The biparietal diameters (BPD) chart may not be used universally to define pregnancy date. The results of this study proved obviously that the prediction of gestational age (GA) by using the BPD chart 1 (Vietnam) and BPD chart 2 (Europe) are significantly different: Approximately acurate prediction < 7 days: 75.2% (chart 1) and 20.8% (chart 2); Pregnancy dating error > 7 days: 16.8% (chart 1) and 79.2% (chart 2); Maximum error: 16 days (chart 1) and 28 days (chart 2); GA prediction lower than actual GA: 36% (chart 1) and 95.2% (chart 2). Chart 2 is less accurate than chart 1 as a predictor of gestational age in Vietnam
Pregnancy ; gestational age ; ethnology

Computerised data of 110,236 Singaporean males aged 15 to 25 (mean 17.75) years who underwent compulsory medical examination from April 1987 to January 1992 was used to estimate the prevalence of myopia among young Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian Singaporean males. The prevalence of myopia amongst the different racial groups was compared after they had been matched for important known confounding factors such as age, sex, educational attainment and degree of urbanization of place of residence. The estimated myopia prevalence was 48.5% in Chinese, 34.7% in Eurasians, 30.4% in Indians and 24.5% in Malays. The overall myopia prevalence rate for all races combined was 44.2%. Within each educational group, the Chinese generally had the highest myopia prevalence whilst the Malays generally had the lowest. Myopia prevalence among the Indians tended to be between that of the Chinese and the Malays. Having matched the various racial groups for age, sex, educational attainment and degree of residential urbanization, it would appear that racial and cultural differences are major influences responsible for the difference in myopia prevalence observed amongst the different races.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Asia ; ethnology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Europe ; ethnology ; Humans ; Male ; Myopia ; ethnology ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Singapore ; epidemiology

OBJECTIVETo construct and compare the body mass index (BMI) cutoff points for defining overweight and obesity in school-age children and youths with Uygur and Han ethnic backgrounds in Xinjiang, China.

METHODSA total number of 9146 boys and girls in Urumqi, Xinjiang, aged 7-18 years, were recruited by stratifying and clustering sampling from April to June 2004. Demographic and anthropometric data, including body weight and standing height, were collected. Questionnaires and standard methods were used and BMI was calculated by weight/height2. BMI centile curves with age were drawn according to gender and ethnicity, using LMS software (Tim cole and Huiqi Pan) which were making the centile curves passing through 25 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2, and 24 kg/m2 and 28 kg/m2 at age of 18 for overweight and obesity respectively.

RESULTSThe age and sex specific BMI centile curves were drawn for children with Uygur and Han ethnicities. Data showed that BMI increased with age. The centile of BMI curves, P94.46 and P99.58 for Uygur boys, P92.44 and P99.64 for Uygur girls, P85.05 and P97.26 for Han boys, P90.92 and P99.03 for Han girls, which passing through 25 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2 by IOTF recommendation at age 18, were constructed. Under the basis of WGOC recommendation, the points that passing through 24 kg/m2 and 28 kg/m2 at age 18 were P90.54 and P98.86 for uygur boys, P86.96 and P98.77 for uygur girls, P78.98 and P94.72 for Han boys, P86.15 and P97.56 for Han girls. The BMI cutoff points for defining overweight and obesity were suggested.

CONCLUSIONTo the best of our knowledge, the present study established the BMI cutoff points for Uygur ethnic school-aged children and youths for identifying overweight and obesity. There was ethnic difference in the BMI distribution with age. We recommended using the BMI cutoff points proposed by the current study to identify those overweight and obese children in Urumqi.

Adolescent ; Body Mass Index ; Child ; China ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Obesity ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; Overweight ; epidemiology ; ethnology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Many patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often complain of fatigue. To date, only a few studies in Western countries have focused on fatigue related to IBD, and fatigue has never been specifically studied in Asian IBD patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the fatigue level and fatigue-related factors among Korean IBD patients. METHODS: Patients in remission or with mild to moderate IBD were included. Fatigue was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue and the Brief Fatigue Inventory. Corresponding healthy controls (HCs) also completed both fatigue questionnaires. RESULTS: Sixty patients with Crohn disease and 68 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) were eligible for analysis. The comparison group consisted of 92 HCs. Compared with the HCs, both IBD groups were associated with greater levels of fatigue (p<0.001). Factors influencing the fatigue score in UC patients included anemia and a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). CONCLUSIONS: Greater levels of fatigue were detected in Korean IBD patients compared with HCs. Anemia and ESR were determinants of fatigue in UC patients. Physicians need to be aware of fatigue as one of the important symptoms of IBD to better understand the impact of fatigue on health-related quality of life.
Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Colitis, Ulcerative/*complications/ethnology ; Crohn Disease/*complications/ethnology ; Fatigue/ethnology/*etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Republic of Korea/ethnology

ABSTRACT Erectile dysfunction (ED) and periodontitis have common risk factors, such as diabetes mellitus and tobacco smoking. Multiple reports are available in regard to the association between ED and chronic periodontitis (CP). The study aimed to determine the association of ED and CP in selected Malaysian population. In this study, 74 patients (mean age = 52.4 ± 10.9 years old) diagnosed with ED, from scores via the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire, were included. ED severity was classified as mild, mild to moderate, moderate, and severe. Periodontal condition was recorded using basic periodontal examination (BPE) method, of which scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3 were associated with having no periodontitis while a score of 4 was considered to have periodontitis. There are 40 (54.1%) subjects found to have periodontitis and the association of ED and periodontitis showed a moderate positive degree of correlation, ρ = 0.487 (p < 0.001). The percentage of subjects having periodontitis indicated an increasing trend with the severity of ED; from 19.0% (mild ED), 54.2% (mild to moderate ED), 75.0% (moderate ED), to 84.6% (severe ED). A greater degree of correlation was noted between dental scaling experience and ED, ρ = 0.635 (p < 0.001). Binomial logistic regression had shown no other co-morbidities and factors were affecting this relation. There seemed to be an association between ED and periodontitis existing in these selected Malaysian populations.
Erectile Dysfunction ; Chronic Periodontitis ; Malaysia--ethnology

OBJECTIVETo analyze the relationship between neonatal hypoxia and polycythemia and to study clinical characteristics of Tibetan neonates whose family lived in Tibetan plateau for generations and Han neonates whose family moved to the plateau.

METHODFrom Jan. 2005 to Oct. 2006, totally 739 patients were hospitalized in the ward of neonatology of the hospital. Of these patients, 40 (20 were Tibetan and the other 20 were Han) with neonatal polycythemia. The clinical features, transcutaneous oxygen saturation (TcSO₂), peripheral routine tests and myocardial enzyme profile were studied.

RESULTThe values of hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT), and erythrocyte count (RBC) of the Han neonates were significantly higher than those of the Tibetan newborns. Han neonates with polycythemia had lower TcSPO₂ than Tibetan neonates (P < 0.01). Comparison of myocardial enzymes showed that Han neonates had higher CKMB than that of Tibetan groups before treatment (P < 0.01), troponin was not significantly different between the Han and Tibetan groups before treatment (P > 0.05). The major common clinical manifestations of the Han and Tibetan newborns were tachypnea, cyanosis, irritability, weak reflexes and hypoxemia. The Han neonates additionally had poor responses, apnea, lower muscle tone, confusion and asphyxia.

CONCLUSIONThe clinical characteristics, TcSO₂, peripheral blood routine tests and myocardial enzyme profile are helpful in diagnosis and treatment of neonatal polycythemia. Newborn infants born to mothers who moved to the plateau area may be more susceptible to neonatal polycythemia and are prone to impairments of other organs, esp. the functions of the heart and brain.

Altitude ; Altitude Sickness ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; Cardiomyopathies ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; Erythrocyte Count ; Ethnic Groups ; Female ; Hematocrit ; Hemoglobins ; analysis ; Humans ; Hypoxia ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Polycythemia ; epidemiology ; ethnology

Tujia ethnic medical science is an important sub-discipline of China's ethnic medicine system, which has rooted in major Tujia ethnic area such as Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou and Chongqing. It has its own theory, medication characteristic and experi-ence towards ethnic drugs. Particularly, in medication incompatibility, it has formed the principle of thirteen or fourteen incompatible medicament of traditional Tujia ethnic drugs, which play a certain role in guiding the usage and compatibility of tens of thousands of herbs. Focusing on the incompatibility that is abided by Tujia medical workers, the essay makes a textual study on the origin of herbs and conducts a preliminary study on the theoretical basis of thirteen or fourteen incompatible medicaments in terms of four properties of drugs and toxic and side-effect by reference to the records on nature and flavor and effectiveness, with a view of providing a preference to improve the incompatibility theory of traditional Chinese medicines and new ideas to further studies on the development and application of traditional ethnic drugs.
China ; ethnology ; Drug Incompatibility ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; ethnology ; China ; epidemiology ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; ethnology ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; ethnology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; ethnology

INTRODUCTIONIn Singapore, the age-standardised event rates of myocardial infarction (MI) are 2- and 3-fold higher for Malays and Indians respectively compared to the Chinese. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and quantity of coronary artery calcification (CAC) and non-calcified plaques across these 3 ethnic groups.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThis was a retrospective descriptive study. We identified 1041 patients (810 Chinese, 139 Malays, 92 Indians) without previous history of cardiovascular disease who underwent cardiac computed tomography for atypical chest pain evaluation. A cardiologist, who was blinded to the patients' clinical demographics, reviewed all scans. We retrospectively analysed all their case records.

RESULTSOverall, Malays were most likely to be active smokers (P = 0.02), Indians had the highest prevalence of diabetes mellitus (P = 0.01) and Chinese had the highest mean age (P <0.0001). The overall prevalence of patients with non-calcified plaques as the only manifestation of sub-clinical coronary artery disease was 2.1%. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of CAC, mean CAC score or prevalence of non-calcified plaques among the 3 ethnic groups. Active smoking, age and hypertension were independent predictors of CAC. Non-calcified plaques were positively associated with male gender, age, dyslipidaemia and diabetes mellitus.

CONCLUSIONThe higher MI rates in Malays and Indians in Singapore cannot be explained by any difference in CAC or non-calcified plaque. More research with prospective follow-up of larger patient populations is necessary to establish if ethnic-specific calibration of CAC measures is needed to adjust for differences among ethnic groups.

Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Analysis of Variance ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; statistics & numerical data ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; ethnology ; Coronary Artery Disease ; diagnostic imaging ; ethnology ; Coronary Vessels ; diagnostic imaging ; Diabetes Mellitus ; ethnology ; Dyslipidemias ; ethnology ; European Continental Ancestry Group ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; ethnology ; India ; ethnology ; Malaysia ; ethnology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; diagnostic imaging ; ethnology ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Distribution ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; Smoking ; ethnology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vascular Calcification ; diagnostic imaging ; ethnology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the genetic polymorphism of 15 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci, i.e. D5S818, FGA, D8S1179, D21S11, D7S820, CSF1PO, D3S1358, TH01, D13S317, D16S539, D2S1338, D19S433, vWA, TPOX and D18S51, in Tibetan population of Changdu area, and to analyze the genetic relationship between this population and other Asian populations.

METHODSThe 15 loci were amplified simultaneously using a multiplex PCR typing system. Amplified STR fragments were analyzed with an ABI PRISM 3100 Avant DNA Analyzer. Arlequin software version 3.1 was used to obtain allele frequencies and polymorphism parameters.

RESULTSThere were 135 STR alleles in the 15 STRs of Changdu Tibetan, with allele frequencies ranging from 0.0065 to 0.5455. The average heterozygosity was 0.7340, the discrimination power was higher than 0.8 except for TPOX and TH01. The accumulative discrimination power was more than 0.9999998, and the accumulative non-parental exclusion probability was 0.99999997.

CONCLUSIONThe 15 STR loci of Changdu Tibetan possess characteristics of high genetic diversity. They can be employed in minority genetics investigation, and individual and paternity test in forensic medicine.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; ethnology ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Pedigree ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Tibet ; ethnology