The purpose of this study is to investigate the proportion and associated risk factors of hypertriglyceridemia in rural Vietnamese women. Research data were collected as part of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES). A cross-sectional study of 957 Vietnamese women in their 20 to 30s was conducted in rural areas of Bavi, Vietnam. Subjects were classified as hypertriglyceridemic (serum TG > or = 150 mg/dL). Demographic, socio-economic details, anthropometric measurements, and blood profiles were recorded. The proportion of hypertriglyceridemic subjects was 22.0%, and the mean age of hypertriglyceridemics subjects was older than that of normo-triglyceridemic subjects (p < 0.05). In hypertriglyceridemic subjects, height, HDL-cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol were significantly lower, compared to subjects with normo-triglyceridemia, while weight, body mass index, waist hip ratio, body fat %, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, and atherogenic index were higher, compared to those with normo-triglyceridemia. Intake of cereal and cereal products, total plant food, and cereal/potato fiber in subjects with hypertriglyceridemia was significantly higher, compared to normo-triglyceridemic subjects. Hypertriglyceridemic subjects had a significantly lower intake of animal calcium and retinol than normo-triglyceridemic subjects. Significant positive relationships were observed between the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia and consumption of total plant food [OR (95% CI) for the highest tertile, compared to the lowest: 1.764 (1.131-2.750); p for trend = 0.008] and crude fiber [OR (95% CI) for the highest tertile compared to the lowest: 1.651 (1.092-2.497); p for trend = 0.027]. In addition, a significant inverse relationship was observed between the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia and cholesterol intake [OR (95% CI) for the highest tertile, compared to the lowest: 0.601 (0.400-0.901); p for trend = 0.012]. These findings may provide basic data for use by policymakers and dieticians in future development of nutrition and health programs to encourage healthier eating habits, and to prevent hypertriglyceridemia advancing cardiovascular disease in rural Vietnamese women.
Adipose Tissue ; Animals ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Body Weight ; Calcium ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cholesterol ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Eating ; Edible Grain ; Fasting ; Female ; Genome ; Humans ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Plants ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Vietnam ; Vitamin A ; Waist-Hip Ratio

Background: A nationwide outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in South Korea caused massive economic losses in 2010. Since then, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (QIA) has enhanced disinfection systems regarding livestock to prevent horizontal transmission of FMD and Avian influenza (AI). Although the amount of disinfectant used continues to increase, cases of FMD and AI have been occurring annually in Korea, except 2012 and 2013. Objectives: This study measured the concentration of the disinfectant to determine why it failed to remove the horizontal transmission despite increased disinfectant use. Methods: Surveys were conducted from February to May 2017, collecting 348 samples from disinfection systems. The samples were analyzed using the Standards of Animal Health Products analysis methods from QIA. Results: Twenty-three facilities used inappropriate or non-approved disinfectants. Nearly all sampled livestock farms and facilities—93.9%—did not properly adjust the disinfectant concentration. The percentage using low concentrations, or where no effective substance was detected, was 46.9%. Furthermore, 13 samples from the official disinfection station did not use effective disinfectant, and—among 72 samples from the disinfection station—88.89% were considered inappropriate concentration, according to the foot-and-mouth disease virus guidelines; considering the AIV guideline, 73.61% were inappropriate concentrations. Inappropriate concentration samples on automatic (90.00%) and semi-automatic (90.90%) disinfection systems showed no significant difference from manual methods (88.24%). Despite this study being conducted during the crisis level, most disinfectants were used inappropriately. Conclusions This may partially explain why horizontal transmission of FMD and AI cannot be effectively prevented despite extensive disinfectant use.

PURPOSE: To evaluate efficacy and complication of stereotactic radiosurgery using stereotactic body frame. METHODS AND MATERIALS: From December 1997 to June 1999, 11 patients with primary and metastatic tumors were treated with stereotactic radiosurgery using stereotactic body frame(Precision Therapy(TM)). Three patients were treated with primary hepatoma and seven with metastatic tumor from liver, lung, breast, trachea and one with arteriovenous malformation on neck. We used vacuum pillow for immobilization and made skin marker on sternum and tibia area with chest marker and leg marker. Diaphragm control was used for reducing movement by respiration. CT-simulation and treatment planning were performed. Set-up error was checked by CT-Simulator before each treatment. Dose were calculated on the 80~90% isodose of isocenter dose and given consecutive 3 fractions for total dose of 30 Gy (10 Gy/fraction). RESULTS: Median follow-up was 12 months. One patient (9%) showed complete response and four patients (36%) showed partial response and others showed stable disease. Planning target volumes (PTV) ranged from 3 to 111 cc (mean 18.4 cc). Set-up error was within 5 mm in all directions (X, Y, Z axis). There was no complication in all patients. CONCLUSION: In primary and metastatic tumors, stereotactic radiosurgery using stereotactic body frame is very safe, accurate and effective treatment modality.
Arteriovenous Malformations ; Breast ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Diaphragm ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Leg ; Liver ; Lung ; Neck ; Radiosurgery* ; Respiration ; Skin ; Sternum ; Thorax ; Tibia ; Trachea ; Vacuum

PURPOSE: This prospective study has been conducted to assess the value of three dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) for lung cancer and to determine its potential advantage over current treatment approaches. Specific aim of this study were to 1) find the most ideal 3DCRT technique 2) establish the maximum tolerance dose that can be delivered with 3DCRT and 3) identify patients at risk for development of radiation pneumonitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Beginning in Nov. 1994, 95 patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (stage I; 4, stage II; 1, stage IIIa; 14, stage IIIb; 76) were entered onto this 3D conformal trial. Areas of known disease and elective nodal areas were initially treated to 45 Gy and then using 3DCRT technique 65 to 70 Gy of total dose were delivered to the gross disease. Sixty nine patients received 65 Gy of total dose and 26 received 70 Gy. Seventy eight patients (82.1%) also received concurrent MVP chemotherapy. 3DCRT plans were compared with 2D plans to assess the adequacy of dose delivery to target volume, dose volume histograms for normal tissue, and normal tissue complication probabilities (NTCP). RESULTS: Most of plans (78/95) were composed of non-coplanar multiple (4-8) fields. Coplanar segmented conformal therapy was used in 17 pateints, choosing the proper gantry angle which minimize normal lung exposure in each segment. 3DCRT gave the full dose to nearly 100% of the gross disease target volume in all patients. The mean NTCP for ipsilateral lung with 3DCRT (range ; 0.17-0.43) was 68% of the mean NTCP with 2D treatment planning (range ; 0.27-0.66). DVH analysis for heart showed that irradiated volume of heart could be significantly reduced by non-coplanar 3D approach especially in the case of left lower lobe lesion. Of 95 patients evaluable for response, 75 (79%), showed major response including 25 (26%) with complete responses and 50 (53%) with partial responses. One and two year overall survivals of stage lll patients were 62.6% and 35.2% respectively. Twenty percent (19/95) of patients had pneumonitis ; Eight patients had grade 1 pneumonitis and 11 other patients had grade 2. Comparison of the average of NTCP for lung showed a significant difference between patients with and without radiation pneumonitis. Average NTCP for patients without complication was 62% of those with complications. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that non-coplanar multiple fields (4-8) may be one of the ideal plans for 3DCRT for lung cancer. It also suggested that 3DCRT may provide superior delivery of high dose radiation with reduced risk to normal tissue and that NTCP can be used as a guideline for the dose escalation.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Drug Therapy ; Heart ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Pneumonia ; Prospective Studies ; Radiation Pneumonitis

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between dietary flavonoids intake and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Korean women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: A total of 223 subjects (mean age; 27.3 +/- 4.2 yrs, range; 17-38 yrs) were divided into the MetS group (n = 27) and non-MetS group (n = 196). Dietary intake data were assessed by 24-hour recall method for two non-consecutive days and the average of the two days was used to estimate the usual dietary intake. Dietary habits were assessed using the Mini Dietary Assessment (MDA) score. We analyzed the intakes of six flavonoid classes (anthocyanidins, flavan-3-ols, flavanones, flavones, flavonols, and iso-flavones) using a flavonoids database. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, total energy intake, alcohol consumption, smok-ing, regular exercise, and oral contraceptive use, dietary flavonols intake was significantly lower in the MetS group (5.1 +/- 2.4 mg/d) than in the non-MetS group (8.9 +/- 2.8 mg/d) (p = 0.0472). Intakes of other flavonoids except for flavonols did not differ between the two groups. In MDA scores, significant differences were observed only for that related to daily con-sumption of fruit or fruit juice (p = 0.0180). A significant inverse relationship was observed between flavonols intake and the risk of MetS (4th vs. 1st quartile, OR = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.02-0.62, p for trend = 0.0131). CONCLUSION: These results sug-gest that higher intake of flavonols may be beneficial for MetS in PCOS women.
Alcohol Drinking ; Energy Intake ; Female ; Flavanones ; Flavones ; Flavonoids* ; Flavonols ; Food Habits ; Fruit ; Humans ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome*

New measurement method for Sp factors (Phantom Scatter Factors) is presented. The theoretical development of the approach is disscused showing that Sp factors can be obtained from three measurements of ionnization in a blocked, reference field and open field. This method has been tested using 60Co gamma rays. The results were within 1% deviation between the theory and the experiment for the Sp facter. The new method does not need air measurement, and we could determine the Sp p factors with a small piece of block.
Gamma Rays ; Hepatocyte Growth Factor*

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to compare the overall changes in dietary intake and metabolic syndrome risk parameters in Vietnamese marriage-based female immigrants over time. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The subjects of this study were 581 Vietnamese marriage-based female immigrants, who were recruited from local clinical centers in Korea. Baseline data were collected from 2006-2011 and the follow-up data were collected from 2012-2014. Dietary food intake was assessed by a 1-day 24-hour recall method. RESULTS: Compared to the baseline, the mean body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure increased while the fasting blood sugar, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol decreased at follow-up. The total consumption of foods such as vegetables/fruits/seaweeds/mushrooms, oil and fat, and eggs decreased during the follow-up period, whereas the consumption of sugars, beverages and meats increased. Partial correlation between the rate of change [(Follow-up - Baseline) / Baseline × 100] in metabolic syndrome risk parameters and food intake after controlling for confounding factors showed that the waist circumference was positively correlated with either the total plant food intake (r = 0.1042, P = 0.0129) or the total food intake (r = 0.0880, P = 0.0359). The plasma levels of total cholesterol (r = -0.1918, P = 0.0289) and HDL-cholesterol (r = -0.1424, P = 0.0007) were negatively correlated with the percentage of total intake from plant food, and HDL-cholesterol levels were positively correlated with the intake of total animal food (r = 0.0980, P = 0.0217). The serum C-reactive protein levels were positively correlated with the total intake of animal food (r = 0.2374, P < 0.0001) or the percentage of total intake from animal food (r = 0.1346, P = 0.0016). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the change rate of dietary intake such as total plant food or animal food is associated with the change rates of metabolic syndrome risk parameters.
Animals ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Beverages ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; C-Reactive Protein ; Carbohydrates ; Cholesterol ; Eating ; Eggs ; Emigrants and Immigrants* ; Fasting ; Female* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Lipoproteins ; Marriage* ; Meat ; Methods ; Ovum ; Plants ; Plasma ; Triglycerides ; Waist Circumference

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to compare the overall changes in dietary intake and metabolic syndrome risk parameters in Vietnamese marriage-based female immigrants over time. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The subjects of this study were 581 Vietnamese marriage-based female immigrants, who were recruited from local clinical centers in Korea. Baseline data were collected from 2006-2011 and the follow-up data were collected from 2012-2014. Dietary food intake was assessed by a 1-day 24-hour recall method. RESULTS: Compared to the baseline, the mean body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure increased while the fasting blood sugar, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol decreased at follow-up. The total consumption of foods such as vegetables/fruits/seaweeds/mushrooms, oil and fat, and eggs decreased during the follow-up period, whereas the consumption of sugars, beverages and meats increased. Partial correlation between the rate of change [(Follow-up - Baseline) / Baseline × 100] in metabolic syndrome risk parameters and food intake after controlling for confounding factors showed that the waist circumference was positively correlated with either the total plant food intake (r = 0.1042, P = 0.0129) or the total food intake (r = 0.0880, P = 0.0359). The plasma levels of total cholesterol (r = -0.1918, P = 0.0289) and HDL-cholesterol (r = -0.1424, P = 0.0007) were negatively correlated with the percentage of total intake from plant food, and HDL-cholesterol levels were positively correlated with the intake of total animal food (r = 0.0980, P = 0.0217). The serum C-reactive protein levels were positively correlated with the total intake of animal food (r = 0.2374, P < 0.0001) or the percentage of total intake from animal food (r = 0.1346, P = 0.0016). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the change rate of dietary intake such as total plant food or animal food is associated with the change rates of metabolic syndrome risk parameters.
Animals ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Beverages ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; C-Reactive Protein ; Carbohydrates ; Cholesterol ; Eating ; Eggs ; Emigrants and Immigrants* ; Fasting ; Female* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Lipoproteins ; Marriage* ; Meat ; Methods ; Ovum ; Plants ; Plasma ; Triglycerides ; Waist Circumference

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is a strong independent predictor of future cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. We evaluated the relationship between hsCRP and dietary intake in apparently healthy young women living in southern Vietnam. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Serum hsCRP was measured and dietary intake data were obtained using the 1-day 24-hour recall method in women (n = 956; mean age, 25.0 +/- 5.7 years) who participated in the International Collaboration Study for the Construction of Asian Cohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) in 2011. RESULTS: Women in the high risk group (> 3 mg/L) consumed fewer fruits and vegetables, total plant food, potassium, and folate than those in the low risk group (< 1 mg/L). A multiple regression analysis after adjusting for covariates revealed a significant negative association between hsCRP and fruit and vegetable consumption. A logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio (OR) of having a high hsCRP level in women with the highest quartiles of consumption of fruits and vegetables [OR, 0.391; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.190-0.807], potassium [OR, 0.425; 95% CI, 0.192-0.939] and folate [OR, 0.490; 95% CI, 0.249-0.964] were significantly lower than those in the lowest quartiles. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that, in young Vietnamese women, an increased consumption of fruit and vegetables might be beneficial for serum hsCRP, a risk factor for future CVD events.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; C-Reactive Protein* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cohort Studies ; Cooperative Behavior ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Folic Acid ; Fruit ; Genome ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Odds Ratio ; Plants ; Potassium ; Risk Factors ; Vegetables ; Vietnam

BACKGROUND: To accelerate the healing of diabetic wounds, various kinds of growth factors have been employed. It is the short half-life of administered growth factors in hostile wound beds that have limited wide-spread clinical usage. To overcome this limitation, growth factor gene therapy could be an attractive alternative rather than direct application of factors onto the wound beds. We administered two growth factor DNAs, epidermal growth factor (EGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) into a cutaneous wound on diabetic mice. We compared the different characteristics of the healing wounds. METHODS: Streptozotocin was injected intraperitoneally to induce diabetes into C57BL/6J mice. The ultrasound micro-bubble destruction method with SonoVue as a bubbling agent was used for non-viral gene delivery of EGF828 and VEGF165 DNAs. Each gene was modified for increasing efficacy as FRM-EGF828 or minicircle VEGF165. The degree of neoangiogenesis was assessed using qualitative laser Doppler flowmetry. We compared wound size and histological findings of the skin wounds in each group. RESULTS: In both groups, accelerated wound closure was observed in the mice receiving gene therapy compared with non treated diabetic control mice. Blood flow detected by laser doppler flowmetry was better in the VEGF group than in the EGF group. Wound healing rates and histological findings were more accelerated in the EGF gene therapy group than the VEGF group, but were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Both non-viral EGF and VEGF gene therapy administrations could improve the speed and quality of skin wound healing. However, the detailed histological characteristics of the healing wounds were different.
Animals ; DNA ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; Genetic Therapy ; Half-Life ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Laser-Doppler Flowmetry ; Mice ; Phospholipids ; Skin ; Streptozocin ; Sulfur Hexafluoride ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; Wound Healing