Worldwide ethnic distribution of the G protein beta3 subunit 825T allele and its association with obesity in Caucasian, Chinese, and Black African individuals.
(73/13273)
Recently, it was demonstrated that one allele (825T) of the gene encoding the G protein beta3 subunit (GNB3) is associated with hypertension in Germans. This study investigates a possible association with obesity in young male Germans, Chinese, and black South Africans with low, intermediate, and high 825T allele frequencies, respectively. In each of these three distinct cohorts, the 825T allele frequency was increased significantly in overweight (body mass index [BMI] > or =25 kg/m2) and obese individuals (BMI >27 kg/m2) compared to those with normal weight. The 825T allele frequencies in these three BMI groups were, respectively, 29.5, 39.3, and 47.7% in Germans, 46.8, 53.9, and 58.6% in Chinese, and 83.1, 87.7, and 90.9% in South Africans. In each of these three distinct groups, the 825T allele was significantly associated with obesity with odds ratios between 2 and 3. More urban than rural black Africans were overweight despite similar 825T allele frequencies in both populations, which underscores the role of both genetic and environmental factors. BP values in young male whites increased significantly with increasing BMI values but were independent of the C825T polymorphism, suggesting that hypertension associated with the 825T allele could be a consequence of obesity. Genotyping of 5254 individuals from 55 native population samples from Africa, the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Guinea demonstrated highest 825T allele frequencies in black Africans (82%) and intermediate values in east Asians (47%). It is anticipated that high frequencies of the 825T allele in Africans and Asians may contribute to an obesity and hypertension epidemic if Westernization of lifestyles continues. (+info)
The prognostic and pathophysiologic role of pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines in severe malaria.
(74/13273)
Pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines were measured on admission in 287 consecutive Vietnamese adults with severe falciparum malaria. Plasma interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha concentrations and the IL-6: IL-10 ratio were significantly higher in patients who died than in survivors (P<.001). On multivariate analysis, hyperparasitemia, jaundice, and shock were all associated independently with raised IL-6, IL-10, and interferon-gamma, and acute renal failure specifically with raised TNF-alpha levels. Cerebral malaria patients, particularly those without other vital organ dysfunction, had significantly lower levels of these cytokines (P=.006), reflecting a more localized pathology. Serial IL-6 and IL-10 measurements made on 43 patients who died and matched survivors indicated a relative deficiency in IL-10 production as death approached. Elevated plasma cytokines in severe malaria are associated with systemic pathologic abnormalities, not cerebral involvement. Both the overall magnitude of the cytokine responses and the eventual imbalance between the pro- and antiinflammatory responses are important determinants of mortality. (+info)
China moves to tackle iodine deficiency.(75/13273)
A comparative study on mortality patterns among Koreans, Korean-Chinese and Chinese.
(76/13273)
In order to understand the causal mechanism of disease aggregates peculiar to place and ethnicity, mortality data of Yanji city, China (1993) were collected, examined for validity and analyzed. Age standardized, age specific mortality rates and ten leading causes of death were compared with 1993 Korean mortality statistics. Age standardized mortality rates for both sexes were highest in Korean-Chinese followed by Koreans and Chinese (the lowest). Out of ten leading causes of death (54%-70% of the total deaths), seven for male and six causes of death for female were common in all groups. Korean-Chinese females had more similar patterns to Chinese females than males did. Differences in mortality rates by causes of death among groups suggested that hypertensive diseases and respiratory tuberculosis were associated with ethnicity, homicide/injuries inflicted by others, diabetes mellitus and chronic renal disease with environment, and others with both ethnicity and environment. These results suggest that a few causes of death were attributed to either ethnicity or environment whereas most of the ten leading causes of deaths were attributed to mixed impacts of both ethnicity and environment. (+info)
Breast cancer and oral contraceptive use in Asian-American women.
(77/13273)
Breast cancer incidence has historically been 4-7 times higher in the United States than in Asia. A previous study by the authors in Asian-American women demonstrated a substantial increase in breast cancer risk in women who migrated from Asia to the United States, with the risk almost doubling during the first decade after migration. Increased use of oral contraceptives soon after migration to the United States could possibly explain this rapid rise in risk. In a population-based case-control study of Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese-American women, aged 20-55 years, who lived in San Francisco-Oakland, California; Los Angeles, California; and Oahu, Hawaii during 1983-1987, 597 cases (70% of those eligible) and 966 controls (75%) were interviewed. Controls were matched to cases on age, ethnicity, and area of residence. Oral contraceptive (OC) use increased with time since migration; 15.0% of Asian-born women who had been in the West <8 years, 33.4% of Asian-born women who had been in the West > or =8 years, and 49.6% of Asian women born in the West had ever used OCs. However, duration of OC use (adjusted for age, ethnicity, study area, years since migration, education, family history of breast cancer and age at first full-term birth) was not associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Moreover, neither OC use before age 25 years nor before first full-term birth was associated with increased risk. Results were unchanged when restricted to women under age 45 years or under age 40 years. After adjustment for duration of OC use, women who had been in the United States > or =8 years were still at almost twice the risk of breast cancer compared with women who had been in the United States 2-7 years. This study suggests that OC use cannot explain the elevated risk observed in Asian women who migrated to the United States > or =7 years ago. (+info)
Chinese and U.S. internists adhere to different ethical standards.
(78/13273)
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether internists in the United States and China have different ideas and behaviors regarding informing patients of terminal diagnoses and HIV/AIDS, the role of the family in end-of-life decision making, and assisted suicide. DESIGN: Structured questionnaire of clinical vignettes followed by multiple choice questions. SETTING: University and community hospitals in San Francisco and Beijing, China. SUBJECTS: Forty practicing internists were interviewed, 20 in China and 20 in the United States. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of the internists surveyed, 95% of the U.S. internists and none of the Chinese internists would inform a patient with cancer of her diagnosis. However, 100% of U.S. and 90% of Chinese internists would tell a terminally ill patient who had AIDS, rather than advanced cancer, about his diagnosis. When family members' wishes conflicted with a patient's preferences regarding chemotherapy of advanced cancer, Chinese internists were more likely to follow the family's preferences rather than the patient's preferences (65%) than were the U.S. internists (5%). Thirty percent of U.S. internists and 15% of Chinese internists agreed with a terminally ill patient's request for sufficient narcotics to end her life. CONCLUSIONS: We found significant differences in clinical ethical beliefs between internists in the United States and China, most evident in informing patients of a cancer diagnosis. In general, the Chinese physicians appeared to give far greater weight to family preferences in medical decision making than did the U.S. physicians. (+info)
A comparison of correlates of cigarette smoking behavior between Jiangxi province, China and Japanese high school students.
(79/13273)
We conducted surveys on cigarette smoking among junior and senior high school students in Jiangxi province, China and throughout Japan using the same anonymous, self-administered questionnaire in order to compare correlates of adolescent smoking between the two areas. Cross-sectional surveys were used to measure smoking behavior and correlates in two samples of 57,566 Japanese students and 11,836 Jiangxi students. The correlate on smoking with the highest relative risk was friend's smoking in both sexes in each area. The magnitude of the relative risk was bigger for Japanese students. The relative risk of the variable that a student doesn't think cigarette smoking harms his/her health was higher among Jiangxi students than among Japanese students. Mother's smoking and sister's smoking were significantly related to smoking experiment of Japanese students. In Japan, important measures are to support students getting coping techniques against peer pressure and to elevate concern toward adolescent smoking among family members and society. In Jiangxi, the anti-smoking education to teach students to correctly recognize the harm of smoking to their health is more important. (+info)
Factor analysis of digestive cancer mortality and food consumption in 65 Chinese counties.
(80/13273)
Dietary factors were analyzed for the regional difference of GI tract cancer mortality rates in China. Sixty-five rural counties were selected among a total of 2,392 counties to represent a range of rates for seven most prevalent cancers. The dietary data in the selected 65 counties were obtained by three-day dietary record of households in 1983. The four digestive cancer mortality rates (annual cases per 100,000 standardized truncated rates for ages 35-64) and per capita food consumption were analyzed by the principal components factor analysis. Esophageal cancer associated with poor area, dietary pattern rich in starchy tubers, and salt, lack of consumption of meat, eggs, vegetables and rice. Stomach cancer seemed to be less associated with diet in this study because of its small model Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy, suggesting some other carcinogenic factors would play more important role in the development of this cancer in China. The colon and rectal cancer showed close relation to diet; rich in sea vegetables, eggs, soy sauce, meat and fish, while lack in consumption of milk and dairy products. Rapeseed oil was more important risk factor for colon cancer than that of rectum. Rice, processed starch and sugar were closely associated with colon cancer, supporting the insulin/colon cancer hypothesis. (+info)