SBMA (Spinal bulbar muscular atrophy) is a neurodegenerative disease and the extension of the triplet repeat DNA tracks on this SBMA locus is related with the onset of the genetic disease. In this study we investigated the PCR -based STRs (Short Tandem Repeats) polymorphisms for the SBMA locus in healthy South Koreans, Chinese, Japanese and Caucasoids. As the result, we could detect the significant differences among the four populations. And the allele distribution of each population was single modal. The CAG alleles of South Koreans and Chinese showed very similar distributions each other, but the distribution of CAG alleles in Japanese population was clsoer to the one of Caucasoids. The T test after doing the F test also detected the significant difference reflecting this similarity between Japanese and Caucasoids.
Alleles ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; DNA ; Humans ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Trinucleotide Repeats*

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the current mean daily intake of 10 food groups, analyze the sociodemographic factors associated with food consumption, and determine the associations between food consumption/dietary intake and the prevalence rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and hypertension (HTN) in Jakarta, Indonesia. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 600 participants aged 20–85 yrs were included in this crosssectional study. Food consumption and dietary habits were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. To determine the association between food consumption/dietary habits and the abovementioned diseases, logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: The average vegetable and fruit intake was lower, while sugar and salt consumption were higher than that recommended by Indonesia’s national dietary guidelines. A high intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) was associated with young age, men, “single” status, a high education level, and employment with a high monthly income. Obesity and T2D were positively correlated with high intakes of cereals and tubers, UPFs, sugars, fats, and oils. Conversely, an inverse association was found between legume, vegetable, and fruit consumption and obesity risk. An inverse correlation was also observed between vegetable consumption and T2D risk. Moreover, a high salt intake was inversely correlated with fruit consumption in terms of HTN risk. Non-indulgence in habitual late-night snacking and refrainment from consuming more than one dish at each meal were also negatively related to the prevalence of obesity, T2D, and HTN. Inverse correlations were also observed between the prevalence rates of T2D and HTN and abstaining from adding sugar to beverages. CONCLUSION Foods high in fat, sugar, and sodium were strongly associated with the risks of obesity, T2D, and HTN. Additionally, poor eating habits were also associated with disease development.

BACKGROUND: It has traditionally been known that there is normally a difference in blood pressure (BP) between the two arms; there is at least 20 mm Hg difference in the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and 10 mm Hg difference in the diastolic blood pressure (DBP). However, recent epidemiologic studies have shown that there are between-arm differences of < 5 mm Hg in simultaneous BP measurements. The purposes of this study is to examine whether there are between-arm differences in simultaneous BP measurements obtained from ambulatory patients without cardiovascular diseases and to identify the factors associated these differences. METHODS: We examined 464 patients who visited the outpatient clinic of Gangneung Asan Hospital clinical department. For the current analysis, we excluded patients with ischemic heart disease, stroke, arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, or hyperthyroidism. Simultaneous BP measurements were obtained using the Omron MX3 BP monitor in both arms. The inter-arm difference (IAD) in BP was expressed as the relative difference (right-arm BP [R] minus left-arm BP [L]: R - L) and the absolute difference (|R - L|). RESULTS: The mean absolute IAD in SBP and DBP were 3.19 +/- 2.38 and 2.41 +/- 1.59 mm Hg, respectively, in men and 2.61 +/- 2.18 and 2.25 +/- 2.01 mm Hg, respectively, in women. In men, there were 83.8% of patients with the IAD in SBP of < or = 6 mm Hg, 98.1% with the IAD in SBP of < or = 10 mm Hg, 96.5% with the IAD in DBP of < or = 6 mm Hg and 0% with the IAD in DBP of > 10 mm Hg. In women, 89.6% of patients had IAD in SBP of < or = 6 mm Hg, 92.1% with IAD in DBP of < or = 6 mm Hg, and 0% with IAD in SBP of > 10 mm Hg or IAD in DBP of > 10 mm Hg. Gangneung Asan Hospital clinical series of patients showed that the absolute IAD in SBP had a significant correlation with cardiovascular risk factors such as the 10-year Framingham cardiac risk scores and higher BP in men and higher BP in women. However, the absolute IAD in SBP and DBP had no significant correlation with the age, obesity, smoking, drinking, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and renal function. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that there were no significant between-arm differences in simultaneous BP measurements. It was also shown that most of the ambulatory patients without cardiovascular diseases had an IAD in SBP of < 10 mm Hg and an IAD in DBP of < 6 mm Hg.
Adult ; Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Arm ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Blood Pressure ; Blood Pressure Determination ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Drinking ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Female ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hyperthyroidism ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Obesity ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stroke

While it is reasonably well known that certain dental procedures increase the temperature of the tooth's surface, of greater interest is their potential damaging effect on the pulp and tooth-supporting tissues. Previous studies have investigated the responses of the pulp, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone to thermal irritation and the temperature at which thermal damage is initiated. There are also many in vitro studies that have measured the temperature increase of the pulp and tooth-supporting tissues during restorative and endodontic procedures. This review article provides an overview of studies measuring temperature increases in tooth structures during several restorative and endodontic procedures, and proposes clinical guidelines for reducing potential thermal hazards to the pulp and supporting tissues.
Periodontal Ligament ; Root Canal Obturation ; Tooth ; Tooth Preparation ; Ultrasonics

PURPOSE: This study examined the status of critical care nursing education in bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) to suggest future directions.METHODS: The target of the survey was 185 BSN programs that were certified by the Korean Accreditation Board of Nursing Education as of October 31, 2016. We structurally reviewed the curriculums and the course syllabi.RESULTS: Forty-eight courses of 42 BSN programs were analyzed. Only five programs offered both theoretical and practical courses in critical care nursing; 22 offered theoretical courses and 26 offered practical courses. Most courses were offered as electives with 1 or 2 credits, and were taught by faculty who were experts in adult health nursing.CONCLUSION: The results show that there is a quantitative shortage of critical care nursing education in the curriculum of BSN programs in Korea. The lack of knowledge and skills on critical care can lead to a burden of new intensive care unit nurses and is a threat to patients' health. It is necessary to develop a practical and integrative curriculum for critical care nursing education.
Accreditation ; Adult ; Critical Care Nursing ; Critical Care ; Curriculum ; Education ; Education, Nursing ; Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Nursing ; Quality Improvement

PURPOSE: Sarcomatous hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rare. Therefore, the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis after hepatic resection have yet to be clarified. The purpose of this study was to analyze the outcome of sarcomatous HCC patients who underwent surgical resection. METHODS: From January 1997 to May 2005, 11 patients (1.1%) were diagnosed with sarcomatous HCC among 1,005 cases of HCC undergoing resection after pathology and immunohistochemical studies. RESULTS: All of the cases were male and their mean age was 55.8+/-8.1 years. R0 resection was achieved in nine of the 11 patients. The HCC lesions were classified as stage II in three, stage III in four, stage IVa2 in three, and IVb in one, according to the modified pTNM staging system. Extrahepatic metastases as the initial recurrence occurred in eight patients. Among the 11 patients, 10 died of a disease recurrence and only one is still alive. The overall 3-year survival rate was only 18%. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of sarcomatous HCC was very poor, showing widespread extrahepatic metastases and frequent early recurrence regardless of the tumor extent. Since some patients showed prolonged survival after a local recurrence, vigorous postoperative systemic surveillance appears to be beneficial for early detection and timely treatment of localized metastases.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pathology ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate