Alterations in Circulating Amino Acid Metabolite Ratio Associated with Arginase Activity Are Potential Indicators of Metabolic Syndrome: The Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study

Upregulated arginase activity, which competes with nitric oxide synthase (NOS), impairs nitric oxide production and has been implicated in various metabolic disorders. This study examined whether circulating amino acid metabolite ratios are associated with arginase and NOS activities and whether arginine bioavailability is associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Data related to arginase and NOS activities were collected from non-diabetic Koreans without cardiovascular disease (n = 1998) in the Ansan–Ansung cohorts (2005–2006). Subsequently, correlation and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. With the increase in the number of MetS risk factors, ratios of circulating amino acid metabolites, such as those of ornithine/citrulline, proline/citrulline, and ornithine/arginine, also significantly increased, whereas arginine bioavailability significantly decreased. These metabolite ratios and arginase bioavailability were also significantly correlated with MetS risk-related parameters, which remained significant after adjusting for covariates. In addition, logistic regression analysis revealed that high ratios of circulating metabolites and low arginine bioavailability, which indicated increased arginase activity, were significantly associated with a high MetS risk. This study demonstrated that altered ratios of circulating amino acid metabolites indicates increased arginase activity and decreased arginine bioavailability, both of which can be potential markers for MetS risk

Genetic Association between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Lung Function in Korean Men and Women: Data from KNHANES 2011–2012

The association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the vitamin D metabolic pathway and lung function is unknown. We examined the association between five SNPs on DHCR7, GC, CYP2R1, and CYP24A1 along with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and lung function in older Korean men (n = 758) and women (n = 837). Lung function was determined by forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) from the data in the Korea Nutrition and Health Examination Survey 2011–2012. Genetic risk score (GRS) was calculated by the number of 25(OH)D-decreasing alleles of the five SNPs. Our results showed that increases in GRS were associated with reduced 25(OH)D levels (p < 0.05 for both sexes). In the entire population, FVC and FEV1 were associated with both GRS and 25(OH)D levels. In women, FVC and FEV1 were negatively associated with GRS (β-coefficient (95% CI): −0.022 (−0.039, −0.005) and −0.020 (−0.035, −0.005), respectively; both p < 0.05), but not with 25(OH)D. However, in men, FVC and FEV1 were positively associated with 25(OH)D (β-coefficient (95% CI): 0.008 (0.001, 0.016) and 0.008 (0.002, 0.015), respectively; both p < 0.05), but not with GRS. In conclusion, lung function was associated with genetic variation in Korean women and with 25(OH)D in Korean men

Association between Genetic Variant of <i>Apolipoprotein C3</i> and Incident Hypertension Stratified by Obesity and Physical Activity in Korea

Apolipoprotein C3 (APOC3) is an important regulator of lipoprotein metabolism, and has been shown to be strongly associated with hypertriglyceridemia. We tested whether triglyceride-influencing genetic variants at APOC3 (T-455C, C-482T, C1100T, and SstI) are associated with the onset of hypertension (HTN) among Korean adults stratified by lifestyle-related factors in the Ansung&#8315;Ansan cohort within the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. After excluding participants with preexisting cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and HTN, a total of 5239 men and women were included at baseline (2001&#8315;2002), and followed up for a median of 9.8 years. Carriers of the C allele of C1100T with body mass index &lt;25 kg/m2 showed a significantly lower HTN risk (hazard ratio (HR) than non-carriers: 0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.77&#8315;0.98) after adjusting for covariates. In addition, carriers of the C allele of T-455C and the T allele of C-482T with low physical activity had lower incident HTN than non-carriers (HR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.03&#8315;1.26; HR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02&#8315;1.25). Our results suggest that genotype effects in APOC3 on HTN risk have been shown in lean carriers of the C allele of C1100T and in less active people having the C allele of T-455C and T allele of C-482T in a large sample of the Korean population

Rigorous Study on Hump Phenomena in Surrounding Channel Nanowire (SCNW) Tunnel Field-Effect Transistor (TFET)

In this paper, analysis and optimization of surrounding channel nanowire (SCNW) tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) has been discussed with the help of technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation. The SCNW TFET features an ultra-thin tunnel layer at source sidewall and shows a high on-current (ION). In spite of the high electrical performance, the SCNW TFET suffers from hump effect which deteriorates subthreshold swing (S). In order to solve the issue, an origin of hump effect is analyzed firstly. Based on the simulation, the transfer curve in SCNW TFET is decoupled into vertical- and lateral-BTBTs. In addition, the lateral-BTBT causes the hump effect due to low turn-on voltage (VON) and low ION. Therefore, the device design parameter is optimized to suppress the hump effect by adjusting thickness of the ultra-thin tunnel layer. Finally, we compared the electrical properties of the planar, nanowire and SCNW TFET. As a result, the optimized SCNW TFET shows better electrical performance compared with other TFETs

Blood Lead Concentrations and Mortality in Korean Adults: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey with Mortality Follow-Up

Previous studies have consistently reported an increase in mortality risk, even at low levels of blood lead. The average blood lead concentration in the Korean population has steadily decreased but is still higher than that of developed countries. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between mortality and blood lead concentrations for adults in Korea. We used the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008&ndash;2013) linked Cause of Death data, which are followed by 2018. A total of 7308 subjects who aged over 30 at the baseline examination were included in the analyses. Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the hazard ratios of mortality from non-accidental causes and cancer mortality. The estimated hazard ratios (95% CI) for comparison of the second and third tertile group with the lowest tertile group were 2.01 (1.20, 3.40) and 1.91 (1.13, 3.23) for non-accidental mortality and 3.42 (95% CI: 1.65, 7.08) and 2.27 (95% CI: 1.09, 4.70) for cancer mortality, respectively. The dose&ndash;response relationship also showed significant increase in the risk of mortality at blood lead level between 1.5 and 6.0 &mu;g/dL. Our findings suggest that potent policies to lower lead exposure are required for the general Korean population