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BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Maternal serum triglyceride (TG) level is known to be associated with neonatal birth weight. Although Koreans traditionally consume relatively high amounts of grain and grain products, mainly in the form of white rice, and the consumption is positively associated with serum TG levels, no study has investigated the relationship between dietary grain intake, serum TG levels and neonatal birth weight in pregnant women. This study was conducted to identify the association between infant birth weight and maternal intake of grain, as well as serum TG levels. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Subjects were 1011 pregnant women at 12-28 weeks' gestational age and their offspring. Maternal serum TG levels, dietary intake and infant birth weight were measured. RESULTS: Serum TG levels were positively related to neonatal birth weight both at mid-pregnancy (P = 0.0015) and at late pregnancy (P < 0.0001). Such an association only existed in subjects with the highest tertile of grain intake at mid- pregnancy (P = 0.0055) but was observed in all tertiles at late pregnancy (1st P = 0.0186, 2nd P = 0.0146, 3rd P = 0.0099). CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between maternal TG levels and infant birth weight may depend on dietary grain intake and stages of pregnancy in Korean pregnant women. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2015) 69, 676-680; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2014.271; published online 17 December 2014, INTRODUCTION Traditionally, grain consumption is comparably high in Asian populations, including Koreans. The traditional Korean diet is mainly composed of refined white rice (high amylose, about 35% of energy), which [...]

Background/Objectives: Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during pregnancy is known to increase oxidative stress, which may influence pregnancy outcomes and health of the child. Subjects/Methods: This study investigated whether fruit and vegetable intake modifies the relationship between exposure to PAHs and oxidative stress status during pregnancy. Urinary levels of 2-naphthol and 1-hydroxypyrene (biomarkers of exposure to PAHs), and malondialdehyde (MDA; a biomarker of oxidative stress) were analyzed in 715 pregnant women at 12-28 weeks of gestation. The dietary antioxidant intake during pregnancy was estimated using the 24-h recall method. Urinary 2-naphthol, 1-hydroxypyrene and MDA levels were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection. Results: The urinary MDA level was positively correlated with the 2-naphthol level (r = 0.255, P< 0.001) and 1-hydroxypyrene level (r = 0.240, P Conclusions: These results suggest that an adequate maternal intake of fruit, vegetables and vitamin C is beneficial to the defense against the oxidative stress associated with exposure to PAHs in pregnant women. European journal of Clinical Nutrition (2011) 65, 1118-1125; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2011.77; published online 18 May 2011 Keywords: fruit and vegetable; vitamin C; PAHs; MDA; pregnant women, Introduction The increasing exposure to environmental pollution has become one of the leading public concerns in many countries around the world. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a family of chemicals [...]

Background/objectives: C-reactive protein (CRP) is the most extensively studied inflammatory risk marker, and elevated serum CRP concentrations in pregnant women are known to be associated with subsequent development of preeclampsia and preterm delivery. Researchers have suggested that folate intake may help to control the inflammation process. We examined whether folate nutrition modifies the relationship between serum CRP concentration and gestational age at delivery. Subjects/methods: Serum CRP concentrations were analyzed in 815 pregnant women between 12 and 28 weeks of gestation. Dietary intakes were assessed using a 24-h dietary recall. The serum folate and high-sensitivity CRP concentrations were analyzed by radioassay and latex agglutination tests, respectively. Results: Serum CRP concentration was negatively correlated (P< 0.001) with gestational age at delivery. Serum folate concentration was negatively correlated (P Conclusions: We found that adequate maternal folate intake during pregnancy may have a beneficial role against shorter gestational age at delivery, which is associated with higher serum CRP concentrations in pregnant women. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2011) 65, 350-356; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2010.267; published online 22 December 2010 Keywords: folate; high-sensitivity CRP; gestational age at delivery; pregnant women, Introduction C-reactive protein (CRP) is a reactant involved in the acute-phase response and rapidly increases in the presence of infection or inflammation (Kushner and Rzewnicki, 1999). CRP production is stimulated [...]

The concentration of micronutrients impacts fetal development and pregnancy outcome and has been suggested to be negatively correlated with the body-mass index (BMI). We evaluated the relationship between BMI and the serum folate concentration in 802 and 660 Korean pregnant women in mid- and late pregnancy, respectively, who participated in a multicenter prospective study. There was a significant negative correlation between BMI value and the serum folate concentration at mid- and late pregnancy (P for trend 0.001 and 0.024, respectively). A general linear model confirmed this correlation at both time points after adjusting for gestational age and total folate intake. These findings are important as the serum folate concentration is a rate-limiting factor for placental folate transport to the fetus, and an inadequate folate supply may cause various malformations. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2012) 66,136-138; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2011.160; published online 21 September 2011 Keywords: folate; serum; body-mass index; pregnancy; human; malformations, Introduction Micronutrient nutrition and metabolism in the general obese population has largely been ignored, particularly in pregnant women (Li et al., 2010). There is increasing scientific evidence for a negative [...]

Few studies have examined an association between SNP276 and the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS), which accelerates the development of diabetic complications, in patients with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study examined whether the SNP276G > T polymorphism is associated with risk of MetS in 673 Korean patients with T2DM from an ongoing prospective study. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the OR for MetS was greater in patients with the TT genotype than in those with the GG genotype (OR=2.071; 95% C1=1.088-3.943) after adjustment of the putative risk factors for MetS. After examining the relationship between serum adiponectin and MetS risk for each genotype, only in patients with the GT genotype, serum adiponectin was negatively associated with the risk of MetS (OR=0.287; 95% C1=0.193-0.427). The SNP276G > T polymorphism may have an independent role in the determination of MetS in Korean patients with T2DM. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2010) 64, 105-107; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2009.94; published online 19 August 2009 Keywords: SNP276G > T polymorphism; adiponectin gene; metabolic syndrome; type II diabetes mellitus, Introduction The reduced plasma concentration of adiponectin has been reported in Korean subjects with metabolic syndrome (MetS) phenotypes (Kim et al., 2006) and in Japanese patients with type II diabetes [...]

Nanocomposites reinforced with nano-scale reinforcements exhibit excellent mechanical properties with low volume fraction of the reinforcement. For instance, only an addition of 0.7 vol.% few-layer graphene (FLG) into the pure titanium shows strength of ~1.5 GPa, obviously much superior to that of the monolithic titanium. The strengthening efficiency of composites is determined by several factors such as reinforcement geometrical/spatial characteristics and interfacial features between the matrix and the reinforcement. For the metal-matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs), since the nano-scale reinforcement has significantly high specific surface area, interfacial feature is more important and has to be clearly evaluated in understanding property of MMNCs. Although many researchers suggested the theoretical work using continuum mechanics in order to estimate the mechanical properties of the metallic composites, a clear determination has yet not to be proven by systematic experimental works. Here, we provide a new model to predict strength and stiffness of MMNCs based on quantitative analysis of efficiency parameters in which interface feature is strongly emphasized. To validate the model, we select multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and FLG for reinforcement, and titanium (Ti) and aluminum (Al) for the matrix to modify bonding strength and specific surface area in the MMNCs.

Immunotherapy in the form of donor lymphocyte infusions in early-phase relapse might be advantageous as it induces a higher response, but this may be offset by increased toxicity, especially during the early period after transplantation. Among 45 consecutive patients receiving an allograft for CML, 13 patients were diagnosed to have molecular relapse (MRel), as defined by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and another four patients were diagnosed to have cytogenetic relapse (CRel) within 6 months. Patients with MRel were randomly assigned to either a 'no therapy' group (group A, n=6), in which immunotherapy was reserved until CRel, or an 'immunotherapy' group (group B, n=7). In group A, all MRel progressed to CRel, and molecular remission (MR) was achieved in four (67%) after immunotherapy. The remaining two patients died of extensive GVHD and fungal pneumonia. In group B, only two MRel progressed to CRel and the remaining five (71%) achieved MR. Two patients died in the absence or loss of response. In patients relapsing directly into CRel (n=4), immunotherapy induced MR in two patients (50%). Earlier intervention played a role in preventing disease progression but this effect was not translated into better survival, which could have been overcome by imatinib mesylate, which induced MR and cytogenetic remission in nonresponders without toxicity.

Good prognosis after imatinib mesylate treatment has been reported if cytogenetic clonal evolution (CE) is the only criterion of accelerated phase (AP) chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). To evaluate the impact of CE upon imatinib treatment in post-transplant settings, responses and toxicities in the relapsed AP-CE were analyzed in comparison with those in the relapsed chronic phase (CP). Both CP (n=7) and AP-CE patients (n=6) received imatinib mesylate in an oral dose of 400 mg/day. Complete cytogenetic responses were obtained in six patients of each group, CP (86%) and AC-CE (100%), while molecular remission was seen in 43 and 50%, respectively. Granulocytopenia or thrombocytopenia of grade III or more occurred in four (57%) and two (33%) patients with CP and AP-CE, respectively. Nonhematological adverse events were mild and tolerable in both groups and only one (7%) of the 13 patients experienced recurrent graft-versus-host disease after imatinib treatment. Although this is a relatively small group of patients, we suggest that imatinib mesylate should be considered as a front-line treatment for relapsed CML as it showed the high response rate and low toxicity. We also suggest that CE alone is not an important factor in the induction of cytogenetic and molecular remissions in post-transplant relapse.