Randomized trial of fortified milk and supplements to raise 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in schoolchildren in Mongolia.

Background: The optimal public health strategy for maintaining 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in schoolchildren in Mongolia is unknown.

Objective: The objective was to compare the effectiveness of different supplement and fortified milk regimens to increase 25(OH)D concentrations in Mongolian schoolchildren.

Design: Twenty-one classrooms of 579 children aged 9-11 y were randomized to interventions with an equivalent content of vitamin D(3): 1) a one-time seasonal supplement of 13,700 IU, 2) 300 IU/d from supplements, 3) 300 IU/d from fortified ultra-high-temperature pasteurized milk from the United States, 4) 300 IU/d from fortified pasteurized Mongolian milk, or 5) unfortified pasteurized Mongolian milk (control).

Kawasaki disease in Mongolia: results from 2 nationwide retrospective surveys, 1996-2008.

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) has been reported in many countries. However, the incidence of KD in Mongolia is not known. This is the first report of incident cases of KD in Mongolia, which were identified using data from 2 nationwide surveys.

Comparative study of atherosclerotic parameters in Mongolian and Japanese patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

Aim: Cardiovascular disease is becoming increasingly more problematic in Mongolia. The cardioankle vascular index (CAVI) and circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) are new atherosclerosis-related parameters, but no comparative studies of atherosclerotic parameters including CAVI and CRP are available between Mongolian and Japanese populations, such as disease populations of hypertension (HT) and diabetes mellitus (DM). Our study objective was to examine atherosclerotic profiles in HT and DM patients in both countries.

Comparative study of the cardio-ankle vascular index and ankle-brachial index between young Japanese and Mongolian subjects.

Mongolian people have higher mortality and morbidity rates due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) than Japanese people. The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and ankle-brachial index (ABI) are both atherosclerosis-related indexes. Presently, there is no comparative information on CAVI and ABI among young subjects between Mongolian and Japanese people.

Administration of hepatitis B vaccine in winter as a significant predictor of the poor effectiveness of vaccination in rural Mongolia: evidence from a nationwide survey.

Background: Universal hepatitis B (HB) immunisation is the most effective means for prevention of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection worldwide. Maintaining the vaccine cold chain is an essential part of a successful immunisation programme. Our recent nationwide survey in Mongolia has observed significant urban-rural differences in the prevalence of HBV infection among vaccinated cohorts.

Seroepidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection among children in Mongolia: results of a nationwide survey.

Background: Because Mongolia is one of the highly endemic countries for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the world, hepatitis B (HB) vaccine was introduced into the National Expanded Program on Immunization in 1991. However, relatively few data are available concerning HBV infection among children born after the start of the program, so far. The aim of the present paper was to describe the seroepidemiology of HBV infection among primary school children using representative national data.

Identification of a regulatory SNP in the retinol binding protein 4 gene associated with type 2 diabetes in Mongolia.

Increased levels of retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) in serum is associated with insulin resistance. To examine this further, the genomic region of RBP4 was genetically surveyed in Mongolian people, who as a group are suffering from a recent rapid increase in diabetes. The RBP4 gene was screened by DHPLC system, and the PCR fragments which showed heteroduplex peaks in multiple samples were followed by direct sequencing to identify common polymorphisms in 48 Mongolian diabetic samples.