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Background: Endoscopic hemostasis is commonly practiced during GI endoscopy practice. We hypothesized that, because the choice of endoscopic intervention is influenced by many factors, for example personal experience, prior training, guidelines, etc., there would be differences in practice patterns among different groups of endoscopists.Objective: To explore the potentially different practices for endoscopic hemostasis between the "East" (eight Asian countries) and the "West" (USA and Canada).Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study (internet-based survey).Study Subjects: We administered a questionnaire survey to American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and Korean Society of Gastroenterology (KSGE) members (see: http://www4.utsouthwestern.edu/inetdemo/endoscopy/hemostasis.html , or supplementary paper for review online).Results: Eastern ASGE members (n = 112) were more likely to complete this survey than ASGE members in the West (n = 180): 15.1 vs. 5.0%, P < 0.001. Choice of hemostatic method, regardless of primary or recurrent bleeding, varied significantly among Eastern and Western endoscopists. For example, for treatment of a gastric ulcer with a visible vessel, a vast majority (70%) of Western endoscopists preferred pre-injection followed by thermocoagulation whereas responses from the East were more diverse, with endoclip application +/- pre-injection being the top choice (29%) (P < 0.001). Personal EGD volume and hospital bed numbers did not seem to be associated with hemostatic choices in either the East or the West.Conclusions: Endoscopic hemostasis practice patterns for upper GI tract bleeding differed among Eastern and Western endoscopists, suggesting fundamental differences in practice habit determinants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We aimed to investigate the associations between thyroid hormone sensitivity indices and diabetes in euthyroid adults in the United States and China., Methods: 2296 euthyroid adults from the NHANES in the United States and 8319 euthyroid adults from the SPEED-Shunde in China were involved. The thyroid sensitivity indices, namely TFQIFT4 and TFQIFT3, were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression, restricted cubic spline analysis, and general ordinal logit regression were utilized., Results: In the NHANES, compared with participants in quartile 1st (Q1), those in Q4 of TFQI FT3 (OR 2.12, 95% CI (1.18, 3.81)) and those in Q3 of TFQI FT4 (OR 2.31, 95% CI (1.18, 4.53)) (both P for trend < 0.05) were associated with a greater prevalence of diabetes. In the SPEED-Shunde, compared with participants in Q1, those in Q4 of TFQI FT3 had a greater prevalence of diabetes (OR 1.36, 95% CI (1.11, 1.66) ( P for trend < 0.05), while no significant associations between TFQI FT4 and diabetes were found., Conclusions: TFQI FT3 was associated with a higher prevalence of diabetes both in the United States and China. However, TFQI FT4 was only associated with a higher prevalence of diabetes in the United States, not in China. Further prospective cohort studies are necessary to validate these findings.

Purpose: We aimed to characterize common genetic variants that influence saturated fatty acid concentrations in East Asians., Methods: Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for circulating SFAs was conducted in two population-based cohorts comprising 3521 participants of Chinese ancestry., Results: We identified two novel 14:0-associated loci at LMX1A (LIM homeobox transcription factor 1) and AMPD3 (AMP deaminase 3) (P = 5.08 × 10 -9 and P = 4.33 × 10 -8 , respectively), and a novel 20:0-associated locus at CERS4 (ceramide synthase 4) (P = 1.76 × 10 -10 ). We also confirmed the previously reported association of FADS1/2-rs102275 with 18:0 (P = 1.12 × 10 -5 ). In addition, the A alleles of rs11042834 in AMPD3 and rs17159388 in CERS4 also exhibited evidence of associations with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.0162 and P = 0.0161, respectively)., Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first GWAS analysis to examine SFA concentrations in East Asian populations. Our findings provide novel evidence that genetic variations of several genes from multiple pathways are associated with SFA concentrations in human body.