Waist Circumference predicting Cardiovascular Disease in Korean Men and Women

Objective: Obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are closely related and have become increasingly prevalent in Korea. Asians are more prone to obesity-related co-morbidities than Caucasians, even at lower body mass index (BMI) and/or smaller waist circumference (WC) values. Nevertheless, little is known regarding the association of WC with the risk of CVD in non-Caucasian populations. The authors conducted a prospective cohort study of WC and the risk of CVD in the Korean Heart Study.Methods: We examined the association of WC to CVD incidence among 53,026 Korean adults (30,152 men, 22,874 women) with no history of CVD and/or cancer. During a mean follow-up of 8.6 years, 2,722 incident cases of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) including 1,383 cases of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and 1,012 cases of stroke were documented. Results: Average WC at baseline was 84.0±8.2 cm in men and 75.2±8.9 cm in women. After adjustment for age and BMI, WC was significantly associated with cardiovascular risk factors (P <.001). In men, a WC of ≥91 cm was associated with an ASCVD hazard ratio (HR) of 1.62 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.25, 2.10) and an IHD HR of 1.70 (95% CI: 1.19, 2.42) in comparison with a WC of <78 cm even after further adjustment for BMI and traditional risk factors (P for trend = 0.0118, 0.0139 respectively). In women, the progressive associations of WC with ASCVD, IHD and stroke were observed. These associations were however attenuated after further adjustment for BMI and traditional risk factors. The multivariable HRs for ASCVD, IHD, and stroke increased with higher WC in both men and women. Conclusions: Central obesity significantly and independently contributes to cardiovascular outcomes in Korean men and women

User Experience in Fashion Brand Pages in Social Networking Sites: Values and Affective Experience of Information Interaction

To enhance a current understanding about brand pages in SNS, this study focuses on user experiences during information interactions in brand pages in SNS and investigates how different values of information interactions in brand pages influence affective experiences, which in turn affect users\u27 experiential states (satisfaction, engagement, cognitive elaboration) and thus their loyalty intention toward brand pages. Four facets of values of interest include two instrumental values (perceived control and usefulness) and two non-instrumental values (perceived enjoyment and connectedness). Data were obtained from 290 adult Koreans who followed fashion brand SNS pages using a self-administered online survey. Our results indicate that users\u27 affective experience during information interaction plays a key role in generating positive user experiences with brand pages in SNS. Specifically, affective experience enhances satisfaction, engaging experience, and cognitive elaboration, thereby increasing loyalty intentions toward the brand page. Additionally, perceived controllability, usefulness, and enjoyment create affective experience

ADIPOQ Gene Variants Associated with Susceptibility to Obesity and Low Serum Adiponectin Levels in Healthy Koreans

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to measure the association between the adiponectin, C1Q and collagen domain-containing (ADIPOQ) gene variants and obesity in Koreans. METHODS: Three single nucleotide polymorphisms located in the ADIPOQ gene were genotyped in a population-based cross-sectional study of 986 healthy Koreans. Three different case-control groups (i.e. G1, G2, and G3) were defined according to body mass index (BMI) and serum adiponectin levels. Allelic and genotypic associations of this gene with obesity were measured using multivariate logistic regression analyses in each group. RESULTS: The G allele of -11377C>G, a polymorphism located in the promoter region of the ADIPOQ gene (odds ratio (OR), 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.94) and most haplotypes including this allele significantly increased the risk for obesity. However, the OR decreased from 3.98 (G1 group) to 2.90 (G2 group) and 2.30 (G3 group) when a less strict definition of obesity was used. Most haplotypes, including this allele, significantly increased the risk of obesity. The statistical evidence from the GG genotype of -11377C>G (OR, 3.98) and the GT/GT diplotype composed of -11377G>C and +45T>G (OR, 5.20) confirmed the contribution of the G allele toward a predisposition for obesity. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the contribution of the ADIPOQ gene toward susceptibility to obesity in healthy Koreans. The high-risk genotypes and haplotypes identified here may provide more information for identifying individuals who are at risk of obesity.ope

Alpha-tocopherol exerts protective function against the mucotoxicity of particulate matter in amphibian and human goblet cells

Exposure to particulate matter (PM) in ambient air is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disorders and mortality. The cytotoxicity of PM is mainly due to the abnormal increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which damage cellular components such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. The correlation between PM exposure and human disorders, including mortality, is based on long-term exposure. In this study we have investigated acute responses of mucus-secreting goblet cells upon exposure to PM derived from a heavy diesel engine. To this end, we employed the mucociliary epithelium of amphibian embryos and human Calu-3 cells to examine PM mucotoxicity. Our data suggest that acute exposure to PM significantly impairs mucus secretion and results in the accumulation of mucus vesicles in the cytoplasm of goblet cells. RNA-seq analysis revealed that acute responses to PM exposure significantly altered gene expression patterns; however, known regulators of mucus production and the secretory pathway were not significantly altered. Interestingly, pretreatment with alpha-tocopherol nearly recovered the hyposecretion of mucus from both amphibian and human goblet cells. We believe this study demonstrates the mucotoxicity of PM and the protective function of alpha-tocopherol on mucotoxicity caused by acute PM exposure from heavy diesel engines

Impacts of Heavy Rain and Typhoon on Allergic Disease

AbstractObjectivesAllergic disease may be increased by climate change. Recent reports have shown that typhoon and heavy rain increase allergic disease locally by concentration of airborne allergens of pollen, ozone, and fungus, which are causes of allergic disease. The objective of this study was to determine whether typhoon and heavy rain increase allergic disease in Korea.MethodsThis study included allergic disease patients of the area declared as a special disaster zone due to storms and heavy rains from 2003 to 2009. The study used information from the Korea Meteorological Administration, and from the National Health Insurance Service for allergic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis).ResultsDuring a storm period, the numbers of allergy rhinitis and atopic dermatitis outpatients increased [rate ratio (RR) = 1.191; range, 1.150–1.232] on the sixth lag day. However, the number of asthma outpatients decreased (RR = 0.900; range, 0.862–0.937) on the sixth lag day after a disaster period. During a storm period, the numbers of allergic rhinitis outpatients (RR = 1.075; range, 1.018–1.132) and atopy outpatients increased (RR = 1.134; range, 1.113–1.155) on the seventh lag day. However, the number of asthma outpatients decreased to RR value of 0.968 (range, 0.902–1.035) on the fifth lag day.ConclusionThis study suggests that typhoon and heavy rain increase allergic disease apart from asthma. More study is needed to explain the decrease in asthma

Transcription Factor Sp1 Is Involved in Expressional Regulation of Coxsackie and Adenovirus Receptor in Cancer Cells

Coxsackie and adenovirus receptor (CAR) was first known as a virus receptor. Recently, it is also known to have tumor suppressive activity such as inhibition of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. It is important to understand how CAR expression can be regulated in cancers. Based on an existence of putative Sp1 binding site within CAR promoter, we investigated whether indeed Sp1 is involved in the regulation of CAR expression. We observed that deletion or mutation of Sp1 binding motif (−503/−498) prominently impaired the Sp1 binding affinity and activity of CAR promoter. Histone deacetylase inhibitor (TSA) treatment enhanced recruitment of Sp1 to the CAR promoter in ChIP assay. Meanwhile, Sp1 binding inhibitor suppressed the recruitment. Exogenous expression of wild-type Sp1 increased CAR expression in CAR-negative cells; meanwhile, dominant negative Sp1 decreased the CAR expression in CAR-positive cells. These results indicate that Sp1 is involved in regulation of CAR expression

Adiponectin is Associated with Impaired Fasting Glucose in the Non-Diabetic Population

OBJECTIVES: Adiponectin is strongly associated with diabetes in the Western population. However, whether adiponectin is independently associated with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) in the non-obese population is unknown. METHODS: The serum adiponectin, insulin resistance (IR), and waist circumference (WC) of 27,549 healthy Koreans were measured. Individuals were then classified into tertile groups by gender. IFG was defined as a fasting serum glucose of 100-125 mg/dL without diabetes. IR was calculated using the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). The association of adiponectin and IFG was determined using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: WC and adiponectin were associated with IFG in both men and women. However, the association of WC with IFG was attenuated in both men and women after adjustment for the HOMA-IR. Adiponectin was still associated with IFG after adjustment for and stratification by HOMA-IR in men and women. Strong combined associations of IR and adiponectin with IFG were observed in men and women. Multivariate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence interval [CI]) among those in the highest tertile of IR and the lowest tertile of adiponectin were 9.8 (7.96 to 12.07) for men and 24.1 (13.86 to 41.94) for women. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that adiponectin is strongly associated with IFG, and point to adiponectin as an additional diagnostic biomarker of IFG in the non-diabetic population.ope

Limits of Binaries That Can Be Characterized by Gravitational Microlensing

Due to the high efficiency of planet detections, current microlensing planet searches focus on high-magnification events. High-magnification events are sensitive to remote binary companions as well and thus a sample of wide-separation binaries are expected to be collected as a byproduct. In this paper, we show that characterizing binaries for a portion of this sample will be difficult due to the degeneracy of the binary-lensing parameters. This degeneracy arises because the perturbation induced by the binary companion is well approximated by the Chang-Refsdal lensing for binaries with separations greater than a certain limit. For binaries composed of equal mass lenses, we find that the lens binarity can be noticed up to the separations of $\sim 60$ times of the Einstein radius corresponding to the mass of each lens. Among these binaries, however, we find that the lensing parameters can be determined only for a portion of binaries with separations less than $\sim 20$ times of the Einstein radius.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Gibberellin signaling requires chromatin remodeler PICKLE to promote vegetative growth and phase transitions

© 2017 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved. PICKLE (PKL) is an ATP-dependent chromodomain-helicase-DNA-binding domain (CHD3) chromatin remodeling enzyme in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Previous studies showed that PKL promotes embryonic-to-vegetative transition by inhibiting expression of seed-specific genes during seed germination. The pkl mutants display a low penetrance of the “pickle root” phenotype, with a thick and green primary root that retains embryonic characteristics. The penetrance of this pickle root phenotype in pkl is dramatically increased in gibberellin (GA)-deficient conditions. At adult stages, the pkl mutants are semidwarfs with delayed flowering time, which resemble reduced GA-signaling mutants. These findings suggest that PKL may play a positive role in regulating GA signaling. A recent biochemical analysis further showed that PKL and GA signaling repressors DELLAs antagonistically regulate hypocotyl cell elongation genes by direct protein-protein interaction. To elucidate further the role of PKL in GA signaling and plant development, we studied the genetic interaction between PKL and DELLAs using the hextuple mutant containing pkl and della pentuple (dP) mutations. Here, we show that PKL is required for most of GA-promoted developmental processes, including vegetative growth such as hypocotyl, leaf, and inflorescence stem elongation, and phase transitions such as juvenile-to-adult leaf and vegetative-to-reproductive phase. The removal of all DELLA functions (in the dP background) cannot rescue these phenotypes in pkl. RNA-sequencing analysis using the ga1 (a GA-deficient mutant), pkl, and the ga1 pkl double mutant further shows that expression of 80% of GA-responsive genes in seedlings is PKL dependent, including genes that function in cell elongation, cell division, and phase transitions. These results indicate that the CHD3 chromatin remodeler PKL is required for regulating gene expression during most of GA-regulated developmental processes