Breakfast patterns are associated with metabolic syndrome in Korean adults

The Korean diet, including breakfast, is becoming more Western, which could increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. Our aim was to assess whether breakfast patterns are associated with risk for metabolic syndrome in Korean adults. The study subjects (n = 371; 103 men, 268 women) were employees of Jaesang Hospital in Korea and their acquaintances, and all subjects were between 30 and 50 years old. The data collected from each subject included anthropometric measurements, three-day food intake, blood pressure (BP) and blood analyses. The three breakfast patterns identified by factor analysis were "Rice, Kimchi and Vegetables", "Potatoes, Fruits and Nuts" and "Eggs, Breads and Processed meat". The "Rice, Kimchi and Vegetables" pattern scores were positively correlated with systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) measurements in men (P < 0.05) and with serum triglyceride (TG) levels in women (P < 0.05). The "Eggs, Breads and Processed meat" pattern scores correlated positively with weight, body mass index (P < 0.05) and serum TGs (P < 0.01) in men. The "Potatoes, Fruits and Nuts" pattern was associated with lower risk of elevated BP (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.28-0.88) and fasting glucose levels (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.26-1.00). In contrast, the "Eggs, Breads and Processed meat" pattern was associated with increased risk of elevated TGs (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.06-3.98). Our results indicate that reducing the consumption of eggs, western grains and processed meat while increasing fruit, nut and vegetable intake for breakfast could have beneficial effects on decreasing metabolic syndrome risk in Korean adults

Skipping breakfast is associated with diet quality and metabolic syndrome risk factors of adults

The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of skipping breakfast on diet quality and metabolic disease risk factors in healthy Korean adults. Subjects included 415 employees (118 men, 297 women; 30-50 years old) of Jaesang Hospital in Korea and their acquaintances. Data collected from each subject included anthropometric measurements, 3-day dietary intake, blood pressure, and blood analyses. The subjects were classified into three groups based on the number of days they skipped breakfast: 'Regular breakfast eater', 'Often breakfast eater', or 'Rare breakfast eater'. Participants in the 'Rare breakfast eater' group consumed less rice, potatoes, kimchi, vegetables, fish and shellfish, milk and dairy products, and sweets than did participants in the other two groups (P for trend < 0.05) and ate more cookies, cakes, and meat for dinner (P for trend < 0.05). Participants in the 'Rare breakfast eater' group consumed less daily energy, fat, dietary fiber, calcium, and potassium than did participants in the other groups (P for trend < 0.05). The percent energy from carbohydrates was lower and fat intake was higher in the 'Rare breakfast eater' group than in the other groups (P for trend < 0.01). When diets were compared using the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for Koreans, 59.1% of subjects in the 'Rare breakfast eater' group consumed more energy from fat compared with the other two groups (P < 0.005). According to the Estimated Average Requirements for Koreans, intake of selected nutrients was lower in the 'Rare breakfast eater' group than in the other two groups (P < 0.05). The risk of elevated serum triglycerides was decreased in the 'Rare breakfast eater' group (OR, 0.3 [0.1-1.0], P for trend = 0.0232). We conclude that eating breakfast regularly enhances diet quality, but may increase the risk of elevated serum triglycerides

Natural Form of Noncytolytic Flexible Human Fc as a Long-Acting Carrier of Agonistic Ligand, Erythropoietin

Human IgG1 Fc has been widely used as a bioconjugate, but exhibits shortcomings, such as antibody- and complement-mediated cytotoxicity as well as decreased bioactivity, when applied to agonistic proteins. Here, we constructed a nonimmunogenic, noncytolytic and flexible hybrid Fc (hyFc) consisting of IgD and IgG4, and tested its function using erythropoietin (EPO) conjugate, EPO-hyFc. Despite low amino acid homology (20.5%) between IgD Fc and IgG4 Fc, EPO-hyFc retained “Y-shaped” structure and repeated intravenous administrations of EPO-hyFc into monkeys did not generate EPO-hyFc-specific antibody responses. Furthermore, EPO-hyFc could not bind to FcγR I and C1q in contrast to EPO-IgG1 Fc. In addition, EPO-hyFc exhibited better in vitro bioactivity and in vivo bioactivity in rats than EPO-IgG1 Fc, presumably due to the high flexibility of IgD. Moreover, the mean serum half-life of EPO-hyFc(H), a high sialic acid content form of EPO-hyFc, was approximately 2-fold longer than that of the heavily glycosylated EPO, darbepoetin alfa, in rats. More importantly, subcutaneous injection of EPO-hyFc(H) not only induced a significantly greater elevation of serum hemoglobin levels than darbepoetin alfa in both normal rats and cisplatin-induced anemic rats, but also displayed a delayed time to maximal serum level and twice final area-under-the-curve (AUClast). Taken together, hyFc might be a more attractive Fc conjugate for agonistic proteins/peptides than IgG1 Fc due to its capability to elongate their half-lives without inducing host effector functions and hindering bioactivity of fused molecules. Additionally, a head-to-head comparison demonstrated that hyFc-fusion strategy more effectively improved the in vivo bioactivity of EPO than the hyperglycosylation approach

Identification of Video Game Addiction Using Heart-Rate Variability Parameters

The purpose of this study is to determine heart rate variability (HRV) parameters that can quantitatively characterize game addiction by using electrocardiograms (ECGs). 23 subjects were classified into two groups prior to the experiment, 11 game-addicted subjects, and 12 non-addicted subjects, using questionnaires (CIUS and IAT). Various HRV parameters were tested to identify the addicted subject. The subjects played the League of Legends game for 30–40 min. The experimenter measured ECG during the game at various window sizes and specific events. Moreover, correlation and factor analyses were used to find the most effective parameters. A logistic regression equation was formed to calculate the accuracy in diagnosing addicted and non-addicted subjects. The most accurate set of parameters was found to be pNNI20, RMSSD, and LF in the 30 s after the “being killed” event. The logistic regression analysis provided an accuracy of 69.3% to 70.3%. AUC values in this study ranged from 0.654 to 0.677. This study can be noted as an exploratory step in the quantification of game addiction based on the stress response that could be used as an objective diagnostic method in the future

Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Model for the Testosterone-Suppressive Effect of Leuprolide in Normal and Prostate Cancer Rats

This study developed the pharmacokinetic (PK)–pharmacodynamic (PD) model of the testosterone-suppressive effect of leuprolide for evaluation of the sustained release (SR) depot and leuprolide solution in rats with or without prostate cancer. Six groups of rats were divided by the routes of administration (intravenous and subcutaneous injection) and kinds of formulation (vehicle, leuprolide solution, and SR depot). The PK profile after subcutaneous injection of leuprolide solution could be well-described by the one-compartment model. The absorption rate constant, the total body clearance, and the volume of distribution were estimated at 16.67 h−1, 514.46 mL/h, and 487.40 mL. Using PK parameters in the solution-administered group, the PK model for the SR depot was developed. The PK–PD model was constructed by describing the testosterone-suppressive effect of leuprolide using the feedback turnover model. The response of testosterone after administration of each formulation was well described using this PK–PD model for the estimation of PD parameters (EC50, Emax, h) and systemic parameters (kin, kout, kf on, kf off). The developed PK–PD model containing an inhibitory feedback system could successfully describe the testosterone-suppressive effect of leuprolide in the type of formulation. The PK–PD model developed would be useful for evaluating the formulation of similar drugs whose effect is regulated through the feedback mechanism