Search

Summary: There was a U-shaped association between hip BMD and all-cause mortality, with the lowest mortality in the 90th percentile in males. However, there was an inverse linear relationship in females. In contrast, the association between lumbar spine BMD and mortality was less evident in males, with no association in females.Introduction: Bone mineral density (BMD) is reported inversely associated with mortality. Although some previous studies provided evidence for nonlinear associations, these were not adequately assessed in most previous works.Methods: We evaluated the nonlinear relationship between BMD and mortality in Asians. Our study involved 8629 participants in the Dong-gu study from 2007 to 2010. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) according to BMD categories after adjusting for potential confounders. During a follow-up of 6.7 ± 1.4 years, 712 participants died.Results: There was a U-shaped association between hip BMD and all-cause mortality, with the lowest mortality in the 90th percentile in males. However, there was an inverse linear relationship in females. In males, compared with the 75th to 95th percentile group, the < 2.5th percentile group had a 3.89 (95% CI 2.41-6.28)-fold higher risk and the 2.5th to 5th percentile group had a 2.51 (95% CI 1.25-5.04)-fold higher risk. The HR was 2.51 (95% CI 1.25, 5.04) in the > 97.5th percentile group. In females, compared with that in the 75th to 95th percentile group, the HR was 2.33 (95% CI 1.24, 4.39) in the < 2.5th percentile group. In contrast, the association between lumbar spine BMD and mortality was less evident in males, with no association in females.Conclusion: In conclusion, this study shows that the association between BMD and mortality varies by gender and that high and low BMD are predictors of all-cause mortality in males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We assessed the association between periodontal disease status and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its individual components in Korean adults over 50 years old. Material and Methods: In the Dong‐gu study, 5078 men and women aged over 50 years were included. They underwent a questionnaire survey, physical assessment, biochemical assessment and periodontal assessment. The percentages of sites with periodontal probing depth ≥4 mm, and clinical attachment loss ≥4 mm were recorded for each participant. Periodontal disease was also classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/American Academy of Periodontology definition of periodontitis and the American Academy of Periodontology definition (1999). MetS was defined by the 2009 guidelines of the International Diabetes Federation. This study used multivariate negative binominal regression analysis to assess the association between the severity of periodontitis and MetS, after age, smoking habits, alcohol consumption and physical activity related factors were adjusted for. Results: Prevalence of MetS was 32.3%, 36.2% and 45.9% among men with no or mild, moderate and severe periodontitis, respectively. The severity of periodontitis was positively associated with the prevalent MetS in men but not in women. In men, severe periodontitis showed a higher risk of MetS than those with no or mild periodontitis (relative risk 1.43, 95% confidence interval 1.17‐1.73) after adjusting for confounders. Periodontal probing depth was positively associated with the prevalence of MetS in both genders. In the analysis separated by individual MetS components, periodontitis severity was positively associated with hypertriglyceridemia and low high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol in men, while positively associated with low high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and abdominal obesity in women. Conclusion: Increasing the severity of periodontitis was associated with the risk of prevalent MetS in Korean adults. This result confirmed that periodontal inflammation might be a contributive factor of MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirteen outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease ( FMD) were reported in pigs and cattle in Korea between 8 April and 4 June 2010. The FMD virus ( FMDV) isolates were of serotype O, indicating that they were related to the virus strains of the Southeast Asia topotype that are circulating in East Asian countries. Animals carrying the viruses were identified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction ( RT-PCR) during a 29-day period between 8 April and 6 May, 2010. Prior to this outbreak, these FMDVs had not been detected in Korea and may therefore have been introduced from neighbouring countries into Ganghwa Island and subsequently spread inland to other areas, including Gimpo, Chungju and Cheongyang. Tests conducted to lift restrictions on animal movements lead to detection of two additional FMD-positive farms. Through appropriate responses, including swift diagnoses and culling policies, Korea was able to quickly regain its recognition as being free of FMD, without vaccination, by the World Organization for Animal Health ( OIE) on 27 September 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of carotid artery calcification (CAC) detected on panoramic radiographs and peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and to evaluate the difference in the prevalence of PAD between patients with CAC and patients without CAC detectable by panoramic radiograph. Methods: The surveyed population consisted of 4078 subjects aged 50 years and older (1410 males and 2668 females) who underwent medical and dental examination in Gwangju city, South Korea. Two oral and maxillofacial radiologists interpreted the panoramic radiographs for the presence of carotid artery calcification. A trained research technician measured the ankle-brachial index (ABI). An ABI <0.9 in either leg was considered evidence of PAD. Results: The prevalence of CAC on panoramic radiographs was 6.2% and that of PAD was 2.6%. Subjects with CAC had a significantly higher prevalence of PAD than those without CAC (5.5% vs 2.4%, respectively). The presence of CAC on panoramic radiographs was associated with PAD (odds ratio 1.84; 95% confidence interval 1.01-3.36) after adjusting for potential confounders. Conclusion: CACs detected on panoramic radiographs were positively associated with PAD in middle-aged and older Korean adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]