Development of Financial Support Program for High Risk Pregnant Women

AbstractObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to develop a financial support program for high-risk pregnant women based on opinions obtained using a questionnaire survey.MethodsThe program development involved two steps: (1) developing a questionnaire through reviewing previous financial support programs for maternal care and then validating it via professional consultation; and (2) drafting a financial support program. Sixty professionals, 26 high-risk pregnant women, and 100 program implementers completed the questionnaire between August 2014 and October 2014.ResultsBased on the obtained professional consultation and survey investigation, the framework of the financial support program was constructed. The suggested recipients were mothers with early labor pains, mothers who have been hospitalized for > 3 weeks, and mothers who used uterine stimulant Pitocin during hospitalization. All hospitalization, medication, and examination costs needed to be supported considering the income level of the recipient.ConclusionA basic policy for financially supporting high-risk pregnant women has been developed. The efficacy and feasibility of the policy needs to be carefully examined in future studies

Combination of Medicinal Herbs KIOM-79 Reduces Advanced Glycation End Product Accumulation and the Expression of Inflammatory Factors in the Aorta of Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats

Previous studies have reported that KIOM-79 shows a strong inhibitory effect on AGE formation and inhibited a proinflammatory state in a murine macrophage cell line. In the present study, we investigated the effect of KIOM-79 on AGE accumulation and vascular inflammation in the aorta of Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats, a commonly used model of type 2 diabetes. Seven-week-old male ZDF rats were treated with KIOM-79 (50 mg/kg) once a day orally for 13 weeks. We examined the dissected aortas for AGE accumulation, expression of the receptor for AGEs (RAGE), and the expression of proinflammatory factors, including monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and vascular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were also measured by Southwestern histochemistry, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), and immunohistochemistry, respectively. KIOM-79 markedly reduced the accumulation of AGEs and the expression of RAGE in the aorta. We also found that KIOM-79 attenuated the expression of inflammatory factors including NF-κB, MCP-1, VEGF, VCAM-1, and iNOS in the aortas of ZDF rats. These data suggest that KIOM-79 may prevent or retard the development of inflammation in diabetic vascular disease

KIOM-79 Prevents Lens Epithelial Cell Apoptosis and Lens Opacification in Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats

Damage of lens epithelial cells (LECs) has been implicated in cataract formation. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of KIOM-79, a combination of four plant extracts, on LECs. We examined the levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) activation and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in LECs during cataract development using the Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rat, an animal model of type 2 diabetes. KIOM-79 was orally administered by gavage to ZDF rats once a day for 13 weeks. Apoptosis was detected by TUNEL assay, and NF-κB activation and iNOS expression were studied by southwestern histochemistry and immunohistochemistry, respectively. In diabetic cataractous lenses, TUNEL-positive LECs were markedly increased 20-fold, and AGEs were highly accumulated (2.7-fold) in LECs. In addition, both NF-κB activation, and iNOS expression were significantly enhanced 3- to 5-fold, respectively, compared to levels found in normal ZL rats. However, the administration of KIOM-79 delayed the development of diabetic cataracts and prevented LEC apoptosis (70%) through the inhibition of AGEs, NF-κB-activation and iNOS expression. These observations suggest that KIOM-79 is useful in inhibiting diabetic cataractogenesis and acts through an antiapoptotic mechanism to protect LECs from injury

Monitoring of multi-frequency polarization of gamma-ray bright AGNs

We started two observing programs with the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) monitoring changes in the flux density and polarization of relativistic jets in gamma-ray bright AGNs simultaneously at 22, 43, 86, 129 GHz. One is a single-dish weekly-observing program in dual polarization with KVN 21-m diameter radio telescopes beginning in 2011 May. The other is a VLBI monthly-observing program with the three-element VLBI network at an angular resolution range of 1.0--9.2 mas beginning in 2012 December. The monitoring observations aim to study correlation of variability in gamma-ray with that in radio flux density and polarization of relativistic jets when they flare up. These observations enable us to study the origin of the gamma-ray flares of AGNs.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Proceedings of the conference "The innermost regions of relativistic jets and their magnetic fields", Granada, Spai

Sex differences in the relationship between depression and cardiovascular disease risk: a nationwide study in Korea

Objectives This study aimed to identify sex differences in the association between depression and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods A secondary analysis was conducted of data from the fifth to seventh waves (2010−2018) of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The participants were adults aged 30−74 years who had no diagnosis of CVD. The CVD risk was calculated using the Framingham Risk Score algorithm. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify the association between depression and CVD risk using a complex sample design. Results The mean CVD risk was higher in males and females with current depression (14.72% vs. 6.35%, respectively) than in males without current depression (11.67% and 4.42%, respectively). Current depression showed a significant association with CVD risk after controlling for only health-related characteristics, but the significance disappeared in both males and females when demographic characteristics were additionally controlled. Conclusion The presence of depression was not associated with CVD risk regardless of sex after controlling for confounding factors. Further studies are recommended to investigate the relationship between depression and CVD risk in a larger sample of both males and females with depression