BACKGROUND: Dyslipidemia is a disorder of lipid metabolism, including elevated total cholesterol, elevated triglyceride, elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The objective of this study was to investigate recent changes in the prevalence of dyslipidemia and also the rates of awareness, treatment, and control of dyslipidemia among Korean adults. METHODS: Dyslipidemia is defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III as total cholesterol > or =240 mg/dL, LDL-C > or =160 mg/dL, HDL-C <40 mg/dL, and triglyceride > or =200 mg/dL. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was estimated for adults aged > or =20 years using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES) in 1998 (n=6,923), 2001 (n=4,882), and 2005 (n=5,323). Rates of awareness, treatment and control of dyslipidemia were calculated for adults aged > or =30 years using the KNHANES in 2005 (n=4,654). RESULTS: The prevalence of dyslipidemia (aged > or =20 years) increased from 32.4% in 1998 to 42.6% in 2001 and 44.1% in 2005. Compared with the KNHANES in 1998, the prevalence of dyslipidemia was 47% (95% confidence interval [CI], 35% to 59%) higher in 2001 and 61% (95% CI, 49% to 75%) higher in 2005. In 2005, only 9.5% of people with dyslipidemia were aware of the disease, 5.2% used lipid-lowering medication, and 33.2% of patients with treatment reached treatment goals. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of dyslipidemia in Korea gradually increased between 1998 and 2005. These findings suggest that more intense efforts for the prevention and treatment of dyslipidemia may lead to further improvement in the management of dyslipidemia.
Adult ; Aged ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Dyslipidemias ; Humans ; Korea ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipoproteins ; Nutrition Surveys ; Prevalence

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In this study we investigated the association between the polymorphism of apolipoprotein E and the development of myocardial infarction, and assessed whether this polymorphism produces any changes of plasma lipid level. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 182 patients participated in this study and were divided into two groups; 91 patients with myocardial infarction (MI group) and 91 patients with no known heart disease (control group). For both groups we analyzed the clinical parameters, the changes of plasma lipid level and the degree of polymorphism of apolipoprotein E. RESULTS: Total cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly higher in the MI group, while the HDL cholesterol level was significantly lower. Compared with the control group, the frequency of epsilon2 allele was significantly lower while that of epsilon3 allele was significantly higher in the MI group. As for the control group, the triglyceride level was significantly higher in the patients with epsilon 2 allele than in those without epsilon 2 allele, and the total cholesterol level was significantly higher in the patients with epsilon 4 allele than in those without epsilon 4 allele. In the MI group, the plasma lipid levels were not significantly different from those in the control group. CONCLUSION: We suggested that apolipoprotein E polymorphism could affect the lipid metabolism as well as the development of myocardial infarction. However further study is needed in patients with myocardial infarction.
Alleles ; Apolipoproteins E ; Apolipoproteins* ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipoproteins ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Plasma ; Triglycerides

Liver is one of the most important organs in energy metabolism. Most plasma apolipoproteins and endogenous lipids and lipoproteins are synthesized in the liver. It depends on the integrity of liver cellular function, which ensures homeostasis of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. When liver cancer occurs, these processes are impaired and the plasma lipid and lipoprotein patterns may be changed. Liver cancer is the fifth common malignant tumor worldwide, and is closely related to the infections of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). HBV and HCV infections are quite common in China and other Southeast Asian countries. In addition, liver cancer is often followed by a procession of chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis, so that hepatic function is damaged obviously on these bases, which may significantly influence lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in vivo. In this review we summarize the clinical significance of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism under liver cancer.
Animals ; Apolipoproteins ; metabolism ; Cholesterol ; metabolism ; Fatty Acids ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipoprotein(a) ; metabolism ; Lipoproteins, HDL ; metabolism ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Triglycerides ; metabolism

Human apolipoprotein A- I, the major protein component of high density lipoproteins and the main activator of the enzyme lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase, defines the structure and stability and functions of HDL. It is clearly demonstrated that high concentration of the apoA- I not only inhibits the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis, but also makes the preexisting atherosclerotic lesions regress. This review gives an overview of the apoA- I structure, production, relation between apoA- I and HDL, and several mechanisms of the apoA-I anti-atherosclerosis. These mechanisms include directing excess celluar cholesterol from the peripheral tissues to the liver in reverse cholesterol transport, inhibiting oxidative modification of LDL, and modulating inflammatory responses to favour vasoprotection.
Animals ; Apolipoprotein A-I ; chemistry ; metabolism ; physiology ; Atherosclerosis ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Cholesterol ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lipoproteins, HDL ; metabolism ; physiology

A 32-year-old female patient and her sister show high levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in regular health checkups, since female patient was 11 years old. The patient's serum total cholesterol was 285 mg/dL and HDL cholesterol was 113 mg/dL. Her sister's total cholesterol was 240 mg/dL and the HDL cholesterol measured to be 90 mg/dL. Lipoprotein pattern and cholesteryl ester transfer activity gene analysis were examined in these patients. We found c.1321+1G>A (IVS14+1G/A) hetero mutation in cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) genes. Generally, CETP mediates transfer and exchange of triglycerides and cholesteryl ester between plasma lipoproteins. Also we investigated a key role of HDL-CE and Apo A-1 metabolism. Patients with low levels of CETP have increased serum HDL levels. We hereby report two Korean cases of CETP deficiency in a family. Brief literature review ensues with the cases.
Adult ; Apolipoprotein A-I ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol Ester Transfer Proteins ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Lipid Metabolism, Inborn Errors ; Lipoproteins ; Plasma ; Protein Deficiency ; Siblings ; Triglycerides

BACKGROUND: Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a key enzyme in the processing of triglycerides and plays a central role in lipid metabolism. It has been reported that the polymorphisms in the LPL gene were associated with plasma concentra-tions of HDL cholesterol (HDL) and triglycerides (TG) in coronary heart disease. We evaluated the correlation between the LPL gene polymorphisms and blood lipids in ischemic stroke patients. METHODS: Ninety-six ischemic stroke patients and 88 controls were included in the study. We evaluated polymorphic sites in the LPL gene using the HindIII for the intron 8 and PvuII for the intron 6 to the polymerase chain reaction products in each group. Allele frequencies, polymorphism information contents (PIC), heterozygosity indices of HindIII and PvuII polymorphisms were calculated in each group. Correlations of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, TG, and LDL cholesterol levels in the serum with the HindIII and PvuII polymorphisms of the LPL gene were analyzed in each group. RESULTS: The H+ frequencies, 0.786 and 0.752, in the stroke and control groups respectively. The P+ frequencies were 0.623 and 0.710 in stroke and control groups respectively. No significant difference was observed in triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL, and LDL. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the HindIII and PvuII polymorphisms in LPL gene may not be associated with the occurrence of ischemic stroke.
Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Coronary Disease ; Gene Frequency ; Humans ; Introns ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipoprotein Lipase* ; Lipoproteins* ; Plasma* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Stroke* ; Triglycerides

BACKGROUND: Apo E lipoprotein is made up of 299 amino acid and is classified into three major isoforms(E2, E3 and E4). Aop E lipoprotein plays an important role in the regulation of the lipid metabolism. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the variations of plasma lipids depending on the apo E genotype in the Korean males. METHODS: We studied 257 male subjects without evidence of coronary artery disease. Apo E genotyping was determined with the INNO-line probe assay apo E test, which is based on reverse hybridization. RESULTS: Apo E genotype frequencies for 257 subjects were as follows, 73.9% for epsilon3/3, 16% for epsilon4/3, 8.2% for epsilon3/2, 1.2% for epsilon2/2, and 0.8 for epsilon4/4. We found significant differences in apo E allele frequencies of our subjects campared with those of western populations. Compared to the subjects with apo epsilon3, the subjects with apo epsilon2 was associated with higher levels of triglyceride, and the subjects with apo epsilon4 had lower levels of HDL cholesterol. CONCLUSION: The frequencies of apeE genotype varies depending on the ethnic origin. ApoE polymorphism plays an important role in determining individual differences in plasma lipids.
Apolipoproteins E ; Apolipoproteins* ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Hominidae ; Humans ; Individuality ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipoproteins ; Male* ; Plasma* ; Triglycerides

OBJECTIVE: To explore the change of plasma level of chemerin in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and its relationship with lipid metabolism. 
 METHODS: A total of 150 COPD patients were randomly selected and set as the COPD group and 30 healthy persons were set as the control group. The COPD group was further divided into a thin group (BMI<18.5 kg/m2, n=116) and a normal weight group (BMI≥18.5 kg/m2, n=34) according to their body mass index (BMI). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) was used in detection of plasma chemerin, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). The hospitalization rate in a half year and the mortality was statistically analyzed. Pearson correlation analysis was applied to analyze the relationship between plasma level of chemerin and levels of blood lipids, and Spearman rank correlation method was used to analyze the relationship between the plasma levels of chemerin or lipids and the prognosis. 
 RESULTS: Compared with the control group, plasma levels of TC, TG and HDL in the COPD group in acute exacerbation and remission stage were reduced, while plasma levels of chemerin and LDL was elevated; compared with the thin group, plasma levels of TC, TG and HDL in the normal weight group were elevated, while plasma levels of chemerin and LDL were decreased. The hospitalization rate in half year and the mortality in the thin group were higher than that in the normal weight group, and the plasma levels of TC, TG and HDL in the COPD patients with hospitalization in half year or death were lower than that in COPD patients without hospitalization, while the plasma levels of chemerin and LDL was increased (P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that plasma level of chemerin in COPD patients was negatively correlated with plasma levels of TC, TG and HDL (r=-0.695, -0.748, -0.695, P<0.05), while positively correlated with plasma levels of LDL (r=0.668, P<0.05). Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that plasma levels of TC, TG and HDL in COPD patients and hospitalization rate in half year as well as the mortality were negatively correlated (TC: r=-0.716, -0.737; TG: r=-0.748, -0.753; HDL: r=
-0.736, -0.728, P<0.05), while the plasma level of chemerin or LDL and hospitalization rate in half year and the mortality were positively correlated (chemerin: r=0.753, 0.766; LDL: r=0.742, 0.755, P<0.05).
 CONCLUSION Plasma levels of chemerin in the COPD patients are correlated with lipid metabolism. Plasma levels of chemerin and lipid are related to prognosis of COPD. The plasma levels of chemerin in patients with COPD may reflect the lipid metabolism and could be served as the index for prognostic evaluation.
Body Mass Index ; Chemokines ; Cholesterol ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipoproteins, HDL ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Triglycerides

BACKGROUND: Menopause is an independent risk factor in metabolic syndrome which induced an alteration of the lipid metabolism by hormonal changes. Apolipoprotein A5 gene (APOA5) was related to the regulation of triglyceride and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level with biosynthesis and decomposition. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between APOA5 polymorphism and metabolic syndrome in Korean postmenopausal women. METHODS: This study included 307 postmenopausal women with anthropometric and biochemical measurement in 2010-2011. The polymorphism of APOA5 was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method with MseI restriction enzyme. RESULTS: The metabolic syndrome prevalence with TT genotype was significantly lower than the frequency in those with TC/CC (27.09%, 38.46%, and 45.71% for TT, TC, and CC, respectively; P < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis of metabolic syndrome risk factors indicated that postmenopausal women with CC genotype had a higher risk with 3 times than that in TT genotype (P < 0.05). APOA5 C carriers showed an increased risk of triglyceride level (odd ratio, 2.93 and 1.85 for CC and TC+CC, respectively; P < 0.05). Interestingly, HDL-C was related to triglyceride directly in comparison to APOA5. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that APOA5 has an influence on serum triglyceride and HDL-C, which contribute to metabolic syndrome in Korean postmenopausal women.
Apolipoproteins ; Apolipoproteins A ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipoproteins ; Menopause ; Metabolic Syndrome X ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Triglycerides

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and oxidized high-density lipoprotein (ox-HDL) on the expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCAl) and cholesterol efflux in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

METHODSIn vitro cultured HUVECs were incubated in the presence of 100 microg/ml HDL or 100 microg/ml ox-HDL for 24 h, using PBS as the negative control. ABCA1 mRNA level and cholesterol efflux rate were determined using RT-PCR and a liquid scintillator, respectively.

RESULTSHDL and ox-HDL significantly elevated the level of ABCA1 mRNA by 58% and 23% relative to the control level, respectively (P<0.05). The cholesterol efflux rate in ox-HDL group was significantly lower than that in HDL group (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONHDL increases ABCAl expression and cholesterol efflux in HUVECs. Oxidative modification of HDL decrease cholesterol efflux by inhibiting the expression of ABCAl, suggesting a possible mechanism of ox-HDL in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter 1 ; ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Cholesterol ; metabolism ; Endothelial Cells ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lipoproteins, HDL ; metabolism ; physiology ; Umbilical Veins ; cytology