BACKGROUND: This study aimed to describe the status of alcohol consumption and drug use among young adults as well as their determinants. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 356 young adults (aged 18 to 24 years) living in Palau in 2013. The prevalence of self-reported alcohol and marijuana usage were compared within and between sexes, age groups, ethnicities, and education levels. RESULTS: The proportion of current drinking was higher in people aged 21-24 than in those aged 18-20 (73.2% vs. 60.9%, p = 0.09 in men and 48.3% vs. 30.0%, p = 0.02 in women), while that of marijuana use did not differ between the age groups. The proportions of current drinking and marijuana use were higher in Palauan than in other ethnicities (current drinking: 70.6% vs. 40.6%, p = 0.005 in men and 38.8% vs. 16.6%, p = 0.04 in women; lifetime marijuana use: 80.0% vs. 52.9%, p = 0.02 in men and 56.1% vs. 30.6%, p = 0.09 in women). The proportion of frequent (3 times or more) marijuana users was higher for the lower educated than for the higher educated (62.5% vs. 32.1%, p < 0.001 in men and 33.9% vs. 24.4%, p = 0.12 in women). CONCLUSIONS Sex, age, ethnicity, and education were significant determinants of alcohol and marijuana use.
Age Factors ; Alcohol Drinking/ethnology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Educational Status ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Marijuana Use/ethnology* ; Palau/epidemiology* ; Prevalence ; Sex Factors ; Young Adult

We present a case of a 71-year-old male Chamorro patient from Guam who presented with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)-Richardson’s syndrome. Considering his strong family history of parkinsonism and a PSP phenotype, he was clinically diagnosed with Guam parkinsonism-dementia complex (PDC). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed prominent midbrain atrophy with preserved pontine volume, forming the ‘hummingbird’ sign, which has not been described before in Guam PDC. Molecular analysis of the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 gene (C9orf72) showed only 6 GGGGCC repeats. We discuss the clinico-pathological similarities and differences between PSP and Guam PDC, and highlight the topography of neuropathological changes seen in Guam PDC to explain the appearance of the ‘hummingbird’ sign on MRI.
Aged ; Atrophy ; Brain ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9 ; Guam* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Mesencephalon ; Open Reading Frames ; Parkinsonian Disorders ; Phenotype ; Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive

Sea urchins are marine invertebrates commonly found in coastal areas around the world. The potential mechanisms of injury are primary puncture wounds, envenomation, and the foreign body reaction. A 20-year-old woman presented with multiple, 0.2 to 0.3 cm-sized, erythematous papules with central blackish particles accompanied by numbness and pain on the dorsum of the right foot and ankle for 7 days. She had been injured by a sea urchin 7 days prior at the seaside in Guam. A skin biopsy of the lesion showed inflammation with foreign body reaction. The attending physician removed all the blackish particles and applied mupirocin ointment. Although skin lesions improved over time, numbness and pain still remained. There have been only six reported cases of sea urchin granuloma in Korea, but no reports of sea urchin injury with neurologic symptoms. Herein, we report a rare case of sea urchin injury accompanied by paresthesia.
Ankle ; Biopsy ; Female ; Foot ; Foreign-Body Reaction ; Granuloma ; Guam ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Inflammation ; Invertebrates ; Korea ; Mupirocin ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Paresthesia* ; Punctures ; Sea Urchins* ; Skin ; Wounds and Injuries ; Young Adult

Zika virus was first isolated in from nonhuman primate in 1947. It is in the genus Flavivirus, closely related to other flavivirus like Dengue, West Nile, Yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis virus. Since 2007 epidemic in Yap island, zika virus infections had spread to the countries in Micronesia and South Pacific. In 2015, Zika virus outbreak occurred in Brazil and now more than 40 countries in American continents reported autochthonous infection. The virus is transmitted mainly by Ae. aegypti mosquito with many other Aedes mosquito species known as vector. Recently, Zika virus infection is known to cause severe neurological complications and congenital malformation. In this paper, we will review current knowledge on Zika virus history, biology, clinical characteristics and preventive method.
Aedes ; Biology ; Brazil ; Culicidae ; Dengue ; Encephalitis Virus, Japanese ; Flavivirus ; Methods ; Microcephaly ; Micronesia ; Primates ; Yellow Fever ; Zika Virus Infection* ; Zika Virus*

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arthropod-borne member of the genus Flavivirus, closely related to the dengue, West Nile, Japanese encephalitis, and yellow fever viruses and is transmitted by Aedes spp. mosquitoes. It has emerged explosively since 2007 to cause a series of epidemics in Micronesia, the South Pacific, and most recently the Americas. Following the first detection of ZIKV on the American continent, autochthonous ZIKV transmission has been confirmed throughout Central and South America. The unprecedented numbers of people infected during recent outbreaks in the South Pacific and the Americas may have resulted in enough ZIKV infections to notice patterns of the associated incidence of congenital microcephaly, Gillain-Barre symdrome, and acute diffuse encephalomyelitis. Here we review the history, emergence, biology, transmission, and control strategies for the ongoing outbreak through vector-centric approaches on ZIKV to date.
Aedes ; Americas ; Arboviruses ; Biology ; Culicidae ; Dengue ; Disease Outbreaks ; Encephalitis, Japanese ; Encephalomyelitis ; Flavivirus ; Incidence ; Microcephaly ; Micronesia ; South America ; Yellow fever virus ; Zika Virus*

Chromobacterium violaceum (C. violaceum) is a gram negative, facultative anaerobe widely distributed in natural aquatic environments and is sensitive to temperature. Its infection has a predilection to tropical or subtropical regions that between latitude 35degrees N and 35degrees S. Infection due to C. violaceum is rare. But human infection with this organism can result in severe, systemic disease with a high fatality rate. C. violaceum infection may rapidly progress to sepsis with multiple organ abscesses, predominantly in lungs, liver, and spleen. The organism is usually resistant to most antibiotics commonly prescribed for gram-negative bacterial infection like aminoglycosides, extended spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics etc. In Korea, two cases of C. violaceum infections were reported in patients injured in a Guam airplane accident, and one case was reported local C. violaceum infection. Here, we report a case of fatal C. violaceum postoperative wound infection in Korea.
Abscess ; Aircraft ; Aminoglycosides ; Ankle Fractures* ; Ankle* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Chromobacterium* ; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections ; Guam ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver ; Lung ; Sepsis ; Spleen ; Surgical Wound Infection ; Wound Infection* ; Wounds and Injuries*

The purpose of this study was is leading landmark efforts to prevent the major causes of commercial-aviation fatalities about controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) in approach-and-landing accidents. The paper of major analysis for controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) was Guam accident, Mokpo accident and Gimhae accident in commercial transport-aircraft accidents from 1997 through 2002. CFIT occurs when an airworthy aircraft under the control of the flight crew is flown unintentionally into terrain, obstacles or water, usually with no prior awareness by the crew. This type of accident can occur during most phases of flight, but CFIT is more common during the approach-and-landing phase. The paper believed that prevention for CFIT accident was education and training for flying crew and upgrade for equipment such as EGPWS, and need more research for professional organizations of airlines.
Aircraft ; Diptera ; Guam ; Humans ; Societies ; Water

The purpose of this study was to make landmark efforts to prevent the major causes of commercial-aviation fatalities on controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) in approach-and-landing accidents. Major analysis for controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) of Guam accident, Mokpo accident and Gimhae accident in commercial transport-aircraft accidents from 1993 through 2002 was made. CFIT occurs when an airworthy aircraft under the control of the flight crew is flown unintentionally into terrain, obstacles or water, usually with no prior awareness by the crew. This type of accident can occur during most phases of flight, but CFIT is more common during the approach-and-landing phase. Key prevention for CFIT accident was education and training for flying crew and to upgrade for equipment such as EGPWS, and the need for more research by professional organizations of airlines.
Accident Prevention ; Aircraft ; Diptera ; Guam ; Societies ; Water

No abstract available.
Aircraft* ; DNA Fingerprinting ; Guam*

In this paper, a new superimposition scheme using a computer vision system was proposed with pairs of skull and ante-mortem photographs, which were already identified through other tests and DNA fingerprints at the Korea National Institute of Scientific Investigation. In this computer vision system, an unidentified skull was caught by video-camcoder with the MPEG and the other ante-mortem photograph was scanned by scanner. These two images were processed and superimposed using pixel processing. This recognition of individual identifications by anatomical references can be performed on the two superimposed images for many big cases like as Guam KAL accident in 1997.
Artificial Intelligence ; DNA Fingerprinting ; Guam ; Korea ; Skull