The direction of restructuring of a Korea field epidemiology training program through questionnaire survey among communicable disease response staff in Korea.

We used a survey about the need for an educational training of infectious disease response staff in Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) and officer in metropolitan cities and provincial government to conduct field epidemiological investigation. The survey was conducted from January 25 to March 15, 2016. A total of 173 participants were selected from four different groups as follows: 27 clinical specialists, 22 Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers, 82 KCDC staff, and 42 local health department officials. Results revealed that 83% of KCDC staff and 95% of local health department officials agreed on the need for educational training to strengthen capability of personnel to conduct epidemic research and investigation. The level of their need for training was relatively high, while self-confidence levels of individuals to conduct epidemic research and investigation was low. It was concluded that there was a need to develop training programs to enhance the ability of public health officials, EIS officers, KCDC staff, and local health department personnel to conduct epidemic research and investigation.

Hypertension is an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes: the Korean genome and epidemiology study.

Hypertension and diabetes share common risk factors and frequently co-occur. Although high blood pressure (BP) was reported as a significant predictor of type 2 diabetes, little is known about this association in Korea. This study investigated the relationship of prehypertension and hypertension with type 2 diabetes in 7150 middle-aged Koreans, as well as the effect of BP control on diabetes development over 8 years. At 8 years, 1049 (14.7%) of the 7150 participants had newly developed diabetes, including 11.2, 16.7 and 21.5% of baseline normotensive, prehypertensive and hypertensive subjects, respectively. The overall incidence rate of diabetes was 22.3 events per 1000 person-years. Subjects with baseline prehypertension (hazard ratio (HR), 1.27; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.09-1.48) and hypertension (HR 1.51; 95% CI, 1.29-1.76) were at higher risk of diabetes than normotensive subjects after controlling for potential confounders (P-value for trend <0.001). These associations persisted even when subjects were stratified by baseline glucose status, sex and body mass index (BMI). The risk of diabetes was significantly higher in subjects who had normal BP at baseline and progressed to prehypertention or hypertension at 8 years (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.20-1.83) than those with controlled BP, but these associations were not observed in subjects with baseline prehypertension and hypertension. These findings showed that prehypertension and hypertension are significantly associated with the development of diabetes, independent of baseline glucose status, sex and BMI. Active BP control reduced incident diabetes only in normotensive individuals, suggesting the need for early BP management.

A risk score for predicting the incidence of type 2 diabetes in a middle-aged Korean cohort: the Korean genome and epidemiology study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to develop a risk score to predict the 4-year risk of diabetes in a middle-aged Korean cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS: Participants without diabetes (6,342 participants, aged 40-69 years) were included and biennial follow ups were conducted. A logistic regression analysis was used to construct the models. The basic model was based on simple information such as age, parental or sibling history of diabetes, smoking status, body mass index, and hypertension, while clinical model 1 was constructed by adding biochemical tests such as fasting plasma glucose, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and triglycerides to the basic model; clinical model 2 further added glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) to clinical model 1. The model accuracy was assessed using area under a receiver operating characteristic (AROC) curve and the Hosmer-Lemeshow statistics. Both net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were calculated to determine the contribution of HbA(1c). Two clinical models improved model discrimination (AROC=0.75 and 0.77) when compared with the basic model (AROC=0.65). The addition of HbA(1c) to clinical model 1 increased AROC by only 0.02 despite its high impact on the prediction of diabetes (odds ratio=2.66). However, the NRI and IDI were significantly improved with the addition of HbA(1c) Therefore, a risk score system was developed to estimate the 4-year risk of diabetes based on clinical model 2. CONCLUSIONS: A risk score derived from simple biochemical examinations including HbA(1c) can help identify those at a high risk of diabetes in a middle-aged Korean cohort.

The prevalence, awareness and treatment of high low density lipoprotein-cholesterol in korean adults without coronary heart diseases - the third Korea national health and nutrition examination survey, 2005 -.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence, awareness and treatment of high low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) level in Korean adults without coronary heart disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: National representative cross-sectional surveys, data of 5248 Korean adults (2246 men and 3002 women) aged between 20 and 79 years from the Third Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES III, 2005) was used. High LDL-C level was defined with the risk prediction algorithm published by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III). RESULTS: The prevalence of the Korean adults with high LDL-C level who need therapeutic lifestyle changes was 19.9%, treatment with lipid-lowing medication was 2.1% and awareness of this condition was 7.9%. Meanwhile, the prevalence of the Korean with very high LDL-C level who should be considered for drug therapy was 13.5%, treatment with lipid-lowing medication was 2.7% and awareness of this condition was 8.1%. Overall, 47.9% (60.3% in male and 39.1% in female) of participants had a single lipid disorder (high LDL-C, high triglycerides: ≥200 mg/dL, low high density lipoprotein-cholesterol: <40 mg/dL), whereas 15.5% (23.5% in male and 9.7% in female) had at least two. Only 1.9% (2.8% in male and 1.2% in female) of all participants had all three lipid abnormalities as defined. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that continuous efforts are needed to increase awareness and treatment of high LDL-C level in our population to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Increased Prevalence of low High-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C) Levels in Korean Adults: Analysis of the Three Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES 1998-2005).

OBJECTIVES: High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases that has shown a remarkable increase, but little is known about the prevalence of low HDL-C in Korea. This study aimed to evaluate changing trends of low HDL-C prevalence, and indicate other risk factors associated with low HDL-C. METHODS: We selected subjects aged ≥20 years from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 1998, 2001, and 2005 (n = 7962, 6436, and 6412). The mean level of HDL-C and the prevalence of low HDL-C was calculated, and cardiovascular risk factors associated with low HDL-C, as well as demographic, anthropometric, lifestyle, and nutrition factors, were assessed using the KNHANES 2005 data. RESULTS: Mean HDL-C levels in men and women between KNHANES 1998 and 2005 decreased significantly, from 48.1 to 42.3 and from 51.6 to 47.1 mg/dL, respectively (both p < 0.001). The decrease was slightly less for women compared with men for the same period, and women had higher HDL-C levels at all periods. Covariate-adjusted OR revealed that body mass index, waist circumference, and non-alcohol drinker in both men and women were associated with low HDL-C levels by KNHANES 2005, as were employed and light physical activity in men and low fat intake in women. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of low HDL-C increased significantly from KNHANES 1998 to 2001 and 2005 (p < 0.001) in both men and women. body mass index, waist circumference, and non-alcohol drinker were identified as associated with low HDL-C in Korean adults.

Enhancement of keratinocyte differentiation by rose absolute oil.

BACKGROUND: Through differentiation processes, keratinocytes provide a physical barrier to our bodies and control skin features such as moisturization, wrinkles and pigmentation. Keratinocyte differentiation is disturbed in several skin diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the keratinocyte differentiation-enhancing effect of rose absolute oil (RAO). METHODS: Primary cultured human normal keratinocytes were treated with RAO, and differentiation then checked by the expression of marker genes. RESULTS: RAO did not induce cytotoxicity on cultured keratinocytes at a dose of 10microM. The level of involucrin, an early marker for keratinocyte differentiation, was significantly increased by RAO. Concomitantly, RAO increased involucrin promoter activity, indicating that RAO increased involucrin gene expression at the mRNA level. Furthermore, RAO increased the level of filaggrin in cultured keratinocytes, and in the granular layer of mouse skin. In line with these results, RAO decreased the proliferation of keratinocytes cultured in vitro. When RAO was applied topically on the tape-stripped mouse skins, it accelerated the recovery of disturbed barrier function. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that RAO may be applicable for the control of skin texture and keratinocyte differentiation-related skin diseases.

Appropriate waist circumference cut-offs to predict diabetes in the Korean population - the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study -.

BACKGROUND: Waist circumference (WC) has been recommended as a screening test to identify individuals at high risk for diabetes. The aim of the present study was to identify the optimal WC cut-off to predict the development of diabetes in non-diabetic Korean subjects. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study is a community-based prospective cohort study of 10,038 individuals over the age of 40, and biennial follow ups were conducted. In the present study 6,206 non-diabetic individuals (2,947 men and 3,259 women) participated. The incidence of diabetes was 22.1 cases/1,000 person-years for men and 17.0 cases/1,000 person-years for women. The incidence rate of diabetes was significantly increased as WC increased in both genders. The sensitivity, specificity, and the distance in the receiver operating characteristic curve indicated that the optimal WC cut-offs to predict diabetes were 85 cm for men and 80 cm for women. CONCLUSIONS: WC may serve as a simple, precise marker for individuals who are at risk of developing diabetes. The results suggest that a WC of 85 cm for men and 80 cm for women is an appropriate cut-off to predict diabetes in the Korean population.

Beta-catenin regulates melanocyte dendricity through the modulation of PKCzeta and PKCdelta.

The Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway is involved in the melanocyte differentiation and melanoma development. However, the effect of beta-catenin for dendrite formation has not been clearly elucidated yet in normal human epidermal melanocytes (NHEM). To investigate the effect of beta-catenin, we transduced NHEM with recombinant adenovirus expressing beta-catenin. Forced expression of beta-catenin led to the dramatic morphological changes of NHEM, including the reduction of dendrite length and enlargement of cell body. Concomitantly with, the protein levels for dendrite formation-related molecules, such as Rac1 and Cdc42, were markedly decreased. In addition, phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was significantly reduced by beta-catenin, potentiating its inhibitory role for dendrite formation. Interestingly, overexpression of beta-catenin led to the increase of protein kinase C zeta (PKCzeta) level, while protein kinase C delta (PKCdelta) was decreased by beta-catenin, suggesting that those PKCs were beta-catenin-downstream modulators in NHMC. When PKCzeta was overexpressed, dendrites were shortened, with the reduced protein levels for Rac1 and Cdc42. In contrast, PKCdelta overexpression led to the elongation of dendrites, with the increased levels for Rac1 and Cdc42. These results suggest that beta-catenin play an inhibitory role for dendrite formation through the modulation of PKCzeta and PKCdelta.