ABSTRACT:The purpose of this work was to evaluate hydrocephalic ventricular changes using three quantitative analysis methods. The height, area and volume of the ventricles and brain were measured in 20 Yorkshire terriers (10 normal and 10 hydrocephalic dogs) using low-field MR imaging (at 0.2 Tesla). All measurements were averaged and the relative ventricle size was defined as a percentage (percent size of the ventricle/size of the brain). The difference between normal and hydrocephalic dogs was statistically significant for the average of each ventricle as well as for the percentage value. Five hydrocephalic symptoms were identified: circling, head tilting, seizures, ataxia, and strabismus. With respect to height, area and volume of the brain/ventricle, the difference between normal and hydrocephalic dogs was not significant. The ventricle/brain with height (1D) was related to the area (2D) and volume (3D). The correlations with area and volume were as good as the ventricle/brain height ratio in the case of hydrocephalic dogs. Therefore, one-, two-and three-dimensional quantitative methods may be complementary. We expect that the stage of hydrocephalic symptoms can be classified if statistical significance for ventricular size among symptoms is determined with the analysis of a large number of hydrocephalic cases.

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Cassia tora L. seeds have previously been reported to reduce blood glucose level in human and animals with diabetes. In the present study, the effects of Cassia tora L. seed butanol fraction (CATO) were studied on postprandial glucose control and insulin secretion from the pancreas of the normal and diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by an i.p. injection of Streptozotocin (55 mg/kg BW) into the male Sprague-Dawley rats. The postprandial glucose control was monitored during a 240 min-period using a maltose loading test. In normal rats, rats fed CATO (20 mg/100 g BW/d) showed lower postprandial glucose levels in all the levels from 30 min up to 180 min than those in the control rats without CATO (p<0.05). In diabetic rats, those levels in the CATO group seemed to be lower during the 30~180 min, but only glucose level at 30 min showed significant difference compared to that in the control group. Moreover, CATO delayed the peak time of the glucose rise in both normal and diabetic rats in the glucose curves. On the other hand, when CATO was administered orally to the diabetic rats for 5 days, 12 hr fasting serum glucose level was decreased in the diabetic rats (p<0.05). Degree of a decrease in 12 hr fasting serum insulin levels was significantly less in the diabetic CATO rats as compared to diabetic control rats. On the last day of feeding, β cells of the pancreas were stimulated by 200 mg/dL glucose through a 40 min-pancreas perfusion. Amounts of the insulin secreted from the pancreas during the first phase (11~20 min) and the second phase (21~40 min) in the CATO fed diabetic rats were significantly greater than those in the diabetic control group (p<0.05). These findings indicated that constituents of Cassia tora L. seeds have beneficial effect on postprandial blood glucose control which may be partially mediated by stimulated insulin secretion from the pancreas of the diabetic rats.

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This study was carried out to examine anthropometric parameters and related habits in female college students. Mean age, height, and body weight of the subjects in total (n=212) were 20.7 yrs, 161.8 cm, and 53.5 kg, respectively. Anthropometric parameters were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Mean degree of obesity, body mass index (BMI), and waist-hip ratio (WHR) were 98.4%, 20.6 kg/m 2 , and 0.80 respectively. Surprisingly, 63.7% of the subjects showed unbalanced weak upper bodies compared to their lower bodies. Therefore, they were divided into two groups: unbalanced weak upper body group (UU, n=135) and balanced upper body groups (BU, n=77). Bodyweight, degree of obesity, BMI, and WHR in the UU group were significantly lower than those in the BU group. Amounts of body protein, body fat, and body mineral in the UU group were also significantly lower than those of the BU group. Mid-arm muscle circumference of the UU group (18.5±0.8 cm) was significantly lower than those of BU group (20.4±1.2 cm), although mid-arm circumference of the UU group was not significantly different compared to those of the BU group. On a questionnaire on exercise habits, 1.5% of the UU group and 7.8% of the BU group answered that they exercised regularly, and 55.5% of the UU group and 31.2% of the BU group reported that they never exercised (p<0.01). Even in the subjects who exercised, the duration of the exercise was not sufficient because 38.4% of the UU group and 35.8% of the BU group answered that they exercised for less than 30 min. In conclusion, interventions in exercise habits may be needed for female college students who have unbalanced weak upper bodies.

This study was to determine changes in the body weight and the serum lipids in obese mice that were fed Inonotus obliquus water extract. Diet‐induced obese male ICR mice (N=18) were divided into three groups: Inonotus obliquus extract of 0mg/day (CONT), 2.25mg/day (IOEX‐1X), and 22.5mg/day (IOEX‐10X). Body weight and % body weight gain were significantly lower during the 8 wk‐feeding period in IOEX‐1X (38.48±1.99g, −5.46±2.92%) and IOEX‐10X (36.06±1.37g, −13.18±3.57%) than those in CONT (40.48±0.94g, 1.32±1.43%). Serum triglyceride was also significantly lower in IOEX‐1X and IOEX‐10X (250.6±12.4mg/dℓ, 246.3±15.8mg/dℓ, respectively) than CONT (284.1±24.2mg/dℓ). Moreover, serum total cholesterol was significantly lower in IOEX‐10X (246.3±15.8mg/dℓ) than CONT (326.5±73.5mg/dℓ). We also measured in vitro pancreas lipase activity, and IOEX was shown to be as low as 71.6% of the CONT. In conclusion, Inonotus obliquus has anti‐obesity function, which may be related to the inhibition in the pancreas lipase activity. (Supported by KRF‐F00014, 2006‐BK21, and Inje FIRST grant)

The purpose of this study was to determine anti‐diabetic activities of Undaria pinnatifida extract. Neonatal diabetes was induced by i.p. injection of Streptozotocin (80mg/kg body weight) to the male Sprague‐Dawley rats at the age of 1 day. When the rats were grown to the adult (about 300g body weights), a high‐fat diet (40 % fat by kcal) was fed for two weeks. Then, rats were divided into two diet groups; one group fed a high‐fat diet with 5% of Undaria pinnatifida extract (UPEX) for the next four weeks, and the other group fed only a high‐fat diet as a control. The glucose tolerance was evaluated using an oral glucose tolerance test, and the glucose curves were compared among the diabetic rats which have similar fasting blood glucose levels. Insulin secretion was also measured using an in vitro pancreas perfusion. In results, rats in the UPEX group showed the lower glucose curves compared to the rats in the control group. Moreover, the amount of insulin secreted from the pancreas stimulated with glucose (200mg/dL) was greater in the UPEX group than those in the control group (P<0.05). These results are suggesting that Undaria pinnatifida extract has a beneficial effect on the glucose control and insulin secretion. (This work was supported by Korea Research Foundation Grant KRF‐F00014, Brain Korea 21, NURI, and FIRST of the Inje Research and Scholarship Foundation.)