Background: Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for cancer, and when combined with smoking, the risk increases. Nevertheless, few studies have comprehensively evaluated the combined effects of alcohol consumption and smoking on the risk of various cancer types.Therefore, to assess these effects, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: We performed a systematic search of five literature databases, focusing on cohort and case-control studies. Considering exposure levels, we quantified the combined effects of alcohol consumption and smoking on cancer risk and assessed multiplicative interaction effects. Results: Of 4,452 studies identified, 24 (4 cohort studies and 20 case-control studies) were included in the meta-analysis. We detected interaction effect of light alcohol and moderate smoking on head and neck cancer risk (relative risk [RR], 4.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.50–7.26; I2 = 65%). A synergistic interaction was observed in heavy alcohol and heavy smoking group (RR, 35.24; 95% CI, 23.17–53.58; I2 = 69%). In more detailed cancer types, the interaction effect of heavy alcohol and heavy smoking was noticeable on oral (RR, 36.42; 95% CI, 24.62–53.87; I2 = 46%) and laryngeal (RR, 38.75; 95% CI, 19.25–78.01; I2 = 69%) cancer risk. Conclusion Our study provided a comprehensive summary of the combined effects of alcohol consumption and smoking on cancers. As their consumption increased, the synergy effect became more pronounced, and the synergy effect was evident especially for head and neck cancer. These findings provide additional evidence for the combined effect of alcohol and smoking in alcohol guidelines for cancer prevention.

OBJECTIVES: Alcohol consumption is a well-established risk factor for cancer. Despite extensive research into the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk, the effect of light alcohol consumption on cancer risk remains a topic of debate. To contribute to this discourse, we conducted a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Our systematic review aimed to investigate the associations between different levels of alcohol consumption and the risk of several cancer types. We focused on analyzing prospective associations using data from 139 cohort studies. Among them, 106 studies were included in the meta-analysis after a quantitative synthesis. RESULTS: Our analysis did not find a significant association between light alcohol consumption and all-cause cancer risk (relative risk, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.99 to 1.04), but we observed a dose-response relationship. Light alcohol consumption was significantly associated with higher risks of esophageal, colorectal, and breast cancers. Light to moderate drinking was associated with elevated risks of esophageal, colorectal, laryngeal, and breast cancers. Heavy drinking was also found to contribute to the risk of stomach, liver, pancreas, and prostate cancers, thereby increasing the risk of almost all types of cancer. Additionally, females generally had lower cancer risks compared to males. CONCLUSIONS Our findings highlight that cancer risks extend beyond heavy alcohol consumption to include light alcohol consumption as well. These findings suggest that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption associated with cancer risk. Our results underscore the importance of public health interventions addressing alcohol consumption to mitigate cancer risks.

With the introduction of life-course epidemiology, researchers realized the importance of identifying risk factors in early life to prevent chronic diseases. This led to the establishment of the Ewha Birth and Growth Study in 2001; the study is a prospective birth cohort designed to provide evidence of early life risk factors for a child’s growth and health. Participants were recruited from those who visited Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital (a tertiary hospital in southwest Seoul, Korea) for prenatal care at 24-28 weeks of gestation. In total, 891 mothers enrolled in this study between 2001 and 2006 and their offspring (n=940) were followed-up. Regular check-up examinations of offspring were conducted at 3 years, 5 years, and 7 years of age and every year thereafter. To consider age-related health issues, extensive data were collected using questionnaires and measurements. In 2021, the study subjects will reach 19 years of age, and we are planning a check-up examination for early adulthood. About 20 years have passed since the cohort data were collected, and we have published results on childhood health outcomes associated with prenatal and birth characteristics, genetic and epigenetic characteristics related to childhood metabolism, the effects of exposure to endocrine disruptors, and dietary patterns in childhood. Recently, we started reporting on topics related to adolescent health. The findings will facilitate identification of early life risk factors for chronic diseases and the development of interventions for diseases later in life.

With the introduction of life-course epidemiology, researchers realized the importance of identifying risk factors in early life to prevent chronic diseases. This led to the establishment of the Ewha Birth and Growth Study in 2001; the study is a prospective birth cohort designed to provide evidence of early life risk factors for a child’s growth and health. Participants were recruited from those who visited Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital (a tertiary hospital in southwest Seoul, Korea) for prenatal care at 24-28 weeks of gestation. In total, 891 mothers enrolled in this study between 2001 and 2006 and their offspring (n=940) were followed-up. Regular check-up examinations of offspring were conducted at 3 years, 5 years, and 7 years of age and every year thereafter. To consider age-related health issues, extensive data were collected using questionnaires and measurements. In 2021, the study subjects will reach 19 years of age, and we are planning a check-up examination for early adulthood. About 20 years have passed since the cohort data were collected, and we have published results on childhood health outcomes associated with prenatal and birth characteristics, genetic and epigenetic characteristics related to childhood metabolism, the effects of exposure to endocrine disruptors, and dietary patterns in childhood. Recently, we started reporting on topics related to adolescent health. The findings will facilitate identification of early life risk factors for chronic diseases and the development of interventions for diseases later in life.

OBJECTIVE: Mind-body training (MBT) may control reactions to stress and regulate the nervous and immune systems. The present study was designed to assess the effects of MBT on plasma cytokines and their interactions with catecholamines. METHODS: The study group consisted of 80 subjects who practice MBT and a control group of 62 healthy subjects. Plasma catecholamine (norepinephrine, NE; epinephrine, E; and dopamine, DA) and cytokine (TNF-alpha, IL-6, IFN-gamma, and IL-10) levels were measured, and the differences between the MBT and control groups and the interactions of cytokines with catecholamines were investigated. RESULTS: A significant increase in IL-10+IFN-gamma was found in females of the MBT group compared with controls. Also, a significant increase of IL-10 (anti-inflammatory cytokine) in the MBT group was shown in a specific condition in which TNF-alpha and IL-6 (pro-inflammatory cytokines) are almost absent (≤1 ng/L) compared with controls. In the MBT group, significant positive correlations were found between IL-10 and the NE/E ratio and between IL-10 and the DA/E ratio, whereas the control group did not show any such correlations. CONCLUSION: MBT may increase IL-10, under specific conditions such as a decrease of pro-inflammatory cytokines or E, which may regulate the stress response and possibly contribute to effective and beneficial interactions between the nervous and immune systems.
Catecholamines* ; Cytokines* ; Dopamine ; Epinephrine ; Female ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Immune System ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-6 ; Plasma ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Giardia intestinalis infections arise primarily from contaminated food or water. Zoonotic transmission is possible, and at least 7 major assemblages including 2 assemblages recovered from humans have been identified. The determination of the genotype of G. intestinalis is useful not only for assessing the correlation of clinical symptoms and genotypes, but also for finding the infection route and its causative agent in epidemiological studies. In this study, methods to identify the genotypes more specifically than the known 2 genotypes recovered from humans have been developed using the intergenic spacer (IGS) region of rDNA. The IGS region contains varying sequences and is thus suitable for comparing isolates once they are classified as the same strain. Genomic DNA was extracted from cysts isolated from the feces of 5 Chinese, 2 Laotians and 2 Koreans infected with G. intestinalis and the trophozoites of WB, K1, and GS strains cultured in the laboratory, respectively. The rDNA containing the IGS region was amplified by PCR and cloned. The nucleotide sequence of the 3' end of IGS region was determined and examined by multiple alignment and phylogenetic analysis. Based on the nucleotide sequence of the IGS region, 13 G. intestinalis isolates were classified to assemblages A and B, and assemblage A was subdivided into A1 and A2. Then, the primers specific to each assemblage were designed, and PCR was performed using those primers. It detected as little as 10 pg of DNA, and the PCR amplified products with the specific length to each assemblage (A1, 176 bp; A2, 261 bp; B, 319 bp) were found. The PCR specific to 3 assemblages of G. intestinalis did not react with other bacteria or protozoans, and it did not react with G. intestinalis isolates obtained from dogs and rats. It was thus confirmed that by applying this PCR method amplifying the IGS region, the detection of G. intestinalis and its genotyping can be determined simultaneously.
Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/*methods ; Phylogeny ; Mice ; Humans ; Giardiasis/parasitology/veterinary ; Giardia lamblia/*classification/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Genotype ; Dogs ; Dog Diseases/parasitology ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/*analysis ; DNA, Protozoan/*analysis/isolation & purification ; Base Sequence ; Animals

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the spiritual well-being and spiritual care of hospice team members. METHOD: Between December 2005 and February 2006, a questionnaire was given to 192 hospice team members. The instruments used in this study were the Spiritual Well-Being Scale(SWBS) developed by Paloutzian, & Ellison(1984), and a Spiritual Care Performance Scale developed by the authors. RESULTS: The levels of spiritual well-being were relatively high: significantly lower in the 25-29 years old, in the unmarried, and in the 1-2 million won income groups, and significantly higher in Protestants, Catholics, clergy, and volunteers. The levels of performance of spiritual care were intermediate; significantly higher in clergy, and those with 10 or more years of experience. There was a positive correlation between: levels of spiritual well-being and age; levels of spiritual well-being and performance of spiritual care; and levels of performance of spiritual care and age. The factors affecting the levels of spiritual well-being included religion, age, and performance of spiritual care. The factors affecting the levels of performance of spiritual care were the years of hospice experience and spiritual well-being. CONCLUSION: Because there was a positive correlation between levels of spiritual well-being and performance of spiritual care, there is a need to develop a strategies to increase the spiritual well-being of hospice team members.
Clergy ; Hospice Care ; Hospices* ; Humans ; Protestantism ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Single Person ; Spirituality ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to evaluate endothelium dependent vasodilation in the diabetic patients suffering with coronary artery disease (CAD). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 43 patients who presented with typical chest pain and who underwent coronary angiography were enrolled in this study. They were classified into diabetic patients with CAD (n=13), non-diabetic patients with CAD (n=13), diabetic patients without CAD (n=7), and non-diabetic patients without CAD (n=10), according to the presence of CAD and diabetes mellitus. Endothelium-dependent vasodilation of the brachial artery was measured in all the subjects by performing 7.5 MHz high-resolution ultrasound sonography. RESULTS: The endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the diabetic patients with CAD was 1.30+/-2.13% and it was 5.72+/-3.70% in the non-diabetic patients with CAD. There was a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.001). The endothelium-dependent vasodilation in diabetic patients without CAD was 2.28+/-1.88% and it was 10.70+/-10.19% in the non-diabetic patients without CAD. There was a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.029). The endothelium-dependent vasodilations in the diabetic group was 2.28+/-1.88% and it was 10.70+/-10.19% in the non-diabetic group for all the patients. There was a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.029). There was correlation between the endothelium-dependent vasodilation and the fasting blood sugar. There was negative correlation between the endothelium-dependent vasodilation and the fasting blood sugar (FBS) in the patients with CAD (r=-0.59, p=0.002). However, there was no correlation between the endothelium-dependent vasodilation and the FBS in the patients without CAD (r=-0.327, p=0.201). There was negative correlation between the endothelium-dependent vasodilation and the FBS in all subjects (r=-0.352, p=0.021). CONCLUSION: The endothelium-dependent vasodilation was decreased in the diabetic patients with CAD as compared to the non-diabetic patients with CAD. There was also was negative correlation between the endothelium-dependent vasodilation and the FBS in the patients with CAD.
Blood Glucose ; Brachial Artery ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Endothelium ; Fasting ; Humans ; Ultrasonography ; Vasodilation*

PURPOSE: To date, it has been impossible to relate the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmia to survival in hyperkalemia. QT dispersion is thought to reflect the inhomogeneity of ventricular repolarization and to be related to ventricular-arrhythmia-induced sudden cardiac death in various medical conditions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate to use QT dispersion as a prognostic marker in hyperkalemia and to suggest treatment guidelines for hyperkalemia by analyzing the correlations between the QT dispersion on the initial ECG and the treatment outcomes. METHODS: This study's population was comprised of 104 patients with serum potassium concentrations > or =5.5 mEq/L, who were divided into 2 groups; group 1 was the survival group (n=81), group 2 was the death group (n=23). We reviewed retrospectively the underlying diseases, electrolytes, treatment outcomes and the clinical and ECG findings during the initial and the recovery states. The QT interval for each lead was measured manually on an enlarged (X1.5) ECG. The QT interval was measured from the first deflection of the QRS complex to the point of the T wave offset, and the corrected QT interval was obtained by using B a z e t t's formula. The QT dispersion and the corrected QT dispersion were defined as the differences between the minimal and the maximal QT values and between the corresponding corrected QT values for each of the 12 leads, respectively. RESULTS: The treatment outcomes were not related to the initial serum potassium and the hourly serum potassium change rates. For hyperkalemia > or =7.0 mEq/L, the death group had significantly larger QT dispersion than the survival group (death group = 95.6+/-15.4 msec, survival group = 51.8+/-17.5 msec, p<0.01). However, the QT dispersions of the two groups were not different for serum potassium levels <7.0 mEq/L. For hyperkalemia > or =7.0mEq/L, QT dispersion above 65 msec had a 93.8% sensitivity, a 79.4% specificity, and a 68.2% positive predictive value for death. CONCLUSION: For hyperkalemia > or =7.0 mEq/L, QT dispersion above 65 msec should be considered to be a prognostic marker for prediction of the treatment outcome.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Electrocardiography ; Electrolytes ; Humans ; Hyperkalemia* ; Potassium ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: Decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) occurs relatively early and is known to be correlated with disease activity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). We investigated BMD and its correlation factors in Korean patients with AS. METHODS: Fifty patients with AS fulfilling modified New York criteria and age-, sex-, and body mass index-matched 100 normal controls were selected. Medical records were reviewed retrospectively. Lumbar and femur BMD was measured using a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: Both lumbar and femur BMD in patients with AS were significantly lower than BMD in control group. Although Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index, C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate showed no correlation with BMD, lumbar BMD in patients with high disease activity in terms of inflammatory factors was significantly lower than that in patients with low disease activity. CONCLUSION: BMD in patients with AS was significantly lower than those in control group. Early detection and appropriate management will be necessary in patients with AS.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Baths ; Blood Sedimentation ; Bone Density* ; C-Reactive Protein ; Femur ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing*