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The blood Hg level in Korean adults is higher than that in USA and other Western countries, while it is similar to or lower than that in other Asian countries. The blood Hg level is influenced by sociodemographic factors and individual lifestyles including dietary habits. Furthermore, blood Hg is associated with metabolic syndrome, in which Hg exposure may play a role as a possible risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

BackgroundLead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd) are well-known environmental pollutants. They are unnecessary in the biological processes of humans. This study was performed to estimate the representative background exposure levels to the metals by measuring concentrations in whole blood of the Korean general population.MethodsThis population-based cross-sectional study included 4,000 subjects (1,886 males and 2,114 females) 0–83 years of age in 2010 and 2011. Adult subjects (≥ 19 years of age) were collected by sex- and age-stratified probability method, and preschool- and school-aged subjects were recruited by a cluster sampling method. Written consent was provided prior to blood sampling. Pb and Cd blood concentrations were determined by a flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and blood Hg was analyzed by a direct Hg analyzer.ResultsThe geometric mean, median and 95th percentile of blood Pb was 1.82 µg/dL, 1.83 µg/dL, and 3.78 µg/dL, respectively. The respective values were 2.92 µg/L, 2.87 µg/L, 9.12 µg/L for Hg, and 0.56 µg/L, 0.59 µg/L, 2.20 µg/L for Cd. Blood Pb and Hg were higher in males than in females, but no sex difference was observed, respectively, in subjects 0–4 years of age for Pb and in subjects less than 20 years for Hg. However, blood Cd was higher in females than in males and no sex difference was observed in subjects < 30 years of age.ConclusionThis study provides representative data of human exposure to Pb, Hg, and Cd covering whole age groups of the general population in Korea.

Our result suggests that the risk of lung cancer is affected by smoking, alcohol drinking, and the genetic polymorphism of NQO1. In particular, genetic polymorphisms for NQO1, CYP2E1, and ALDH2 synergistically with cumulative smoking amounts and alcohol drinking levels interact in the carcinogenesis of lung cancer in Koreans.

SummaryThe prognostic significance of atrial fibrillation (AF) on mortality in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients is not clearly understood. To elucidate the clinical significance of AF on mortality for 1 year in STEMI patients, we retrospectively analyzed the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry (KAMIR) database, which spans January 2008 to September 2010 and includes 14,329 patients with acute myocardial infarction. We selected 5,556 patients with marked ECG rhythm (NSR, normal sinus rhythm or AF) on emergency room arrival, < 12 hours of symptom onset, and who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within 90 minutes of arriving at the hospital. Patients who had been followed-up for at least for 1 year were analyzed (2,636 of NSR, 119 of AF). At enrollment, AF patients were older (70.7 versus 65.5 years, P < 0.001) and had lower systolic blood pressure (120.6 versus 125.9 mmHg, P = 0.050), a higher heart rate (80.4 versus 75.6/minute, P = 0.009), and a higher rate of Killip III, IV (25.0 versus 14.2%, P = 0.002). Patients with AF showed clearly higher all-cause mortality (22.7 versus 9.5%, HR 2.51, 95%CI 1.68~3.76, P < 0.001) and cardiac death rate (17.7 versus 7.5%, HR 2.49, 95%CI 1.59~3.90, P < 0.001) at 1 year after admission compared patients with NSR. AF induced significantly higher all-cause mortality and cardiac mortality rate in STEMI patients who were appropriately revascularized with primary PCI compared to NSR at 1 year. (Int Heart J 2017; 58: 486-494) Key words: Major adverse cardiac event, Target lesion revascularization, Normal sinus rhythm T he general prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in developed countries is approximately 1.5~2%, and the average age of AF patients is continuously rising and is now between 75 and 85 years old.1,2) This arrhythmia is directly associated with a 5-fold risk of stroke, a 3-fold incidence of congestive heart failure (CHF), and higher mortality.3) The prevalence of AF is higher in diverse medical comorbid conditions such as hypertension, thyrotoxicosis, CHF, ischemic heart disease, left ventricular hypertrophy, and valvular heart diseases. In HF particularly, the prevalence of AF has been reported to range from 15 to 50% depending on age and the duration of underlying medical or cardiologic abnormalities. [4][5][6] Lifelong or temporal oral anticoagulation was needed by 5~7% of patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a stent, and most of them were patients with AF. 7) AF patients undergoing PCI usually have more major adverse cardiac events compared to patients with normal sinus rhythm (NSR).8) The ARIAM registry showed higher inhospital mortality in new onset AF compared to NSR or previously existing AF in acute coronary syndrome (ACS), 9) and new onset AF was one of the important predictors of mortality, and non-coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) related major bleeding in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STE-MI) underwent primary PCI in HORIZON-AMI study.10) The Denmark...

Concentrations of heavy metals exceed safety thresholds in the soil near Janghang Copper Refinery, a smelter in Korea that operated from 1936 to 1989. This study was conducted to evaluate the level of exposure to toxic metals and the potential effect on health in people living near the smelter. The study included 572 adults living within 4 km of the smelter and compared them with 413 controls group of people living similar lifestyles in a rural area approximately 15 km from the smelter. Urinary arsenic (As) level did not decrease according to the distance from the smelter, regardless of gender and working history in smelters and mines. However, in subjects who had no occupational exposure to toxic metals, blood lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) and urinary Cd decreased according to the distance from the smelter, both in men and women. Additionally, the distance from the smelter was a determinant factor for a decrease of As, Pb, and Cd in multiple regression models, respectively. On the other hands, urinary Cd was a risk factor for renal tubular dysfunction in populations living near the smelter. These results suggest that Janghang copper smelter was a main contamination source of As, Pb, and Cd, and populations living near the smelter suffered some adverse health effects as a consequence. The local population should be advised to make efforts to reduce exposure to environmental contaminants, in order to minimize potential health effects, and to pay close attention to any health problems possibly related to toxic metal exposure.

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Our results suggest that dietary AFB1 exposure might be associated with a risk of gastric cancer. However, the effect of AFB1 on gastric carcinogenesis may not be modulated by genetic polymorphisms of AFB1 metabolic enzymes.