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Summary: It has been hypothesized that lipid profiles are associated with bone mineral density (BMD), but previous results have been controversial. In this study, serum triglycerides showed a significant inverse association with BMD, and the relationship is thought to correlate with vitamin D status among older adults. Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between lipid profiles and bone mineral density (BMD) in older adults using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Methods: We enrolled men older than 50 years and postmenopausal women who participated in the KNHANES 2008–2011. Subjects with liver cirrhosis, thyroid disease, or renal dysfunction and those receiving treatment for hyperlipidemia or osteoporosis were excluded. Results: A total of 4323 subjects (2286 men and 2037 women) was analyzed. The prevalence of osteoporosis was 8.7% in men older than 50 years and 38.4% in postmenopausal women. Osteopenia and osteoporosis groups were generally older and tended to have a lower body mass index compared to the normal group (p for trend < 0.001). The correlation between each lipid profile and BMD was analyzed in the linear model adjusted for age and body mass index. Total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol showed a negative correlation with BMD in the total population, but there was no significant correlation when analyzed separately for men and women. Triglycerides had a negative association with whole-body BMD in both men and women (p < 0.05). The adjusted odds ratio of logarithmic triglyceride level for osteoporosis was 2.50 (95% confidence interval 1.13–5.51) in women older than 65 years. Conclusion: Serum triglycerides showed a significant inverse association with BMD, and the relationship is thought to correlate with vitamin D status among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was to see the effects of a balanced Korean diet (BKD) on metabolic risk factors in overweight or obese Korean adults, comparing with those of a typical American diet (TAD) and a diet recommended by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2010DGA). Methods: The study was designed as a randomized crossover controlled trial, in which 61 overweight or obese volunteers were divided into six groups and each consumed the BKD, 2010DGA, and TAD in a random order for 4 weeks separated by 2-week washout intervals. Anthropometric indices, blood pressure, blood lipid content, fasting blood glucose, and blood insulin level were measured at the beginning and end of each diet period. Results: A total of 54 participants completed the trial. The BKD caused more significant reductions of body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.001), body fat percent (p < 0.001), blood total cholesterol (p < 0.001), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (p = 0.007) compared with the 2010DGA or TAD (all p values for differences between diets < 0.05). All three diets significantly lowered blood triglyceride levels (p < 0.05). The BKD decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (p = 0.001) and increased fasting blood glucose (p = 0.018), whereas TAD and 2010DGA increased HDL cholesterol and did not affect blood glucose levels. Furthermore, the BKD significantly decreased the proportion of individuals with elevated total cholesterol (p < 0.001) and LDL cholesterol (p < 0.01), whereas the 2010DGA significantly reduced the number of obese individuals (p < 0.05), and the TAD decreased the number of participants with elevated triglyceride levels (p < 0.05), but increased that of those with elevated LDL cholesterol (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The Korean diet based on dietary guidelines improved metabolic risk factors such as BMI, body fat percent, and blood lipid profiles in overweight or obese Korean adults. These results provide evidence to recommend the Korean diet for preventing various metabolic diseases. Clinical trial registration: The trial was registered at the Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS) in Korea, the primary registry of the World Health Organization (WHO) international clinical trial registry platform, under number KCT0002437. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and non-HDL cholesterol have opposite associations with coronary heart disease, multi-country reports of lipid trends only use total cholesterol (TC). Our aim was to compare trends in total, HDL and non-HDL cholesterol and the total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio in Asian and Western countries.Methods: We pooled 458 population-based studies with 82.1 million participants in 23 Asian and Western countries. We estimated changes in mean total, HDL and non-HDL cholesterol and mean total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio by country, sex and age group.Results: Since ∼1980, mean TC increased in Asian countries. In Japan and South Korea, the TC rise was due to rising HDL cholesterol, which increased by up to 0.17 mmol/L per decade in Japanese women; in China, it was due to rising non-HDL cholesterol. TC declined in Western countries, except in Polish men. The decline was largest in Finland and Norway, at ∼0.4 mmol/L per decade. The decline in TC in most Western countries was the net effect of an increase in HDL cholesterol and a decline in non-HDL cholesterol, with the HDL cholesterol increase largest in New Zealand and Switzerland. Mean total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio declined in Japan, South Korea and most Western countries, by as much as ∼0.7 per decade in Swiss men (equivalent to ∼26% decline in coronary heart disease risk per decade). The ratio increased in China.Conclusions: HDL cholesterol has risen and the total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio has declined in many Western countries, Japan and South Korea, with only a weak correlation with changes in TC or non-HDL cholesterol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity is a public health concern in many countries due to its increasing prevalence. Euiiyin-tang is an herbal medicine formula often used as a clinical treatment for obesity. It acts to eliminate humidity and purify the blood, the causes of obesity identified by the theoretical framework of Korean medicine. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Euiiyin-tang in treating obesity.Methods/design: This study is a randomised, double-blinded and placebo-controlled, multicentre trial. It has two parallel arms: the Euiiyin-tang group and the placebo group. A total of 160 obese adult women will be enrolled in the trial. The participants will be randomly divided at a 1:1 ratio at visit 2 (baseline). The participants will be administered Euiiyin-tang or placebo for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint is the change in weight occurring between baseline and post-treatment. The secondary outcomes include average weight reduction, changes in body fat, waist and hip circumferences, body mass index, and lipid profile, and the results of questionnaires such as the Korean version of Obesity-related Quality of Life, the Korean version of Eating Attitudes Test, the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, and the Stress Reaction Inventory.Discussion: The present study will provide research methodologies for evaluating the efficacy and safety of Euiiyin-tang in patients with obesity. In addition, it will provide evidence of correlation between obesity and Sasang constitutional medicine.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01724099 . Registered on 2 November 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and arm and leg muscle mass to total weight ratios in Korean adults. This was a randomized, controlled, cross-sectional study. Data from 2,383 adults (1,030 men and 1,353 women) were collected from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010-2011. Blood lipid profiles, blood pressure, and anthropometric characteristics, including weight, height, waist circumference, and muscle mass on dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), were evaluated in the participants. MetS was defined according to the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. The average mass of both arms and legs was determined using regional muscle analysis by DXA. Afterwards, the arm and leg muscle mass to total body weight ratio was determined and classified into 4 quartiles (i.e., quartile 1 [highest muscle ratio] to quartile 4 [lowest muscle ratio]). According to the arm muscle and leg muscle ratios, there was a higher prevalence of MetS in quartile 4 than in quartile 1 in both men and women. A low arm and leg muscle mass to body weight ratio was associated with a higher prevalence of MetS after adjusting for age, physical activity, frequency of smoking, and frequency of alcohol consumption. In conclusion, MetS patients demonstrated a lower arm and leg muscle mass to body weight ratio. Strength training for the lower and upper extremities is recommended because it can have a positive effect on MetS prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) and obesity have been increasing considerably in Korean school-children. AD is a chronic pruritic recurrent inflammatory skin disorder. Leptin is secreted by adipocytes which has been suggested to be immunologically active; however, their role in AD has not yet been well understood. A total of 227 subjects out of 2,109 elementary school children were defined as having AD based on the ISAAC questionnaire survey. Ninety subjects with AD, aged between 6 and 12 years, completed scoring of severity of AD (SCORAD), skin prick testing, blood tests for total IgE, eosinophil counts, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and lipid profiles. Serum leptin levels were also measured. A subject with atopic AD was defined as an AD patient showing at least 1 positive reaction to allergens in skin prick testing. There were no significant differences in age, body mass index, percentage of breast milk feeding, mode of delivery, prevalence of atopy, and lipid profiles between atopic AD and non-atopic AD subjects. The serum leptin levels (log mean±SD) were significantly higher in non-atopic AD group than in the atopic AD group (0.86±0.57 ng/mL vs 0.53±0.72 ng/mL, p=0.045). Subjects with mild-to-moderate AD showed significantly higher serum leptin levels than those with severe AD (0.77±0.67 ng/mL vs 0.33±0.69 ng/mL, p=0.028). There was a marginal inverse correlation between the SCORAD index and the serum leptin concentration in total AD subjects (r=-0.216, p=0.053). The serum leptin levels were significantly higher in non-atopic AD subjects or mild-to-moderate AD subjects. Leptin did not seem to be associated with IgE-mediated inflammation in AD. Obesity-associated high leptin differed between non-atopic AD and atopic AD subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Objective: To evaluate the effect of a ceramide-containing dressing (Remois Pad®) on preventing pressure ulcers. • Method: A total of 32 patients (64 samples) with a Braden Scale score of 16 or less in intensive care units were enrolled to have the dressing applied for an experimental bilateral comparison study. The dressing was randomly applied to the right or left greater trochanter for 7 days. Incidence of nonblanching erythema and the water-holding capacity of the skin were measured on the third day and seventh day after intervention. • Results: On the third day after intervention, nonblanching erythema was not apparent in either the experimental or the control groups. On the seventh day, one (3.3%) and four (13.3%) cases of nonblanching erythema were observed in the experimental group and the control group, respectively; however, the difference was not statistically significant. The water-retaining capacity of the skin on the third and seventh days after the intervention was significantly higher than that of the control group. • Conclusion: The data collected from this study gave no evidence that a ceramide-containing dressing had an effect on preventing pressure ulcers in the greater trochanter area. • Declaration of interest: There were no external sources of funding for this study. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]