• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.33.1-33.11
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• 2023

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a multifactorial, polygenic, and metabolically complicated disease. A large number of genes are responsible for the biogenesis of T2DM and calpain10 (CAPN10) is one of them. The association of numerous CAPN10 genetic polymorphisms in the development of T2DM has been widely studied in different populations and noticed inconclusive results. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the plausible association of CAPN10 polymorphism SNP-19 (rs3842570) with T2DM and T2DM-related anthropometric and metabolic traits in the Noakhali region of Bangladesh. This case-control study included 202 T2DM patients and 75 healthy individuals from different places in Noakhali. A significant association (p < 0.05) of SNP-19 with T2DM in co-dominant 2R/3R vs. 3R/3R (odds ratio [OR], 2.7; p=0.0014) and dominant (2R/3R) + (2R/2R) vs. 3R/3R (OR, 2.47; p=0.0011) genetic models was observed. High-risk allele 2R also showed a significant association with T2DM in the allelic model (OR, 1.67; p=0.0109). The genotypic frequency of SNP-19 variants showed consistency with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p > 0.05). Additionally, SNP-19 genetic variants showed potential associations with the anthropometric and metabolic traits of T2DM patients in terms of body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. Our approach identifies the 2R/3R genotype of SNP-19 as a significant risk factor for biogenesis of T2DM in the Noakhali population. Furthermore, a large-scale study could be instrumental to correlate this finding in overall Bangladeshi population.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.372-379
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• 2023

Background: Laundry workers are known to be exposed to organic solvents in various works including dry cleaning. Long-term exposure to organic solvents may cause adverse health effects among laundry workers. Objectives: To investigate the association between exposure to organic solvents and symptom of headache or eyestrain among laundry workers. Methods: The subjects were total 267 laundry workers who participated in the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). Responses to exposure to 'inhalation of vapor from organic solvent' was categorized into two (non-exposed: rarely or absolutely not exposed during working hours; exposed: ≥1/4 working hours) or three (non-exposed; low exposure: 1/4 of the working hours; high exposure: ≥1/2 working hours) groups. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between exposure to organic solvents and symptom of headache or eyestrain in the last 12 months among laundry workers. Odds ratios (ORs) and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for experience of the symptom of headache or eyestrain with adjustment for age, sex, education, workplace size (by the number of workers), working hours per week, and current working period (year). Results: The proportions of exposure groups, i.e., non-exposed, low exposure, and high exposure, were 80.4%, 11.1%, and 8.5%, respectively. The proportion of those who had symptom of headache or eyestrain in the last 12 months was 18.7%. There was a significant association between exposure to organic solvents and experience of headache or eyestrain (OR=3.2, 95% CI=1.4~7.4). And, the proportion of those who experienced symptom of headache or eyestrain tended to increase significantly as the level of exposure to organic solvents increased (P_trend=0.002). Conclusions: Our results suggest that exposure to organic solvents are associated with symptom of headache or eystrain among laundry workers in Korea. However, further studies with more relevant design is needed to replicate the association.

• Journal of Korean Dental Science
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.128-148
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• 2023

Dementia is an umbrella term that describes the loss of thinking, memory, attention, logical reasoning, and other mental abilities to the extent that it interferes with the activities of daily living. More than 50 million individuals worldwide live with dementia, which is expected to increase to 131 million by 2050. Recent research has shown that poor oral health increases the risk of dementia, while oral health declines with cognitive decline. In this narrative review, the literature was based on the "hypothesis" that dementia and oral health have a close relationship, and appropriate oral health and occlusal rehabilitation treatment can improve the quality of life of patients with dementia and prevent progression. We conducted a literature search in PubMed and Google Scholar databases, using the search terms "dementia," "major neurocognitive disorder," "dentition," "occlusion," "tooth loss," "dental prosthesis," "dental implant," and "occlusal rehabilitation" in the title field over the past 30 years. A total of 131 studies that scientifically addressed dementia, oral health, and/or oral rehabilitation were included. In a meta-analysis, the random effect model demonstrated significant tooth loss increasing the dementia risk 3.64-fold (pooled odds ratio=3.64, 95% confidence interval [2.50~5.32], P-value=0.0348). Tooth loss can be an important indicator of cognitive function decline. As the number of missing teeth increases, the risk of dementia increases. Loss of teeth can lead to a decrease in the ascending information to the brain and reduced masticatory ability, cerebral blood flow, and psychological atrophy. Oral microbiome dysbiosis and migration of key bacterial species to the brain can also cause dementia. Additionally, inflammation in the oral cavity affects the inflammatory response of the brain and the complete body. Conversely, proper oral hygiene management, the placement of dental implants or prostheses to replace lost teeth, and the restoration of masticatory function can inhibit symptom progression in patients with dementia. Therefore, improving oral health can prevent dementia progression and improve the quality of life of patients.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.77-82
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• 2023

Objective : During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, hospital avoidance had a significant impact on public health. We investigated the factors associated with hospital avoidance and explored practical strategies hospitals could employ to address this phenomenon. Methods : We conducted a patient experience survey in a general hospital in Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between July 6, 2020, and July 20, 2020, a total of 842 patients who had previously visited hospitals before the COVID-19 outbreak participated. Self-reported hospital avoidance, factors associated with hospital avoidance, and satisfaction with the hospital's infection control policies were the main outcomes. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify associated factors. Results : Data indicated that 29.9% (n=252) of the respondents avoided visiting the hospital after the COVID-19 outbreak. Satisfaction with the hospital infection control policy (odds ratio [OR]=2.297, p<0.001), female sex (OR=1.619, p<0.05), and higher educational level (OR=1.884, p<0.001) were associated with hospital avoidance. The "entrance body temperature check" was the most satisfactory policy among the hospital's infection control policies. Conclusion : To manage hospital avoidance during an infectious disease crisis, targeted policies for at-risk groups and hospital policies to reassure and satisfy patients are needed.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 2024

This study compared the health behaviors, health related clinical characteristics between individuals with Glycated Hemoglobin A1C≧6.5% and < 6.5% in 30~59yr. Factors that were associated with A1C were identified by sex, health behaviors, health literacy. This study was an observational study with a cross-sectional design based on data from 2019~2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multiple logistic regression analysis was employed to compute the odds ratios of health behaviors to identify the risk factors for Glycated Hemoglobin. The prevalence of A1C≧6.5% among the total was 79.4%(weighted %, n=348). In the A1C≧6.5%, 71.8% were men. In univariate logistic regression for A1C≧6.5%, sex, duration with diabetes, and body mass index(BMI) were influencing factors. In multiple logistic regression by sex, the factors associated with A1C≧6.5 in women were as follows: education(OR 4.5; 95% CI:1.1, 18.5), duration with diabetes(OR 2.9; 95% CI 1.1, 7.9). Strategies should be targeted to improve health behaviors and clinical characteristics for those in their sex, women in low education level, duration with diabetes. Moreover, healthcare providers should understand the barriers to health behaviors and health literacy to effectively deliver healthcare service.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.55-63
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• 2024

Purpose: A 2-dose varicella vaccination strategy has been introduced in many countries worldwide, aiming to increase vaccine effectiveness (VE) against varicella infection. In this network meta-analysis, we aimed to provide a comprehensive evaluation and an overall estimated effect of varicella vaccination strategies, via a Bayesian model. Methods: For each eligible study, we collected trial characteristics, such as: 1-dose vs. 2-dose, demographic characteristics, and outcomes of interest. For studies involving different doses, we aggregated the data for the same number of doses delivered into one arm. The preventive effect of 1-dose vs. 2-dose of varicella vaccine were evaluated in terms of the odds ratio (OR) and corresponding equal-tailed 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results: A total of 903 studies were retrieved during our literature search, and 25 interventional or observational studies were selected for the Bayesian network meta-analysis. A total of 49,265 observed individuals were included in this network meta-analysis. Compared to the 0-dose control group, the OR of all varicella infections were 0.087 (95% CI, 0.046-0.164) and 0.310 (95% CI, 0.198-0.484) for 2-doses and one-dose, respectively, which corresponded to VE of 69.0% (95% CI, 51.6-81.2) and VE of 91.3% (95% CI, 83.6-95.4) for 1- and 2-doses, respectively. Conclusions: A 2-dose vaccine strategy was able to significantly reduce varicella burden. The effectiveness of 2-dose vaccination on reducing the risk of infection was demonstrated by sound statistical evidence, which highlights the public health need for a 2-dose vaccine recommendation.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1886-1893
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• 2021

Objective: To assess the feasibility of quantitatively assessing pancreatic steatosis using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and its correlation with obesity and metabolic risk factors in pediatric patients. Materials and Methods: Pediatric patients (≤ 18 years) who underwent liver fat quantification MRI between January 2016 and June 2019 were retrospectively included and divided into the obesity and control groups. Pancreatic proton density fat fraction (P-PDFF) was measured as the average value for three circular regions of interest (ROIs) drawn in the pancreatic head, body, and tail. Age, weight, laboratory results, and mean liver MRI values including liver PDFF (L-PDFF), stiffness on MR elastography, and T2^* values were assessed for their correlation with P-PDFF using linear regression analysis. The associations between P-PDFF and metabolic risk factors, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), and dyslipidemia, were assessed using logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 172 patients (male:female = 125:47; mean ± standard deviation [SD], 13.2 ± 3.1 years) were included. The mean P-PDFF was significantly higher in the obesity group than in the control group (mean ± SD, 4.2 ± 2.5% vs. 3.4 ± 2.4%; p = 0.037). L-PDFF and liver stiffness values showed no significant correlation with P-PDFF (p = 0.235 and p = 0.567, respectively). P-PDFF was significantly associated with obesity (odds ratio 1.146, 95% confidence interval 1.006-1.307, p = 0.041), but there was no significant association with hypertension, DM, and dyslipidemia. Conclusion: MRI can be used to quantitatively measure pancreatic steatosis in children. P-PDFF is significantly associated with obesity in pediatric patients.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1609-1618
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• 2021

Objective: Arrhythmogenic mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is an important cause of sudden cardiac death characterized by fibrosis of the papillary muscles or left ventricle (LV) wall, and an association between late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) of the LV papillary muscles and ventricular arrhythmia in MVP has been reported. However, LGE of the papillary muscles may be observed in other causes of mitral regurgitation, and it is not limited to patients with MVP. This study was to evaluate the association of LGE of the LV papillary muscles or ventricular wall on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and ventricular arrhythmia in patients with mitral regurgitation. Materials and Methods: This study included 88 patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 58.3 ± 12.0 years; male, 42%) with mitral regurgitation who underwent CMR. They were allocated to the MVP (n = 43) and non-MVP (n = 45) groups, and their LGE images on CMR, clinical characteristics, echocardiographic findings, and presence of arrhythmia were compared. Results: LV myocardial wall enhancement was more frequent in the MVP group than in the non-MVP group (28% vs. 11%, p = 0.046). Papillary muscle enhancement was observed in 7 (7.9%) patients. Of the 43 patients with MVP, 15 (34.8%) showed LGE in the papillary muscles or LV myocardium, including 12 (27.9%) with LV myocardial wall enhancement and 4 (9.3%) with papillary muscle enhancement. One patient with bilateral diffuse papillary muscle enhancement experienced sudden cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation. Univariable logistic regression analysis showed that high systolic blood pressure (BP; odds ratio [OR], 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.09; p = 0.027) and ventricular arrhythmia (OR, 6.84; 95% CI, 1.29-36.19; p = 0.024) were significantly associated with LGE of the papillary muscles. Conclusion: LGE of the papillary muscles was present not only in patients with MVP, but also in patients with other etiologies of mitral regurgitation, and it was associated with high systolic BP and ventricular arrhythmia. Papillary muscle enhancement on CMR should not be overlooked.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1640-1649
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• 2021

Objective: Flattening in the anteroposterior direction (AP flattening) of the terminal ileum (TI) or sigmoid colon (SC) lying across the psoas muscle, on magnetic resonance enterography (MRE), might mimic bowel inflammation in the coronal view. This study investigated the prevalence of AP flattening and the factors associated with its development. Materials and Methods: A total of 364 surgery-naïve patients with Crohn's disease (CD) who had undergone MRE were retrospectively reviewed. AP flattening was defined as a luminal collapse in the anteroposterior direction, with a bowel width in the axial plane < 1/4 of the normal diameter without reduction of bowel width in coronal images. The prevalence of AP flattening of the TI and SC on MRE in patients with bowel segments lying across the psoas muscle was determined. We further compared the rate of AP flattening between MRE and computed tomography enterography (CTE) in a subcohort of patients with prior CTE. The factors associated with AP flattening were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression in a subcohort of patients with endoscopic findings of TI. Results: Three hundred and twenty-two and 363 patients, respectively, had TI and SC lying across the psoas muscle. The prevalence of AP flattening on MRE was 7.5% (24/322) in TI and 5.2% (19/363) in SC. The prevalences were significantly higher on MRE than on CTE in both the TI (7.3% [12/164] vs. 0.6% [1/164]; p = 0.003) and SC (5.8% [11/190] vs. 1.6% [3/190]; p = 0.039). AP flattening of the TI was independently and strongly associated with the absence of CD inflammation on endoscopy, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.066 (p = 0.003) for the presence versus the absence (reference) of inflammation. Conclusion: AP flattening of the TI or SC lying across the psoas muscle was uncommon and predominantly observed on MRE of the bowel without CD inflammation.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.471-482
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• 2020

Objective: We aimed to determine the optimized image-based surrogate endpoints (IBSEs) in targeted therapies for glioblastoma through a systematic review and meta-analysis of phase III randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Materials and Methods: A systematic search of OVID-MEDLINE and EMBASE for phase III RCTs on glioblastoma was performed in December 2017. Data on overall survival (OS) and IBSEs, including progression-free survival (PFS), 6-month PFS (6moPFS), 12-month PFS (12moPFS), median PFS, and objective response rate (ORR) were extracted. Weighted linear regression analysis for the hazard ratio for OS and the hazard ratios or odds ratios for IBSEs was performed. The associations between IBSEs and OS were evaluated. Subgroup analyses according to disease stage (newly diagnosed glioblastoma versus recurrent glioblastoma), types of test treatment, and types of response assessment criteria were performed. Results: Twenty-three phase III RCTs published between 2000 and 2017, including 8387 patients, met the inclusion criteria. OS showed strong correlations with PFS (standardized β coefficient [R] = 0.719), 6moPFS (R = 0.647), and 12moPFS (R = 0.638). OS showed no correlations with median PFS and ORR. In subgroup analysis according to types of therapies, PFS showed the highest correlations with OS in targeted therapies for cell cycle pathways (R = 0.913) and growth factor receptors and their downstream pathways (R = 0.962). 12moPFS showed the highest correlation with OS in antiangiogenic therapy (R = 0.821). The response assessment in neuro-oncology criteria provided higher correlation coefficients between OS and IBSEs than the Macdonald criteria. Conclusion: Overall, PFS is an optimized IBSE in targeted therapies for glioblastoma; however, 12moPFS is optimal in antiangiogenic therapy.