Yonsei medical journal
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Yonsei medical journal · Nov 2011
The association of SERPINE2 gene with COPD in a Chinese Han population.
Polymorphisms of several candidate genes have been studied and associated with the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). One such candidate is the SERPINE2 (Serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade E member 2) gene. ⋯ Our data suggested that there was no significant association between SERPINE2 polymorphism and COPD susceptibility in the Chinese Han population.
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Yonsei medical journal · Nov 2011
Case ReportsPrenatal diagnosis of congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia (CLAH) by molecular genetic testing in Korean siblings.
Congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia (CLAH) is caused by mutations to the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) gene associated with the inability to synthesize all adrenal and gonadal steroids. Inadequate treatment in an infant with this condition may result in sudden death from an adrenal crisis. We report a case in which CLAH developed in Korean siblings; the second child was prenatally diagnosed because the first child was affected and low maternal serum estriol was detected in a prenatal screening test. To our knowledge, this is the first prenatal diagnosis of the Q258X StAR mutation, which is the only consistent genetic cluster identified to date in Japanese and Korean populations.
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Yonsei medical journal · Nov 2011
Co-immunization of plasmid DNA encoding IL-12 and IL-18 with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine against progressive tuberculosis.
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has widely been used to immunize against tuberculosis, but its protective efficacy is variable in adult pulmonary tuberculosis, while it is not efficiently protective against progressive infection of virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. In this study, the protective effects of plasmid DNA vaccine constructs encoding IL-12 or IL-18 with the BCG vaccine were evaluated against progressive infection of M. tuberculosis, using mouse aerosol challenge model. ⋯ Co-immunization of IL-12 DNA vaccine with the BCG vaccine induced more protective immunity and was more effective for protection against progressive infection of M. tuberculosis.
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Yonsei medical journal · Nov 2011
The effects of heat and massage application on autonomic nervous system.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of heat and massage application on autonomic nervous system. ⋯ The results of this study suggest that heat and massage applications provide relaxation to the autonomic nervous system without serious adverse events.
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Recently, the geriatric population in Korea has grown to comprise approximately 10% of the total population, and anemia has become a significant problem among elderly patients. Many elderly patients have anemia due to nutritional deficiency, chronic inflammation, or comorbid diseases; however, in a significant fraction of the patients with anemia, the cause remains obscure. Anemia of any degree is recognized as a significant independent contributor to morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. This article summarizes the patterns of anemia in Korean geriatric patients.