IMPORTANCE Air pollution is an important public health concern and the ocular surface is continuously exposed to pollutants in outdoor air. Ocular surface abnormalities related to air pollution are thought to be a subtype of dry eye disease (DED). However, to date, there is no large-scale study evaluating an association between air pollution and DED that includes multiple air pollutants. OBJECTIVE To investigate associations between outdoor air pollution and DED in a Korean population. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A population-based cross-sectional study using data on 16 824 participants in the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was conducted from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2012. Data analysis was conducted from September 1 to 30, 2015. Dry eye disease was defined as previously diagnosed by an ophthalmologist or the presence of frequent ocular pain and discomfort. Outdoor air pollution measurements (mean annual humidity, particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <10 μm [PM 10 ], ozone, and nitrogen dioxide levels) were collected from 283 national monitoring stations in South Korea. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Associations of multiple air pollutants with DED were assessed from multivariable logistic regression analyses. Sociodemographic factors and previously known factors associated with DED were applied as covariates (model 1 controlled for sociodemographic factors and model 2 controlled for sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical factors). RESULTS Among 16 824 participants (7104 men and 9720 women), higher ozone levels and lower humidity levels were significantly associated with symptoms and diagnosis of DED. In model 1, an increase in ozone levels of 0.003 ppm was significantly associated with symptoms and diagnosis of DED

BackgroundPeriodontitis is a chronic and long-lasting low-grade inflammatory disease. Numerous studies have shown that the severity of periodontitis rose when there was an increase in the amount of smoking or alcohol consumption. However, as periodontitis known as a chronic disease, it is important to consider not only the amount but “duration” with frequency i.e., rates, of smoking or drinking. This study assessed impacts of the amount and duration of smoking and drinking on periodontal health in Korean adults. We also investigated whether or not there is an interactive effect of smoking and drinking on periodontal health.MethodsUnder a cross-sectional study design, we used data from the fourth and fifth the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) sessions (2008–2010). A total of 18,488 subjects (over 19 years) answered both smoking and drinking status and were given the periodontal examination. Periodontal health status was determined by the community periodontal index (CPI) developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the WHO guidelines, if a participant’s CPI was 3 or larger, we classified the person as a case of periodontitis. Participants with a CPI < 3 were assigned to the control group.ResultsPrevalence of periodontitis for self-reported smokers or drinkers in South Korea was 35.0 or 28.0 %, respectively. We observed 1.20 (0.93~1.56) of odds ratio (95 % CI) for prevalence (POR) of periodontitis for those smoked <13 pack-year (PY) and drank ≥6.8 glass-year (GY). And we had POR of 1.91 (1.34~2.73) for those smoked ≥13 PY and drank <6.8 GY, compared to those nonsmoking nondrinkers. The observed POR of 2.41 (95 % CI: 1.94–3.00), for those smoked ≥13 PY and drank ≥6.8 GY, was higher than a multiplicative effect estimated, i.e., 1.20 (0.93~1.56) [those smoked <13 PY and drank ≥6.8 GY] × 1.91 (1.34~2.73) [those smoked ≥13 PY and drank <6.8 GY], or 2.29.ConclusionsWe observed a multiplicative interactive effect of smoking and drinking on periodontal status among Korean adults.

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One pathophysiological sign of sarcopenia is chronic inflammation. Given that levels of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) are increased in chronic inflammation, we evaluated the association between increased RDW and sarcopenia among adults in the general U. S. population and analyzed data from 11,761 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2006. Sarcopenia was defined as an appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) divided by weight (%) that was less than one standard deviation (SD) below the mean of young adults. The odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs) for sarcopenia were calculated across RDW quartiles after adjusting for confounding factors. Elevated RDW levels were significantly associated with sarcopenia after adjusting for age, sex, race, education, household income, smoking, physical activity, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, C-reactive protein, and hemoglobin (OR of highest quartile: 1.72 (95% CI: 1.43, 2.06)). Further, in a model stratified by obesity, an elevated RDW was associated with sarcopenia in the overweight and obese group, but not in the normal weight group. Our study shows that elevated RDW is associated with sarcopenia, and this association is particularly strong in people who are overweight and obese.

Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) is a key protein involved in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) metabolism. It is known to affect plasma HDL-C levels, and its genetic regulation may be involved in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of the CETP Taq1B polymorphism in Koreans, and to investigate its relationship with plasma HDL-C levels and CAD. One-hundred and nineteen patients with significant CAD and 106 controls were examined with respect to their genotypes, lipid profiles and other risk factors of CAD. The genotype frequencies of B1B1:B1B2:B2B2 in males and females were 35.5%:50%:14.5% and 34.7%:42.6%:22.7%, respectively, which is comparable to previous reports in other ethnic groups. The B1B1 homozygote was associated with significantly lower HDL-C levels in females (p = 0.049) and non-smoking males (p = 0.037). After controlling for gender, body mass index (BMI) and smoking, the TaqIB polymorphism was still significantly associated with HDL-C levels (p = 0.046) and explained 5.4% of the HDL-C variation in this study. By univariate analysis, the B1B1 homozygote was a significant predictor of CAD (p = 0.043), and this was confirmed by multivariate analysis with traditional risk factors, i.e. the B1B1 homozygote was an independent predictor of CAD (p = 0.026, odds ratio = 1.97, 95% confidence interval: 1.08-3.57). In conclusion, the B1B1 homozygote of the CETP Taq1B polymorphism is associated with low HDL-C levels in females and non-smoking males, and may be an independent genetic risk factor of CAD in the Korean population.

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Background: Endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) has been shown to frequently complicate bronchial stenosis, a condition which can induce dyspnea as a result of airway obstruction, and is also frequently misdiagnosed as either bronchial asthma or lung cancer. Objectives: This study attempted to determine whether there was a correlation between interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) levels in the serum and bronchial washing fluid (BWF), and the results of the treatment of EBTB patients. Methods: Thirty patients, all of whom were diagnosed as EBTB, were enrolled, as were 10 healthy control subjects. IFN-γ and TGF-β levels were measured by the ELISA method in the serum and BWF of these 30 EBTB patients before and after treatment. The EBTB patients were divided into two groups: those who exhibited bronchial stenosis after treatment and those who did not. Chest computed tomography (CT) and pulmonary function test (PFT) were performed in 16 and 25 patients, respectively, at initial bronchoscopy. Results: IFN-γ and TGF-β levels in the BWF of the EBTB patients were elevated compared to the controls (p < 0.05). After 2 months of treatment, 13 of the 30 EBTB patients exhibited bronchial fibrostenosis and the other 17 cases had recovered without sequelae. In the bronchial stenosis group, the initial serum TGF-β levels were lower than in the patients without bronchial stenosis (p < 0.05). Moreover, the levels of serum TGF-β after treatment were shown to have decreased more than in the patients without bronchial stenosis (p < 0.05). On chest CT findings of 16 EBTB patients, bronchial narrowing was suspected except in 2 cases (1 edematous-hyperemic type, 1 actively caseating type of segmental bronchus). The common features of PFT in EBTB at the initial diagnosis were a restrictive pattern and normal ventilatory function. Conclusions: Elevated IFN-γ and TGF-β levels in the BWF of the EBTB patients may be related to EBTB pathogenesis. Lowered initial serum TGF-β levels as well as the observed changes in the levels of TGF-β in the serum after treatment have been implicated in bronchial fibrostenosis during the course of the disease.

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