No abstract available.
Asian Americans ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; Insulin ; Thigh

No abstract available.
Asian Americans ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; Insulin ; Thigh

Despite a remarkable increase in Asian births in the U.S., studies on their birth outcomes have been lacking. We investigated outcomes of births to Asian parents and biracial Asian/White parents in the U.S. From the U.S. birth data (1992–2012), we selected singleton births to Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Asian Indian, and Vietnamese. These births were divided into three groups; births to White mother/Asian father, Asian mother/White father, and births to the both ethnic Asian parents. We compared birth outcomes of these 18 subgroups to those of the White mother/White father group. Mean birthweights of births to the Asian parents were significantly lower, ranging 18 g to 295 g less than to the White parents. Compared to the rates of low birthweight (LBW) (4.6%) and preterm birth (PTB) (8.5%) in births to the White parents, births to Filipino parents had the highest rates of LBW (8.0%) and PTB (11.3%), respectively, and births to Korean parents had the lowest rates of both LBW (3.7%) and PTB (5.5%). This pattern of outcomes had changed little with adjustments of maternal sociodemographic and health factors. This observation was similarly noted also in births to the biracial parents, but the impact of paternal or maternal race on birth outcome was different by race/ethnicity. Compared to births to White parents, birth outcomes from the Asian parents or biracial Asian/White parents differed depending on the ethnic origin of Asian parents. The race/ethnicity was the strongest factor for this difference while other parental characteristics hardly explained this difference.
Asian Americans ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Continental Population Groups ; Fathers ; Humans ; Parents* ; Parturition* ; Premature Birth ; United States*

Methazolamide is a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor commonly used for lowering intraocular pressure in glaucoma and other ophthalmologic diseases. Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors are sulfonamide derivatives that are known to cause many adverse side effects, including dermatologic reactions. Recently, Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) associated with methazolamide treatment has been reported in Japanese and Japanese Americans, and it suggested a relationship between genetic background and methazolamide-induced SJS. We report four cases of SJS induced by methazolamide. Methazolamide should be prescribed with caution in patients of Japanese or Korean descent.
Asian Americans ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors ; Carbonic Anhydrases ; Glaucoma ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Methazolamide* ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome*

OBJECTIVES: Families of ethnic minority persons with dementia often seek help at later stages of the disease. Little is known about the effectiveness of various methods in supporting ethnic minority dementia patients' caregivers. The objective of the study was to identify smartphone and computer usage among family caregivers of dementia patients (i.e., Korean and Vietnamese Americans) to develop dementia-care education programs for them. METHODS: Participants were asked various questions related to their computer or smartphone usage in conjunction with needs-assessment interviews. Flyers were distributed at two ethnic minority community centers in Southern California. Snowball recruitment was also utilized to reach out to the families of dementia patients dwelling in the community. RESULTS: Thirty-five family caregivers, including 20 Vietnamese and 15 Korean individuals, participated in this survey. Thirty participants (30 of 35, 85.7%) were computer users. Among those, 76.7% (23 of 30) reported daily usage and 53% (16 of 30) claimed to use social media. A majority of the participants (31 of 35, 88.6%) reported that they owned smartphones. More than half of smartphone users (18 of 29, 62%) claimed to use social media applications. Many participants claimed that they could not attend in-class education due to caregiving and/or transportation issues. CONCLUSIONS: Most family caregivers of dementia patients use smartphones more often than computers, and more than half of those caregivers communicate with others through social media apps. A smartphone-app-based caregiver intervention may serve as a more effective approach compared to the conventional in-class method. Multiple modalities for the development of caregiver interventions should be considered.
Asian Americans* ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; California ; Caregivers* ; Dementia* ; Education* ; Humans ; Methods ; Minority Groups ; Smartphone* ; Social Media ; Transportation

BACKGROUND: There are significant differences in the clincopathologic pattern including the incidence, favor site, and histopathologic type between cutaneous malignant melanomas arising from whites, asians and blacks. These differences might suggest that there is a racial difference in the molecular tumorigenesis mechanism of malignant melanoma. METHODS: To determine the ethnic differences in tumorigenesis of malignant melanoma, we performed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and sequencing analyses of the p53 gene in cutaneous malignant melanomas arising from 22 white American, 30 Korean and 15 black African patients. RESULTS: The frequency of LOH of the p53 gene is only 12.5% in white American patients, but the frequency is significantly higher in Korean (42.1%) and black African (61.5%) patients. We also detected 17 mutations (nonsense: 1, missense: 16) of the p53 gene in the cutaneous malignant melanomas of Koreans and black Africans, but none in those of white Americans: among the 16 missense mutations, 10 mutations were C:G to T:A transitional mutations. Of these, we also detected one GG (CC) to AA (TT) tandem mutation at the pyrimidine sequence. CONCLUSION: These results strongly suggest that there might be a racial difference in molecular carcinogenesis mechanisms among the cutaneous malignant melanomas occurring in white American, Korean and black African patients. But the role of the p53 genetic alteration in the genesis of melanomas in Korean and black African patients is subject to further evaluation.
African Continental Ancestry Group ; Asian Americans ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Carcinogenesis ; Ethnic Groups ; Genes, p53 ; Humans ; Incidence ; Loss of Heterozygosity ; Melanoma* ; Mutation, Missense

The purpose of this study was to determine the recognition of body image and food behavior factors according to the BMI. The subjects of this study were 242 7th grade students resided in San Francisco area. The degree of recognition for self-estimated physique of subjects by gender and by race showed no significant differences by gender but significant differences by race, showing that 20.0% was considered as underweight in Asian and 7.5% was considered as underweight in White students. This showed the same tendency as actual physique status (BMI). Also, the ratio of being recognized as more than overweight was 17.3% in Asian, 23.3% in Hispanic, and 13.4% in White students. In case of female students, the ratio of dieting experience was 63.3%, and 49.3% of White students and 63.3% of Hispanic students experienced dieting. In case of students answered not healthy, their body weight were significantly higher than those answered as healthy, and the BMI was also over 19, showing significant differences. Thus cases that answered as not healthy had greater body weight and BMI. Also it showed that frequent dieting experience is related to higher height and weight. The analysis of food behavior factors perceived by body shape showed that the group perceived itself as overweight consumed more 'fast food' but had low scores in 'vegetables' intake, with frequent intake of 'soda' and tendency to 'overeat'. Also, the tendency for 'balanced life' was significantly lower and for skipping breakfast was significantly higher, suggesting problematic food behavior.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Body Image* ; Body Weight ; Breakfast ; Continental Population Groups ; Diet ; Female ; Hispanic Americans ; Humans ; Overweight ; Thinness

This study investigated how acculturation varies with demographic variables and is related to dietary habits among Korean Americans. The respondents were 162 Korea Americans aged at least 18 years old residing in the Greater New York metropolitan area. The level of acculturation was measured using a modified Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation(SL-ASIA) scale. Acculturation was operationally defined to be composed of 6 factors, which are language, media use, friendship, food, pride, and ethnic self-identity. Each factor in the level of acculturation was identified by how it is related to demographics and dietary habits in the method of correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regressions analyses. The reliability of the modified SL-ASIA scale was high as measured by Cronbach alpha of .92. The level of acculturation was related to place of birth, age, length of residence in the U.S., and education. The younger, the longer they had lived in the U.S., and the more they were educated, the more acculturated. Acculturation could be predictable for 52% of its variance with all demographic variables. Among the 6 factors in the level of acculturation, five of them, language, media use friendship, food, and ethnic self-identity were correlated with dietary habit changes after immigration and type of meals. All 6 acculturation factors could predict 21% of change in dietary habits. the information from this study can be used to describe usual describe usual dietary habits according to various aspects of acculturation to better understand the dynamics among acculturation, demographics, and dietary habits.
Acculturation* ; Adolescent ; Asian Americans* ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Demography* ; Education ; Emigration and Immigration ; Food Habits* ; Friends ; Humans ; Korea ; Meals ; Residence Characteristics

PURPOSE: Asian-American women have equal or better breast cancer survival rates than non-Hispanic white women, but many studies use the aggregate term "Asian/Pacific Islander" (API) or consider breast cancer as a single disease. The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of mortality in seven subgroups of Asian-Americans expressing the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) tumor marker subtypes and determine whether the risk of mortality for the aggregate API category is reflective of the risk in all Asian ethnicities. METHODS: The study included data for 110,120 Asian and white women with stage 1 to 4 first primary invasive breast cancer from the California Cancer Registry. The Asian ethnicities identified were Pacific Islander, Southeast Asian (SEA), Indian Subcontinent, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and Korean. A Cox regression analysis was used to compute the risk of breast cancer-specific mortality in seven Asian ethnicities and the combined API category versus white women within each of the ER/PR/HER2 subtypes. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed. RESULTS: For the ER+/PR+/HER2- subtype, the combined API category showed a 17% (HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.76-0.91) lower mortality risk. This was true only for SEA (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.61-0.91) and Japanese women (HR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.45-0.81). In the ER+/PR-/HER2- subtype, SEA (HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.38-0.84) and Filipino women (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.51-0.97) had a lower risk of mortality. Japanese (HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.25-0.99) and Filipino women (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.58-0.94) had a lower HR for the ER-/PR-/HER2+ subtype. For triple-positive, ER+/PR+/HER2+ (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.71-0.98) and triple-negative, ER-/PR-/HER2- (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.74-0.94) subtypes, only the API category showed a lower risk of mortality. CONCLUSION: Breast cancer-specific mortality among Asian-American women varies according to their specific Asian ethnicity and breast cancer subtype.
Asian Americans ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; California* ; Estrogens ; Female ; Healthcare Disparities ; Humans ; Mortality* ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Receptors, Progesterone ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: The Gail model is one of the most widely used tools to assess the risk of breast cancer. However, it is known to overestimate breast cancer risk for Asian women. Here, we validate the Gail model and the Korean model using Korean data, and subsequently update and revalidate the Korean model using recent data. METHODS: We validated the modified Gail model (model 2), Asian American Gail model, and a previous Korean model using screening patient data collected between January 1999 and July 2004. The occurrence of breast cancer was confirmed by matching the resident registration number with data from the Korean Breast Cancer Registration Program. The expected-to-observed (E/O) ratio was used to validate the reliability of the program, and receiver operating characteristics curve analysis was used to evaluate the program's discriminatory power. There has been a rapid increase in the incidence of breast cancer in Korea, and we updated and revalidated the Korean model using incidence and mortality rate data from recent years. RESULTS: Among 40,229 patients who were included in the validation, 161 patients were confirmed to have developed breast cancer within 5 years of screening. The E/O ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were 2.46 (2.10-2.87) for the modified Gail model and 1.29 (1.11-1.51) for the Asian American Gail model. The E/O ratio and 95% CI for the Korean model was 0.50 (0.43-0.59). For the updated Korean model, the E/O ratio and 95% CI were 0.85 (0.73-1.00). In the discriminatory power, the area under curve and 95% CI of the modified Gail model, Asian American Gail model, Korean model and updated Korean model were 0.547 (0.500-0.594), 0.543 (0.495-0.590), 0.509 (0.463-0.556), and 0.558 (0.511-0.605), respectively. CONCLUSION: The updated Korean model shows a better performance than the other three models. It is hoped that this study can provide the basis for a clinical risk assessment program and a future prospective study of breast cancer prevention.
Area Under Curve ; Asian Americans ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Female ; Hope ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Mortality ; Risk Assessment* ; ROC Curve