Estrogen is known to play a critical role in both skeletal maturity and the rate of bone loss. This suggests the possibility that the estrogen receptor (ER) gene is one of the candidate genes that determines peak bone density and/or bone turnover rate. We investigated two established restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) in intron 1 at the ER gene, represented as PvuII and XbaI. In 598 healthy Korean women aged 20-74 years, we examined the association of these ER genotypes with bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover status. The distribution of the PvuII and XbaI RFLPs was as follows: pp 205 (34.3%), Pp 308 (51.5%), PP 85 (14.2%) and xx 384 (64.2%), Xx 180 (30.1%), XX 34 (5.7%), respectively (where capital letters signify the absence of, and lower-case letters signify the presence of, the restriction site of each RFLP). No significant genotypic differences were found in BMD and bone markers. We grouped the subjects into three categories according to their menstrual status: 104 premenopausal women with regular menstruation, 182 perimenopausal women who had amenorrhea of not less than 3 months and not more than 12 months' duration, and 312 postmenopausal women whose last menstruation was at least 12 months previously. No significant genotypic difference in either BMD or bone markers was found in any of these three groups. Furthermore we categorized women in peri- and postmenopause into a high loser group and a normal loser group according to the level of bone resorption markers. There was no difference in genotypic proportions between the high and normal loser groups. Our data suggest that these ER polymorphisms are not associated with BMD or bone turnover in Korean women.
GV01 is one of the most effective acupoints to treat diarrhea in humans and animals. The present study showed that skin on the GV01 acupoint reveals tenderness and neurogenic inflammation in colonic inflammatory states, but not in normal healthy states.Key words: colitis, GV01, neurogenic inflammation.GV01 (Changqiang, Government Vessel 1), a single acupoint in the depression ventral to the base of the tail and dorsal to the anus, is one of the most effective acupoints for treating diarrhea in humans and animals [1][2][3][4][5]. In a recent study, we investigated whether large intestinerelated acupoints affect colonic motility in conscious dogs implanted with electrodes at the proximal colon. Manual acupuncture was applied at the following acupoints: 7 main points on the large intestine meridian (LI01, LI02, LI03, LI04, LI05, LI06, and LI11), ST25, BL25, and GV01. Acupuncture at the large intestine meridian acupoints, ST25 and BL25 had no significant effects on the proximal colonic motility. Only acupuncture at GV01 depressed the proximal colonic motility by decreasing the total duration and the frequency of contractile states [6]. We also reported that acupuncture at GV01 decreased colonic motility and had anti-inflammatory effects on colitis, but not in normal rats, and suggested that the response to acupuncture at GV01 is more susceptible to colonic inflammation than normal colon [7]. According to Oriental medical theory, each acupoint communicates with one of the visceral organs and reflects the conditions of that organ [8]. Actually, when an organ is subject to pathophysiological changes, one or more of the related acupoints become tender (hypersensitive) or show other signs of abnormalities, such as altered color or hardness of the skin [9]. From these reports, we suggest the possibility that there are differences in the local conditions of GV01 acupoint between healthy and pathological subjects in the colon.Visceral pain, such as colitis and colorectal distensions, is often referred to certain somatic regions. The referred pain is well defined and localized, often with hyperalgesia (tender point) or referred cutaneous hypersensitivity characterized by an increased sensitivity to mechanical stimuli and a decreased pain threshold [10]. Moreover, in the referred area from visceral pain, neurogenic inflammation is observed, characterized by reddening (vasodilation) and edema (plasma extravasation). This leads to trophic changes, including changes in blood flow and in the texture and structure of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Experimentally, neurogenic inflammation can be visualized in the skin by systemic injection of Evans blue dye [11].Using the mechanical von Frey test and Evans blue dye, we investigated whether skin on the GV01 acupoint is tender (hypersensitive) and shows neurogenic inflammation in colonic inflammatory states, and it was compared with normal states. MethodsMale Sprague-Dawley rats (Sam-Yuk Experimental Centers, Korea) weighing approximately 250 g were used. They were kept i...
Globalization has brought about significant human mobility, along with developments in IT and transportation since the early 1990s, the case of East Asia is no exception. While a huge number of workers in developing countries have been migrating to work abroad, a growing number of women have been migrating, specifically seeking to marry men in East Asia. This paper aims to elucidate which migration theories illustrate labor and/or marriage migration and incorporation in East Asia, particularly in the cases of Japan and Korea, while also examining their overall migration and incorporation patterns. In turn it investigates which factors significantly and differentially affect each type of migration at multiple levels: the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels. Labor migrants are usually excluded from incorporation in their host countries, especially even the case of ethnic Korean from the former Soviet Union countries, Koryŏins, as labor migrants have been excluded in such integration with the reality of the forgotten and disconnected history. On the other hand, marriage migrants have been occasionally included in such integration. Although there has been a significant transition in the migration system theory of labor migration, there is still room to develop the better and more supportive systems. At present taking into consideration the multi-level structures, the migration network theory seems better in explaining marriage migration into the host countries of East Asia. Overall, the differentiated migratory incorporation theory which I suggest could best account for the cases in Japan and Korea when we consider international migration and the extent of social integration. So as to systematically manage labor migration problems and address the problems of commercialized 320 Young-Jin Choi matchmaking business, it requires sharing ideas with grassroots organizations and making concerted efforts to implement anti-discrimination laws and develop policies between the local governments in Japan and Korea. At the same time, education and media can be utilized strategically to enhance the attitudes toward international migrants.
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