Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality: A 14-year prospective cohort study.

Background & Aims: The circulating vitamin D level that is optimal for health is unknown. This study aimed to examine the association between circulating vitamin D level and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

Methods: This prospective cohort study included 18,797 Korean adults aged 40 years or older, living in rural areas, with no history of cancer or cardiovascular disease (CVD) at baseline.

Korea Nurses' Health Study and the health of reproductive-aged women: a cohort profile.

The Korea Nurses' Health Study (KNHS) is an ongoing, large-scale, prospective cohort study of women nurses, focusing on the effects of occupational, environmental, and lifestyle factors on the health of women. The first KNHS survey was performed in 2013-2014 (n=20,613). As of December 2023, 11 follow-up surveys have been conducted.

Folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine status in the Korean population: data from the 2013-2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the serum folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine status in Korean adolescents and adults using national data.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from participants aged ≥10 years in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2015. The stored serum samples were used to measure folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine concentrations.

Risk of uterine leiomyomata with menstrual and reproductive factors in premenopausal women: Korea nurses' health study.

Background: Uterine leiomyomata (UL) are benign smooth muscle tumors that may cause significant morbidity in women of reproductive age. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of menstrual and reproductive factors with the risk of UL in premenopausal women.

Methods: This prospective study included 7,360 premenopausal women aged 22-48 years who were part of the Korea Nurses' Health Study.

Weight Changes and Unhealthy Weight Control Behaviors Are Associated With Dysmenorrhea in Young Women.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of dysmenorrhea and to investigate the effect of weight changes or unhealthy weight control behaviors on dysmenorrhea in young Korean women.

Methods: We used large-scale data of women, aged 14 to 44 years, who participated in the Korean Study of Women's Health-Related Issues. Dysmenorrhea was measured using a visual analog scale and was categorized as none, mild, moderate, and severe according to the severity.

Associations of Serum Folate and Homocysteine Concentrations with All-Cause, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer Mortality in Men and Women in Korea: the Cardiovascular Disease Association Study.

Background: Evidence on the association of serum folate and homocysteine concentrations with risk of mortality in the general population is unclear.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the associations of serum folate and homocysteine concentrations with all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality risk in Korean men and women aged ≥40 y.

Methods: In this population-based prospective cohort study, serum folate and homocysteine concentrations were measured in a subset of participants enrolled between 2005 and 2012.

Association between haemoglobin A1c and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in middle-aged and older Koreans: a prospective cohort study.

Background: This study aimed to examine associations between haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels over time and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in middle-aged and older Koreans.

Methods: Using 16 years of follow-up data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study, we analysed 9294 individuals aged 40-69 years with no history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or cancer. Participants were divided into a known diabetes group and five groups categorized by HbA1c levels (< 5.

Associations between age and dyslipidemia are differed by education level: The Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Etiology Research Center (CMERC) cohort.

Background: Dyslipidemia is a multifactorial disorder, which arises from complex interactions among genetic and environmental risk factors. Previous studies have established the deteriorating effect of aging on lipid profiles. However, little is known about the role of education level, a stable marker of socioeconomic status, which reflect modifiability of lifestyle risk factors.

Cohort Profile: The Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Etiology Research Center Cohort in Korea.

Mortalities from cardiovascular disease in Korea have decreased markedly over the past three decades. The major cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, however, remain prevalent, and their burden on health is large. The Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Etiology Research Center (CMERC) planned a cohort study in order to identify novel risk factors and to develop evidence-based prevention strategies of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

Comparison of self-reported and accelerometer-assessed measurements of physical activity according to socio-demographic characteristics in Korean adults.

Objectives: Previous studies have shown relatively low correlations between self-reported and accelerometer-assessed physical activity (PA). However, this association differs by socio-demographic factors, and this relationship has not been fully investigated in the general population. Thus, we investigated the correlation between self-reported and accelerometer-assessed PA and whether it differed by demographic and socioeconomic factors among the Korean general population.

Comparison between Right and Left Upper Arms in Detection of Hypertension.

Background And Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the right-left arm difference in detection of hypertension in the general Korean population.

Methods: This study analyzed data from the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Etiology Research Center cohort. Study population was 2,103 people who were aged 30 to 64 years old, without history of major cardiovascular diseases, and did not use antihypertensive medication.

Association of appendicular skeletal muscle mass with carotid intima-media thickness according to body mass index in Korean adults.

Objectives: The combined effects of obesity and appendicular skeletal muscle (ASM) on atherosclerosis, especially in middleaged populations, remain poorly understood. This cross-sectional study investigated the effects of ASM on carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) according to body mass index (BMI) in middle-aged Korean adults.

Methods: Herein, 595 men and 1,274 women aged 30-64 years completed questionnaires and underwent health examinations as part of the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Etiology Research Center cohort.

Aminotransferase levels, body mass index, and the risk of diabetes: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: To investigate whether the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and incident diabetes is modified by different alanine or aspartate aminotransferases (ALT or AST) levels.

Methods: We carried out an analysis of 6484 participants aged 40 years or older using data from the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study. The serum aminotransferase levels were stratified into low and high groups according to the median values and classified into three groups: both low, either high, and both high.

Association between appendicular skeletal muscle mass and depressive symptoms: Review of the cardiovascular and metabolic diseases etiology research center cohort.

Background: The effects of skeletal muscle mass on depressive symptoms remain poorly understood, especially in the middle-aged population. We examined the relationship between skeletal muscle mass and depressive symptoms according to sex and menopausal status in the middle-aged Korean population.

Methods: Herein, 1,151 men and 2,176 women aged 30-64 years completed questionnaires and underwent health examinations in the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Etiology Research Center study.

Toward a Mechanistic Understanding of Color Vision in Insects.

Many visual animals exploit spectral information for seeking food and mates, for identifying preys and predators, and for navigation. Animals use chromatic information in two ways. "True color vision," the ability to discriminate visual stimuli on the basis of their spectral content independent of brightness, is thought to play an important role in object identification.

Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Etiology Research Center (CMERC) cohort: study protocol and results of the first 3 years of enrollment.

Although the etiologies of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are widely understood, the goal of finding a globally effective solution for preventing CVD is unrealistic. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a community-based prospective study on the prevention and management of CVD in Korean adults. This study was designed to recruit 8,000 healthy adults over the course of 5 years.

Association between HbA1c and carotid atherosclerosis among elderly Koreans with normal fasting glucose.

Aim: We examined whether glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) is associated to carotid atherosclerosis in an elderly Korean population with normal fasting glucose.

Methods: Using data from the Korean Urban Rural Elderly study, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 1,133 participants (335 men and 798 women) with a mean age of 71.8 years.

Occupational exposure to crystalline silica and gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Crystalline silica is a widely used industrial material that is readily available worldwide, and is one of the most common types of particulate mineral pollutants. It has been classified as a group 1 human carcinogen of the respiratory system; however, whether it is linked to gastric cancer remains uncertain. We conducted a systemic review and meta-analyses to search for evidence of the relationship between gastric cancer and occupational exposure to crystalline silica.

Association of metabolic syndrome and 25-hydroxyvitamin D with cognitive impairment among elderly Koreans.

Aim: Metabolic syndrome and vitamin D deficiency are prevalent in older adults, and are considered risk factors for cognitive impairment. We investigated the combined effects of MetS and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels on cognitive function in older adults.

Methods: We studied 2940 participants aged ≥65 years from the Korean Urban Rural Elderly cohort study.

Inter-Arm Difference in Brachial Blood Pressure in the General Population of Koreans.

Background And Objectives: We investigated the inter-arm difference in blood pressure of the general Korean population to identify associated factors.

Subjects And Methods: A total of 806 participants aged 30 to 64 years without history of major cardiovascular disease were analyzed in this cross-sectional study. They participated in the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Etiology Research Center cohort study that began in 2013.

Serum uric acid concentration and metabolic syndrome among elderly Koreans: The Korean Urban Rural Elderly (KURE) study.

Background: Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that elevated serum uric acid concentration is an independent risk factor for metabolic syndrome. However, few studies have focused on elderly populations. Thus, we investigated the association of serum uric acid concentration with metabolic syndrome in community-dwelling elderly Koreans.

Development and Validation of Osteoporosis Risk-Assessment Model for Korean Men.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to develop an osteoporosis risk-assessment model to identify high-risk individuals among Korean men.

Materials And Methods: The study used data from 1340 and 1110 men ≥50 years who participated in the 2009 and 2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, respectively, for development and validation of an osteoporosis risk-assessment model. Osteoporosis was defined as T score ≤-2.

Association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and depressive symptoms in an older Korean population: A cross-sectional study.

Background: This study aims to examine associations between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations and depressive symptoms in an older Korean population.

Methods: The study used data from the Korean Urban Rural Elderly study, which enrolled 2942 participants aged 65 years or older from urban and rural communities. After excluding those treated with antidepressants, we conducted cross-sectional analysis of 2853 participants (962 men and 1891 women).

Effects of age, sex, and menopausal status on blood cholesterol profile in the korean population.

Background And Objectives: To investigate age-specific and sex-specific distributions of blood cholesterol in the general Korean population.

Subjects And Methods: We analyzed data for 8284 men and 9246 women aged ≥10 years who participated in the fifth (2010-2012) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Age-specific means, medians, and selected percentiles were calculated for men, premenopausal women, and postmenopausal women.

Association between C reactive protein level and depressive symptoms in an elderly Korean population: Korean Social Life, Health and Aging Project.

Objective: The relationship between inflammatory markers and depressive symptoms has been reported inconsistently. Moreover, there were only a few studies conducted in an Asian population. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between C reactive protein (CRP) and depressive symptoms in an elderly Korean population.