Association Between Instant Coffee Consumption and the Development of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Results From a Community-Based Prospective Cohort.

BACKGROUND: A poor diet is a risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The interaction between dietary factors and cigarette smoking in the development of COPD is unclear. We investigated the interactions between dietary patterns and smoking status on COPD-related outcomes. METHODS: We used data from the Anseong-Ansan cohort that has been followed for 20 years. A total of 6,221 individuals without COPD in the baseline survey were analyzed. Five dietary patterns were identified using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Associations of dietary patterns with COPD and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio in different strata of smoking status were evaluated using Cox regression and linear mixed models, respectively. RESULTS: The highest quartile of the "coffee" pattern (high coffee consumption) was associated with COPD (hazard ratio, 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-2.08) and lower FEV1/FVC ratio (ß = -1.2%; 95% CI, -1.9% to -0.6%) using the lowest quartile as a reference for heavy smokers, but not light or never smokers (P value for interaction = 0.035 for COPD). Regarding the associations between various consumption levels of black coffee, combined coffee, and instant coffee and COPD, an association with COPD was only observed for instant coffee in heavy smokers. CONCLUSION: High instant coffee consumption is associated with COPD development in heavy smokers, but not in light or never smokers. This may be attributed to sugar and cream in instant coffee mixes.

Correlation analysis between the complex electrical permittivity and relaxation time of tissue mimicking phantoms in 7 T MRI.

Dielectric relaxation theory describes the complex permittivity of a material in an alternating field; in particular, Debye theory relates the time it takes for an applied field to achieve the maximum polarization and the electrical properties of the material. Although, Debye's equations were proposed for electrical polarization, in this study, we investigate the correlation between the magnetic longitudinal relaxation time T1 and the complex electrical permittivity of tissue-mimicking phantoms using a 7 T magnetic resonance scanner. We created phantoms that mimicked several human tissues with specific electrical properties. The electrical properties of the phantoms were measured using bench-test equipment. T1 values were acquired from phantoms using MRI. The measured values were fitted with functions based on dielectric estimations, using relaxation times of electrical polarization, and the mixture theory for dielectrics. The results show that, T1 and the real permittivity are correlated; therefore, the correlation can be approximated with a rational function in the case of water-based phantoms. The correlation between index loss and T1 was determined using a fitting function based on the Debye equation and mixture theory equation, in which the fraction of the materials was taken into account. This phantom study and analysis provide an insight into the application relaxation times used for estimating dielectric properties. Currently, the measurement of electrical properties based on dielectric relaxation theory is based on an antenna, sometimes invasive, that irradiates an electric field into a small sample; thus, it is not possible to create a map of electrical properties for a complex structure such as the human body. This study could be further used to compute the electrical properties maps of tissues by scanning images and measuring T1 maps.

Associations of serum calcium levels and dietary calcium intake with incident type 2 diabetes over 10 years: the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES).

BACKGROUND: Previous evidence regarding the associations between serum calcium concentrations, dietary calcium intake, and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is limited. We investigated the longitudinal associations of serum calcium levels and dietary calcium intake with T2D development. METHODS: This study used data from the Ansung-Ansan cohort, a community-based, prospective cohort that was followed up for 10 years. Cox regression models adjusted for potential confounders were used to evaluate the associations of serum calcium levels (mean, 9.41 mg/dL) and dietary calcium intake (median, 389.59 mg/day) with T2D incidence. Association between dietary calcium intake and serum calcium levels was assessed using linear regression models. RESULTS: Albumin-adjusted serum calcium levels were not associated with T2D risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.96, 1.19, p-value = 0.2333). A one-unit increase in log-transformed, energy-adjusted dietary calcium intake was associated with a decreased risk of T2D (HR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.77, 1.00, p-value = 0.0460) and lower albumin-adjusted serum calcium levels (ß = - 0.04, 95% CI - 0.07, - 0.02, p-value = 0.0014). The associations did not differ according to sex (all p-values for interaction > 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: Serum calcium levels were not associated with T2D risk, while higher dietary calcium intake was associated with a decreased risk of T2D development. These results have public health implications for predicting and preventing T2D development, as well as providing guidelines for diet and calcium supplementation.

The disinfection of impression materials by using microwave irradiation and hydrogen peroxide.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Microwave irradiation and immersion in solutions have been recommended for denture disinfection. However, the effect of dry conditions and impression materials has not been completely evaluated. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of microwave irradiation and hydrogen peroxide for the disinfection of dental impression materials. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Specimens (diameter 10 mm, thickness 2 mm) were made with polyvinyl siloxane. Experimental groups were treated with hydrogen peroxide (group H), microwave irradiation (group M), and a combination of both hydrogen peroxide and microwave irradiation (group MH) for 1 minute, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes. The control group was untreated. The total sample size was 120. The specimens were divided into 2 groups, those exposed to Streptococcus mutans and those exposed to Escherichia coli. The disinfection effect and physical properties (contact angle, compatibility with gypsum, strain in compression, tear strength) were evaluated. RESULTS: All 3 groups (H, M, MH) were effective in reducing the number of colony forming units (CFU) per unit volume (mL) for both S mutans and E coli compared with the control. The most significant reduction in the CFU/mL of both bacteria was noted in the MH group and was used to compare either treatment alone (P<.05). No statistically significant difference was noted between the control and treatment groups in terms of all of the physical properties tested (P>.05). CONCLUSIONS: Microwave irradiation was identified as a useful disinfection method against S mutans and E coli, especially when combined with H2O2, without adversely affecting the physical properties of dental impression materials.