22mM, 33mM, 44mM) for 1 or 2 days. High glucose significantly inhibited proliferation of UMR106 cells in a time- and dose- dependent manner as evidenced by MTT assay. For the evaluation of collagen synthesis, UMR 106 cells were cultured in high glucose media (44mM) for 24 h and the ratio of collagen content to total protein was measured. In addition, gene expression pattern of type I collagen was assessed by RT-PCR. The high concentration of glucose inhibited a collagen synthesis, a marker of bone formation activity. JNK, c- Jun N-terminal Kinase, is known to play an important role in stress-associated cell death. In this regard, we tested to determine whether high glucose has any effect on JNK activity. It has been found that treatment of high glucose induced phosphorylation of JNK. On the other hand, ERK phosphorylation was inhibited by high glucose in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, Therefore these results indicate that inhibition of proliferation in UMR 106 cells following high glucose is related to JNK/ERK containing signal pathways. This study showed high glucose concentration could alter the bone metabolism leading to defective bone formation, suggesting that high glucose due to diabetes may playa significant role in the development of metabolic bone disease.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.10-14
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• 2007

Type 2 diabetes mellitus relavant to insulin resistance is a chronic and hard to control. In order to develop an antidiabetic agent from natural products, anti-hyperglycemic effect of herbal formula containing Mori Follium, Euonymi Lignum Suberalatum and Ginseng Radix(MEG) was investigated in db/db mice. Treatment group was administered orally with MEG formula at a dose of 300 mg/kg for 5 weeks, and blood glucose, insulin and lipid levels were determined. MEG treatment group showed a marked decrease in fasting blood glucose level and insulin resistance index(IRI) compared to those in diabetic control. Improvement of insulin resistance(60.6%) was indicative of reducing lipid levels in plasma and triglyceride contents in muscle and adipose tissue. In addition, expressions of an insulin responsive gene, glucose transporter 4(Glut4), in muscle and adipose tissue were upregulated in MEG treatment group. Compared islet morphology between groups, MEG formula prevented the ${\beta}$-cell destruction caused by high blood glucose. Taken together, MEG formula can act as an anti-hyperglycemic agent with insulin sensitizing effect, and thus deserves a clinical trial in the future.