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Purpose The purpose of this pilot study is to assess the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a short-duration culturally tailored community-based diabetes self-management program (CTCDSP) for Korean immigrants with type 2 diabetes delivered at a non-clinic affiliated community center. Methods Forty-one Korean adults with type 2 diabetes participated in a 2-session CTCDSP delivered by a bilingual nurse practitioner at a Korean community center. Outcome measures included biological, behavioral, general health well-being, diabetes knowledge, and self-efficacy assessed at baseline, post-education, and 3 months follow-up. Repeated-measures ANOVAs were used to explore mean differences in outcomes across the three assessment points. Results From baseline to 3-month follow-up assessment, participants exhibited significant improvement on several physiological and behavioral measures. Mean levels of hemoglobin A1C and waist circumference decreased, while high-density lipoprotein levels increased. Additionally, participants reported an increase in weekly feet checks, and there was a trend increase in participants’ reported frequency of exercise activities. The feasibility of the CTCDSP was established and participant satisfaction with the program was high. Conclusions A short-duration CTCDSP may be an effective, feasible, and favorably-received approach to improving diabetes outcomes in Korean and potentially other underserved ethnic minority immigrants who have limited access to mainstream clinic-based diabetes self-management programs.

Real-time PCR was applied to quantify the abundance of human adenoviruses in two southern California urban rivers, the San Gabriel and Los Angeles. A total of 114 river samples from five different locations were collected over a 1-year period and analyzed for human adenoviruses, along with fecal indicator bacteria and coliphages. Adenoviruses were detected by real-time PCR in ϳ16% of the samples, with concentrations ranging from 10 2 to 10 4 genomes per liter. However, a plaque assay using two human tissue culture cell lines, HEK-293A and A549, yielded negative results, suggesting that adenoviruses detected by real-time PCR are likely noninfectious. Enterovirus genome was detected in ϳ7% of the samples by reverse transcription-PCR. Analysis by Spearman's rho rank order correlation showed significant correlations between fecal indicator bacteria and indicator virus (total coliform, fecal coliform, enterococcus, and coliphage values). However, no significant correlations were found between human adenoviruses quantified by real-time PCR and culturable coliphages or fecal indicator bacteria. Kruskal-Wallis chi-square analysis showed significant seasonal variability of all fecal indicator bacteria and coliphages, while no significant variability was observed for adenoviruses or enteroviruses. This study presents the first quantitative measurement of human adenovirus genomes in urban rivers and their statistical relationship to fecal indicator bacteria and coliphages. The uncoupling between high-number genome copies of adenoviruses detected by real-time PCR and the absence of infectivity detected by tissue culture suggests that genome-based detection methods are inadequate for direct assessment of human health risk.

Acculturation may have a protective effect on smoking behavior in Asian men and a harmful effect in Asian women and adolescents. The magnitude of effect is larger in women and adolescents than in men. Smoking cessation programs should target acculturated women, adolescents, and traditional men.

Purpose-The purpose of this study was to examine coronary heart disease (CHD) risk perception, risk factor status, and factors associated with CHD risk perception in Korean immigrants with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Methods-A community sample of 143 Korean adults with type 2 diabetes, aged 30 to 80 years old, completed questionnaires and biological measures. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationships between CHD knowledge, general health, smoking, medications for CHD risk factors, demographic variables (independent variables) and the perception of CHD risk (dependent variable).Results-Participants had low perception of CHD risk, with most (76.9%) indicating their risk to be the same or lower than people of the same age and sex in the the general population. Overall, CHD risk-factor control was suboptimal according to American Diabetes Association guidelines. Only 41.3% of participants met the HbA1c goal of less than 7%. More than half (55%) had uncontrolled blood pressure, and a similar proportion (53.6%) had higher low density lipoprotein cholesterol than the target goal. CHD knowledge and self-reported general health influenced the perception of CHD risk. More CHD knowledge and poor general health were associated with higher perception of CHD risk.Conclusions-To increase the perception of CHD risk in Korean immigrants with type 2 diabetes, diabetes educators and clinicians should educate such patients about CHD risk factors and discuss their risk status at every visit. Those who report their health to be good deserve particular attention. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major complication and the leading cause of death for people with diabetes. 1, 2 People with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely to have heart disease than people without diabetes. [3][4][5] Studies have found low perception of CHD risk among patients with diabetes, despite their increased risk. 6,7 According to a recent survey by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American College of Cardiology, the perception of personal risk of heart disease among a large group of diabetic patients was remarkably low, with more than half (52%) indicating that they did not feel at risk of a heart condition. 8 KeywordsPerceptions of personal risk for a disease may be important in preventive health behaviors.As the health belief model suggests, an individual is likely to take a recommended health action if he or she perceives himself or herself to be at risk of getting a serious disease. 9,10 The perceived risk of coronary heart disease has been positively related to the desire to make risk-reducing behavior changes and actual behavior changes. 11,12 Despite evidence supporting risk perception as the first step toward desired health behavior, existing information suggests that adults often incorrectly perceive their risk of developing a disease and adopt an optimistic bias. The purpose of this study was to describe CHD risk perception and risk-factors and to investigate the factors that are associated with ...

Mono Lake is a large (180 km2), alkaline (pH approximately 10), moderately hypersaline (70-85 g kg(-1)) lake lying at the western edge of the Great Basin. An episode of persistent chemical stratification (meromixis) was initiated in 1995 and has resulted in depletion of oxygen and accumulation of ammonia and sulfide beneath the chemocline. Although previous studies have documented high bacterial abundances and marked seasonal changes in phytoplankton abundance and community composition, there have been no previous reports on the occurrence of viruses in this unique lake. Based on the high concentrations and diversity of microbial life in this lake, we hypothesized that planktonic viruses are also abundant and diverse. To examine the abundance and distribution of viruses and bacteria, water samples were collected from four stations along 5 to 15 vertical depths at each station. Viral abundance ranged from 1 x 10(8) to 1 x 10(9) mL(-1), among the highest observed in any natural aquatic system examined so far. Increases (p < 0.1) in viral densities were observed in the anoxic bottom water at multiple stations. However, regression analysis indicated that viral abundance could not be predicted by any single environmental parameter. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis revealed a diverse viral community in Mono Lake with genome sizes ranging from approximately 14 to >400 kb with most of the DNA in the 30 to 60 kb size range. Cluster analysis grouped the anoxic bottom-water viral community into a unique cluster differentiating it from surface and mid-water viral communities. A hybridization study using an indigenous viral isolate as a probe revealed an episodic pattern of temporal phage distribution with strong niche stratification between oxic and anoxic waters.

OBJECTIVETo examine racial/ethnic differences in the prevalence of diabetic kidney disease (DKD), with and without proteinuria, in an outpatient health care organization.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSWe examined electronic health records for 15,683 persons of non-Hispanic white (NHW), Asian (Asian Indian, Chinese, and Filipino), Hispanic, and non-Hispanic black (NHB) race/ethnicity with type 2 diabetes and no prior history of kidney disease from 2008 to 2010. We directly standardized age- and sex-adjusted prevalence rates of proteinuric DKD (proteinuria with or without low estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]) or nonproteinuric DKD (low eGFR alone). We calculated sex-specific odds ratios of DKD in racial/ethnic minorities (relative to NHWs) after adjustment for traditional DKD risk factors.RESULTSRacial/ethnic minorities had higher rates of proteinuric DKD than NHWs (24.8–37.9 vs. 24.8%) and lower rates of nonproteinuric DKD (6.3–9.8 vs. 11.7%). On adjusted analyses, Chinese (odds ratio 1.39 for women and 1.56 for men), Filipinos (1.57 for women and 1.85 for men), Hispanics (1.46 for women and 1.34 for men), and NHBs (1.50 for women) exhibited significantly (P < 0.01) higher odds of proteinuric DKD than NHWs. Conversely, Chinese, Hispanic, and NHB women and Hispanic men had significantly lower odds of nonproteinuric DKD than NHWs.CONCLUSIONSWe found novel racial/ethnic differences in DKD among patients with type 2 diabetes. Racial/ethnic minorities were more likely to have proteinuric DKD and less likely to have nonproteinuric DKD. Future research should examine diverse DKD-related outcomes by race/ethnicity to inform targeted prevention and treatment efforts and to explore the etiology of these differences.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of diet family support on glucose outcome in Korean immigrants with type 2 diabetes taking into consideration patient gender. Methods A total of 143 Korean immigrants with type 2 diabetes were recruited from a West Coast Koreatown. Upon completing questionnaires (demographic, health history, and the Diabetes Family Behavior Checklist-II), a participant was given a finger stick blood test for glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C). Body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were calculated after measurements were taken. Analyses assessed the independent associations of diet family support, gender, and diet family support by gender interactions with glucose outcome. Results A higher level of diet family support was significantly associated with lower A1C, indicating the beneficial effect of diet family support on glucose control. Although the main effect of gender on A1C was not significant, the effect of the product term of family support and gender was, indicating that the significant beneficial impact of diet family support on A1C depends on gender. The impact is much more pronounced in men (B = −.516) than women (B = − .038). Conclusions Family support specific to diet is significantly associated with glucose outcomes in Korean immigrants with type 2 diabetes, that is, more perceived family support was associated with better glucose control. The positive impact of family support on glucose outcome was significantly stronger in men than women, even after other factors were taken into consideration.