This study was conducted to validate a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess vitamin K intake in clinical and research settings based on data from the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V). We collected a subset of data on informative food items using the 24-hour recall method from adults aged 19 to 64 years from KNHANES V. The cumulative percent contribution and cumulative multiple regression coefficients for vitamin K intake from each food were computed. Twenty-five foods items were selected for the FFQ to assess vitamin K intake. The FFQ was validated against intakes derived from a 5-day food record (5DR) (n = 48). To assess the reliability of the FFQ, participants completed the self-administered FFQ (FFQ1) and a second FFQ (FFQ2) after a 6-month period (n = 54). Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficients, the cross-classification method, and Bland-Altman plots. Mean intakes were similar for vitamin K between the FFQ and dietary records, with significant correlations observed (r = 0.652), and cross-classification analyses demonstrated no major misclassification of participants into intake quartiles. Bland-Altman plots showed no serious systematic bias between the administrations of the two dietary assessment methods over the range of mean intakes. FFQ reliability was high, with a Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.560. This pilot study shows promising validation and reliability evidence for the use of this FFQ, which is focused on vitamin K intake in adults, as an efficient screening tool in clinical and research settings.
Adult* ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Diet Records ; Humans ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Methods ; Nutrition Surveys ; Pilot Projects ; Reproducibility of Results* ; Vitamin K* ; Vitamins*

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the association between sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity and cardiovascular disease risk in Korean postmenopausal women. METHODS: We analyzed data of 2,019 postmenopausal women aged 50-64 years who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2008-2011 and were free of cardiovascular disease history. Blood pressure, height, and weight were measured. We analyzed the serum concentrations of glucose, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Waist circumference was used to measure obesity. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Sarcopenia was defined as the appendicular skeletal muscle mass/body weight<1 standard deviation below the gender-specific means for healthy young adults. The estimated 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease risk was calculated by Pooled Cohort Equation. Subjects were classified as non-sarcopenia, sarcopenia, or sarcopenic obesity based on status of waist circumference and appendicular skeletal muscle mass. RESULTS: The prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity was 16.3% (n=317) and 18.3% (n=369), respectively. The 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease risk in the sarcopenic obesity group was higher (3.82 ± 0.22%) than the normal group (2.73 ± 0.09%) and sarcopenia group (3.17 ± 0.22%) (p < 0.000). The odd ratios (ORs) for the ≥7.5% 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease risk were significantly higher in the sarcopenic obesity group (OR 3.609, 95% CI: 2.030-6.417) compared to the sarcopenia group (OR 2.799, 95% CI: 1.463-5.352) (p for trend < 0.000) after adjusting for independent variables (i.e., exercise, period of menopausal, alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) score, income, education level, calorie intake, %fat intake and hormonal replacement therapy). CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity appear to be associated with higher risk factors predicting the 10-year risks of cardiovascular disease risk in postmenopausal women. These findings imply that maintaining normal weight and muscle mass may be important for cardiovascular disease risk prevention in postmenopausal women.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiovascular Diseases* ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Cohort Studies ; Education ; Female ; Glucose ; Humans ; Korea* ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Obesity* ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Sarcopenia* ; Triglycerides ; Waist Circumference ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Primary Myelofibrosis

OBJECTIVES: This study compared the differences of postmenopausal women's bone mineral density in relation to the degree of obesity, metabolism index and dietary factors that affect bone mineral density. METHODS: The subjects included in the study are 39 postmenopausal women of normal weight with body mass index less than 25 kg/m2 and 32 postmenopausal who are obese. Anthropometry and biochemical analysis were performed and nutrient intakes and DQI-I were assessed. RESULTS: Normal weight women were 56.03 ± 3.76 years old and obese women were 58.09 ± 5.13 years old and there was no significant difference in age between the two groups. The T-score of bone mineral density was 0.03 ± 1.06 in normal weight women and -0.60 ± 1.47 in obese women and this was significantly different between the two groups (p<0.05). Blood Leptin concentration was significantly lower in normal weight women (6.09 ± 3.37 ng/mL) compared to obese women in (9.01 ± 4.99 ng/mL) (p<0.05). The total score of diet quality index-international was 70.41±9.34 in normal weight women and 64.93 ± 7.82 in obese women (p<0.05). T-score of bone mineral density showed negative correlations with percentage of body fat (r = -0.233, p=0.05), BMI (r = -0.197, p=0.017), triglyceride (r = -0.281, p=0.020) and leptin (r = -0.308, p=0.011). The results of multiple regression analysis performed as the method of entry showed that with 22.0% of explanation power, percentage of body fat (β=-0.048, p<0.05), triglyceride (β=-0.005, p<0.05) and HDL-cholesterol (β=0.034, p<0.01), moderation of DQI-I (β=-0.231, p<0.05) affected T-score significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study showed that obese women have less bone density than those with normal weight women. In addition, the factor analysis result that affect bone mineral density showed that intake of fat is a very important factor. Therefore, postmenopausal women need to maintain normal weight and manage blood lipid levels within normal range. They also need to take various sources of protein and reduce consumption of empty calorie foods that have high calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium.
Adipose Tissue ; Anthropometry ; Biomarkers* ; Body Mass Index ; Bone Density* ; Cholesterol ; Diet* ; Female ; Humans ; Leptin ; Metabolism ; Methods ; Obesity ; Reference Values ; Sodium ; Triglycerides

Background: Immunomodulatory therapies targeting the interaction between programmed cell death protein 1 and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) have become increasingly important in anticancer treatment. Previous research on the subject of this immune response has established an association with tumor aggressiveness and a poor prognosis in certain cancers. Currently, scant information is available on the relationship between PD-L1 expression and gallbladder cancer (GBC). Methods: We investigated the expression of PD-L1 in 101 primary GBC cases to determine the potential association with prognostic impact. PD-L1 expression was immunohistochemically assessed using a single PD-L1 antibody (clone SP263). Correlations with clinicopathological parameters, overall survival (OS), or progression- free survival (PFS) were analyzed. Results: PD-L1 expression in tumor cells at cutoff levels of 1%, 10%, and 50% was present in 18.8%, 13.8%, and 7.9% of cases. Our study showed that positive PD-L1 expression at any cutoff was significantly correlated with poorly differentiated histologic grade and the presence of lymphovascular invasion (p < .05). PD-L1 expression at cutoff levels of 10% and 50% was significantly positive in patients with perineural invasion, higher T categories, and higher pathologic stages (p < .05). Additionally, there was a significant association noted between PD-L1 expression at a cutoff level of 50% and worse OS or PFS (p = .049 for OS, p = .028 for PFS). Other poor prognostic factors included histologic grade, T category, N category, pathologic stage, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, growth pattern, and margin of resection (p < .05). Conclusions The expression of PD-L1 in GBC varies according to cutoff level but is valuably associated with poor prognostic parameters and survival. Our study indicates that the overexpression of PD-L1 in GBC had a negative prognostic impact.

Few studies have shown the correlation between metabolic syndrome and bone mineral density (BMD). The main pathogenic mechanisms of metabolic syndrome rely on chronic low-level inflammatory status and oxidative stress. There are few studies that examine the gender-specific effects of inflammation and antioxidants on BMD. In this study, we evaluated the relative contribution of these factors in patients with metabolic syndrome. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 67 men and 46 postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome; metabolic syndrome was defined as having three or more metabolic syndrome risk factors. BMD, body fat mass, and lean body mass were evaluated. We also examined the levels of high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), adiponectin, vitamin E, and C in serum. Log-transformed hs-CRP levels were significantly higher in lumbar spine osteoporotic subjects than in normal subjects for women but not for men. There was no significant difference between the normal group and the osteoporotic group in other inflammatory markers. Stepwise regression analyses for BMD of the lumbar spine showed that lean body mass and vitamin E were significant determinants in men. Lean body mass and log-transformed hs-CRP were significant determinants in women Analysis for BMD of the femoral neck showed that lean body mass was a significant determinant for both men and women. There was no significant factor among the inflammatory markers or antioxidant vitamins affecting the femoral neck BMD for either gender. In conclusion, while hs-CRP is an independent predictor of the BMD of the lumbar spine in women, vitamin E showed profound effects on BMD in men but not women with metabolic syndrome.
Adiponectin ; Adipose Tissue ; Antioxidants ; Biomarkers ; Bone Density ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Femur Neck ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-6 ; Male ; Oxidative Stress ; Risk Factors ; Spine ; Vitamin E ; Vitamins

Elevated serum concentration of inflammation markers is known as an independent risk factor of metabolic syndrome (MS) and dietary intake is an important factor to control MS. The purpose of this study was to investigated the hypothesis that inflammatory indices are associated with dietary intake and diet quality index-international (DQI-I) in subjects with MS. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 156 men and 73 postmenopausal women with MS, defined by three or more risk factors of the modified Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Serum levels of high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), adiponectin were examined and nutrients intake and DQI-I were assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The total DQI-I score was significantly higher in female subjects (65.87 +/- 9.86) than in male subjects (62.60 +/- 8.95). There was a positive association between hs-CRP and polyunsaturated fatty acid intake (p < 0.05) and a negative association between adiponectin and lipid (p < 0.05), total sugar (p < 0.01), and total fatty acids (p < 0.05). When the subjects were divided into 5 groups by quintile according to serum adiponectin and hs-CRP level, there was no association between DQI-I score and hs-CRP levels. Moderation score of DQI-I was significantly higher in highest quintile group than the lower quintile groups. Therefore, our results provide some evidence that dietary intake and diet quality are associated with inflammation markers and dietary modification might be a predictor to decrease risk for metabolic syndrome complications. However further research is needed to develop the dietary quality index reflecting the inflammatory change by considering the dietary habit and pattern of Koreans.
Adiponectin ; Adult ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diet ; Fatty Acids ; Female ; Food Habits ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Male ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Risk Factors

As prevalence of metabolic syndrome has rapidly increased over the past decade, lifestyle changes including dietary habits are considered as a therapeutic cornerstone for metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular complications and type 2 diabetes. We evaluated the effectiveness of a telephone-delivered nutrition education to improve metabolic parameters compared with a single-visit with a dietitian in subjects with metabolic syndrome. A total of seventy-one adults who met diagnostic criteria for the metabolic syndrome were randomly assigned to either the single-visit group or the in-depth nutrition education group during a 3-month intervention study period. The in-depth telephone-delivered nutrition education group had an initial visit with a dietitian and additional two telephone counseling during the first 4 weeks of the study periods. Sixty-six subjects completed a 3-month intervention study. The trial examined participant's anthropometric changes and dietary intakes as well as changes in the metabolic syndrome factors. At the end of the trial, the in-depth nutrition education group showed significantly higher reduction in weight, body fat and abdominal circumference compared with the other group (p < 0.05). In the in-depth nutrition groups, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was decreased to 45.5%, while 69.7% of the subjects were metabolic syndrome patients in the single-visit group (p < 0.05). These results demonstrate that the telephone-intervention counseling is a feasible mean to deliver dietary intervention in patients with metabolic syndrome.
Adult ; Body Weight ; Counseling ; Education* ; Food Habits ; Humans ; Clinical Trial ; Life Style ; Nutrition Therapy ; Prevalence ; Telephone

Vitamin K intake has been reported as an essential factor for bone formation. The current study was conducted under the hypothesis that insufficient vitamin K intake would affect inflammatory markers and bone mineral density in young adult women. The study was a cross-sectional design that included 75 women in their 20s. Physical assessments, bone mineral density measurements, 24-hr dietary recalls, and biochemical assessments for high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and percentages of undercarboxylated osteocalcin (%ucOC) were performed. An analysis of vitamin K nutritional status was performed comparing first, second, and third tertiles of intake based on %ucOC in plasma. Vitamin K intake levels in the first, second, and third tertiles were 94.88 +/- 51.48 microg, 73.85 +/- 45.15 microg, and 62.58 +/- 39.92 microg, respectively (P < 0.05). The T-scores of the first and third tertiles were 1.06 and -0.03, respectively, indicating that bone mineral density was significantly lower in the group with lower vitamin K intake (P < 0.05). There was a tendency for different serum hs-CRP concentrations between the first (0.04 +/- 0.02) and third tertiles (0.11 +/- 0.18), however this was not statistically significant. Regression analysis was performed to identify the correlations between vitamin K nutritional status, inflammatory markers, and bone mineral density after adjusting for age and BMI. Serum hs-CRP concentrations were positively correlated with vitamin K deficiency status (P < 0.05). And bone mineral density, which was represented by speed, was negatively correlated with vitamin K deficiency status (P < 0.05). In conclusion, status of vitamin K affects inflammatory status and bone formation. Therefore, sufficient intake of vitamin K is required to secure peak bone mass in young adult women.
Bone Density ; C-Reactive Protein ; Female ; Humans ; Nutritional Status ; Osteocalcin ; Osteogenesis ; Plasma ; Vitamin K ; Vitamin K Deficiency ; Vitamins ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: To assess factors affecting the prolongation of the international normalized ratio (INR) with concurrent warfarin and ciprofloxacin use. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was performed at a single, 2,000-bed tertiary hospital between January 2007 and December 2009. Thirty-three patients who were on warfarin and ciprofloxacin concurrently were enrolled. Demographics and clinical data were collected from medical records. RESULTS: Nine patients were assigned to the case group (prolonged INR) and 19 patients to the control group (normal INR). Activities of daily living (ADL) and total number of classes of medications taken demonstrated significant differences between the groups (15.33 vs. 7.11, p<0.001; 7.11 vs. 5.47, p=0.041). No bleeding complications occurred during this study. CONCLUSION: As ADL reflects patient performance status and general condition of an individual, we conclude that a poor general condition is associated with coagulopathy in persons concurrently using warfarin and ciprofloxacin.
Activities of Daily Living ; Case-Control Studies ; Ciprofloxacin ; Demography ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; International Normalized Ratio ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Warfarin