• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6279-6284
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• 2015

Opisthorchis viverrini (OV)-induced cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an important cancer in the Great Mekong region, particularly in Thailand. Limitations of treatment options and the lack of an effective diagnostic tool for early detection of CCA are major concerns for the control of this type of cancer. The aim of the study was to investigate anti-CCA activity of the ethanolic extract of Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC., and the applicability of positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) as a tool for detection and monitoring the progression of CCA in Opisthorchis viverrini (OV)/dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced CCA hamsters. Male Syrian hamsters were used for toxicity tests and anti-CCA activity evaluation. Development of CCA was induced by initial feeding of 50 metacercariae of OV, followed by drinking water containing 12.5 ppm of DMN in hamsters. The ethanolic extract of A. lancea (Thunb.) DC. was administered orally for 30 days. PET-CT was performed every 4 weeks after initiation of CCA using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ($^{18}F-FDG$). Results from the present study suggest that the ethanolic extract of A. lancea (Thunb.) DC. rhizome exhibited promising anti-CCA activity and safety profile in the OV/DMN-induced hamster model. To successfully apply PET-CT as a tool for early detection of tumor development and progression, modification of radiolabeling approach is required to improve its specificity for CCA cells.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.268-277
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Although it is crucial to identify those children likely to be treated in an appropriate nutrition rehabilitation programme and discharge them at the appropriate time, there is no golden standard for such identification. The current study examined the appropriateness of using Mid-Upper Arm Circumference for the identification, follow-up and discharge of malnourished children. We also assessed its discrepancy with the Weight-for-Height based diagnosis, the rate of recovery, and the discharge criteria of the children during nutrition rehabilitation. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study present findings from 156 children (aged 6-59 months) attending a supplementary feeding programme at Makadara and Jericho Health Centres, Eastern District of Nairobi, Kenya. Records of age, weight, height and mid-upper arm circumference were selected at three stages of nutrition rehabilitation: admission, follow-up and discharge. The values obtained were then used to calculate z-scores as defined by WHO Anthro while estimating different diagnostic indices. RESULTS: Mid-upper arm circumference single cut-off (< 12.5 cm) was found to exhibit high values of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio at both admission and discharge. Besides, children recorded higher rate of recovery at 86 days, an average increment of 0.98 cm at the rate of 0.14mm/day, and a weight gain of 13.49gm/day, albeit higher in female than their male counterparts. Nevertheless, children admitted on basis of low MUAC had a significantly higher MUAC gain than WH at 0.19mm/day and 0.13mm/day respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Mid-upper arm circumference can be an appropriate tool for identifying malnourished children for admission to nutrition rehabilitation programs. Our results confirm the appropriateness of this tool for monitoring recovery trends and discharging the children thereafter. In principle the tool has potential to minimize nutrition rehabilitation costs, particularly in community therapeutic centres in developing countries.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.272-279
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• 2012

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop an appropriate nursing information guideline according to corrected age, after investigating parents' concerns about the growth, development, and diseases of their premature infants after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: The parents of premature infants (birth weight, <2,500 g; gestational age, <37 weeks) who went to a neonatal follow-up clinic after NICU discharge at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital from January 2005 to December 2009, were asked with regard to their concerns about their infants through a questionnaire survey. The results of physical examinations, including body measurements and neurodevelopmental status at 4, 8, 12, and 18 months of corrected age, were retrospectively reviewed in 390 infants. Results: The most common parental concerns were developmental delay, poor growth, and feeding and nutritional problems. Parental concerns about developmental delay, growth failure in improvement in body weight and length, and overweightness were high in specificity but very low in sensitivity. After NICU discharge, 30% of premature infants experienced infectious diseases before 18 months of corrected age, the most common of which was respiratory tract infection. Conclusion: For guiding of premature infants in outpatient day clinics after NICU discharge, it is necessary to identify the parents' highest concerns, to educate them about the possibilities of growth and neurodevelopmental disabilities in their infants and to provide them with handouts containing guidelines on the management of infectious diseases, especially respiratory infections.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.937-946
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• 2011

Several isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) were screened for the vegetative insecticidal protein (Vip) effective against sap-sucking insect pests. Screening results were based on $LC_{50}$ values against cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii), one of the dangerous pests of various crop plants including cotton. Among the isolates, the Bt#BREF24 showed promising results, and upon purification the aphidicidal protein was recognized as a binary toxin. One of the components of this binary toxin was identified by peptide sequencing to be a homolog of Vip2A that has been reported previously in other Bacillus spp. Vip2 belongs to the binary toxin group Vip1-Vip2, and is responsible for the enzymatic activity; and Vip1 is the translocation and receptor binding protein. The two genes encoding the corresponding proteins of the binary toxin, designated as vip2Ae and vip1Ae, were cloned from the Bt#BREF24, sequenced, and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. Aphid feeding assay with the recombinant proteins confirmed that these proteins are indeed the two components of the binary toxins, and the presence of both partners is essential for the activity. Aphid specificity of the binary toxin was further verified by ligand blotting experiment, which identified an ~50 kDa receptor in the brush border membrane vesicles of the cotton aphids only, but not in the lepidopteran insects. Our finding holds a promise of its use in future as a candidate gene for developing transgenic crop plants tolerant against sap-sucking insect pests.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.496-508
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• 1992

Phytophagous insects associated with Dicotyledoneae weeds and host specificities in the field populations were investigated for the survey of biological control agents of weeds in Korea. Fifty four weed species in 39 genera were collected during the survey. The most insects were collected from Polygonales by 24 species in 22 genera and followed by Urticales and Centrospermales by 17 species of 17 genera. The insects collected in the other weed orders were ranged from 1 to 12 species. Out of 17 insect species collected in Urticales, Baris sp. damaged the leaves of Hamulus japonicus in Cannabinaceae as scattered holeshape and showed host specificity. In Polygonaceae, Rumex japonicus and R. crispus were severely damaged by Aphis rumicis and Gastrophysa atrocyanea. G. atrocyanea leaf beetle had host specificity on R. japonicus and ate all the leaves except veins. The leaf beetle, Lypesthes japonicus was a potential biological control agent by feeding leaves of Persicaria spp .. And Lixus spp. were also often collected from Persicaria spp .. Liothrips vaneeckei was first collected from weed, P. modosa. P. senticosa was damaged by unidentified geometrid moth larvae and P. perfoiliata by Miarus atricolor snout beetle. Cassida piperata damaged leaves of Chenopodium album of Centrospermales and showed host specificity. In a soybean field, C. album and Amaranthus mangostanus were severely damaged by Spodoptera litura larvae which were eating soybean leaves. This phenomenon indicates that the presence of weed in cultivated land influences the outbreak of insect pests. Altica oleracea leaf beetle was frequently collected from Oenothera spp. of Onagraceae in Myrtales. Aphis gossyphi was outbroken on Solanum nigrum and Phylliodes brettinghami leaf beetle was first recorded on the same plant. Leaf beetles, Longitarsus scutellais and Hemipyxis plagioderoides were first collected from Plantago asiatica of Plantaginaceae in Plantaginales. They showed host specificities in the fields. The hemipterans were collected from many weeds during the survey and their roles on weeds should be investigated. A tractomorpha bedeli was also collected from many kinds of weeds in forest areas.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.320-324
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• 2002

Purpose : Steatorrhea tests have been developed using various methods. Acid steatocrit is a simple method to detect steatorrhea and has very high sensitivity and specificity. This present study was designed to establish the normal values of acid steatocrit in Korean infants and to find the difference according to the various feeding methods. Methods : Acid steatocrit tests were conducted on 128 infants who were under 12 months of age and who had non-specific gastrointestinal diseases between May 1998 and April 2001. The results were classified into neonatal ages(79 neonates), 1-6 months(28 infants), 7-12 months(21 infants). This included formula-fed(46 neonates) and human milk-fed(33 neonates), 1-6 months formula-fed (18 infants) and human milk-fed(10 infants), 7-12 months formula-fed(11 infants) and human milk-fed(10 infants). Results : The acid steatocrit values decreased by infant age in months. Acid steatocrit values decreased much more after 7 months of ages. The acid steatocrit values of human milk-fed infants were significantly lower than those of formula-fed infants. Conclusion : Our study confirms that a physiologic steatorrhea was found in the infant period and decreases by infant age of months. The acid steatocrit test might be useful for the evaluation of gastrointestinal milk fat malabsorption disorders and therapeutic effects.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.88-94
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• 2016

The study was carried out to examine the anti-obesity effects of 40% ethanol extract from green tea seed (GS) and quantitative determination of caffeine as its major compound. The specificity was satisfied with retention time and UV spectrum by analysis of caffeine using HPLC and comparison with standard compound. It showed a high linearity in the calibration curve with a coefficient of correlation (R²) of 0.9974. The amount of caffeine in GS was about 4.649 mg/g (0.465%) in the three times analysis, and relative standard deviation (RSD) was less than 0.452% by the validated method. The anti-obesity effects of GS were evaluated by using Oil Red O staining in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and body weight, visceral fat and lipid profiles in high fat diet (HFD)-induced C57BL/6 obese mice. Our results indicated that treatment with GS dose-dependently decreased lipid accumulation contents (p<0.001). Moreover, after oral administration for 30 days feeding with HFD-induced obses mice, GS (100 and 300 mg/kg/day) produced a significant decrease in serum total cholesterol (TC), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and visceral fat. Thus, the result of this study indicate that the GS may be a useful resource for the management of obesity.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2008

We determined the effects of dietary supplements for lactic acid bacteria(LAB) such as Lactobacillus brevis(Lb) and Lactobacillus plantarum(Lp) in juvenile rockfish Sebastes schlegeli cultured in flow-through system for 10 weeks. The experimental diets contained $10^4cfu/g,\;10^6cfu/g\;and\;10^8cfu/g$ level each LAB(Lb-4, Lb-6, Lb-8 or Lp-4, Lp-6, Lp-8), respectively. The effects of LAB supplementation was determined by various factor such as weight gain(WG), specific growth rate(SGR), feeding efficiency(FE) and blood assay. For rearing experiment, Lp-8 treatment had significantly high growth rate than control diet treatment. However, all Lb treatment had no significance effect with control diet treatment. In case of the blood assay, hematocrit(Ht) and hemoglobin(Hb) of fish were not affected by LAB supplemental levels. On the other hand, total cholesterol in plasma of Lb-8, Lp-6 and Lp-8 treatments were significantly low than the control diet treatment. We verified the influence of LAB which was originated from species specificity and amount in diet. Consequently, the dietary supplementation as $10^8cfu/g$ level of L. plantarum could be of help for growth enhancement to the juvenile rockfish.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.747-754
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• 2005

Nutritional regulation of gene expression associated with growth and feeding behavior in avian species can become an important technique to improve poultry production according to the supply of nutrients in the diet. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) found in chickens has been characterized to be a 70 amino acid polypeptide and plays an important role in growth and metabolism. Although it is been well known that IGF-I is highly associated with embryonic development and post-hatching growth, changes in the distribution of IGF-I gene expression throughout early- to late-embryogenesis have not been studied so far. We revealed that the developmental pattern of IGF-I gene expression during embryogenesis differed among various tissues. No bands of IGF-I mRNA were detected in embryonic liver at 7 days of incubation, and thereafter the amount of hepatic IGF-I mRNA was increased from 14 to 20 days of incubation. In eyes, a peak in IGF-I mRNA levels occurred at mid-embryogenesis, but by contrast, IGF-I mRNA was barely detectable in the heart throughout all incubation periods. In the muscle, no significant difference in IGF-I gene expression was observed during different stages of embryogenesis. After hatching, hepatic IGF-I gene expression as well as plasma IGF-I concentration increases rapidly with age, reaches a peak before sexual maturity, and then declines. The IGF-I gene expression is very sensitive to changes in nutritional conditions. Food-restriction and fasting decreased hepatic IGF-I gene expression and refeeding restored IGF-I gene expression to the level of fed chickens. Dietary protein is also a very strong factor in changing hepatic IGF-I gene expression. Refeeding with dietary protein alone successfully restored hepatic IGF-I gene expression of fasted chickens to the level of fed controls. In most circumstances, IGF-I makes a complex with specific high-affinity IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs). So far, four different IGFBPs have been identified in avian species and the major IGFBP in chicken plasma has been reported to be IGFBP-2. We studied the relationship between nutritional status and IGFBP-2 gene expression in various tissues of young chickens. In the liver of fed chickens, almost no IGFBP-2 mRNA was detected. However, fasting markedly increased hepatic IGFBP-2 gene expression, and the level was reduced after refeeding. In the gizzard of well-fed young chickens, IGFBP-2 gene expression was detected and fasting significantly elevated gizzard IGFBP-2 mRNA levels to about double that of fed controls. After refeeding, gizzard IGFBP-2 gene expression decreased similar to hepatic IGFBP-2 gene expression. In the brain, IGFBP-2 mRNA was observed in fed chickens and had significantly decreased by fasting. In the kidney, IGFBP-2 gene expression was observed but not influenced by fasting and refeeding. Recently, we have demonstrated in vivo that gizzard and hepatic IGFBP-2 gene expression in fasted chickens was rapidly reduced by intravenous administration of insulin, as indicated that in young chickens the reduction in gizzard and hepatic IGFBP-2 gene expression in vivo stimulated by malnutrition may be, in part, regulated by means of the increase in plasma insulin concentration via an insulin-response element. The influence of dietary protein source (isolated soybean protein vs. casein) and the supplementation of essential amino acids on gizzard IGFBP-2 gene expression was examined. In both soybean protein and casein diet groups, the deficiency of essential amino acids stimulated chickens to increase gizzard IGFBP-2 gene expression. Although amino acid supplementation of a soybean protein diet significantly decreased gizzard IGFBP-2 mRNA levels, a similar reduction was not observed in chickens fed a casein diet supplemented with amino acids. This overview of nutritional regulation of IGF-I and IGFBP-2 gene expression in young chickens would serve for the establishment of the supply of nutrients to diets to improve poultry production.