Biomedical subjects

Chung Mo Nam

Publications and source records attributed to Chung Mo Nam.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Effects of rosiglitazone and metformin on inflammatory markers and adipokines: decrease in interleukin-18 is an independent factor for the improvement of homeostasis model assessment-beta in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the individual pharmacological effects of the addition of rosiglitazone and metformin to glimepiride on inflammatory markers and adipokines in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We analysed the relationships between these variables, the measurements of insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function in patients treated with rosiglitazone plus glimepiride. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: One hundred twenty (120) patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were randomized and treated with glimepiride plus rosiglitazone or glimepiride plus metformin for 12 weeks. The plasma concentrations of the inflammatory markers and adipokines were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. MEASUREMENTS: Markers of insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function were determined by the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) and the homeostasis model assessment of beta-cell function (HOMA-beta), respectively. Plasma concentrations of adiponectin were measured by radioimmunoassay. Plasma concentrations of resistin, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) were measured using ELISA. RESULTS: Improvements in fasting insulin level, QUICKI and HOMA-beta were noted in the rosiglitazone-treated group. Only the QUICKI value improved in the metformin-treated group. Adiponectin concentrations significantly increased in the rosiglitazone-treated group after 12 weeks. Significant decreases in resistin, C-reactive protein, TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-18 were seen in the rosiglitazone-treated patients but not in the metformin-treated patients. The independent risk factor for the HOMA-beta change according to stepwise multivariate regression analysis was a change in IL-18. CONCLUSIONS: Rosiglitazone, but not metformin, improved the plasma concentrations of inflammatory markers and adipokines in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. A decrease in IL-18 is an independent factor for the improvement of HOMA-beta in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Adiponectin↗

PubMed2006

A novel 111/121 diplotype in the Calpain-10 gene is associated with type 2 diabetes.

Genetic variations in the Calpain-10 gene, CAPN10, have been reported to be associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Mexican-Americans and Northern Europeans whereas these variations are not associated with T2DM in other populations. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is an association between specific CAPN10 diplotype (SNP-43, -19, and -63) and T2DM in the Korean population. Overall, 454 Korean patients with T2DM (male 230, female 224) and 236 non-diabetic controls (male 124, female 112) with no family history of diabetes were enrolled in this study. All the subjects were genotyped according to CAPN10 SNP-43, -19, and -63. The restriction fragment length polymorphism method was used for the three SNPs. There were eight estimated haplotype allelic variations. After adjusting for gender and age, the 111 haplotype was associated with a high risk of T2DM (P <0.0001). The 111/121 diplotype was associated with a high risk of T2DM (odds ratio =2.580, 95% confidence interval =1.602-4.155, P =0.001). The high-risk haplotype (112/121) in Mexican-Americans was not significant in our study population. In conclusion, we found that a novel 111/121 diplotype in Calpain-10 gene is associated with T2DM in the Korean population.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

[Association analysis of the essential hypertension susceptibility genes in adolescents: Kangwha study].

OBJECTIVES: In this study we examined the association between the genetic markers ACE (A-240T, C-93T, I/D, A2350G), AGT (M235T), AT1R (A1166C), CYP11B2 (T-344C, V386A), REN (G2646A), ADRB2 (G46A, C79G, T-47C, T164I), GNB3 (C825T) and ADD1 (G460W) and the presence of essential hypertension in adolescents. METHODS: The Kangwha Study is an 18-year prospective study that is aimed at elucidating the determinants of the blood pressure level from childhood to early adulthood. For this study, we constructed a case-control dataset of size of 277 and 40 family trios data from the Kangwha Study. For this purpose, we perform a single locus-based case-control association study and a single locus-based TDT (transmission/disequilibrium test) study. RESULTS: In the case-control study, the single locus-based association study indicated that the ADD1 (G460W) (p = 0.0403), AGT (M235T) (p = 0.0002), and REN (G2646A) (p = 0.0101) markers were significantly associated with the risk of hypertension. These results were not confirmed on the TDT study. This study showed that genetic polymorphisms of the ADD1, AGT and REN genes might be related to the hypertension in Korean adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided useful information on genetics markers related to blood pressure. Further study will be needed to confirm the effect of the alpha adducin gene, the angiotensinogen gene and the renin gene on essential hypertension.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

[A study on scheduling periodic examinations for the early detection of breast cancer in Korea].

OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were to propose a screening schedule for the early detection of breast cancer among Korean women, as based on the statistical model, and to compare the efficacy of the proposed screening schedule with the current recommendations. METHODS: The development of the screening schedule for breast cancer closely followed the work of Lee and Zelen (1998). We calculated the age-specific breast cancer incidence rate from the Korea Central Cancer Registry (2003), and then we estimated the scheduling of periodic examinations for the early detection of breast cancer, using mammography, and based on the threshold method. The efficacy of the derived screening schedule was evaluated by the schedule sensitivity. RESULTS: For estimating the screening schedule threshold method, we set the threshold value as the probability of being in the preclinical stage at age 35, the sensitivity of mammography as 0.9 and the mean sojourn time in the preclinical stage as 4 years. This method generated 14 examinations within the age interval [40, 69] of 40.0, 41.3, 42.7, 44.1, 45.4, 46.7, 48.0, 49.3, 51.0, 53.2, 55.3, 57.1, 59.0 and 63.6 years, and the schedule sensitivity was 75.4%. The proposed screening schedule detected 85.2% (74.5/87.4) of the cases that could have been detected by annual screening, but it required only about 48.7% (14.0/30.0) of the total number of examinations. We also examined the threshold screening schedules for a range of sensitivities of mammography and the mean sojourn time in the preclinical stage. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed screening schedule for breast cancer with using the threshold method will be helpful to provide guidelines for a public health program for choosing an effective screening schedule for breast cancer among Korean women.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Dipstick urine protein, as a predictor of cardiovascular mortality in Korean men: Korea Medical Insurance Corporation study.

OBJECTIVES: This study was to investigate if the dipstick proteinuria can predict cardiovascular mortality in a population of Korean men. METHODS: We measured urine protein and other cardiovascular risk factors in 100,059 Korean men, aged between 35-59 years in 1990 and 1992. Levels of proteinuria measured by dipstick method were trace or less, 1+, 2+, and 3+ or greater. The primary outcomes were deaths from all causes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and others in a 12 year follow-up from 1993 to 2004. RESULTS: The multivariate-adjusted relative risks (95% CI) for cardiovascular death according to the level of proteinuria (1+, 2+, 3+ and more) in 1990 examination were 2.18 (1.36-3.48), 2.55 (1.37-4.78), and 4.57 (2.16-9.66) respectively. The corresponding relative risks according to the level of proteinuria in 1992 examination were 2.49 (1.71-3.64), 2.64 (1.53-4.58), and 2.78 (1.15-6.73). The relative risks for cardiovascular death of men with proteinuria (1+ or greater) once and twice among the examinations were 2.18 (1.63-2.92) and 3.75 (2.27-6.18), compared with men without proteinuria in 1990 and 1992 examinations. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that dipstick proteinuria is associated with cardiovascular mortality in Korean men. Dipstick proteinuria could be a predictor for cardiovascular mortality.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Spousal concordance of metabolic syndrome in 3141 Korean couples: a nationwide survey.

PURPOSE: Epidemiologic data from various regions have shown familial correlations of cardiovascular risk factors and the metabolic syndrome (MES), but not spousal concordance that reflects shared environmental factors, which we describe in a Korean general population. METHODS: We selected 3141 couples; both partners of all couples had completed a national health examination. MES was determined according to National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel-III (NCEP ATP-III) definitions, except for waist circumference, where Asian cutoffs were used. For each MES component, unadjusted and age-adjusted spousal correlations and spousal concordance, were calculated, using logistic regression analysis after adjustment for spousal ages. RESULTS: There were strong positive spousal correlations for each component of the MES, even after adjustment for age. Significant spousal concordance of MES was also observed. Men whose wives had MES had 1.29 (95%CI, 1.07-1.57) times higher risk of having MES, compared to those whose wives did not. Women whose husbands had MES were also at 1.32 (95% CI, 1.09-1.61) times higher risk of having the MES. CONCLUSIONS: There was significant spousal concordance of the MES in Koreans, which implies shared environmental factors contribute to the development of the MES. Targeting screening or disease prevention measures of partners of people with the MES may be beneficial.

Female↗

PubMed2005

Elevated serum aminotransferase level as a predictor of intracerebral hemorrhage: Korea medical insurance corporation study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Serum aminotransferase levels are known to be associated with cardiovascular risk factors, but the relation with stroke incidence is not well known. We investigated the relation between serum aminotransferase levels and the incidence of stroke. METHODS: We measured serum aspartate and alanine aminotransferase levels and traditional cardiovascular risk factors in 108 464 Korean men, aged 35 to 59 years, in 1990 and 1992. Serum aminotransferase levels were classified into 3 categories (<35, 35 to 69, and > or =70 IU/L). The outcomes were hospital admissions and deaths from stroke subtypes (ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage [ICH], and subarachnoid hemorrhage [SAH]) from 1993 to 2002. RESULTS: During the 10 years, 1728 ischemic, 1051 hemorrhagic (718 ICH and 222 SAH), and 243 unspecified stroke events occurred. After adjustment for age and other traditional risk factors and according to Cox proportional-hazards models, serum aminotransferase level had an independent positive associations with ICH. However, ischemic stroke and SAH were not associated with aminotransferase levels. Compared with the level <35 IU/L, the adjusted relative risks (95% confidence interval) of ICH for an aspartate aminotransferase level of 35 to 69 and > or =70 IU/L were 1.49 (1.21 to 1.83) and 4.21 (3.06 to 5.77), respectively. The corresponding risks for alanine aminotransferase were 1.34 (1.09 to 1.65) and 2.89 (2.09 to 4.01), respectively. These associations were consistent regardless of the level of obesity, blood pressure, fasting glucose, alcohol intake, and follow-up length. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that an elevated aminotransferase level is a predictor of ICH. The biologic significance of aminotransferase level for the development of ICH merits further study.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Comparison of blood pressure-associated risk of intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage: Korea Medical Insurance Corporation study.

Intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage have different pathogeneses and risk factor profiles. However, little information is available on the difference between intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhages in relation to blood pressure. We prospectively investigated the relationships between blood pressure and risks of stroke subtypes. We measured blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors in 100,147 men and 59,558 women 35 to 59 years of age in 1990 and 1992. Outcomes were fatal and nonfatal events of stroke and its subtypes from 1993 to 2002. Independent relationships between baseline blood pressure and stroke subtypes were assessed using Cox's proportional hazard models. During the 10 years, 1714 ischemic and 1159 hemorrhagic strokes (742 intracerebral and 308 subarachnoid hemorrhages) occurred. Blood pressure was related more closely with hemorrhagic stroke than ischemic stroke, and the difference was more prominent in women. Among the subtypes of hemorrhagic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage was more closely related with blood pressure than subarachnoid hemorrhage. For each 20 mm Hg increase in systolic blood pressure, adjusted relative risks of ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage were 1.79 (95% confidence interval, 1.68 to 1.90), 2.48 (2.30 to 2.68), and 1.65 (1.38 to 1.97) in men, and 1.64 (1.42 to 1.89), 3.15 (2.61 to 3.80), and 2.29 (1.82 to 2.89) in women, respectively. In conclusion, blood pressure is more closely related with intracerebral hemorrhage than subarachnoid hemorrhage, thus proportion of intracerebral hemorrhage in hemorrhagic stroke may affect the association between blood pressure and hemorrhagic stroke. Our data also emphasize the importance of blood pressure control for the prevention of stroke, especially in countries with a high incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Effects of Pro12Ala polymorphism of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma2 gene on rosiglitazone response in type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the Pro12Ala polymorphism of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma2 gene on the response to rosiglitazone in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A total of 198 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were treated with rosiglitazone (4 mg/d) for 12 weeks without a change in previous medications. All patients were genotyped for the PPARgamma2 Pro12Ala polymorphism. RESULTS: The Ala12 allele frequency was 0.04. Of the 198 patients, 183 had the Pro12Pro genotype and 15 had the Pro12Ala genotype. The Ala12Ala genotype was not observed. The decrease in fasting plasma glucose level was significantly greater in subjects with the Ala12 allele than in those without the allele (50.6 +/- 27.8 mg/dL versus 24.3 +/- 41.9 mg/dL, P = .026). In addition, the decrease in hemoglobin A(1c) level was significantly greater in subjects with the Ala12 allele than in those without the allele (1.41% +/- 1.47% versus 0.57% +/- 1.16%, P = .015). There was a significant difference in the response rate to rosiglitazone treatment between the Pro12Pro group and the Pro12Ala variant group (43.72% versus 86.67%, P = .002). CONCLUSION: Patients with the Pro12Ala genotype in the PPARgamma2 gene had a better therapeutic response to rosiglitazone than did patients with the Pro12Pro genotype. The genetic variations in the PPARgamma2 gene can affect the response to rosiglitazone treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

The effect of hypertension on the risk for kidney cancer in Korean men.

BACKGROUND: The role of hypertension as a kidney cancer risk factor remains unclear. The objectives of this study were to prospectively examine the effects of hypertension on kidney cancer death, and to determine the synergistic effect of hypertension and smoking on kidney cancer risk. METHODS: The cohort was composed of 576,562 Korean men, aged 30 and older, who received health insurance from the National Health Insurance Corporation, and who underwent biennial medical evaluations in 1992 and 1994. At baseline, 343,132 men (59.5%) were identified as current cigarette smokers. Between 1995 and 2001, there were 92 deaths from kidney cancer (2.2/100,000 person years). Using deaths from kidney cancer as the main outcome variable, Cox proportional hazards models were tested while controlling for age and other covariates. RESULTS: An initial finding indicated that hypertension increased the mortality risk of kidney cancer [relative risk (RR) 2.43; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.57-3.76]. After stratification of smoking status, RR for hypertension on kidney cancer was still increased for current smokers (RR 2.80; 95% CI 1.64-4.79). For current smokers, those with systolic blood pressure >/=160 mm Hg had a risk of kidney cancer that was 8.18 (95% CI, 3.13-21.36) times higher than those with a pressure less than 120 mm Hg. When the interaction term was included in the multivariate model, there was no significant synergistic effect of hypertension with current smoking on the risk of death from kidney cancer. CONCLUSION: This study supports the hypothesis that hypertension is an independent risk factor of kidney cancer mortality.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Multiple imputation technique applied to appropriateness ratings in cataract surgery.

Missing data such as appropriateness ratings in clinical research are a common problem and this often yields a biased result. This paper aims to introduce the multiple imputation method to handle missing data in clinical research and to suggest that the multiple imputation technique can give more accurate estimates than those of a complete-case analysis. The idea of multiple imputation is that each missing value is replaced with more than one plausible value. The appropriateness method was developed as a pragmatic solution to problem of trying to assess "appropriate" surgical and medical procedures for patients. Cataract surgery was selected as one of four procedures that were evaluated as a part of the Clinical Appropriateness Initiative. We created mild to high missing rates of 10%, 30% and 50% and compared the performance of logistic regression in cataract surgery. We treated the coefficients in the original data as true parameters and compared them with the other results. In the mild missing rate (10%), the deviation from the true coefficients was quite small and ignorable. After removing the missing data, the complete-case analysis did not reveal any serious bias. However, as the missing rate increased, the bias was not ignorable and it distorted the result. This simulation study suggests that a multiple imputation technique can give more accurate estimates than those of a complete-case analysis, especially for moderate to high missing rates (30 - 50%). In addition, the multiple imputation technique yields better accuracy than a single imputation technique. Therefore, multiple imputation is useful and efficient for a situation in clinical research where there is large amounts of missing data.

Cataract Extraction↗

PubMed2004

Glutathione S-transferase M1 status and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

It is not yet clear whether Glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) polymorphisms affect the risk of breast cancer. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive meta-analysis of all the available, published case-control studies on the extent of the possible association between GSTM1 polymorphisms and susceptibility to breast cancer. Twenty case-control studies on GSTM1 and breast cancer were identified using both PUBMED and a manual search. Meta-analysis was conducted by the Peto method. Subgroup analyses were undertaken, in order to explore the relationship between effect sizes and the study characteristics. The overall odds ratio (OR) was found to be 1.06 (95% CI, 0.99-1.14). The OR for post-menopausal women with GSTM1 deficiency was determined to be 1.19 (95% CI, 1.05-1.34). In populations with a low frequency of GSTM1 deficiency, a greater increase was observed (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.08-1.34). Furthermore, the highest associations were found in post-menopausal women with a low frequency of GSTM1 deficiency (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.20-1.73). The fact that GSTM1 deficiency is not rare in the general population implies that the attributable risk for breast cancer could be sizable. Further studies focusing on the structure of haplotype blocks of GSTM1 are required in order to find a specific haplotype with a predisposing breast cancer susceptibility allele.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed2004

Normal serum aminotransferase concentration and risk of mortality from liver diseases: prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between the normal range of serum aminotransferase concentration and mortality from liver disease. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Korea Medical Insurance Corporation study with eight years' follow up. PARTICIPANTS: 94,533 men and 47,522 women aged 35-59 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Mortality from liver diseases according to death certificate. RESULTS: There was a positive association between the aminotransferase concentration, even within normal range (35-40 IU/l), and mortality from liver disease. Compared with the concentration < 20 IU/l, the adjusted relative risks for an aspartate aminotransferase concentration of 20-29 IU/l and 30-39 IU/l were 2.5 (95% confidence interval 2.0 to 3.0) and 8.0 (6.6 to 9.8) in men and 3.3 (1.7 to 6.4) and 18.2 (8.1 to 40.4) in women, respectively, The corresponding risks for alanine aminotransferase were 2.9 (2.4 to 3.5) and 9.5 (7.9 to 11.5) in men and 3.8 (1.9 to 7.7) and 6.6 (1.5 to 25.6) in women, respectively. According to receiver operating characteristic curves the best cut-off values for the prediction of liver disease in men were 31 IU/l for aspartate aminotransferase and 30 IU/l for alanine aminotransferase. CONCLUSION: People with slightly increased aminotransferase activity, but still within the normal range, should be closely observed and further investigated for liver diseases.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Changes in mortality after the recent economic crisis in South Korea.

PURPOSE: To examine the changes in all cause mortality and cause-specific mortality after the economic crisis in South Korea. METHODS: Monthly mortality data for an entire country was used and intervention analysis applied to compare mortality after the crisis with mortality which would have occurred if the trends before the crisis had continued. RESULTS: All cause mortality began to increase about 1 year after the crisis, while cardiovascular increased immediately. Transport accidents decreased significantly during the year following the crisis and then regressed towards the pre-economic crisis level. Suicides increased rapidly and maintained an upward trend but subsequently reduced towards the pre-economic crisis level. CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown an evidence of a relationship between economic crisis and mortality.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed2003

Changes in morbidity and medical care utilization after the recent economic crisis in the Republic of Korea.

OBJECTIVE: To examine and quantify the impact of the recent economic crisis on morbidity and medical care utilization in the Republic of Korea. METHODS: 22 675 people from 6791 households and 43 682 people from 12 283 households were questioned for two nationwide surveys that took place in 1995 and 1998, respectively. A separate sample pretest-posttest design was used and we conducted c2 test and logistic regression analysis after controlling for the maturation effect of the morbidity and medical care utilization. FINDINGS: The morbidity rates of chronic disease and acute disease increased significantly by 27.1% and 9.5%, respectively, whereas the utilization rates of outpatient and inpatient services decreased by 15.1% and 5.2%, respectively. In particular, the pace of decline in the utilization rate of outpatient services varied depending on the type of disease: morbidity rates for mental and behavioural disorders were 13.7%; for cardiovascular disease, 7.1%; and for injury, 31.6%. CONCLUSION: After the Republic of Korean economic crisis, the morbidity and medical care utilization rates changed significantly but the degree of change depended on the type of disease or service. The time-dependent relationship between the national economy and the morbidity and medical care utilization rates needs to be further investigated.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Effect of sibutramine on weight loss and blood pressure: a meta-analysis of controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: Sibutramine causes weight loss by suppressing the appetite and by promoting energy expenditure, but it can also increase blood pressure through a norepinephrine effect. The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials on the effects of sibutramine on blood pressure and weight loss. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Twenty-one placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trials of sibutramine were identified using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and a manual search. The effect sizes of sibutramine on weight and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure changes were estimated. Subgroup analyses were undertaken to explore the relationship between effect sizes and the study characteristics. RESULTS: The effect size of sibutramine on weight change was -1.00 (-1.17 to -0.84), whereas the effect sizes on SBP and DBP changes were 0.16 (0.08 to 0.24) and 0.26 (0.18 to 0.33), respectively. By subgroup analysis, the effect sizes on weight loss were significantly larger when the dosage was > or = 15 mg. The effect sizes on increased SBP were significantly larger when the initial body weight was > or = 92 kg and the age was < 44 years; similarly, the effect sizes on increased DBP were significantly larger when the initial weight was > or = 92 kg. DISCUSSION: Sibutramine showed a large effect on weight loss. Because blood pressure was found to be increased slightly, but significantly, sibutramine should be used cautiously in patients with borderline or high blood pressure. Additional studies on its effect on blood pressure are needed.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Vitamin C intake and risk of ischemic heart disease in a population with a high prevalence of smoking.

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological data on the relationship between vitamin C intake and ischemic heart disease (IHD) risk are limited in the Asian population, with a high prevalence of smoking. This study aims to investigate the association between vitamin C intake and the incidence of non-fatal IHD in Korean men. METHODS: The case group consisted of 108 patients with electrocardiogram-confirmed myocardial infarction or angiographically confirmed (>or=50% stenosis) coronary artery disease (CAD) who were admitted to a university teaching hospital in Seoul, Korea. The controls were 142 age-matched patients admitted to the departments of ophthalmology and orthopedic surgery at the same hospital. Vitamin C intake was assessed by a nutritionist using a semi-quantitative food frequency method, and body mass index (BMI), tobacco use and past history of cardiovascular disease were determined by examination and interview. RESULTS: After controlling for cardiovascular risk factors, including BMI, smoking, past history of hypertension, past history of hyperlipidemia, dietary intakes of energy, total fat (or subtype of fat), cholesterol, beta-carotene, and vitamin E, the odds ratio (OR) of non-fatal IHD was 0.34 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.13-0.90) in the highest tertile of vitamin C intake compared with those in the lowest tertile. In a subgroup analysis, which compared nonsmokers in the highest tertile of vitamin C intake to current smokers in the lowest tertile of vitamin C intake, the odds ratio of developing non-fatal IHD was 0.12 (95% CI 0.02-0.77). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that higher intake of vitamin C is associated with the decreased risk of non-fatal IHD in a population with a high prevalence of smoking.

Antioxidants↗

PubMed2002

Association of the implementation of PACS with hospital revenue.

The purpose of this study is to assess the association of implementation of PACS with the inpatient and outpatient revenue of a general hospital. The authors analyzed the in- and outpatient revenue data of all general hospitals (212) in South Korea obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance Corporation (KNHIC) during the period from 1996 through 1999 using the mixed model for repeated measure data. The following variables were used in the analysis: status of picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) implementation, population size, state of competition, inhabitant's income, hospital location, hospital size, whether a tertiary hospital, whether public or private, the effect of year. The revenues from both in- and outpatient departments were significantly higher one year after the introduction of PACS while controlling for the confounding variables. Although the causality needs to be clarified, the implementation of PACS was correlated significantly to the increased amount of inpatient and outpatient revenue.

Analysis of Variance↗