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This study attempts to resolve two issues in social trust research: the negative or positive effect of particularized trust (PT) and the causality between institutional trust (IT) and generalized trust (GT). It analyzes two types of data from South Korea: pooled data of cross-sectional national probability surveys; and online experimental three-wave panel data. Analyses of cross-sectional data suggest new classifications of trust types, family trust (FT) qualitatively different from PT, and the covariates of GT. Panel data analyses bolster the findings from cross-sectional data analysis and confirm a causal antecedence and lagged effects of IT. These findings imply that keys to achieving a high trust society are overcoming intense FT, expanding the radius of PT, and enhancing IT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on recent studies on the "trust radius" problem in generalized trust, this study proposes a new measure of trust radius, which is conceptually straightforward and flexible, and examines its relationship with the individualist–collectivist value orientations. Our proposed measure is based on widely available survey questions, can be applied to individual-level analysis, and has stronger predictive validity compared with the "most people" question or a measure of radius used in previous studies. Applying this measure to a new, nationally representative survey data from South Korea, we find that Koreans have a narrow trust radius that is limited to the most intimate social circles. Our regression analysis shows that respondents with strong collectivist orientations have a wider trust radius, whereas those with strong individualist orientations have a narrower radius. Our finding on individualist–collectivist orientations contradicts previous studies based on mostly European cross-national data, which found the opposite, and suggests that we cannot generalize the relationship between cultural values and trust found in cross-national studies to the individual-level relationship within a nation. We conclude with a discussion of our findings' implications for future research on social trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of statin therapy on reducing adverse cardiovascular events in vasospastic angina (VSA) has been inconsistent. Therefore, we investigated the association between statin therapy and adverse cardiovascular events in a large, prospective VSA cohort. The Variant Angina Korea registry consecutively enrolled 2960 patients suspected VSA. Among them, we included 1713 patients who were diagnosed with VSA based on coronary provocation test. We divided the patients into the statin (n = 744) and no-statin group (n = 914) according to the medication prescribed at discharge. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiac death, acute coronary syndrome, and new-onset life-threatening arrhythmia during a 3-year follow-up period. The primary outcome occurred in 32 patients (4.3%) in the statin and 28 patients (3.1%) in the no-statin group. In Kaplan–Meier analysis before and after propensity score matching, there was no significant difference in the cumulative incidence of primary outcomes between both groups. Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the focal type of VSA was independent predictor of primary outcomes, but statin therapy was not. Furthermore, the lack of benefit of statin therapy for primary outcomes was consistently observed across the statin intensity and spasm characteristics. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that statin therapy did not reduce adverse cardiovascular events in patients with VSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparative police research has largely been based on qualitative or participatory techniques. The present study utilizes quantitative data collected from America and South Korea in 2005 to test the hypothesis that American citizens have higher levels of confidence in the police than their South Korean counterparts. The study further hypothesizes that citizens' confidence in institutions such as the court and the government will influence levels of confidence in the police. Results obtained offered support for the stated hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oryzias latipes and Oryzias sinensis are indigenous species found in Japan, China, and other East Asian countries, including Korea. Based on morphological differences, the species have been classified distinctly. However, the range of morphological characters such as the number of gill rakers, vertebrae, and spots on the lateral body overlaps and is too vague for clear identification, so their classification based on their morphological characteristics remains uncertain. In this study, the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, which is used for DNA barcoding, was applied to clarify interspecific variation of O. latipes and O. sinensis. Intraspecific genetic diversity was calculated to identify correlations with geographic distributions. We studied two species collected from 55 locations in Korea. All individuals carried a 679-base pair gene without deletion or insertion. Between species, 525 base pairs of the gene were shared. The Kimura two parameter (K2P) distance of O. latipes and O. sinensis was 0.41% and 1.39%, respectively. Mean divergence within genera was 23.5%. Therefore, the species were clearly different. The distance between O. latipes and O. sinensis was 14.0%, which is the closest within genera. Interestingly O. latipes from the Japanese and Korean group represented 16.5% distant. These results were derived from geohistorical and anthropogenic environmental factors. The O. latipes haplotypes were joined in only one group, but O. sinensis was divided into two groups, one is found in the Han River and upper Geum River watershed; the other is found in the remaining South Korean watersheds. Further studies will address the causes for geographic speciation of O. sinensis haplotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing the World Values Surveys, the present study reveals how Korean people trust their fellow citizens and participate in associations in the process of democratization. It has been argued that trust and participation in voluntary associations go hand in hand. Although results revealed a remarkable growth of participation in voluntary associations since democratization, the level of trust has not increased. Instead, it declined sharply during the same period. A further analysis found no obvious connection between levels of civic activism and interpersonal trust, as suggested in the theoretical literature. Contrary to what has been argued in the literature, face-to-face interactions within voluntary associations have not occasioned these civic activists in Korea to greater trust in one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sex differences in clinical characteristics and prognosis of vasospastic angina (VA) have not been well elucidated. This study was performed to investigate sex-specific characteristics and predictors for long-term clinical outcomes in patients with VA. Methods: We analyzed 1838 patients (55 years and 62% male) who were diagnosed with definite (n = 680) or intermediate (n = 1212) VA in ergonovine provocation test from a nation-wide VA registry. The primary study end-point was composite events including cardiac death, acute coronary syndrome, ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation, and atrioventricular block during clinical follow-up. Results: Male patients were younger, and there were more smokers and alcohol drinkers in male patients than in female patients. During the median follow-up period of 760 days (interquartile range, 336–1105 days), there were 73 cases (3.97%) of composite events. There was no sex difference in the occurrence of composite events (log-rank p = 0.649). Concomitant significant (≥ 50%) organic coronary stenosis was associated with worse clinical outcomes in both male (hazard ration [HR], 1.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–3.85; p = 0.047) and female (HR, 3.26; 95% CI, 1.07–9.89; p = 0.037) patients. Obesity (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2) was associated with better prognosis in female VA patients (HR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.07–0.68; p = 0.008). Even when only patients with definite diagnosis of VA were considered, there was no significant sex difference in clinical outcomes (log-rank p = 0.876). Conclusions: In VA patients, there were several different clinical characteristics according to sex; however, long-term clinical outcome was similar between sexes. Significant organic coronary stenosis in both sexes and low body mass index (< 25 kg/m2) in females were associated with worse prognosis in VA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the clinical characteristics and associated risk factors of prediabetes in the southwestern region of Korea. A total of 323 subjects from 13 prediabetes studies were included in the data analysis. Subjects with prediabetes were divided into the following subtypes: (1) normal glucose tolerance (NGT) with HbA1c 5.7%–6.4%; (2) isolated impaired fasting glucose (I-IFG); (3) isolated impaired glucose tolerance (I-IGT); and (4) combined I-IFG and I-IGT (C-IFG/IGT). Clinical and biochemical variables were compared among subtypes, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for prediabetes subtypes. The overall proportion of subjects with NGT, I-IFG, I-IGT and C-IFG/IGT was 8.4%, 20.7%, 33.1% and 37.8%, respectively. In men, C-IFG/IGT was the most common subtype, while in women, I-IGT was the most common. The parameters related to dysglycemia, atherosclerosis and liver dysfunction were higher in subjects in the C-IFG/IGT subtype than in other subtypes. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed independent risk factors for increased FPG, 2h-PPG and HbA1c levels. This study identified the clinical features and independent risk factors for prediabetes subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of the present study was to identify a threshold for the cholesterol level at which the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) begins to increase in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, 2,077,135 people aged ≥ 40 years with type 2 DM who underwent regular health checks between 2009 and 2012 were included. Subjects with previous CVD were excluded. Cox regression analyses were performed to estimate the risk of CVD for each low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) group using the < 70 mg/dL as the reference group. Results: There were 78,560 cases of stroke (3.91%), and 50,791 myocardial infarction (MI, 2.53%) during a median follow-up of 7.1 years. Among participants not taking statins, LDL-C levels of 130–159 mg/dL and ≥ 160 mg/dL were significantly associated with the risk of MI: the hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence interval) were 1.19 (1.14–1.25) and 1.53 (1.46–1.62), respectively. Among participants taking statins, all categories of LDL-C level ≥ 70 mg/dL were significantly associated with increased risk of stroke and MI. Conclusions: We identified an increased risk of CVD in people with an LDL-C level ≥ 130 mg/dL among individuals with type 2 DM not taking statins. The risk of CVD was significantly higher in those taking statins with an LDL-C level ≥ 70 mg/dL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]