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Background: Metabolic syndrome is a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease and its prevalence is markedly increasing. Recent studies report the association of androgen deficiency with the development of metabolic syndrome. We analyzed the association of serum lipid profiles and metabolic syndrome in apparently healthy Korean male adults. Methods: Among the participants in the annual health check-up program in Health Promotion Center in Kangbuk Samsung Hospital from March to May, 2003, 290 male adults (mean age 40 years, range 28-69 years) were selected and anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin serum lipid profiles, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and total testosterone levels were measured. The presence of metabolic syndrome was defined by National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP-ATP) III criteria. Results: In bivariate analysis, SHBG showed positive correlation with age and serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and negative correlation with body mass index (BMI), triglyceride, uric acid, fasting insulin, blood pressure. Serum total testosterone level showed positive correlation with HDL-C level and negative correlation with triglyceride, uric acid, fasting insulin and diastolic blood pressure. After the adjustment for age and BMI, serum testosterone level showed significant correlation with uric acid and HDL-C level and SHBG level showed significant correlation with uric acid, triglyceride, insulin and diastolic blood pressure. In logistic regression analysis, the 3rd lowest quartile of total testosterone level showed odds ratio of 0.304 (95% CI 0.112∼0.824) for metabolic syndrome compared with the lowest quartile. The highest quartile of SHBG level showed odds ratio of 0.224 (95% CI 0.070∼0.712) compared with the lowest quartile. Conclusions: In apparently healthy Korean male adults, serum total testosterone level showed significant correlation with serum lipid levels and as the levels of testosterone and SHBG increased, the risk for metabolic syndrome was decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new black seed coat soybean cultivar, 'Daeheug', was developed at the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS) in 2007. The breeding goal for black seed coat soybean is to develop the cultivar with large seed size, high yield, lodging tolerance, and resistance to disease such as soybean mosaic virus (SMV), and bacterial pustule. 'Daeheug' was selected from the cross between 'Daehwang' which had yellow seed coat, large seed size, and late maturity, and 'Milyang 79' which was lodging tolerant, and SMV resistant with medium seed size, black seed coat, and yellow cotyledon. The preliminary, advanced and regional yield trials for evaluation and selection of this cultivar were carried out from 2003 to 2007. It has determinate growth habit, purple flower, brown pubescence, brown pod color, black seed coat, yellow cotyledon, spherical flattened seed shape, oval leaf shape and large seed size (34.3 g/100 seeds). In maturity, 'Daeheug' was 2 days later than the check cultivar 'Ilpumgeomjeongkong'. In the seed quality such as isoflavone contents (635 μ/g), and anthocyanin contents (11.2 ml/g of seed coat), 'Daeheug' was better than the check cultivar. It has good adaptability for cooking with rice in ratio of water absorption and seed hardness. Specially, it has good processability for soybean tea with 2.13 absorbance at 530 nm, scavenge activity of DPPH radical was high, and contents of total phenolics was 1,263 μ/?. The average yield of 'Daeheug' was 2.26 ton per hectare in the regional yield trials (RYT) carried out in six locations of Korea from 2005 to 2007. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]