Determination of Cutting Date and Interval on Native Grass Management of Agricultural Waterways in South Korea

Agricultural waterways provide a buffer zone between crop fields and adjacent rivers or streams. Waterways are important resource for agriculture water management, water quality and biodiversity conservation. The total linear distance of waterway in Korea is about 180,000 km, and about 40% are concrete and about 60% are grassed waterways. At present, the percentage of concrete waterways is increasing because of their water management efficiency. Some argue that continued expansion of concrete waterways is not sustainable because it leads to potential-degradation of the earth\u27s environment. This concern has led to renewed efforts to use grassed waterways as an alternative to concrete. In addition, grassed waterways enhance the environment-friendly image of agriculture that Korea farmers want to promote. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of cutting date and interval of native grasses for water management efficiency of agricultural waterway

Still life with less: North Korean young adult defectors in South Korea show continued poor nutrition and physique

North Korean defectors who settle in South Korea have experienced severe food shortage and transition of food environment which could affect their health status. However, little is known about their anthropometric measurements and dietary intake after settlement in South Korea. The purpose of this study is to compare anthropometric measurements and dietary intake between North Korean young adults who defected to South Korea and those of South Koreans. We hypothesized that North Korean young adults' physiques and dietary intake would be poorer than that of South Koreans. We compared anthropometric measurements and dietary intake from 3-day food records in a cross-sectional study of 103 North Korean young adult defectors, aged 12 to 24 and 309 South Korean subjects. North Korean subjects were significantly shorter #4.9 to 10.8 cm# and lighter #6.0 to 12.5 kg# than the control group. Body mass index were significantly different between North and South Korean groups only in men. North Korean young adult defectors had lower mean daily intakes of energy and most nutrients and food groups compared to the control group, while North Korean subjects had higher nutrient density diet than that of South Koreans. The proportion of subjects who had dietary intakes of nutrients of less than the Estimated Average Requirement was higher in North Korean subjects than in controls except for in the cases of vitamin A and vitamin C. In conclusion, we recommend providing nutrition support programs for North Korean young adult defectors to secure adequate nutrient intake.OAIID:oai:osos.snu.ac.kr:snu2010-01/102/0000052039/2SEQ:2PERF_CD:SNU2010-01EVAL_ITEM_CD:102USER_ID:0000052039ADJUST_YN:YEMP_ID:A077862DEPT_CD:801FILENAME:36_Still life with less_ North Korean young adult.pdfDEPT_NM:의학과EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:NCONFIRM:

Loss of primary cilia promotes mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in thyroid cancer

The primary cilium is well-preserved in human differentiated thyroid cancers such as papillary and follicular carcinoma. Specific thyroid cancers such as Hurthle cell carcinoma, oncocytic variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and PTC with Hashimoto's thyroiditis show reduced biogenesis of primary cilia; these cancers are often associated the abnormalities in mitochondrial function. Here, we examined the association between primary cilia and the mitochondria-dependent apoptosis pathway. Tg-Cre;Ift88(flox/flox) mice (in which thyroid follicles lacked primary cilia) showed irregularly dilated follicles and increased apoptosis of thyrocytes. Defective ciliogenesis caused by deleting the IFT88 and KIF3A genes from thyroid cancer cell lines increased VDAC1 oligomerization following VDAC1 overexpression, thereby facilitating upregulation of mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. Furthermore, VDAC1 localized with the basal bodies of primary cilia in thyroid cancer cells. These results demonstrate that loss-of-function of primary cilia results in apoptogenic stimuli, which are responsible for mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic cell death in differentiated thyroid cancers. Therefore, regulating primary ciliogenesis might be a therapeutic approach to targeting differentiated thyroid cancers

THE EFFECTS OF WEARING ROLLER SHOES ON GROUND REACTION FORCE CHARACTERISTICS DURING WALKING

Roller shoes have become increasingly popular among children and it features retractable wheels which allowing the user to walk or roll without changing the footwear. Maintaining balance during forward walking with roller shoes is not an easy task. To prevent falling backward, the user needs to lock the knees and tighten the ankles and thighs while the upper body is slightly leaning forward. Constant walking with roller shoes forces the user to walk in a manner much different from normal gait. Prolonged exposure to un-natural stresses on human body forces our body to evolve by strengthening those incorrect, and temporary functions (Clement et aI., 1981). For children, the chronic stress may lead to serious injuries in the lower extremity later in life. If any potential' of injury exists in a movement it is critical to examine the associated forces that may lead to injury. To the best of our knowledge, the effects of wearing roller shoes on ground reaction forces (GRF) characteristics have rarely been studied, especially in the youth population. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare GRF characteristics during walking wearing jogging and roller shoes

Antibacterial and synergistic effects of Nardostachytis rhizoma extracts on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a serious clinical problem worldwide. Few new drugs are available against MRSA, because it has the ability to acquire resistance to most antibiotics which consequently increases the cost of medication. In the present study, the antibacterial activity of Nardostachytis rhizoma was investigated. The most effective method is to develop antibiotics from the natural products without having any toxic or side effects. Therefore, there is a need to develop alternative antimicrobial drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases. The use of two drugs in combination is a good alternative to slow the process of developing drug resistance and to restore the effectiveness of drugs that are no longer prescribed. Combination therapy is the most commonly recommended empirical treatment for bacterial infections in intensive care units, where monotherapy may not be effective against all potential pathogens, and for preventing the emergence of resistant. Five clinical isolates (MRSA) were obtained from five different patients at Wonkwang University Hospital (Iksan, South Korea). The other two strains were S. aureus ATCC 33591 (methicillin-resistant strain) and S. aureus ATCC 25923 (methicillin-susceptible strain). Antibacterial activity (minimal inhibitory concentrations, MICs) was determined by broth dilution method, disc diffusion method, MTT test and checkerboard dilution test. Antimicrobial activity of n-hexane fraction of N. rhizoma was significant. Against the seven strains, the disc diffusion test was in the range of 14 to 18 mm and had a MICs ranging from 31.25 to 125 ìg/ml. FICI values for n-hexane fraction (HFL) of N. rhizome + ampicillin (AM) and HFL + oxacillin (OX) were 0.1875 and 0.078125-0.09375, showing the increase of synergistic effect. When combined together, these antibiotic effects were dramatically increased. These effective combinations could be new promising agents in the management of MRSA and MSSA.Key words: Nardostachytis rhizoma, synergism, antibacterial, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)