We performed this study to understand the health status and food intake of North Koreans. Information was collected by individual closed in-depth interviews of 11 escapers from North Korea as well as books, newspapers and North Korean movies. Interviews were done from October, 1996 to May, 1997, covering their heights and weights, their appearance and disease, food system and intake of various main/side foods, concern about health and hygiene. North Korean's height and BMI were lower than those of South Koreans. Difference of BMIs between North and South Koreans was profound in middle aged women than in other age groups. Childrem showed many malnutrition appearances of moon face, large abdomem, arrow-like legs, flaky skin, decolored hair, etc.. Main foods in North Korea were rice-shaped corn, corn flour, wheat flour and wet noodle, and side foods were kimchi and/or soups and steamed soy paste. Food supply system there seemed not to work normally for many years, so foods, especially in cities, has been extremely short in government-operating shops, but some in private market. Many housewives were eager to make and sell simple snack food products, We noticed that North korea schools didn't check students' health even though their medical policy was based on preventive medicine. Their living environmental hygiene was shown to be oyt of control.
Democratic People's Republic of Korea ; Eating* ; Female ; Flour ; Food Supply ; Hair ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Leg ; Malnutrition ; Middle Aged ; Periodicals ; Preventive Medicine ; Skin ; Snacks ; Steam ; Triticum ; United Nations ; Weights and Measures ; Zea mays

BACKGROUND: This study was to determine whether coronary flow reserve (CFR) of infarct related artery is related to the microvascular perfusion status in the infarct zone determined by myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) immediately after successful revascularization in patients with acute myocardial infarction and to the presence of non-contractile myocardium at follow-up. METHODS: CFR was measured immediately after successful revascularization in 21 patients 5+/-2 days after acute myocardial infarction. Then, myocardial perfusion status was evaluated by MCE. Myocardial opacification index (MOI) was calculated as the ratio of sum of reperfusion area to total risk area of infarct-related artery. Follow-up transthoracic echocardiography was performed 1 month after infarction. RESULTS: CFR was correlated with myocardial opacification index immediately after successful revascularization (r=0.79, p<0.001). CFR was significantly higher in patients with MOI score of 1 than in patients with MOI score smaller than 1 (2.15+/-0.29 vs 1.52+/-0.27, p<0.05), and higher but insignificantly in patients without non-contractile segments than in patients with (1.83+/-0.46 vs 1.63+/-0.4, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: CFR may be used to determine the microvascular perfusion status of the myocardium in the infarct zone. CFR immediately after successful revascularization seems to be associated more closely with myocardial perfusion status determined by MCE at that time than whether the non-contractile myocardium is presence or not after 1 month.
Arteries* ; Echocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infarction ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myocardium ; Perfusion* ; Reperfusion*

BACKGROUND: Studies on the relationship between vitamin D and visceral fat area (VFA; intra-abdominal fat area) have been actively conducted. But, there is a few Korean population-based studies about the association between serum vitamin D level and VFA. The aim of our study was to explore the correlation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels and VFA measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA; electric impedance) in healthy Korean adults. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 1,945 adults aged 20-70 years who visited a health promotion center. All subjects underwent the BIA to estimate the VFA. Serum 25(OH)D level was measured using chemiluminescent immunoassay. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify independent correlation of VFA and serum 25(OH)D level. RESULTS: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (25[OH]D: 20-29 ng/mL) and insufficiency (25[OH]D <20 ng/mL) were 54.4% and 38.1%, respectively. After having adjusted age and season, VFA were negatively associated with serum 25(OH)D levels in both men (P<0.001) and women (P<0.001). The obese group with VFA ≥ 100 cm² had significant lower serum 25(OH)D level in men (P<0.001) and women (P=0.0034). CONCLUSIONS: VFA measured using BIA could be negatively associated with serum 25(OH)D levels in healthy Korean adult.
Adult* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Electric Impedance ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Intra-Abdominal Fat* ; Male ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Seasons ; Vitamin D Deficiency ; Vitamin D* ; Vitamins*