Particulate Matter Exposure During Oocyte Maturation: Cell Cycle Arrest, ROS Generation, and Early Apoptosis in Mice.

Particulate matter (PM) is a general atmospheric pollutant released into the air by an anthropogenic and naturally derived mixture of substances. Current studies indicate that fine dust can result in different health defects, including endothelial dysfunction, asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, uterine leiomyoma, deterioration in sperm quality, and overall birth impairment. However, the most prominent effects of PM10 (diameter < 10 µM) exposure on the female reproductive system, especially with respect to oocyte maturation, remain unclear. In the present study, maturing mouse oocytes were treated with PM10 and the phenotypes of the resulting toxic effects were investigated. Exposure to PM10 led to impairment of maturation capacity by inducing cell cycle arrest and blocking normal polar body extrusion during in vitro maturation and activation of fertilization of mouse oocytes. Additionally, defects in tubulin formation and DNA alignment were observed in PM10-treated oocytes during metaphase I to anaphase/telophase I transition. Moreover, PM10 induced reactive oxygen species generation, mitochondrial dysfunction, DNA damage, and early apoptosis. Taken together, these results indicate that PM10 exposure leads to a decline in oocyte quality and affects the subsequent embryonic development potential of mammalian oocytes.

Chronic liver inflammation: clinical implications beyond alcoholic liver disease.

Chronic alcohol exposure can lead to alcoholic liver disease, including hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, and chronic inflammation can simultaneously cause systemic medical illness. Recent evidence suggests that alcoholic liver disease is a predictor for liver-related diseases, cardiovascular disease, immunologic disease, and bone disease. Chronic inflammation in alcoholic liver disease is mediated by a direct inflammatory cascade from the alcohol detoxification process and an indirect inflammatory cascade in response to gut microflora-derived lipopolysaccharides (LPS). The pathophysiology of alcoholic liver disease and its related systemic illness is characterized by oxidative stress, activation of the immune cascade, and gut-liver interactions. Integrative therapeutic strategies for alcoholic liver disease include abstaining from alcohol consumption; general anti-inflammatories such as glucocorticoid, pentoxifylline, and tumour necrosis factor-α antagonist; antioxidants such as N- acetylcysteine; gut microflora and LPS modulators such as rifaximin and/or probiotics. This review focuses on the impact of chronic liver inflammation on systemic health problems and several potential therapeutic targets.

Elevated intraocular pressure is associated with metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women: the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the association between intraocular pressure and metabolic syndrome according to menopause status in nonglaucomatous Korean women. METHODS: We examined the relationship between intraocular pressure and metabolic syndrome in 4,524 nonglaucomatous Korean women (2,866 premenopausal women and 1,658 postmenopausal women) who participated in the 2008 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between metabolic syndrome and intraocular pressure after adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption, regular exercise, hypertension medication, and diabetes medication according to menopause status in women. RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 5.4% for premenopausal women and 28.0% for postmenopausal women. The mean intraocular pressure gradually increased in accordance with the increasing number of components for metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women (P = 0.002), but not in premenopausal women (P = 0.387). In multivariate regression analysis, intraocular pressure was significantly associated with metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women (P = 0.015) after adjusting for confounding variables, but not in premenopausal women (P = 0.940). CONCLUSIONS: Intraocular pressure was associated with metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women, but not in premenopausal women. These findings suggest that intraocular pressure changes may be linked to metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women.

High-normal Glucose Levels in Non-diabetic and Pre-diabetic Men Are Associated with Decreased Testosterone Levels.

BACKGROUND: Testosterone levels are decreased in diabetic patients and recent studies have suggested that high-normal fasting glucose is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. To further elucidate the relationship between plasma glucose and testosterone, we investigated the association between fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and endogenous sex hormones (serum total testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, estradiol, and the ratio of testosterone to estradiol) in non-diabetic and pre-diabetic men. METHODS: This study included 388 men (age ≥ 40 years) who visited the health promotion center of a university hospital from May 2007 to August 2008. The subjects were divided into quartiles based on their FPG levels and correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Q1 (65 mg/dL ≤ FPG < 88 mg/dL), Q2 (88 mg/dL ≤ FPG < 94 mg/dL), Q3 (94 mg/dL ≤ FPG < 100 mg/dL) and Q4 (100 mg/dL ≤ FPG < 126 mg/dL). RESULTS: FPG was independently, inversely associated with total testosterone in the non-diabetic population after adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol consumption (ß = -0.082, P < 0.01). Among the quartiles, subjects in the high-normal FPG groups (Q2, Q3, and Q4 with FPG ≥ 88 mg/dL) had significantly decreased testosterone levels when compared with subjects in the normal FPG group (Q1 with FPG < 88 mg/dL, P < 0.005). Sex hormone binding globulin, estradiol and the ratio of testosterone to estradiol were not correlated with FPG. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that high-normal fasting glucose levels are associated with decreased testosterone levels in non-diabetic and pre-diabetic men.

Inverse relationship between bioavailable testosterone and subclinical coronary artery calcification in non-obese Korean men.

Although low testosterone levels in men have been associated with high risk for cardiovascular disease, little is known about the association between male sex hormones and subclinical coronary disease in men with apparently low cardiometabolic risk. This study was performed to investigate the association between male sex hormones and subclinical coronary artery calcification measured as coronary calcium score in non-obese Korean men. We examined the relationship of total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, bioavailable testosterone and free testosterone with coronary calcium score in 291 non-obese Korean men (mean age: 52.8±9.3 years) not having a history of cardiovascular disease. Using multiple linear regression, we evaluated associations between log (sex hormone) levels and log (coronary calcium score) after adjusting for confounding variables in 105 men with some degree of coronary calcification defined as coronary calcium score ≥ 1. In multiple linear regression analysis, bioavailable testosterone was inversely associated with coronary calcium score (P=0.046) after adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption, regular exercise, mean blood pressure, resting heart rate, C-reactive protein, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, hypertension medication and hyperlipidemia medication, whereas total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin and free testosterone were not (P=0.674, P=0.121 and P=0.102, respectively). Our findings indicate that bioavailable testosterone is inversely associated with the degree of subclinical coronary artery calcification in non-obese men.

Sex differences in the relationship between socioeconomic status and metabolic syndrome: the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

AIMS: To investigate sex differences in the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Korean adults. METHODS: We examined the relationship between SES, as measured by household income or education level, and the prevalence of MetS in Korean adults who participated in the 2007-2008 Korean National Health Examination and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES). The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for MetS were calculated using multivariate logistic regression analysis across household income and education level quartiles. RESULTS: We found significant differences between men and women in the association between SES and MetS, with a positive association for men and an inverse association for women. The adjusted OR and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for MetS for the highest vs. lowest quartile of household income was 1.59 (1.15-2.20) in men. The adjusted ORs for MetS for the highest vs. lowest quartile of household income and education level were 0.54 (0.41-0.72) and 0.26 (0.17-0.38) in women, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We found sex differences in the relationship between SES and the prevalence of MetS in Korea. These findings suggest that sex-specific public health interventions that consider SES are needed for the prevention and treatment of MetS.

Association between sex hormone levels and leukoaraiosis (LA) in older Korean men.

LA, altered white matter signal intensities seen on MR brain scans, has been shown to be associated with cerebrovascular risk factors and microangiopathy. Although the cerebrovascular system is also a target for sex hormones, little is known about the association between the two. In this study, we investigated the association between male sex hormone levels and LA in old men by examining free testosterone index (FTI), total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and LA in 342 Korean men (aged 50-80 years). The odds ratios (ORs) for LA were calculated using multivariate logistic regression. The ORs (95% CIs) for LA were 1.06 (1.01-1.10) for FTI, 1.01 (0.93-1.10) for total testosterone, and 0.97 (0.94-1.01) for SHBG after adjusting for age, smoking status, alcohol intake, regular exercise, BMI, mean arterial blood pressure, resting heart rate, white blood cell counts, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, hypertension medications, diabetes medications, and hyperlipidemia medications. The results of this study indicate that high FTI is independently associated with greater prevalence of LA in older men. Accordingly, a higher FTI may be an additional surrogate marker in assessing LA.

The relationship of platelet count, mean platelet volume with metabolic syndrome according to the criteria of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists: a focus on gender differences.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is becoming globally prevalent and it is clinically important because of its association with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. Recently, platelet count has been linked to insulin resistance and MS in addition to being a marker of hemostasis. Also, mean platelet volume (MPV) has been known to represent platelet activity. Platelet counts and MPV are modified by various biosocial and lifestyle factors such as race, age, gender, smoking habit, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Thus, the direction and magnitude of this association may differ by gender. In this regard, proper interpretion of platelet counts and MPV by gender could be important in the people with MS. We examined the relationship between platelet counts, MPV, and MS through gender-specific analyses for 3827 Korean adults (2169 men and 1658 women) in a health examination program. In women, platelet counts were significantly higher in subjects with MS compared to in those without MS (p < 0.001), whereas MPV was significantly lower (p = 0.001). However, no such trend was observed in men. Multiple regression analyses also showed that MS is positively associated with platelet counts and inversely associated with MPV, independently of confounding variables only in women. The results suggest that platelet counts and MPV might be a surrogate marker associated with clustered MS in women.

The association between arterial stiffness and colorectal adenomatous polyp in women.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal adenomatous polyp is a precancerous lesion, and some studies have documented its link with cardiovascular risk factors. This study aimed to investigate the association between arterial stiffness and colorectal adenomatous polyp. METHODS: Among 388 Korean women, we examined the association between brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) as a measurement of arterial stiffness and the presence of colorectal adenomatous polyp as determined by colonoscopy. baPWV values were categorized separately as follows: ≤1199 cm/s, 1200-1399 cm/s, 1400-1599 cm/s and ≥1600 cm/s. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for colorectal adenomatous polyp were calculated across each group of PWVs. RESULTS: The prevalence of colorectal adenomatous polyp was 9.5%. After adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), cigarette smoking, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, and triglycerides, the ORs (95% CIs) for colorectal adenomatous polyp according to each of the four groups of baPWV were 1.00, 2.89 (0.52-15.98), 3.27 (0.48-22.24), and 11.17 (1.17-106.99). CONCLUSIONS: A higher level of baPWV was found to be independently associated with the presence of colorectal adenomatous polyp, regardless of classic cardiovascular risk factors and other components of metabolic syndrome in women.

Sex differences in the relationship between leukocyte count and chronic kidney disease: the 2007 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has emerged as an independent predictor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is now regarded as an inflammatory disease. This study aimed to determine the association of CKD with white blood cell (WBC) count as a marker of systemic inflammation. METHODS: We examined the association of WBC count with CKD in 2825 Korean adults (1155 men, 1670 women) in the 2007 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). CKD was defined as either proteinuria or a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2). The odds ratios (ORs) for CKD were calculated using multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjusting for confounding variables across gender-specific WBC count quartiles. RESULTS: The proportion of CKD increased with increasing WBC quartiles, from 9.7% in the lowest quartile to 20.7% in the highest quartile for women. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the corresponding odds ratios (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for a CKD across WBC count quartiles among women were 1.00, 1.45 (0.91-2.31), 1.65 (1.03-2.63), and 2.11 (1.33-3.35), after adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, smoking status, current drinking high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride. In contrast, compared with women, men appeared to have no significant results of a relationship between WBC quartiles and CKD. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows a significant association between WBC count and the risk for CKD in women. Accordingly, potential health benefits of early detection of a higher level of WBC count may be useful for CKD risk assessment in women.

Association between resting heart rate and arterial stiffness in Korean adults.

BACKGROUND: Higher resting heart rate, a simple and useful indicator of autonomic balance and metabolic rate, has emerged as an independent predictor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. AIM: To determine the association between resting heart rate and arterial stiffness measured by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). METHODS: We examined the association between resting heart rate and baPWV in 641 Korean adults (366 men, 275 women) in a health examination program. A high baPWV was defined as greater than 1450 cm/s (>75th percentile). The odds ratios for high baPWVs were calculated using multivariable logistic regression analysis after adjusting for confounding variables across heart rate quartiles (Q1or=69 beats/min). RESULTS: Age-adjusted baPWV mean values increased gradually with heart rate quartile (Q1=1281, Q2=1285, Q3=1354, Q4=1416 cm/s). The odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for high baPWVs in each heart rate quartile were 1.00, 1.28 (0.57-2.86), 2.63 (1.20-5.79) and 3.66 (1.66-8.05), respectively, after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, alcohol intake, exercise, body mass index, hypertension medication, diabetes medication, hyperlipidaemia medication, mean arterial blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, white blood cell count, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyltransferase and uric acid. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that a higher resting heart rate is independently associated with arterial stiffness. Accordingly, early detection of increased resting heart rate is important for preservation of arterial function and assessment of cardiovascular risk.

Association between screen time and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents in Korea: the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between screen time and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a nationally representative sample of children and adolescents. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 845 children and adolescents (10-18 years of age) from the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES). Screen time was defined as TV time+computer time. The definition of MetS was based on the modified criteria used by the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III, using age- and sex-specific values for some of the criteria. RESULTS: In comparison with the children and adolescents in the ST-Q1 (or=35h for a week) was 2.23 (95% CI, 1.02-4.86) after the adjustment for age, household income, and residence area. Moreover, screen time for a weekend day was also strongly associated with the prevalence of MetS, but not for a weekday. CONCLUSIONS: Screen time was independently associated with an increased prevalence risk of MetS in children and adolescents in Korea. Public health intervention to reduce screen time particularly for a weekend may be needed to prevent pediatric MetS in Korea.