BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Excessive sugar consumption may increase the risk for development of several diseases. Although average dietary sugar intake of Koreans is within the recommended level, an increasing trend has been found in all age groups. This study aimed to evaluate the population attributable fractions (PAF) to dietary sugar for disease and death in Korea, and to estimate the socioeconomic effects of a reduction in dietary sugar. MATERIALS/METHODS: The prevalence of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) overconsumption (≥ 20 g of sugar from beverages) was analyzed using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015. Disease-specific relative risks of excessive SSB consumption were obtained through reviewing previous studies. Using the prevalence of SSB overconsumption and each relative risk, PAFs for morbidity and mortality were calculated. Socioeconomic costs of diseases and death attributable to SSB overconsumption were estimated by using representative data on national medical expenditures, health insurance statistics, employment information, and previous reports. RESULTS: Disease-specific PAF to SSB consumption ranged from 3.11% for stroke to 9.05% for obesity and dental caries, respectively. Costs from disease caused by SSB overconsumption was estimated at 594 billion won in 2015. About 39 billion won was estimated to be from SSB consumption-related deaths, and a total of 633 billion won was predicted to have been saved through preventing SSB overconsumption. CONCLUSIONS: Sugars overconsumption causes considerable public burdens, although the cost estimates do not include any informal expenditure. Information on these socioeconomic effects helps both health professionals and policy makers to create and to implement programs for reducing sugar consumption.
Administrative Personnel ; Beverages ; Carbohydrates ; Dental Caries ; Dietary Sucrose ; Employment ; Health Expenditures ; Health Occupations ; Humans ; Insurance ; Korea ; Mortality ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Stroke

Despite overall reductions in heart disease prevalence, the risk of developing heart failure has remained 2-fold greater among people with diabetes. Growing evidence has supported that fluctuations in glucose level and uptake contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) by modifying proteins, DNA, and gene expression. In the case of glucose, clinical studies have shown that increased dietary sugars for healthy individuals or poor glycemic control in diabetic patients further increased CVD risk. Furthermore, even after decades of maintaining tight glycemic control, susceptibility to disease progression can persist following a period of poor glycemic control through a process termed "glycemic memory." In response to chronically elevated glucose levels, a number of studies have identified molecular targets of the glucose-mediated protein posttranslational modification by the addition of an O-linked N-acetylglucosamine to impair contractility, calcium sensitivity, and mitochondrial protein function. Additionally, elevated glucose contributes to dysfunction in coupling glycolysis to glucose oxidation, pentose phosphate pathway, and polyol pathway. Therefore, in the "sweetened" environment associated with hyperglycemia, there are a number of pathways contributing to increased susceptibly to "breaking" the heart of diabetics. In this review we will discuss the unique contribution of glucose to heart disease and recent advances in defining mechanisms of action.
Calcium ; Cardiomyopathies ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Diabetic Cardiomyopathies* ; Dietary Sucrose ; Disease Progression ; DNA ; Gene Expression ; Glucose* ; Glycolysis ; Heart ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Metabolism ; Mitochondrial Proteins ; Pentose Phosphate Pathway ; Prevalence ; Protein Processing, Post-Translational

Development of efficient substrate formulas to improve yield and shorten production time is one of the prerequisites for commercial cultivation of edible mushrooms. In this study, fifteen substrate formulas consisting of varying ratios of palm press fibre (PPF), mahogany sawdust (MS), Gmelina sawdust, wheat bran (WB), and fixed proportions of 1% calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and 1% sucrose were assessed for efficient Lentinus squarrosulus production. Proximate compositions of mushrooms produced on the different substrate formulas were also analysed and compared. Substrate formulations containing 85% PPF, 13% WB, 1% CaCO3, and 1% sucrose were found to produce the highest carpophore yield, biological efficiency and size (206.5 g/kg, 61.96%, and 7.26 g, respectively). Days to production (first harvest) tended to increase with an increase in the amount of WB in the substrate formulas, except for PPF based formulas. The addition of WB in amounts equivalent to 8~18% in substrate formulas containing 80~90% PPF resulted in a decrease in the time to first harvest by an average of 17.7 days compared to 80~90% MS with similar treatment. Nutritional content of mushrooms was affected by the different substrate formulas. Protein content was high for mushrooms produced on formulas containing PPF as the basal substrate. Thus, formulas comprising PPF, WB, CaCO3, and sucrose at 85% : 13% : 1% : 1%) respectively could be explored as starter basal ingredients for efficient large scale production of L. squarrosulus.
Agaricales ; Calcium Carbonate ; Dietary Fiber ; Lentinula* ; Singing* ; Sucrose

OBJECTIVETo build a type 2 diabetes mellitus rat model with cardiac ischemia.

METHODSMale Wistar rats were fed high sucrose and high fat diet for four weeks and then injected with streptozoticin (STZ) (40 mg/kg .i.p.). The levels of fasting blood glucose and serum insulin were monitored every week. The body weights of rats were also measured every week. The blood levels of creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured following the electrocardiograph used BL-410 biological experiment system.

RESULTSThe serum insulin levels of diabetic rats were 4.05 ng/ml after four weeks high sucrose and high fat diet. The fasting blood glucose levels of diabetic rats were 17.9 mmol/L after injection. Compared with normal group, there was obvious change of S-T segment in the electrocardiograph of diabetic group at the fourteenth week. The levels of creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase in diabetic group significantly increased in comparison with those in normal group.

CONCLUSIONThe cardiac ischemia of diabetic rats model is suitable for investigating cardiac disease of diabetes mellitus.

Animals ; Creatine Kinase ; blood ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; physiopathology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; chemically induced ; physiopathology ; Diet, High-Fat ; adverse effects ; Dietary Sucrose ; adverse effects ; Disease Models, Animal ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; blood ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; physiopathology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Streptozocin

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) revised the standards of care in diabetes patients in 2014. An important component of the revised guidelines is increased consideration of individual patient factors, with patient-specific recommendations about glycemic index/glycemic load, dietary fiber, sucrose, fructose etc. Education of diabetic patients needs to include information about the amount and quality of carbohydrate intake. It can be difficult to understand the factors affecting the quality of carbohydrate intake; therefore, we have to take into these factors into consideration when providing clinical nutrition education and assistance.
Diabetes Mellitus* ; Dietary Fiber ; Education ; Fructose ; Humans ; Nutrition Therapy ; Standard of Care ; Sucrose

Toxocariasis is an endemic parasitic infection and one of the most common causes of peripheral blood eosinophilia in Korea. The clinical manifestation is atypical, which makes it difficult to distinguish toxocariasis from other clinical conditions. Serologic tests for helminthic or protozoal infections frequently show positive results in general population and measurement of serum specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody against Toxocaria canis (T. canis) using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has a problem of cross-reactivity with those helminthes or protozoas in Korea. To avoid problems of cross-reactivity with other helminthes or protozoas and ensure the diagnosis of toxocariasis, western blotting procedure with excretory-secretory antigens from T. canis larvae was recommended.
Blotting, Western ; Dietary Sucrose ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Eosinophilia ; Helminths ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin G ; Korea ; Larva ; Serologic Tests ; Toxocara canis ; Toxocariasis

Establishing social security networks for the reunification of the Koreas is important to minimize social disturbances. Above all, it is highly critical to establish a medical safety net. The non-political and humanitarian aspects of medical services may be used as a valuable tool to initiate peaceful exchanges between the two Koreas amid geopolitical tensions. It is necessary to determine principles and set up strategies in order to build medical safety net in the course of reunification. A staged approach is required. In the first phase, we need to establish a system to ensure expedited basic medical services while South Korea's medical insurance, public medical care, and emergency medical service systems are replicated in the second phase. The North Korean system then needs to be developed into a more robust medical safety net in the third phase. In order to engage in this approach successfully, it is necessary to close gaps and promote trades between the two Koreas, conduct consistent research and monitoring, and secure a professional personnel pool. Along with such efforts, it will also be necessary to coordinate other political, social, economic, and cultural policies and processes of establishing other social security nets. The successfully established medical safety net will play an important role in maximizing the benefits of reunification.
Democratic People's Republic of Korea ; Dietary Sucrose ; Emergency Medical Services ; Insurance ; Korea ; Social Security

OBJECTIVES: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important cause of excess cardiovascular mortality and morbidity; as well as being associated with progression to end stage renal disease. This condition was largely unheard of in English primary care prior to the introduction of pay-for-performance targets for management in 2006. A realist review of how informatics has been a mechanism for national implementation of guidance for the improved management of CKD. METHODS: Realist review of context, the English National Health Service with a drive to implement explicit national quality standards; mechanism, the informatics infrastructure and its alignment with policy objectives; and outcomes are describe at the micro-data and messaging, meso-patient care and quality improvement initiatives, and marco-national policy levels. RESULTS: At the micro-level computerised medical records can be used to reliably identify people with CKD; though differences in creatinine assays, fluctuation in renal function, and errors in diabetes coding were less well understood. At the meso-level more aggressive management of blood pressure (BP) in individual patients appears to slow or reverse decline in renal function; technology can support case finding and quality improvement at the general practice level. At the macro-level informaticians can help ensure that leverage from informatics is incorporated in policy, and ecological investigations inform if there is any association with improved health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In the right policy context informatics appears to be an enabler of rapid quality improvement. However, a causal relationship or generalisability of these findings has not been demonstrated.
Blood Pressure ; Clinical Coding ; Creatinine ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Dietary Sucrose ; England ; General Practice ; Health Policy ; Humans ; Informatics ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Kidney Function Tests ; Medical Informatics ; Medical Records ; Medical Records Systems, Computerized ; National Health Programs ; Primary Health Care ; Quality Improvement ; Quality of Health Care ; Renal Insufficiency ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic

BACKGROUND: Acute transient obstructive hydrocephalus is rare in adults. We describe a patient with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) who experienced the delayed development of acute transient hydrocephalus. CASE REPORT: A 33-year-old man with a previously diagnosed Spetzler-Martin Grade 5 arteriovenous malformation presented with severe headache, which was found to be due to IVH. Forty hours after presentation he developed significant obstructive hydrocephalus due to the thrombus migrating to the cerebral aqueduct, and a ventriculostomy placement was planned. However, shortly thereafter his headache began to improve spontaneously. Within 4 hours after onset the headache had completely resolved, and an interval head CT scan revealed resolution of hydrocephalus. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with IVH, acute obstructive hydrocephalus can develop at any time after the ictus. Though a delayed presentation of acute but transient obstructive hydrocephalus is unusual, it is important to be aware of this scenario and ensure that deterioration secondary to thrombus migration and subsequent obstructive hydrocephalus do not occur.
Adult ; Arteriovenous Malformations ; Cerebral Aqueduct ; Dietary Sucrose ; Head ; Headache ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Thrombosis ; Ventriculostomy

Eleven types of nuts and seeds were analyzed to determine their energy (326-733 mg), moisture (1.6-18.3 mg), carbohydrate (8.8-70.9 mg), protein (4.9-30.5 mg), lipid (2.5-69.8 mg), and ash (1.2-5.5 mg) contents per 100 g of sample. Energy content was highest in pine nuts (733 mg/100 g), carbohydrate level was highest in dried figs (70.9 mg/100 g) and protein was highest in peanuts (30.5 mg/100 g). The amino acid compositions of nuts and seeds were characterized by the dominance of hydrophobic (range = 1,348.6-10,284.6 mg), hydrophilic (range = 341.1-3,244.3 mg), acidic (range = 956.1-8,426.5 mg), and basic (range = 408.6-4,738.5 mg) amino acids. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were highest in macadamia nuts (81.3%), whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were highest in the walnuts (76.7%). Macadamia nuts did not contain any vitamin E, whereas sunflower seeds contained the highest level (60.3 mg/kg). Iron (Fe) content was highest in pumpkin seeds (95.85 +/- 33.01 ppm), zinc (Zn) content was highest in pistachios (67.24 +/- 30.25 ppm), copper (Cu) content was greatest in walnuts (25.45 +/- 21.51 ppm), and lead (Pb) content was greatest in wheat nuts (25.49 +/- 4.64 ppm), significantly (P < 0.05). In conclusion, current commercial nuts and seeds have no safety concerns, although further analysis of Pb contents is necessary to ensure safety.
Amino Acids ; Arachis ; Copper ; Cucurbita ; Dietary Sucrose ; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Helianthus ; Iron ; Juglans ; Korea ; Macadamia ; Nuts ; Pistacia ; Seeds ; Triticum ; Vitamins ; Zinc