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Purpose: To evaluate the association and interaction of single nucleotide polymorphisms in CFH and LOC387715/ARMS2 with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a Korean population. Methods: A total of 114 exudative AMD patients and 240 normal subjects participated in the study. PCR and direct sequencing were used to screen SNPs in the CFH and in the LOC387715/ARMS2. Genotype and haplotype analyses were performed. Two-locus gene-gene interactions were evaluated by the data mining approach multifactor-dimensionality reduction method. Results: The *C/*T genotype frequency of rs1061170 in CFH showed a significant difference (OR = 1.79). Genotype and allele frequencies of rs551397 (*C/*C, OR = 2.84; *C, OR = 1.67) and rs800292 (*G/*G, OR = 2.198; *G, OR = 1.676) in CFH, and rs10490924 (T/*T, OR = 12.45; *T, OR = 4.45) and rs2736911 (*C/*C, OR = 3.21; *C, OR = 2.71) in LOC387715/ARMS2 were significantly higher in patients. In the haplotype analysis, C-T of rs2736911-rs10490924 in LOC387715/ARMS2 (OR = 4.85) and C-G of rs551397-rs800292 in CFH (OR = 2.22) predisposed significantly to AMD. After cross-validation consistency (CVC) and permutation tests, we identified the 1 marker model (rs10490924), which has a prediction accuracy of 73.5%, and the two locus model, rs10490924_ rs800292, with 75.3% balanced accuracy in predicting AMD disease risk. Conclusions: Korean individuals with the LOC387715/ARMS2 rs10490924, and to a lesser extent, CFH rs800292 variants might be at a greater risk for the development of exudative AMD. Furthermore, the risk of exudative AMD may increase significantly if these variants are both present in the two genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The local peritoneal effects of low-glucose degradation product (GDP)-containing peritoneal dialysis fluid (PDF) have been extensively described. However, the systemic effects of prolonged prescription of these solutions are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of neutral pH and low-GDP PDF on systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction markers in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Methods. This is a multicenter, open labeled, randomized controlled trial including one hundred fifty-two patients initiating continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis for end-stage renal disease from seven centers in Korea. Participants were randomly allocated to conventional PDF (Stay safe®; Fresenius Medical Care, Bad Homburg, Germany) or low-GDP PDF (Balance®; Fresenius Medical Care) and were followed for 1 year. Primary outcome variable was the inflammation and endothelial dysfunction index (IEDI), a composite score derived from serum levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM)-1, soluble vascular cellular adhesion molecule (sVCAM)-1 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, residual renal function (RRF), peritoneal membrane transport characteristics, ultrafiltration volume and nutritional parameters were measured as secondary outcome variables. Results. Of 152 patients randomized, 146 (low-GDP: conventional PDF, 79:67) patients entered the trial (46% male, 53% with diabetes mellitus). At 12-month follow-up, the low-GDP group had significantly lower levels of IEDI, sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 compared to the conventional group; hs-CRP was not different between groups. Peritoneal transport characteristics, RRF, nutritional parameters, incidence of peritonitis and death-censored technique survival were not different between groups. Conclusion. Neutral pH and low-GDP PDF likely produce fewer changes in markers of endothelial dysfunction compared to conventional PDF in incident PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background. Impaired urinary concentration is uniformly present with advanced disease in chronic renal failure. Aquaporin-2 (AQP-2) is known to be expressed in the renal collecting duct cells and participates in urinary concentration in response to vasopressin. Recently, the study of AQP expression in various forms of chronic kidney disease (CKD) demonstrated a reduction in AQP-2 expression associated with a loss of nephrons and the presence of chronic interstitial fibrosis. No information on aquaporin genetic variations in CKD is available to date. The aim of our study was to evaluate the possible impact of aquaporin-2 genotype on the development and clinical course of CKD. Methods. Blood samples from 259 patients with CKD and 106 ethnicity-, age-, and sex-matched healthy controls were collected, and genomic DNA was extracted. AQP-2 -667 genotype was assessed by PCR, followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Results. There were no significant differences in genotype and allele frequencies between the patients and healthy controls (p = 0.3936, p = 0.2941, respectively). In all, 79 (30.5%) patients had the AQP-2 -667 wild-type A/A, 123 (47.5%) were heterozygous for the G allele, and 57 (22.0%) patients showed homozygosity. After subclassification of CKD according to underlying disease, no significant differences were observed between those patients and controls (p = 0.72 for diabetic nephropathy, p = 0.52 for hypertensive nephropathy, p = 0.27 for chronic glomerulonephritis, and p = 0.80 for unknown etiology). Genotype and allele frequencies of the AQP-2 gene polymorphism (rs3759126) of hypertensive patients in pre-ESRD did not show a noticeable difference compared with normal blood pressure patients in pre-ESRD (p = 0.50). No correlation was found to exist between the AQP-2 gene polymorphism (rs3759126) and serum electrolyte levels in pre-ESRD patients (p = 0.38 for serum sodium level and p = 0.44 for serum potassium level). Conclusion. Our data indicate that no association exists between the -667 AQP-2 A/G polymorphism and susceptibility to CKD or its clinical course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the diagnostic efficiency of positron emission tomography with 18-fluorine fluorodeoxyglucose in detecting breast cancer in augmented breasts. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: University hospital, Korea. Subject: 9 cases or 8 patients with breasts augmented with paraffin or silicone. Intervention: FDG-PET, mammography, and ultrasonography Results: The mammogram detected the breast cancer in only 1 of 3 patients, and ultrasonography gave a false positive result in 1 patient with an augmented breast. In contrast, PET predicted all the cancers and 5/6 benign lesions. 2/3 breast cancers had axillary FDG uptake interpreted as showing metastatic involvement, and in 1 case with cancer with no axillary lymph node involvement there was no FDG uptake in the axilla, which correlated with the pathological finding. Conclusions: Although the high cost of PET makes its use as a screening test for all patients with augmented breasts unrealistic, it would be the best diagnostic choice if other methods failed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Dacheong', a new japonica rice variety developed from a cross between Iksan450 having a good eating-quality and multi-disease resistance, and YR21258-GH3 having insect resistance, was developed by the rice breeding team of Department of Rice and Winter Cereal Crop, NICS, RDA in 2008. This variety has about 125 days growth duration from transplanting to harvesting in west-southern coast, Honam and Youngnam plain of Korea. It has 87 cm culm length and tolerance to lodging. In reaction to biotic and abiotic stresses, it shows resistance to blast, bacterial blight pathogen races from K1 to K3, stripe virus and brown plant hopper. The milled rice of 'Dacheong' exhibits translucent, relatively clear non-glutinous endosperm and medium short grain. It has slightly lower amylose content of 18.8% and lower protein content of 5.7%, and good palatability of cooked rice compared with Nampyeongbyeo. The milled rice yield performance of this variety is about 5.91 MT/ha in local adaptability test for three years. 'Dacheong' would be adaptable to west-southern coast, Honam and Youngnam plain of Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Purpose: To investigate seizure frequency in relation to menstrual cycles and seizure exacerbations with respect to various clinical factors in women with epilepsy. Methods: The authors prospectively evaluated premenopausal women with epilepsy aged 15–44. Catamenial epilepsy was defined as seizure frequency during the perimenstrual (C1), periovulatory (C2) or non-menstrual phase (C3) at least twice that during other phases. Results: In total 255 menstrual cycles, 231 ovulatory and 24 anovulatory cycles were registered in 79 patients (29.7±7.8 years old). Average seizure frequency was 0.13±0.29/day during the menstrual phase, 0.14±0.24 during the follicular, 0.18±0.61 in the ovulatory, and 0.14±0.33 during the luteal phases. Catamenial seizure exacerbation was observed in 37/79 (46.8%) patients and 108/255 (42.4%) cycles, more frequently during anovulatory (17/24, 70.8%) than ovulatory (91/231, 39.4%) cycles (p =0.003). During ovulatory cycles, seizure exacerbation was primarily C1 (42.9%) or C2 (45.1%) pattern. Myoclonic seizures were more frequently associated with the C1 pattern. Conclusions: Overall, 46.8% of women had catamenial epilepsy. Seizure frequencies were greater during menstrual and ovulatory phases for ovulatory cycles, and during non-menstrual phases for anovulatory cycles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Hyperhomocysteinemia is known to be an independent risk factor for arteriosclerosis. However, the prognosis of functional disability in cerebrovascular disease has not been well established. Therefore, we conducted this study to determine the prognostic significance of plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels in Asian patients with functional disabilities after acute ischemic stroke. A total of 267 patients were examined within 24 h after symptom onset. Hcy was measured at admission. The correlations between plasma Hcy concentration and functional disability at 1-month, 3-months, 6-months, and 12-months after stroke onset were analyzed. In addition, the associations between each risk factor for stroke or neurological severity and plasma Hcy level were evaluated. The results of the present study showed that there was no significant correlation between Hcy level on admission and modified Rankin Scale score obtained at 1-month, 3-months, 6-months, and 12-months after stroke onset. There was also no association between plasma Hcy level and neurological severity after stroke or stroke subtype. This study showed that there is no association between Hcy levels and functional outcome after stroke. Therefore, we cautiously assert that plasma Hcy levels have no value as predictors of functional disability in Asian patients with stroke. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We investigated the prevalence of aac(6′)-Ib-cr and its association with other resistance genes in AmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae without any selection criteria. A total of 479 clinical isolates of Enterobacter cloacae (179), Citrobacter freundii (134), and Serratia marcescens (166) from 12 laboratories between March and July 2005 were examined. We performed polymerase chain reaction for aac(6′)-Ib, bla OXA-1, ISEcp1, and class 1 integron. The aac(6′)-Ib-cr was further identified by digestion with BstF5I and sequencing. The aac(6′)-Ib was detected in 110 (23%) of 479 isolates, and 15 isolates (3.1%) were cr variants (8 E. cloacae, 5 C. freundii, and 2 S. marcescens). The aac(6′)-Ib-cr was significantly associated with various resistance genes (bla OXA-1, qnrS, qnrA, bla CTX-M-3, and bla CTX-M-14), mobile elements (ISEcp1, ISCR1, and class 1 integron), and quinolone resistance. Eleven of 15 aac(6′)-Ib-cr producers coharbored qnr genes. Although aac(6′)-Ib-cr was uncommon in Korean AmpC producers, its association with various resistance genes and mobile elements would facilitate the dissemination of this variant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) has been well known to have a variety of ginsenosides that show diverse biological activities. Especially, the components of ginsenosides are quite different depending on the processing method. Recently, there have been several reports showing that less polar ginsenosides from Korean red ginseng (steam-treated Panax ginseng) have potent biological activities such as radical scavenging, vasodilating and anti-tumor activities. In this study, we have isolated four known ginsenosides Rg3, Rk1, Rg5 and F4 from Korean red ginseng by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) coupled with evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD). The enriched saponin fraction (350mg) was separated by using methylene chloride–methanol–water–isopropanol (6:6:4:1, v/v) as the two-phase solvent system and yielded 28.6mg of Rg5, 26.6mg of Rk1, 32.2mg of Rg3 and 8.1mg of F4. The purity of these ginsenosides was assessed by HPLC–ELSD to be over 95%, and their structures were characterized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), 1H NMR and 13C NMR. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Several studies have suggested that the specific stroke subtype may influence the presence of leukoaraiosis in patients with ischemic stroke. We investigated the association between stroke subtype and leukoaraiosis in Korean patients with ischemic stroke by MRI., Methods: There were 594 patients included in this study that were classified as large artery disease, lacune and cardioembolic stroke. For large-artery disease, the analysis focused on the intracranial or extracranial location of the stenosis, and the multiplicity of the stenotic lesions. Leukoaraiosis grading was performed according to the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study., Results: There was a significant association between leukoaraiosis and the stroke subtypes; the large-artery-disease group had a higher prevalence of leukoaraiosis than did the other groups (55.4% in the large-artery-disease group, 30.3% in the lacunar group and 14.3% in the cardioembolic group, P = 0.016 by chi-square test). On the multivariate linear regression analysis, age, the presence of hypertension, previous stroke and stroke subtype were independently associated with the presence of leukoaraiosis. In the sub analysis of the large-artery-disease group, the leukoaraiosis had a tendency to be more prevalent in the mixed and intracranial stenosis group than did the extracranial stenosis group (45.5% in the mixed group, 40.3% in the intracranial group and 26.9% in the extracranial group, P = 0.08 by chi-square test)., Conclusion: The association of leukoaraiosis with large-artery disease in this study might be due to the relatively high prevalence of intracranial occlusive lesions in Korean stroke patients compared to other ethnic groups.

1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3), which is the biologically active form of vitamin D, has anti-inflammatory effects and can prevent experimental Parkinson's disease (PD). 1,25(OH)2D3 exerts most of its actions only after it binds to its specific nuclear receptors. Eighty-five Korean patients with PD and 231 unrelated healthy individuals were evaluated to determine if vitamin D receptor gene (VDRG) BsmI polymorphisms were markers for the susceptibility to PD in Korean patients. Each polymorphism was detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based restriction analysis. In addition, the relationship between the BsmI polymorphisms and the clinical manifestations of PD was evaluated. Overexpression of the b allele (91.2 vs. 85.7%; p=0.069) and homozygote bb (84.7 vs. 72.7%; p=0.043) was found in the PD patients compared with the controls. These results show for the first time an association between PD and a VDRG polymorphism, which might be involved in the pathogenesis of PD, or in the linkage disequilibrium of the VDRG to another pathogenic gene locus.