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Sample records for asian patients results

  1. Glucose abnormalities in Asian patients with chronic hepatitis C.

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    Bo, Qingyan; Orsenigo, Roberto; Wang, Junyi; Griffel, Louis; Brass, Clifford

    2015-01-01

    Many studies have demonstrated a potential association between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and hepatitis C virus infection in Western countries, while similar evidence is limited in Asia. We compared the prevalence of glucose abnormalities (impaired fasting glucose [IFG] and T2D) and their risk factors between Asian and non-Asian chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients, and evaluated whether glucose abnormalities impacted the viral responses to peginterferon plus ribavirin treatment (current standard of care in most Asian countries). This study retrospectively analyzed data of 1,887 CHC patients from three Phase II/III studies with alisporivir (DEB025) as treatment for CHC. The chi-square test was used to compare the prevalence of IFG/T2D between Asian and non-Asian CHC patients, and logistic regression was used to adjust for sex, age, and cirrhosis status. Risk factors for IFG/T2D were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analysis. Our results indicated that the prevalence of IFG/T2D was high in both Asian and non-Asian CHC patients (23.0% vs 20.9%), and no significant difference was found between these two populations (adjusted odds ratio: 1.3, 95% confidence interval: 0.97, 1.7; P=0.08). Age, sex, and cirrhosis status were risk factors for IFG/T2D in both populations, while body mass index was positively associated with IFG/T2D in non-Asian but not in Asian participants. No significant differences in sustained virological response rates were seen between patients with normal fasting glucose and patients with IFG/T2D for both populations. These results demonstrate that the prevalence of glucose abnormalities in Asian CHC patients was similar to that in non-Asians, and glucose abnormalities had no impact on viral response to peginterferon plus ribavirin.

  2. Glucose abnormalities in Asian patients with chronic hepatitis C

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bo Q

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Qingyan Bo,1 Roberto Orsenigo,2 Junyi Wang,1 Louis Griffel,3 Clifford Brass3 1Beijing Novartis Pharma Co. Ltd., Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland; 3Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, NJ, USA Abstract: Many studies have demonstrated a potential association between type 2 diabetes (T2D and hepatitis C virus infection in Western countries, while similar evidence is limited in Asia. We compared the prevalence of glucose abnormalities (impaired fasting glucose [IFG] and T2D and their risk factors between Asian and non-Asian chronic hepatitis C (CHC patients, and evaluated whether glucose abnormalities impacted the viral responses to peginterferon plus ribavirin treatment (current standard of care in most Asian countries. This study retrospectively analyzed data of 1,887 CHC patients from three Phase II/III studies with alisporivir (DEB025 as treatment for CHC. The chi-square test was used to compare the prevalence of IFG/T2D between Asian and non-Asian CHC patients, and logistic regression was used to adjust for sex, age, and cirrhosis status. Risk factors for IFG/T2D were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analysis. Our results indicated that the prevalence of IFG/T2D was high in both Asian and non-Asian CHC patients (23.0% vs 20.9%, and no significant difference was found between these two populations (adjusted odds ratio: 1.3, 95% confidence interval: 0.97, 1.7; P=0.08. Age, sex, and cirrhosis status were risk factors for IFG/T2D in both populations, while body mass index was positively associated with IFG/T2D in non-Asian but not in Asian participants. No significant differences in sustained virological response rates were seen between patients with normal fasting glucose and patients with IFG/T2D for both populations. These results demonstrate that the prevalence of glucose abnormalities in Asian CHC patients was similar to that in non-Asians, and glucose abnormalities had

  3. Pazopanib Maintenance Therapy in East Asian Women With Advanced Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Results From AGO-OVAR16 and an East Asian Study.

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    Kim, Jae-Weon; Mahner, Sven; Wu, Ling-Ying; Shoji, Tadahiro; Kim, Byoung-Gie; Zhu, Jian-Qing; Takano, Tadao; Park, Sang-Yoon; Kong, Bei-Hua; Wu, Qiang; Wang, Kung-Liahng; Ngan, Hextan Ys; Liu, Ji-Hong; Wei, Li-Hui; Mitrica, Ionel; Zhang, Pingkuan; Crescenzo, Rocco; Wang, Qiong; Cox, Charles J; Harter, Philipp; du Bois, Andreas

    2018-01-01

    The recent phase 3 trial AGO-OVAR16 demonstrated that pazopanib maintenance improved median progression-free survival in patients with ovarian cancer whose disease did not progress during first-line treatment. However, this improvement was not seen in the subset of East Asian patients. The current analysis evaluated the efficacy and safety of pazopanib maintenance in East Asian patients from AGO-OVAR16 and a separate East Asian study. East Asian patients from AGO-OVAR16 (n = 209) and the East Asian study (N = 145) were randomized 1:1 to receive pazopanib 800 mg/d or placebo for up to 24 months. The primary end point for each study was progression-free survival by RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors) based on investigator assessment. Clinical and genetics data were analyzed separately by study or pooled according to separate predetermined statistical plans. Pazopanib maintenance had a detrimental effect on median progression-free survival versus placebo in East Asian patients from the combined studies (n = 354; 17.9 vs 21.5 months; hazard ratio, 1.114; 95% confidence interval, 0.818-1.518; P = 0.4928). Pazopanib maintenance showed a disadvantage in overall survival in East Asian patients from AGO-OVAR16 versus placebo (hazard ratio, 1.706; 95% confidence interval, 1.010-2.883; P = 0.0465); overall survival analysis was not performed in the East Asian study because of insufficient event numbers. Pazopanib-treated patients had a significantly higher incidence of grade 3 or higher hypertension (27%) and neutropenia (13%) versus placebo. The treatment effect of maintenance pazopanib in East Asian patients seemed to differ from that in non-Asian patients. In study-specific and pooled analyses, none of the potential factors analyzed could satisfactorily explain the different efficacy results of pazopanib in East Asian patients.

  4. Relapse patterns in WHO 2/3 nasopharyngeal cancer: Is there a difference between ethnic Asian vs. non-Asian patients?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corry, June; Fisher, Richard; Rischin, Danny; Peters, Lester J.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess whether ethnicity is an independent prognostic factor in patients with World Health Organization (WHO) type 2 or 3 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Specifically, we examined the patterns of relapse observed in patients classified as 'Asian' (born in southern China or southeast Asia) or 'non-Asian' (born in Australia, Europe, the Middle East, or the Pacific Islands). Methods and Materials: All patients planned for radical treatment at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre from April 1985 to December 1999 were included in this study. Pathology was reviewed to confirm WHO type 2 or 3 NPC. Patients were staged using the 1997 International Union Against Cancer (UICC) criteria. Mean potential follow-up time was 9.6 years (range, 1.0-18.5 years) Results: There were 158 patients: 86 Asian and 72 non-Asian. Stage groupings were: I-12 patients; II-32 patients; III-59 patients; and IV-55 patients. A staging computerized tomography was performed in 121 patients, and 53 (34%) also had a staging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The Asian patients had significantly more women, more patients aged <45, and more with performance status 0 than the non-Asians. Other putative prognostic factors were not significantly different between the groups. The 5-year rates for freedom from local recurrence (FLR), failure-free survival (FFS), and overall survival (OS) for Asian and non-Asian patients were 74% vs. 82%, 61% vs. 55%, and 75% vs. 63%, respectively. Corresponding 10-year figures were: 62% vs. 82%, 43% vs. 48%, and 58% vs. 49%, respectively. Multifactor analysis showed stage and the use of MRI for staging to be significant prognostic factors for all three endpoints. Age was also significant for FFS and OS. There were no significant differences in FFS or OS between Asian and non-Asian patients. However, the FLR interval was significantly worse in the Asian group (hazard ratio [HR], 2.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-5.06), whereas

  5. Supporting Asian patients with metastatic breast cancer during ixabepilone therapy.

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    Bourdeanu, Laura; Wong, Siu-Fun

    2010-05-01

    Ixabepilone is currently FDA-approved in metastatic breast cancer, and most patients in the registrational trials were Caucasian. Studies in Asian populations receiving other cytotoxic agents have revealed differential pharmacokinetics and clinical outcomes. As such, clinicians should understand the possible contributions of Asian ethnicity and culture to the clinical profile of ixabepilone. Studies in Asian patients receiving other chemotherapeutics reported altered toxicity profiles for myelosuppression, neurotoxicity and gastrointestinal symptoms. Encouragingly, the limited clinical data in Asian patients receiving ixabepilone suggest that efficacy and toxicity in these women resemble those reported in the ixabepilone registrational trials. The reader will better understand how Asian genetics and culture may influence treatment outcomes and patient attitudes toward therapy and interaction with caregivers. Management of ixabepilone-related adverse events is also discussed with an emphasis on special considerations for Asian patients. Awareness of possible altered drug response in Asian patients will aid clinicians in monitoring for toxicity, recognizing the need for dose modification and educating patients. Sensitivity to cultural aspects that are unique to Asians may improve adherence, reporting of adverse events and trust among Asian patients receiving ixabepilone.

  6. Basal Cell Carcinoma in Asians: A Retrospective Analysis of Ten Patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moore, M. G.; Bennett, R. G.

    2012-01-01

    Background. Few studies have been done that characterize basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in Asians because this tumor is relatively uncommon in this population group. Objective. To characterize BCC in Asians. Methods. We retrospectively examined fifteen patient variables and eight tumor variables of ten Asian patients with BCC and compared these results to those of thirty matched Caucasian controls with BCC. Results. Asians developed their first BCC at an older age than the age of first BCC in Caucasian controls (68.9 years versus 58.3 years; ρ< 0 . 0 5 ). During their lifetime, Asians had fewer BCCs than the number of BCCs in Caucasian controls (1.11 versus 5.41;ρ< 0 . 0 2 ), despite a similar estimated lifetime daily sun exposure (hours/day) for both groups. Compared to BCCs in Caucasian controls, a higher percentage of BCCs in Asians were clinically pigmented (50.0% versus 3.3%; ρ< 0 . 0 1 ). Conclusion. Asians develop BCCs later in life and develop fewer BCCs over their lifetime than Caucasians, despite similar estimated lifetime daily sun exposure. This finding is probably due to skin pigmentation in Asians being more protective of ultraviolet light than skin pigmentation in Caucasians.

  7. Differences in Characteristics and Outcomes Between Asian and Non-Asian Patients in the TIAregistry.org.

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    Hoshino, Takao; Uchiyama, Shinichiro; Wong, Lawrence K S; Sissani, Leila; Albers, Gregory W; Bornstein, Natan M; Caplan, Louis R; Donnan, Geoffrey A; Ferro, José M; Hennerici, Michael G; Labreuche, Julien; Lavallée, Philippa C; Molina, Carlos; Rothwell, Peter M; Steg, Philippe Gabriel; Touboul, Pierre-Jean; Vicaut, Éric; Amarenco, Pierre

    2017-07-01

    This study provides the contemporary causes and prognosis of transient ischemic attack (TIA) and minor stroke in Asians and the direct comparisons with non-Asians. The TIAregistry.org enrolled 4789 patients (1149 Asians and 3640 non-Asians) with a TIA or minor ischemic stroke within 7 days of onset. Every participating facility had systems dedicated to urgent intervention of TIA/stroke patients by specialists. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal stroke, and nonfatal acute coronary syndrome. Approximately 80% of patients were evaluated within 24 hours of symptom onset. At 1 year, there were no differences in the rates of composite cardiovascular events (6.8% versus 6.0%; P =0.38) and stroke (6.0% versus 4.8%; P =0.11) between Asians and non-Asians. Asians had a lower risk of cerebrovascular disease (stroke or TIA) than non-Asians (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.63-0.98; P =0.03); the difference was primarily driven by a lower rate of TIA in Asians (4.2% versus 8.3%; P <0.001). Moderately severe bleeding was more frequent in Asians (0.8% versus 0.3%; P =0.02). In multivariable analysis, multiple acute infarcts ( P =0.005) and alcohol consumption ( P =0.02) were independent predictors of stroke recurrence in Asians, whereas intracranial stenosis ( P <0.001), ABCD 2 score ( P <0.001), atrial fibrillation ( P =0.008), extracranial stenosis ( P =0.03), and previous stroke or TIA ( P =0.03) were independent predictors in non-Asians. The short-term stroke risk after a TIA or minor stroke was lower than expected when urgent evidence-based care was delivered, irrespective of race/ethnicity or region. However, the predictors of stroke were different for Asians and non-Asians. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  8. Patient satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty: an Asian perspective.

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    Thambiah, Matthew Dhanaraj; Nathan, Sahaya; Seow, Branden Z X; Liang, Shen; Lingaraj, Krishna

    2015-05-01

    Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is an effective method for alleviating pain and restoring knee function in patients with severe osteoarthritis. However, despite the improvements in surgical technique and postoperative care, it has been reported that up to 19% of patients are dissatisfied after their operations. The aim of this study was to evaluate patient satisfaction levels after TKA in an Asian cohort, as well as assess the correlation between patient satisfaction levels and the results of traditional physician-based scoring systems. The medical data of 103 Asian patients who underwent 110 TKAs between December 2008 and June 2009 were obtained from our hospital's Joint Replacement Registry. The minimum follow-up period was one year and patient expectations were assessed before TKA. Patient satisfaction was assessed postoperatively using a 5-point Likert scale. Reasons for patient dissatisfaction were recorded. Standardised instruments (e.g. the Knee Society Score, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index [WOMAC] and the generic Short Form-36 health survey) were used to assess the patient's functional status and the severity of symptoms pre- and postoperatively. Among the 110 TKAs performed, 92.8% resulted in patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction correlated with postoperative WOMAC function scores (p = 0.028), postoperative WOMAC final scores (p = 0.040) and expectations being met (p = 0.033). Although there was a high level of patient satisfaction following TKA in our cohort of Asian patients, a significant minority was dissatisfied. Patient satisfaction is an important outcome measure and should be assessed in addition to traditional outcome scores.

  9. Home care utilization and outcomes among Asian and other Canadian patients with heart failure

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    King Kathryn M

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Heart failure (HF is a major cause of hospitalization and death in the aging population around the world. Home care utilization is associated with improved survival for the patients with HF, and varies by ethno-culture. The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in hospital readmission rate and mortality between Asian and other Canadian HF patients. Methods HF patients were identified using hospital discharge abstracts from March 31, 2000 to April 1, 2006 in Calgary Health Region. Readmission and one-year mortality for HF were determined by linking hospital discharge and vital statistics data. Stratified by home care services use, readmission and mortality rates were compared between the Asians and other Canadians while controlling for age, sex, comorbidities, and household income. Results Of 26,171 HF patients discharged from hospital, 56.6% of Asians and 58.0% of other Canadians used home care services [adjusted odds ratio (OR for Asian: 0.84, 95% confidence interval (CI: 0.74-0.89]. The hospital readmission rate was similar between Asians and other Canadians regardless of home care services use. Mortality was similar between those who used home care services (adjusted OR for Asian: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.81-1.13. For patients who did not use home care services, Asians had significantly lower mortality than other Canadians (adjusted OR for Asian: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.60-0.86. Conclusion Mortality was similar between Asian and other Canadian patients when home care services were utilized. However, among those without home care, Asian patients had a significantly lower mortality than other Canadian patients.

  10. RECORD-4 multicenter phase 2 trial of second-line everolimus in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: Asian versus non-Asian population subanalysis.

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    Yang, Lin; Alyasova, Anna; Ye, Dingwei; Ridolfi, Antonia; Dezzani, Luca; Motzer, Robert J

    2018-02-17

    RECORD-4 assessed everolimus in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) who progressed after 1 prior anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or cytokine and reinforced the clinical benefit of second-line everolimus. Because of the high percentage of patients from China enrolled in RECORD-4 (41%) and some reported differences in responses to certain targeted agents between Chinese and Western patients, this subanalysis evaluated outcomes in Asian versus non-Asian patients. RECORD-4 enrolled patients with clear cell mRCC into 3 cohorts based on prior first-line therapy: sunitinib, other anti-VEGF (sorafenib, bevacizumab, pazopanib, other), or cytokines. Patients received everolimus 10 mg/d until progression of disease (RECIST, v1.0) or intolerance. Primary end point was progression-free survival per investigator review. Data cutoff was Sept 1, 2014. Among Asian (n = 55) versus non-Asian (n = 79) patients, 98% versus 84% had good/intermediate MSKCC prognosis; 73% versus 65% were men, and 85% versus 73% were < 65 years of age. All (100%) Asian patients were of Chinese ethnicity. Median duration of exposure was 5.5 mo for Asian and 6.0 mo for non-Asian patients. Among Asian versus non-Asian patients, median progression-free survival (months) was 7.4 versus 7.8 overall, 7.4 versus 4.0 with prior sunitinib, and 5.7 versus 9.2 with prior other anti-VEGFs. Clinical benefit rate was similar between populations: 74.5% (95% CI 61.0-85.3) for Asian patients and 74.7% (95% CI 63.6-83.8) for non-Asian patients. Most patients achieved stable disease as best overall response (Asian, 63.6%; non-Asian, 69.6%). Overall rate of grade 3/4 adverse events appeared similar for Asian (58%) and non-Asian patients (54%). This RECORD-4 subanalysis demonstrated comparable efficacy and adverse event profiles of second-line everolimus in Asian and non-Asian patients. Efficacy and safety outcomes by prior therapy should be interpreted with caution because of small

  11. Exploratory modeling and simulation to support development of motesanib in Asian patients with non-small cell lung cancer based on MONET1 study results.

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    Claret, L; Bruno, R; Lu, J-F; Sun, Y-N; Hsu, C-P

    2014-04-01

    The motesanib phase III MONET1 study failed to show improvement in overall survival (OS) in non-small cell lung cancer, but a subpopulation of Asian patients had a favorable outcome. We performed exploratory modeling and simulations based on MONET1 data to support further development of motesanib in Asian patients. A model-based estimate of time to tumor growth was the best of tested tumor size response metrics in a multivariate OS model (P Simulations indicated that a phase III study in 500 Asian patients would exceed 80% power to confirm superior efficacy of motesanib combination therapy (expected HR: 0.74), suggesting that motesanib combination therapy may benefit Asian patients.

  12. Effective strategies for recruiting of Asian cancer patients in internet research.

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    Lim, Hyun Ju; Lin, Chia-Ju; Liu, Yi; Chee, Wonshik; Im, Eun-Ok

    2006-01-01

    This poster is aims to provide directions for effective strategies for recruiting Asian cancer patients in Internet study among Asian American cancer patients. In the study, we used four different strategies to recruit Asian cancer participants: (a) general and ethnic specific Internet cancer support groups; (b) Asian Internet communities/groups; (c) Asian physician clinics, Asian community and culture center; and (d) community consultants. The most effective recruitment strategy among them was the recruitment through community consultant. The findings support the importance of using key persons in ethnic minority communities to recruit ethnic minority participants.

  13. Involving South Asian patients in clinical trials.

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    Hussain-Gambles, M; Leese, B; Atkin, K; Brown, J; Mason, S; Tovey, P

    2004-10-01

    To investigate how South Asian patients conceptualise the notion of clinical trials and to identify key processes that impact on trial participation and the extent to which communication difficulties, perceptions of risk and attitudes to authority influence these decisions. Also to identify whether 'South Asian' patients are homogeneous in these issues, and which factors differ between different South Asian subgroups and finally how professionals regard the involvement of South Asian patients and their views on strategies to increase participation. A review of the literature on minority ethnic participation in clinical trials was followed by three qualitative interview studies. Interviews were taped and transcribed (and translated if required) and subjected to framework analysis. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 25 health professionals; 60 South Asian lay people who had not taken part in a trial and 15 South Asian trial participants. Motivations for trial participation were identified as follows: to help society, to improve own health or that of family and friends, out of obligation to the doctor and to increase scientific knowledge. Deterrents were concerns about drug side-effects, busy lifestyles, language, previous bad experiences, mistrust and feelings of not belonging to British society. There was no evidence of antipathy amongst South Asians to the concept of clinical trials and, overall, the younger respondents were more knowledgeable than the older ones. Problems are more likely to be associated with service delivery. Lack of being approached was a common response. Lay-reported factors that might affect South Asian participation in clinical trials include age, language, social class, feeling of not belonging/mistrust, culture and religion. Awareness of clinical trials varied between each group. There are more similarities than differences in attitudes towards clinical trial participation between the South Asian and the general population

  14. Differences in Patient Characteristics and Midterm Outcome Between Asian and European Patients Treated with Radiofrequency Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burgmans, Mark Christiaan; Too, Chow Wei; Fiocco, Marta; Kerbert, Annarein J. C.; Lo, Richard Hoau Gong; Schaapman, Jelte J.; Erkel, Arian R. van; Coenraad, Minneke J.; Tan, Bien Soo

    2016-01-01

    PurposeThe aim of this study was to compare patient characteristics and midterm outcomes after RFA for unresectable Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Asian and European cohorts.Materials and MethodsThe study was based on retrospective analysis of 279 patients (mean 64.8 ± 12.1 years; 208 males) treated with RFA for de novo HCC in tertiary referral centers in Singapore and the Netherlands, with median follow-up of 28.2 months (quartiles: 13.1–40.5 months). Cumulative incidence of recurrence and death were analyzed using a competing risk model.ResultsAge was higher in the Asian group: 66.5 versus 60.1 years (p < 0.0001). The most common etiology was hepatitis B in the Asian group (48.0 %) and alcohol-induced cirrhosis in Europeans (54.4 %); p < 0.001. Asian patients had less advanced disease: 35.5, 55.0, and 3.0 %, respectively, had BCLC 0, A, and B versus 21.5, 58.2, and 15.2 % in the European group (p = 0.01). The cumulative incidences of recurrence in the Asian group at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years were 37.0, 56.4, 62.3, and 67.7 %, respectively, compared to 32.6, 47.2, 49.7, and 53.4 % in the European group (p = 0.474). At 1, 2, 3, and 5 years, the cumulative incidence rates of death in the Asian group were 2.0, 3.9, 4.9, and 4.9 %, respectively, corresponding to 7.7, 9.2, 14.1, and 21.0 % in the European group (p = 0.155).ConclusionSimilar short-term treatment outcomes are achieved with RFA in HCC patients in the South-East Asian and Northern-European populations. Midterm recurrence and death rates differ between the groups as a result of differences in baseline patient characteristics and patient selection. Our study provides insight relevant to the design of future international studies.

  15. Differences in Patient Characteristics and Midterm Outcome Between Asian and European Patients Treated with Radiofrequency Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

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    Burgmans, Mark Christiaan, E-mail: m.c.burgmans@lumc.nl [Leiden University Medical Centre, Department of Radiology (Netherlands); Too, Chow Wei, E-mail: too.chow.wei@singhealth.com.sg [Singapore General Hospital, Department of Diagnostic Radiology (Singapore); Fiocco, Marta, E-mail: m.fiocco@lumc.nl [Leiden University Medical Centre, Department of Medical Statistics and Bioinformatics (Netherlands); Kerbert, Annarein J. C., E-mail: a.kerbert@lumc.nl [Leiden University Medical Centre, Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology (Netherlands); Lo, Richard Hoau Gong, E-mail: richard.lo.h.g@sgh.com.sg [Singapore General Hospital, Department of Diagnostic Radiology (Singapore); Schaapman, Jelte J., E-mail: j.j.schaapman@lumc.nl [Leiden University Medical Centre, Department of Radiology (Netherlands); Erkel, Arian R. van, E-mail: a.r.van-erkel@lumc.nl [Leiden University Medical Centre, Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology (Netherlands); Coenraad, Minneke J., E-mail: m.j.coenraad@lumc.nl [Leiden University Medical Centre, Department of Radiology (Netherlands); Tan, Bien Soo, E-mail: tan.bien.soo@singhealth.com.sg [Singapore General Hospital, Department of Diagnostic Radiology (Singapore)

    2016-12-15

    PurposeThe aim of this study was to compare patient characteristics and midterm outcomes after RFA for unresectable Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Asian and European cohorts.Materials and MethodsThe study was based on retrospective analysis of 279 patients (mean 64.8 ± 12.1 years; 208 males) treated with RFA for de novo HCC in tertiary referral centers in Singapore and the Netherlands, with median follow-up of 28.2 months (quartiles: 13.1–40.5 months). Cumulative incidence of recurrence and death were analyzed using a competing risk model.ResultsAge was higher in the Asian group: 66.5 versus 60.1 years (p < 0.0001). The most common etiology was hepatitis B in the Asian group (48.0 %) and alcohol-induced cirrhosis in Europeans (54.4 %); p < 0.001. Asian patients had less advanced disease: 35.5, 55.0, and 3.0 %, respectively, had BCLC 0, A, and B versus 21.5, 58.2, and 15.2 % in the European group (p = 0.01). The cumulative incidences of recurrence in the Asian group at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years were 37.0, 56.4, 62.3, and 67.7 %, respectively, compared to 32.6, 47.2, 49.7, and 53.4 % in the European group (p = 0.474). At 1, 2, 3, and 5 years, the cumulative incidence rates of death in the Asian group were 2.0, 3.9, 4.9, and 4.9 %, respectively, corresponding to 7.7, 9.2, 14.1, and 21.0 % in the European group (p = 0.155).ConclusionSimilar short-term treatment outcomes are achieved with RFA in HCC patients in the South-East Asian and Northern-European populations. Midterm recurrence and death rates differ between the groups as a result of differences in baseline patient characteristics and patient selection. Our study provides insight relevant to the design of future international studies.

  16. The effectiveness of support groups in Asian breast cancer patients: An integrative review

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    Fang-Yu Chou

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Cancer support group has been studied as an intervention to improve patient psychosocial well-being. The effectiveness of support groups among Asian breast cancer (BC patients has been unclear and received limited attention to the evidence of its effectiveness. The social-cognitive processing theory underlies the principles of support groups and advocates that a positive, supportive social environment can improve cognitive processing. The purpose of this paper is to present an integrative review of research evidence on the effectiveness of cancer support groups with Asian BC patients. Empirical studies related to support group among Asian and Asian American BC patients published between 1982 and April 2014 are reviewed. There are 15 studies selected (12 from the Asian-Pacific region and 3 from Western countries. The review includes 1 qualitative study, 3 descriptive studies, 1 mixed method design, and 10 experimental or quasi-experimental studies. The support group intervention activities include psycho-educational program such as health education, problem-solving, and stress management. These studies support the effectiveness of support group in alleviating psychological distress and supporting quality of life of Asian BC women. Overall, there is limited research on the use and effectiveness of support groups with Asians cancer patients in Asia and in Western countries. Without accounting for Asian immigrants overseas, the Asian population is expected to grow from 4.3 to 5.3 billion by 2050. As cancer patients become more diverse due to global emigration, more rigorous studies examining the effectiveness of psychosocial intervention among transcultural cancer patients are needed.

  17. The Effectiveness of Support Groups in Asian Breast Cancer Patients: An Integrative Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chou, Fang-Yu; Lee-Lin, Frances; Kuang, Lily Y

    2016-01-01

    Cancer support group has been studied as an intervention to improve patient psychosocial well-being. The effectiveness of support groups among Asian breast cancer (BC) patients has been unclear and received limited attention to the evidence of its effectiveness. The social-cognitive processing theory underlies the principles of support groups and advocates that a positive, supportive social environment can improve cognitive processing. The purpose of this paper is to present an integrative review of research evidence on the effectiveness of cancer support groups with Asian BC patients. Empirical studies related to support group among Asian and Asian American BC patients published between 1982 and April 2014 are reviewed. There are 15 studies selected (12 from the Asian-Pacific region and 3 from Western countries). The review includes 1 qualitative study, 3 descriptive studies, 1 mixed method design, and 10 experimental or quasi-experimental studies. The support group intervention activities include psycho-educational program such as health education, problem-solving, and stress management. These studies support the effectiveness of support group in alleviating psychological distress and supporting quality of life of Asian BC women. Overall, there is limited research on the use and effectiveness of support groups with Asians cancer patients in Asia and in Western countries. Without accounting for Asian immigrants overseas, the Asian population is expected to grow from 4.3 to 5.3 billion by 2050. As cancer patients become more diverse due to global emigration, more rigorous studies examining the effectiveness of psychosocial intervention among transcultural cancer patients are needed.

  18. Socio-demographic and racial differences in acute coronary syndrome: Comparison between Saudi and South Asian patients

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    Mazen Ferwana

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS is the leading cause of death in Saudi Arabia as elsewhere. Although, many studies found that South Asians had increased rates of ACS, others did not. The aim of the study is to explore the extent of difference between South Asians and Saudi presentation and risk factors of ACS patients. Materials and Methods: All patients who were diagnosed as having acute myocardial infarction (AMI based on World Health Organization (WHO criteria in 6 month period were included in the study. Results: A total of 190 patients confirmed ACS were included; 121 (63.70% were Saudi, 50 (26.3% were South Asians, and 19 (10.0% were other Arab nationalities. The mean age was 53.9 (SD 14.6. Out of the total South Asians 82% had normal body mass index (BMI ( P = 0.000. Saudi patients were the lowest of the three groups who smoked cigarette and/or shisha (26.6%; P = 0.000. 52.9% of Saudi patients were diabetics and 41.3% were hypertensive ( P = 0.004. More South Asians were presented with chest pain (94% vs 76%. Discussion: South Asians had a double rate of ACS incidence; they were younger, lower socio-economic status, more cigarette smokers, and less diabetics and hypertensive than other patients. An association between the apolipoprotein E (apoE genotype with the incidence of ACS in young South Asian is proposed. Conclusion: South Asians had double rate of ACS incidence; they were younger, lower socio-economic status, more cigarette smokers, and less diabetics and hypertensive than other patients.

  19. Glycaemic responses in Asian and non-Asian people with type 2 diabetes initiating insulin glargine 100 units/mL: A patient-level pooled analysis of 16 randomised controlled trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Juliana C N; Bunnag, Pongamorn; Chan, Siew P; Tan, Iris T I; Tsai, Shih-Tzer; Gao, Ling; Landgraf, Wolfgang

    2018-01-01

    To compare outcomes between Asian and non-Asian patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) inadequately controlled on oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) initiating insulin glargine 100 units (U)/mL (Gla-100) in randomised controlled clinical trials. Post hoc analysis of patient-level data (Asian n = 235; non-Asian n = 3351) from 16 trials. At baseline, Asian patients were younger with lower body mass index (BMI), fasting C-peptide, and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) than non-Asian patients (all P Asian patients had a higher mean glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) at Week 24 and less reduction in HbA1c from baseline (7.4% vs. 7.2%; -1.3% vs. -1.6%, respectively; P = .0001), and were less likely to achieve HbA1c Asian patients. Reductions in FPG and rates of hypoglycaemia were similar between Asian and non-Asian patients. Asian patients had less weight gain than non-Asian patients (+1.3 vs. +1.9 kg, respectively, P = .013). In our post hoc meta-analysis, Gla-100 effectively lowers HbA1c and FPG in Asian patients with T2D uncontrolled on OADs with similar incidence of hypoglycaemia and less absolute weight gain compared with non-Asian patients. At a similar FPG reduction, fewer Asian patients achieved HbA1c target <7.0%, suggesting that prandial glucose needs to be addressed. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  20. Patient and provider characteristics associated with colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer screening among Asian Americans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Caroline A.; Gomez, Scarlett Lin; Chan, Albert; Chan, John K.; McClellan, Sean R.; Chung, Sukyung; Olson, Cliff; Nimbal, Vani; Palaniappan, Latha P.

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND Routinely recommended screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers can significantly reduce mortality from these types of cancer, yet screening is underutilized among Asians. Surveys rely on self-report and often are underpowered for analysis by Asian ethnicities. Electronic health records include validated (as opposed to recall-based) rates of cancer screening. In this paper we seek to better understand cancer screening patterns in a population of insured Asian Americans. METHODS We calculated rates of compliance with cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer screening among Asians from an EHR population, and compared them to non-Hispanic whites. We performed multivariable modeling to evaluate potential predictors (at the provider- and patient- level) of screening completion among Asian patients. RESULTS Aggregation of Asian subgroups masked heterogeneity in screening rates. Asian Indians and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders had the lowest rates of screening in our sample, well below that of non-Hispanic whites. In multivariable analyses, screening completion was negatively associated with patient-physician language discordance for mammography (OR:0.81 95% CI:0.71–0.92) and colorectal cancer screening (OR:0.79 CI:0.72–0.87) and positively associated with patient-provider gender concordance for mammography (OR:1.16 CI:1.00–1.34) and cervical cancer screening (OR:1.66 CI:1.51–1.82). Additionally, patient enrollment in online health services increased mammography (OR:1.32 CI:1.20–1.46) and cervical cancer screening (OR:1.31 CI:1.24–1.37). CONCLUSIONS Language- and gender- concordant primary care providers, and culturally tailored online health resources may help improve preventive cancer screening in Asian patient populations. IMPACT This study demonstrates how use of EHR data can inform investigations of primary prevention practices within the healthcare delivery setting. PMID:25368396

  1. Impact of Physician Training on Diagnosis and Counseling of Overweight and Obese Asian Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasudevan, Deepa A; Northrup, Thomas F; Mandayam, Sreedhar; Bamidele, Oluwatosin O; Stotts, Angela L

    2017-06-01

    Obesity is widely underdiagnosed among Asians, due in part to a lack of physician awareness of the modified diagnostic criteria for Asians. This study investigated the effect of a physician training on accurately diagnosing obesity among and providing weight counseling to overweight and obese Asian patients. Physicians (N = 16) from five primary care practices received 1 h of face-to-face training and other reminder resources (e.g., wallet card) describing the guidelines for the diagnosis of overweight/obesity among Asians, as well as weight counseling instruction. Chart reviews of overweight/obese Asian patients were conducted for the 12 months before the training (n = 198) and 3 months following the training (n = 163). Physician race (Asian/non-Asian) and clinic setting (private/academic) were included as outcome moderators. Patients were predominantly male (63.1 %), with a mean age of 46.0 years (SD = 14.9) and an average BMI of 28.2 (SD = 3.8). Across all physicians, 26.8 and 45.1 % of patients were accurately diagnosed as overweight or obese before and after the training, respectively (p Asian patients as overweight or obese were 102 % higher at post-training after accounting for nesting of patients within physicians. Similarly, weight counseling was higher (65.0 %) following training compared to pre-training levels (43.9 %) but failed to reach significance (p = 0.06). Accurate identification and counseling of overweight/obese Asian patients can be improved by education and training. Universal adoption of race-specific guidelines will ensure more successful weight management and reduced morbidity in a rapidly growing Asian population.

  2. Double-Eyelid Surgery Using Septoaponeurosis Junctional Thickening Results in Dynamic Fold in Asians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Seok Kim, MD, PhD

    2013-05-01

    Conclusions: The authors introduce a double-eyelid surgery technique using the SAJT. This SAJT fixation technique creates a dynamic double-eyelid fold. Our study showed a high patient satisfaction rate and that the resulting fold mimics the movement of the congenital supratarsal fold in Asians.

  3. The situation-specific theory of pain experience for Asian American cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Im, Eun-Ok

    2008-01-01

    Studies have indicated the need for theories that explain and target ethnic-specific cancer pain experiences, including those of Asian Americans. In this article, I present a situation-specific theory that explains the unique cancer pain experience of Asian Americans. Unlike other existing theories, this situation-specific theory was developed on the basis of evidence, including a systematic literature review and research findings, making it comprehensive and highly applicable to research and practice with Asian American patients with cancer. Thus, this theory would strengthen the interconnections among theory, evidence, and practice in pain management for Asian American cancer patients.

  4. Safety and efficacy of first-line bevacizumab with chemotherapy in Asian patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC: results from the phase IV MO19390 (SAiL) study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Chun-Ming; Au, Joseph Siu-kie; Chang, Gee-Chen; Cheng, Ashley Chi-kin; Zhou, Caicun; Wu, Yi-long

    2011-06-01

    First-line treatment with bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy has been shown to improve outcomes in patients with advanced, nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSNSCLC) in phase III clinical trials. SAiL (MO19390), an open-label, multicenter, single-arm study, evaluated the safety and efficacy of first-line bevacizumab-based treatment in clinical practice. This report presents the results of a preplanned subanalysis of Asian patients enrolled in SAiL. Patients with untreated, locally advanced, metastatic or recurrent NSNSCLC received bevacizumab 7.5 or 15 mg/kg every 3 weeks plus chemotherapy for up to six cycles, followed by single-agent bevacizumab until disease progression. Eligibility criteria for SAiL permitted enrolment of a broad patient population. The primary end point was safety; secondary end points included time to disease progression and overall survival. The Asian intent-to-treat population comprised 314 of the 2212 patients enrolled in the SAiL trial. In the Asian subanalysis, patients received a median of nine cycles of bevacizumab, and the median follow-up was 16.4 months. The incidence of clinically significant adverse events (grade ≥3) of special interest was relatively low in this population (15.6% overall); proteinuria (7.6%), hypertension (4.8%), and bleeding (2.5%) were the most common. A total of five adverse events related to bevacizumab were reported as grade 5. Disease control rate was 94.1%, median time to disease progression was 8.3 months, and median overall survival was 18.9 months. The safety and efficacy of first-line bevacizumab-based treatment in Asian patients with advanced NSNSCLC is consistent with that demonstrated in phase III studies and in the overall SAiL population. There were no new safety signals.

  5. Asian patients with Hinchey Ia acute diverticulitis: a condition for the ambulatory setting?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Dedrick Kok Hong; Tan, Ker-Kan

    2018-01-01

    Diverticulitis in Asians is a different disease entity from Western counterparts. Few Asian studies have evaluated the management of acute Hinchey Ia diverticulitis with consideration for outpatient management. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of Asian patients with Hinchey Ia acute diverticulitis. A retrospective review of all patients who were treated for Hinchey Ia acute colonic diverticulitis between 2012 and 2014 was performed. All patients were diagnosed on computed tomography (CT). There were 129 patients with Hinchey Ia acute diverticulitis. Fifty-five (42.6%) patients were male, and the median age was 54 years (range, 30-86). Eighty-seven (67.4%) patients had right-sided diverticulitis. Most patients were treated empirically with intravenous ceftriaxone and metronidazole (89.1%). They were then discharged with oral antibiotics. Only 6.1% of patients had a positive blood culture. The median length of stay in the hospital was 4 (range, 3-4) days. Only three (2.3%) patients were readmitted for acute diverticulitis within 30 days. They were managed with antibiotics and discharged well. The repeated CT scans reconfirmed Hinchey Ia diverticulitis. No patients required emergency surgery, and there were no 30-day mortalities. Asian patients with Hinchey Ia diverticulitis recovered well with conservative management and could be amenable to outpatient therapy. Future prospective studies should be performed amongst Asians to evaluate managing this condition in an ambulatory setting.

  6. Effectiveness of culturally focused interventions in increasing the satisfaction of hospitalized Asian patients: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alfred, Millicent; Ubogaya, Karolina; Chen, Xing; Wint, Diana; Worral, Priscilla Sandford

    2016-08-01

    Information Clearinghouse (ERIC), the Cochrane Library, the Joanna Briggs Institute Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, Scopus, Excerpta Medical Databases (Embase) and Academic Search Premier was conducted, followed by a reference search of relevant studies and a gray literature search of the Virginia Henderson Library, Google Scholar, Mednar, conference proceedings and websites. The initial key words searched were patient satisfaction, culturally focused, hospitals, Asian-American and adult. Data were extracted using a standardized critical appraisal checklist and data extraction instrument from the Joanna Briggs Institute. Due to the statistical and methodological heterogeneity between included studies, statistical meta-analysis was not possible. Results are presented in a narrative summary. Three descriptive studies were reviewed with sample sizes ranging from 107 to 19,583 and a total of 386 Asian participants. Two of the studies reported on nine measures of patient satisfaction, whereas the third provided data on four measures. The interventions identified were: communication between physician/registered nurse and patient, cultural services, Asian social workers, interpreters, and cultural food. The first study included intervention groups that were exposed to inpatient information on hospitalized Chinese cultural services compared to the "usual care" control. The percentage of patients' satisfaction in the group who knew about the services (95%) was significantly higher (p < 0.01). In the same study, patients' satisfaction with nurses was higher (95%) in patients with nurses who were aware of Chinese cultural services, compared to patients with nurses who were unaware (83%) (p < 0.01). The second study developed a survey measuring 'Level of Top Box' satisfaction of Chinese patients in Chinese unit ('Informed of Chinese Culture Service') and non-Chinese unit ('Usual Care') with the outcome measure for patient satisfaction without p value

  7. Asian-Chinese patient perceptions of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery cholecystectomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teoh, Anthony Yuen Bun; Ng, Enders Kwok Wai; Chock, Alana; Swanstrom, Lee; Varadarajulu, Shyam; Chiu, Philip Wai Yan

    2014-05-01

    Patient and physician perceptions of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) have been reported for the Western population. However, whether Asian-Chinese patients share the same perspectives as compared to the Western population is unknown. This was a cross-sectional survey carried out in the surgical outpatient's clinic at the Prince of Wales Hospital between June and September 2011. Patients were provided with an information leaflet and asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their perceptions of and preferences for NOTES cholecystectomy. Female patients attending the clinic were given an additional questionnaire regarding attitudes towards transvaginal surgery. Two hundred patients were recruited to complete the questionnaire(s) and the male to female ratio was 1:1. One hundred and fourteen patients (57%) preferred to undergo NOTES cholecystectomy for cosmetic reasons (P=0.009). Oral and anal routes were both acceptable for NOTES accesses in males and females. Forty-one percent of the female patients would consider transvaginal NOTES. Of these patients, significantly more patients indicated that the reason for choosing transvaginal NOTES was to minimize the risk of hernia (P=0.016) and to reduce pain associated with the procedure (P=0.017). The risk of complications (84.5%) and the cost of the procedure (58%) were considered the most important aspects when choosing a surgical approach by Asian-Chinese patients. Asian-Chinese preferred NOTES mainly for cosmetic reasons. However, the transvaginal route was less acceptable to females. Significant differences in patient perception on NOTES were observed between Asian-Chinese and Western patients. © 2013 The Authors. Digestive Endoscopy © 2013 Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.

  8. Efficacy of everolimus with exemestane versus exemestane alone in Asian patients with HER2-negative, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in BOLERO-2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noguchi, Shinzaburo; Masuda, Norikazu; Iwata, Hiroji; Mukai, Hirofumi; Horiguchi, Jun; Puttawibul, Puttisak; Srimuninnimit, Vichien; Tokuda, Yutaka; Kuroi, Katsumasa; Iwase, Hirotaka; Inaji, Hideo; Ohsumi, Shozo; Noh, Woo-Chul; Nakayama, Takahiro; Ohno, Shinji; Rai, Yoshiaki; Park, Byeong-Woo; Panneerselvam, Ashok; El-Hashimy, Mona; Taran, Tetiana; Sahmoud, Tarek; Ito, Yoshinori

    2014-11-01

    The addition of mTOR inhibitor everolimus (EVE) to exemestane (EXE) was evaluated in an international, phase 3 study (BOLERO-2) in patients with hormone-receptor-positive (HR(+)) breast cancer refractory to letrozole or anastrozole. The safety and efficacy of anticancer treatments may be influenced by ethnicity (Sekine et al. in Br J Cancer 99:1757-62, 2008). Safety and efficacy results from Asian versus non-Asian patients in BOLERO-2 are reported. Patients were randomized (2:1) to 10 mg/day EVE + EXE or placebo (PBO) + EXE. Primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints included overall survival, response rate, clinical benefit rate, and safety. Of 143 Asian patients, 98 received EVE + EXE and 45 received PBO + EXE. Treatment with EVE + EXE significantly improved median PFS versus PBO + EXE among Asian patients by 38 % (HR = 0.62; 95 % CI, 0.41-0.94). Median PFS was also improved among non-Asian patients by 59 % (HR = 0.41; 95 % CI, 0.33-0.50). Median PFS duration among EVE-treated Asian patients was 8.48 versus 4.14 months for PBO + EXE, and 7.33 versus 2.83 months, respectively, in non-Asian patients. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events (stomatitis, anemia, elevated liver enzymes, hyperglycemia, and dyspnea) occurred at similar frequencies in Asian and non-Asian patients. Grade 1/2 interstitial lung disease occurred more frequently in Asian patients. Quality of life was similar between treatment arms in Asian patients. Adding EVE to EXE provided substantial clinical benefit in both Asian and non-Asian patients with similar safety profiles. This combination represents an improvement in the management of postmenopausal women with HR(+)/HER2(-) advanced breast cancer progressing on nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors, regardless of ethnicity.

  9. Using Cognitive Testing to Develop Items for Surveying Asian American Cancer Patients and Their Caregivers as a Pathway to Culturally Competent Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolcic-Jankovic, Dragana; Lu, Fengxin; Colten, Mary Ellen; McCarthy, Ellen P

    2016-02-01

    We report the results from cognitive interviews with Asian American patients and their caregivers. We interviewed seven caregivers and six patients who were all bilingual Asian Americans. The main goal of the cognitive interviews was to test a survey instrument developed for a study about perspectives of Asian American patients with advanced cancer who are facing decisions around end-of-life care. We were particularly interested to see whether items commonly used in White and Black populations are culturally meaningful and equivalent in Asian populations, primarily those of Chinese and Vietnamese ethnicity. Our exploration shows that understanding respondents' language proficiency, degree of acculturation, and cultural context of receiving, processing, and communicating information about medical care can help design questions that are appropriate for Asian American patients and caregivers, and therefore can help researchers obtain quality data about the care Asian American cancer patients receive. © The Author(s) 2016.

  10. Klebsiella Pneumoniae Liver Abscess: A Case Series of Six Asian Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oikonomou, Katerina G; Aye, Myint

    2017-09-26

    BACKGROUND Liver abscesses represent a serious infection of hepatic parenchyma and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The emergence of a new hypervirulent variant of Klebsiella pneumoniae, which can cause serious infections in the Asian population, is under investigation. We report a case series of six Asian patients hospitalized at our institution from January 2013 to November 2015 for liver abscess due to Klebsiella pneumoniae. CASE REPORT Charts of six Asian patients were retrospectively reviewed. Four patients were male and two were female. The mean age was 53 years (range: 35-64 years). All patients had no known past medical history of immunodeficiency. Three patients had multiple liver abscesses at the time of initial presentation. In five patients, the source of entry of the pathogenic microorganism was unknown and in one patient the suspected source of entry was the gastrointestinal tract. In three patients there was also concomitant Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia. The mean duration of antibiotic treatment was seven weeks and the mean duration of hospital stay was 13.5 days. CONCLUSIONS Liver abscess should always be included in the differential diagnosis in cases of sepsis without obvious source and/or in the clinical scenarios of fever, abdominal pain, and liver lesions.

  11. Clinical and sociodemographic correlates of suicidality in patients with major depressive disorder from six Asian countries

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background East Asian countries have high suicide rates. However, little is known about clinical and sociodemographic factors associated with suicidality in Asian populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with suicidality in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) from six Asian countries. Methods The study cohort consisted of 547 outpatients with MDD. Patients presented to study sites in China (n = 114), South Korea (n = 101), Malaysia (n = 90), Singapore (n = 40), Thailand (n = 103), and Taiwan (n = 99). All patients completed the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), the Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the Global Severity Index(SCL-90R), the Fatigue Severity Scale, the 36-item short-form health survey, the Sheehan Disability Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Patients were classified as showing high suicidality if they scored ≥6 on the MINI suicidality module. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine sociodemographic and clinical factors related to high suicidality. Results One hundred and twenty-five patients were classed as high suicidality. Unemployed status (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.43, p suicidality. Hindu (adjusted OR 0.09, p suicidality. Conclusions A variety of sociodemographic and clinical factors were associated with high suicidality in Asian patients with MDD. These factors may facilitate the identification of MDD patients at risk of suicide. PMID:24524225

  12. Managing blood pressure control in Asian patients: safety and efficacy of losartan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheung, Tommy Tsang; Cheung, Bernard Man Yung

    2014-01-01

    Hypertension is common in Asian populations and is a major cause of cardiovascular diseases. The prevalence of hypertension is increasing in many Asian countries. The overall prevalence of hypertension in India and the People's Republic of China has been estimated to be 20.6% in men and 22.6% in women. However, the rates of detection, treatment, and control of hypertension remain low in Asia. This reflects a low level of literacy and education, as well as a low level of access to medical care. To overcome these obstacles, strategies targeted at education, promotion, and optimization of medical care, are crucial to achieve target blood pressure control. Angiotensin receptor blockers are one of the first-line treatments for essential hypertension because they confer better cardiovascular outcomes. Losartan has been widely evaluated for the management of hypertension. Although some studies suggested that the blood pressure-lowering effect of losartan is perhaps lower than for other angiotensin receptor blockers, losartan has been demonstrated to be beneficial in terms of renal protection in patients with diabetes, heart failure resulting from either systolic or diastolic dysfunction, and diuretic-induced hyperuricemia. However, most of these data were obtained from Caucasian populations. The efficacy and safety of losartan in Asian populations may be different because of genetic and ethnic variations. Therefore, the efficacy and safety of losartan in Asian patients with hypertension warrant further study.

  13. Suicidal thoughts/acts and clinical correlates in patients with depressive disorders in Asians: results from the REAP-AD study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Seon-Cheol; Lee, Min-Soo; Hahn, Sang Woo; Si, Tian-Mei; Kanba, Shigenobu; Chong, Mian-Yoon; Yoon, Chee Kok; Udomratn, Pichet; Tripathi, Adarsh; Sartorius, Norman; Shinfuku, Naotaka; Maramis, Margarita M; Park, Yong Chon

    2016-12-01

    Using data from the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns for Antidepressants (REAP-AD) study, we aimed to present the rates and clinical correlates of suicidal thoughts/acts in patients recruited from a total of 40 centres in 10 Asian countries/areas: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Data from 1122 patients with depressive disorders in the REAP-AD study were used. The ICD-10 was employed to diagnose depressive episodes and recurrent depressive disorder. The presence or absence of suicidal thoughts/acts and profile of other depressive symptoms was established using the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for depression. Country/area differences in rates of suicidal thoughts/acts were evaluated with the χ2 test. In addition, depressive symptom profiles, other clinical characteristics, and patterns of psychotropic drug prescription in depressed patients with and without suicidal thoughts/acts were compared using analysis of covariance for continuous variables and logistic regression analysis for discrete variables to adjust the effects of covariates. The rates of suicidal thoughts/acts in 10 countries/areas varied from 12.8% in Japan to 36.3% in China. Patients with suicidal thoughts/acts presented more persistent sadness (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=2.64, p<0.001), loss of interest (aOR=2.33, p<0.001), fatigue (aOR=1.58, p<0.001), insomnia (aOR=1.74, p<0.001), poor concentration (aOR=1.88, p<0.001), low self-confidence (aOR=1.78, p<0.001), poor appetite (aOR=2.27, p<0.001), guilt/self-blame (aOR=3.03, p<0.001), and use of mood stabilisers (aOR=1.79, p<0.001) than those without suicidal thoughts/acts. Suicidal thoughts/acts can indicate greater severity of depression, and are associated with a poorer response to antidepressants and increased burden of illness. Hence, suicidal thoughts/acts can provide a clinical index reflecting the clinical status of depressive

  14. Use of clozapine in older Asian patients with schizophrenia between 2001 and 2009.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu-Tao Xiang

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: To date there has been no large-scale international study that examined the use of clozapine in older patients with schizophrenia. This study examined the use of clozapine and its demographic and clinical correlates in older patients with schizophrenia in East Asia during the period between 2001 and 2009. METHOD: Information on 1,157 hospitalized patients with schizophrenia aged 50 or older in five East Asian countries and territories (China, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan was extracted from the database of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns (REAP project. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics and prescription of psychotropic medications were recorded. RESULTS: Clozapine was prescribed for 20.6% of the pooled sample; 19.0% in 2001, 19.4% in 2004 and 22.9% in 2009. Multiple logistic regression analysis of the whole sample revealed that patients taking clozapine had a longer duration of illness, more negative symptoms and were less likely to receive first generation antipsychotic and anticholinergic drugs, but more likely to report weight gain compared to those not receiving clozapine. Compared to those in other sites, older patients in China were more likely to receive clozapine. CONCLUSIONS: The prescription of clozapine for older Asian schizophrenia inpatients has remained at a stable level during the past decade. The appropriateness of use of clozapine in China needs to be further explored.

  15. Patient and provider characteristics associated with colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer screening among Asian Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Caroline A; Gomez, Scarlett Lin; Chan, Albert; Chan, John K; McClellan, Sean R; Chung, Sukyung; Olson, Cliff; Nimbal, Vani; Palaniappan, Latha P

    2014-11-01

    Routinely recommended screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers can significantly reduce mortality from these types of cancer, yet screening is underutilized among Asians. Surveys rely on self-report and often are underpowered for analysis by Asian ethnicities. Electronic health records (EHR) include validated (as opposed to recall-based) rates of cancer screening. In this article, we seek to better understand cancer screening patterns in a population of insured Asian Americans. We calculated rates of compliance with cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer screening among Asians from an EHR population and compared them with non-Hispanic whites. We performed multivariable modeling to evaluate potential predictors (at the provider- and patient-level) of screening completion among Asian patients. Aggregation of Asian subgroups masked heterogeneity in screening rates. Asian Indians and native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders had the lowest rates of screening in our sample, well below that of non-Hispanic whites. In multivariable analyses, screening completion was negatively associated with patient-physician language discordance for mammography [OR, 0.81; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.71-0.92] and colorectal cancer screening (OR, 0.79; CI, 0.72-0.87) and positively associated with patient-provider gender concordance for mammography (OR, 1.16; CI, 1.00-1.34) and cervical cancer screening (OR, 1.66; CI, 1.51-1.82). In addition, patient enrollment in online health services increased mammography (OR, 1.32; CI, 1.20-1.46) and cervical cancer screening (OR, 1.31; CI, 1.24-1.37). Language- and gender-concordant primary care providers and culturally tailored online health resources may help improve preventive cancer screening in Asian patient populations. This study demonstrates how the use of EHR data can inform investigations of primary prevention practices within the healthcare delivery setting. ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

  16. Differences in social support and illness perceptions among South Asian and Caucasian patients with coronary artery disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grewal, Keerat; Stewart, Donna E; Grace, Sherry L

    2010-01-01

    Social support and illness perceptions may affect recovery from a cardiac event or procedure. Previous research has found that patients of South Asian origin with coronary artery disease (CAD) have lower levels of social support and may perceive different causes of their condition. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively investigate differences in social support and illness perceptions between Caucasian and South Asian patients with CAD. A total of 562 inpatients with CAD (53 [9%] South Asian) were recruited from 2 hospitals. The Medical Outcomes Study social support scale and Illness Perception Questionnaire were administered to examine ethnocultural differences in total social support and subscales, and in illness perceptions subscales, including causes of illness. South Asian participants had significantly lower levels of tangible (P=.001) and emotional/informational support (P stress/worry (P=.04) and poor medical care in the past (P=.02) and less likely to attribute their illness to aging (P=.03) compared with Caucasian participants. Lower levels of social support among South Asians in Canada may have negative effects on recovery and prognosis. Our results support qualitative findings suggesting South Asians perceive their illness to be a result of fate or related to stress. Future studies should investigate interventions targeted at modifying illness perceptions among this group in an attempt to improve risk-reducing behavior and secondary prevention use. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Black patients sustain vision loss while White and South Asian patients gain vision following delamination or segmentation surgery for tractional complications associated with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mastropasqua, R; Luo, Y H-L; Cheah, Y S; Egan, C; Lewis, J J; da Cruz, L

    2017-10-01

    PurposeThis retrospective comparative case series aims to determine whether patient ethnicity (White versus South Asian versus Black) is related to the outcome of surgical treatment for traction complications of severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).SettingMoorfields Eye Hospital London, UK.MethodsAll patients who underwent vitrectomy with, delamination and/or segmentation for PDR over a 5-year period (2009-2014) were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were divided into White, South Asian or Black groups, and their age, gender, HbA1C and type of diabetes were recorded. A total of 484 patients (253 White, 117 South Asian, 114 Black) were included. Twenty-one patients were excluded due to inadequate documentation.OutcomesLogMAR Visual acuity (converted from Snellen) (VA), was recorded pre-operatively and ~6 months post surgery (range 5-8 months). Surgical outcome was classified according to the type and duration of tamponade required post-operatively.ResultsPre-operative VA and HbA1C values were similar across all three ethnic groups (P=0.64 and 0.569, respectively). Change in VA (mean±SD) was 0.41±0.78, 0.14±0.76 and -0.26±0.57 in White, South Asian and Black patient groups respectively (PAsian patient groups.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that Black patients on average lose vision following delamination surgery for traction complications of PDR while White and South Asian patients gain vision. The same group is also at higher risk of retaining silicone more than 6 months after surgery. This difference remains even when corrected for glycaemic control. The higher risk of visual loss and long-term retention of silicone oil in black patients requires further investigation. If these results are confirmed, surgeons should consider their patients' ethnicity before proceeding with surgical treatment of diabetic tractional detachment.

  18. Asian over-representation among patients with hemifacial spasm compared to patients with cranial-cervical dystonia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Yuncheng; Davidson, Anthony L; Pan, Tianhong; Jankovic, Joseph

    2010-11-15

    Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a common movement disorder, but its prevalence in different populations has not been elucidated. We reviewed all patients with HFS currently followed at the Baylor College of Medicine Movement Disorders Clinic and compared their demographic and clinical data with a control group of patients with cranial-cervical dystonia (CD). In contrast to patients with CD (N=145, mean age 48.64±13.61 years), of whom 117 (80.69%) were Caucasians, 13 (8.97%) Hispanic, 10 (6.90%) African-American, and 5 (3.45%) were of Asian origin, there were 81 (61.36%) Caucasians, 24 (18.18%) Hispanic, 13 (9.85%) African-Americans, and 14 (10.61%) Asians in the HFS group (N=132, mean age 49.33±13.25). Although there was no statistical difference in the age and gender distribution between the two groups, the frequency of Asians in HFS group was 3.1 times higher than that in CD group (Pmovement disorder. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Do Asian renal transplant patients need another mycophenolate mofetil dose compared with Caucasian or African American patients?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Pengmei; Shuker, Nauras; Hesselink, Dennis A; van Schaik, Ron H N; Zhang, Xianglin; van Gelder, Teun

    2014-10-01

    Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is used to prevent acute rejection following solid organ transplantation in transplant centers all over the world. Patients from different ethnic backgrounds are treated with this drug, for which therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) has not become the standard of practice in most centers. Whether or not some ethnic groups require a different MMF dose has been a topic of debate in recent years. In this review, it is shown that Asian patients, compared with Caucasian patients, with a comparable MMF dose reach higher mycophenolic acid (MPA) exposure. Also clinical experience points toward more adverse events in case of treatment with 1 g MMF bid in Asian patients, and therefore, for this ethnic group, a lower maintenance dose seems justified. In contrast, African American patients reach similar drug concentrations as Caucasians patients receiving the same MMF dose, but due to immunological reasons, they require a higher MMF dose to reach comparable acute rejection incidences. When TDM is performed, clinicians can correct the dose and compensate for interethnic differences in drug exposure. Otherwise, it is important to choose the right dose. This optimal dose is 20-46% lower in Asian transplant recipients than in Caucasian or African American patients. © 2014 Steunstichting ESOT.

  20. Psychotherapy with Southeast Asian refugees: implications for treatment of Western patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerber, L

    1994-01-01

    Working with Southeast Asian refugees in psychotherapy can teach Western psychotherapists how our culture-impacted notions of health, psychopathology, and psychotherapy influence the way we hear, understand, and respond to our patients. Western conceptions of individual boundaries, family ties, the relationship of mind and body, and ways of knowing are among the issues that arise for the Western psychotherapist who works with Southeast Asian refugees. While we in the West have seen rapid technological advances, we also have suffered dislocations, change, and the loss of traditional bases of meaning. Yet despite the differences, there are also elements within Western culture that resonate with what are usually considered "Asian" ways. These include the self-in-relation concepts described by feminist writers and the attitude of therapist as learner described by some contemporary psychoanalysts as well as by a contemporary Western philosopher. Refugees and Western patients alike want their unique faces "seen" and hope to birth new and expanded meanings in their psychotherapeutic dialogues.

  1. Doctors in a Southeast Asian country communicate sub-optimally regardless of patients' educational background.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claramita, Mora; Dalen, Jan Van; Van Der Vleuten, Cees Pm

    2011-12-01

    To explore the relationship between the style of doctor-patient communication and patients' educational background in a Southeast Asian teaching hospital setting using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS). We analyzed a total of 245 audio-taped consultations involving 30 internal medicine residents with 7-10 patients each in the internal medicine outpatient clinics. The patients were categorized into a group with a high and a group with a low educational level. We ranked the data into 41 RIAS utterances and RIAS-based composite categories in order of observed frequency during consultations. The residents invariantly used a paternalistic style irrespective of patients' educational background. The RIAS utterances and the composite categories show no significant relationship between communication style and patients' educational level. Doctors in a Southeast Asian country use a paternalistic communication style during consultations, regardless of patients' educational background. To approach a more partnership doctor-patient communication, culture and clinical environment concern of Southeast Asian should be further investigated. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Ethnic differences in the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy combined with medication: Comparing Asian American and white psychiatric patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Jennifer Y; Li, Chieh; Rodgers, Rachel F; Ballou, Mary

    2016-12-01

    Several meta-analyses have demonstrated the effectiveness of treatment utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) combined with medication. There is, however, a paucity of research comparing the effectiveness of this combined treatment with psychiatric patients from different ethnic backgrounds. This study is the first of its kind to compare the effectiveness of CBT combined with medication for Asian American and White patients' psychiatric symptom severity levels of depression, anxiety, psychological well-being, and quality of life. The study examined the effects of CBT combined with medication for 43 Asian American and 43 White Non-Hispanic patients at an acute psychiatric partial hospital. A 2×2 between-within repeated measures analysis of variance was used. Results indicated significant improvement after treatment in all symptom categories assessed for the Asian American and White patients. The findings displayed trends over the course of treatment toward a greater decrease in anxiety symptoms among Asian patients but a larger increase in functioning level among White patients. In conclusion, the findings from this study provide preliminary cross-cultural support for CBT combined with medication as a treatment in partial hospital settings and suggest that the effectiveness of such treatments is similar across cultural groups. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  3. Present and future connection of Asian-Pacific Oscillation to large-scale atmospheric circulations and East Asian rainfall: results of CMIP5

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Botao; Xu, Ying; Shi, Ying

    2018-01-01

    The summer Asian-Pacific oscillation (APO), one of the major modes of climate variability over the Asian-Pacific sector, has a pronounced effect on variations of large-scale atmospheric circulations and climate. This study evaluated the capability of 30 state-of-the-art climate models among the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) in simulating its association with the atmospheric circulations over the Asian-Pacific region and the precipitation over East Asia. Furthermore, their future connections under the RCP8.5 scenario were examined. The evaluation results show that 5 out of 30 climate models can well capture the observed APO-related features in a comprehensive way, including the strengthened South Asian high (SAH), deepened North Pacific trough (NPT) and northward East Asian jet (EAJ) in the upper troposphere; an intensification of the Asian low and the North Pacific subtropical high (NPSH) as well as a northward shift of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) in the lower troposphere; and a decrease in East Asian summer rainfall (EASR) under the positive APO phase. Based on the five CMIP5 models' simulations, the dynamic linkages of the APO to the SAH, NPT, AL, and NPSH are projected to maintain during the second half of the twenty-first century. However, its connection with the EASR tends to reduce significantly. Such a reduction might result from the weakening of the linkage of the APO to the meridional displacement of the EAJ and WPSH as a response to the warming scenario.

  4. What next after basal insulin? Treatment intensification with lixisenatide in Asian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Wing B; Luk, Andrea; Chow, Wing S; Yeung, Vincent T F

    2017-06-01

    There is increasing evidence that the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Asian patients differs from that in Western patients, with early phase insulin deficiencies, increased postprandial glucose excursions, and increased sensitivity to insulin. Asian patients may also experience higher rates of gastrointestinal adverse events associated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), such as nausea and vomiting, compared with their Western counterparts. These factors should be taken into consideration when selecting therapy for basal insulin treatment intensification in Asian patients. However, the majority of studies to establish various agents for treatment intensification in T2DM have been conducted in predominantly Western populations, and the levels of evidence available in Chinese or Asian patients are limited. This review discusses the different mechanisms of action of short-acting, prandial, and long-acting GLP-1RAs in addressing hyperglycemia, and describes the rationale and available clinical data for basal insulin in combination with the short-acting prandial GLP-1RA lixisenatide, with a focus on treatment of Asian patients with T2DM. © 2016 Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  5. Asian motility studies in irritable bowel syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Oh Young

    2010-04-01

    Altered motility remains one of the important pathophysiologic factors in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who commonly complain of abdominal pain and stool changes such as diarrhea and constipation. The prevalence of IBS has increased among Asian populations these days. Gastrointestinal (GI) physiology may vary between Asian and Western populations because of differences in diets, socio-cultural backgrounds, and genetic factors. The characteristics and differences of GI dysmotility in Asian IBS patients were reviewed. MEDLINE search work was performed including following terms, 'IBS,' 'motility,' 'transit time,' 'esophageal motility,' 'gastric motility,' 'small intestinal motility,' 'colonic motility,' 'anorectal function,' and 'gallbladder motility' and over 100 articles were categorized under 'esophagus,' 'stomach,' 'small intestine,' 'colon,' 'anorectum,' 'gallbladder,' 'transit,' 'motor pattern,' and 'effect of stressors.' Delayed gastric emptying, slow tansit in constipation predominant IBS patients, rapid transit in diarrhea predominant IBS patients, accelerated motility responses to various stressors such as meals, mental stress, or corticotrophin releasing hormones, and altered rectal compliance and altered rectal accomodation were reported in many Asian studies regarding IBS. Many conflicting results were found among these studies and there are still controversies to conclude these as unique features of Asian IBS patients. Multinational and multicenter studies are needed to be performed vigorously in order to elaborate characteristics as well as differences of altered motililty in Asian patients with IBS.

  6. Understanding adherence-related beliefs about medicine amongst patients of South Asian origin with diabetes and cardiovascular disease patients: a qualitative synthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Kanta; Greenfield, Sheila; Raza, Karim; Gill, Paramjit; Stack, Rebecca

    2016-05-26

    Prevalence of diabetes and cardiovascular (CVD) disease amongst UK South Asians is higher than in the general population. Non-adherence to medicines may lead to poor clinical outcomes for South Asian patients with diabetes and CVD. To understand the decision making processes associated with taking medicines, a qualitative systematic meta-synthesis exploring medicine taking behaviours, and beliefs was undertaken. Four databases (Medline, Embase, Science Citation Index and CINAHL) were searched to identify qualitative studies of South Asian patients taking diabetic medicines. Data were thematic coded and synthesised. The following themes were identified: [1] beliefs about the need for and efficacy of medicines; [2] toxicity of medicines and polypharmacy; [3] the necessity of traditional remedies versus "western medicines"; [4] stigma and social support; and [5] communication. South Asians described cultural social stigma associated with diabetes and reported fears about drug toxicity as barriers to taking medicines. Cultural beliefs about traditional remedies and interactions with healthcare professionals also appeared to play a role in the way people made decisions about medicines. Advice should be tailored provided to South Asian patients highlighting the long term consequences of diabetes and CVD.

  7. Incretin-based therapies for type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian patients: Analysis of clinical trials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melva Louisa

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Aim To review the effi cacy and safety data on incretin-based therapies currently available (exenatide, liraglutide, sitagliptin, vildagliptin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian population.Methods We conducted Medline search of all relevant randomized clinical trials of incretin-based therapies for type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian populations. Data pertinent to the efficacy and safety of GLP-1 mimetics and DPP-4 inhibitors were extracted and used.Results We found 14 randomized controlled trials of incretin based-therapy which included 3567 type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian population (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Indian. It was shown that incretin-based therapies improved HbA1c at higher extent (up to -1.42% in exenatide 10 mcg bid, -1.85% for liraglutide 0.9 mg qd, -1.4% for sitagliptin 100 mg and -1.4% for vildagliptin 50 mg bid compared to the effects observed in studies with Caucasian population, with comparable safety profile.Conclusion The efficacy of incretin-based therapies in Asian patients improved glycemic parameters in a higher magnitude on some glycemic parameters compared with those in Caucasian population. These results indicate that incretin-based therapies may be more effective in Asian population than in Caucasian. (Med J Indones 2010; 19: 205-12Key words: exenatide, incretin, liraglutide, sitagliptin, type-2 diabetes, vildagliptin

  8. Air quality improvement during 2010 Asian games on blood coagulability in COPD patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zili; Wang, Jian; Guo, Meihua; Xiong, Mingmei; Zhou, Qipeng; Li, Defu; Shu, Jiaze; Lu, Wenju; Sun, Dejun

    2016-04-01

    Exposure to elevated levels of ambient air pollutants can lead to adverse cardiovascular effects. Perturbation of the coagulation balance is one of the potential mechanisms. However, evidence regarding the impact of improvement in air pollution on blood coagulability in COPD patients has never been reported. Coagulation processes are known to be of relevance for cardiovascular pathology; therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association of short-term air pollution exposure with blood marker (D-dimer) of coagulation. A 3-year (through the Asian game) cohort study based on the GIRD COPD Biobank Project was conducted in 36 COPD patients to estimate whether changes in measurements of D-dimer were associated with changes in pollutant concentration, comparing for 51 intervention days (November 1-December 21) in 2010 with the same calendar date of baseline years (2009 and 2011). Daily mean concentrations of air pollutants and meteorological variables were measured during the time. Daily PM10 decreased from 65.86 μg/m(3) during the baseline period to 62.63 μg/m(3) during the Asian Games period; daily NO2 decreased from 51.33 to 42.63 μg/m(3). SO2 and other weather variables did not differ substantially. We did not observe statistically significant improvements in D-dimer levels by 9.86% from a pre-Asian game mean of 917 ng/ml to a during-Asian game mean of 1007 ng/ml, platelet number by 11.66%, PH by -0.15%, PCO2 by -6.54%, and PO2 by -1.16%. In the post-Asian game period, when pollutant concentrations increased, most outcomes approximated pre-Asian game levels, and similar effects were also demonstrated in D-dimer, platelet number, and arterial blood gas. For D-dimer and platelet number, we observed statistically significant increases associated with increases in NO2 at lag 1-3 and SO2 at lag 2-4. For PH, PCO2, and PO2, any significant effect was not demonstrated. This study gives no support to the hypothesis that reduction in air pollution levels during the

  9. Prostate Cancer Prognostic Factors Among Asian Patients Born in the US Compared to Those Born Abroad.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Junjun; Goodman, Michael; Jemal, Ahemdin; Fedewa, Stacey A

    2015-06-01

    US surveillance data indicate that incidence of prostate cancer differs by place of birth among Asian men. However, it is less clear if the prognostic factors for prostate cancer also differ by place of birth. The study included 7,824 Asian prostate cancer patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2009 and reported to the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the relation of place of birth (foreign born vs. US born) to three outcomes: prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, Gleason score, and T classification, adjusting for age, marital status, Rural-Urban Continuum Code, and SEER registry. All outcome variables were binary using different cutoffs: ≥ 4, ≥ 10 and ≥ 20 ng/ml for PSA; ≥ 7 and ≥ 8 for Gleason score; and ≥ T2 and ≥ T3 for T classification. Elevated PSA was more common among foreign born Asian men regardless of the cut point used. In the analysis comparing foreign born versus US born patients by ethnic group, the association with PSA was most pronounced at cut point of ≥ 20 ng/ml for Chinese men (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.02-2.75), and at cut point of ≥ 4 ng/ml for Japanese men (OR 2.73, 95% CI 1.20-6.21). A statistically significant association with Gleason score was only found for Japanese men and only for the cutoff ≥ 7 (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.12-2.61). There was no difference in clinical T classification between foreign-born and US-born Asian men. Inclusion of cases with missing place of birth or restriction of data to those who underwent radical prostatectomy did not substantially change the results. The data suggest that foreign-born Asian prostate cancer patients may have moderately elevated PSA levels at diagnosis compared with their US born counterparts. For the other prognostic markers, the associations were less consistent and did not form a discernible pattern.

  10. Efficacy and safety of atorvastatin in South Asian patients with dyslipidemia: an open label noncomparative pilot study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeetesh V Patel

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available Jeetesh V Patel1, Sandeep Gupta2, Frank Lie3, Elizabeth A Hughes11Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, West Bromwich, UK; 2Whipps Cross and St Bartholomew’s Hospitals; and 3Whipps Cross University Hospital, London, UKBackground: Rates of coronary heart disease (CHD mortality are 40% higher amongst South Asian men and women living in the UK compared with the general UK population. Despite an established excess CHD risk, little is known of the efficacy and safety of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins amongst South Asian migrants.Methods and results: Hyperlipidemic South Asian patients (raised or uncontrolled lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C] were recruited from two UK centers (n = 33. After a five-week period, which included dietary advice, patients received atorvastatin 10 mg/d for five weeks to achieve a target LDL-C goal of < 3.0 mmol/L, titrated to 20 mg, 40 mg, or 80 mg for a further 12 weeks as required. Significant reductions in LDL-C levels from baseline were observed after 4 weeks’ and 17 weeks’ treatment with atorvastatin (≥ 33.6%; 26.0, 41.2. Overall, 81% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 62.5, 92.6% achieved the target LDL-C after 4 weeks’ treatment with 10 mg atorvastatin. Titration to a dose of more than 20 mg was required in only one patient (40 mg at any point during the study. Nineteen patients reported at least one adverse event during the study; the majority were mild in severity and considered unrelated to atorvastatin.Conclusions: Atorvastatin was effective in achieving target lipid levels and was well tolerated. Statin therapy for high-risk South Asian individuals is likely to benefit CHD outcomes, although further and larger prospective trials are required.Keywords: hyperlipidemia, lipids, cholesterol, dyslipidemia, statins, coronary heart disease, South Asians

  11. Efficacy of a brief nurse-led pilot psychosocial intervention for newly diagnosed Asian cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahendran, Rathi; Lim, Haikel A; Tan, Joyce Y S; Chua, Joanne; Lim, Siew Eng; Ang, Emily N K; Kua, Ee Heok

    2015-08-01

    Cancer patients experience distress and high levels of psychosocial concerns. However, in Asian countries like Singapore, patients are often unwilling to seek support and help from mental healthcare professionals, but, instead, are more willing to confide in nurses. This quasi-experimental study developed and tested the efficacy of a brief nurse-led psychosocial intervention to alleviate these patients' distress, minor psychiatric morbidity, and psychosocial concerns. The semi-structured intervention comprised 20- to 30-minute face-to-face sessions with trained oncology nurses, monthly for 2 months and then bimonthly for 4 months. Patients received psycho-education on symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression and counseling and were taught behavioral techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and positive self-talk. The results of this study found that patients who received the intervention had reduced distress, depression, and anxiety levels and improved quality of life (QOL) at 6 months. Although further research is necessary to explore the efficacy and viability of this intervention, findings support brief nurse-led psycho-educational interventions in Asian settings especially for cancer patients reluctant to seek help from mental health professionals.

  12. Impact of PNPLA3 and IFNL3 polymorphisms on hepatic steatosis in Asian patients with chronic hepatitis C.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chao-Min Huang

    Full Text Available A recent meta-analysis revealed that the genotype PNPLA3 rs738409 GG is associated with a higher risk of hepatic steatosis (HS in Caucasian patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC. However, controversial results were found regarding Asian populations. Furthermore, previous studies have shown a negative association between interferon lambda 3 (IFNL3 rs12979860 CC and HS in Caucasian CHC patients, but there have been no reports indicating any such association in Asian populations. In this study, then, we investigated the association of PNPLA3 and IFNL3 polymorphisms with HS in Asian CHC patients.We enrolled consecutive CHC patients who underwent liver biopsy prior to antiviral therapy. We excluded those patients with decompensated liver disease, any co-existing chronic liver disease, or HIV or HBV co-infection.1080 CHC patients were enrolled, and HS was found in 453 (41.9% patients. The frequency distribution of the G allele was significantly associated with HS (P<0.001, and this conferred a higher risk to G allele homozygotes (OR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.46-2.88, P <0.001 than to G allele carriers (OR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.52-2.58, P<0.001. There was a borderline significant difference in the prevalence of HS in rs12979860 CC versus non-CC (40.8% versus 49.3%, P = 0.059. After adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, and excessive alcohol intake, the rs738409 G allele homozygote carriers still carried a higher risk for HS (OR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.35-2.77, P = 0.003.The PNPLA3 rs738409 GG genotype is positively associated with HS, while the IFNL3 rs 12979860 CC genotype may be negatively associated with HS, in Asian CHC patients.

  13. Gender Differences in Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices towards Cardiovascular Disease and its Treatment among Asian Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Tong; Teo, Tse Yean; Yap, Jonathan Jl; Yeo, Khung Keong

    2017-01-01

    Introduction : Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) impact on cardiac disease outcomes, with noted cultural and gender differences. In this Asian cohort, we aimed to analyse the KAP of patients towards cardiac diseases and pertinent factors that influence such behaviour, focusing on gender differences. Materials and Methods : A cross-sectional survey was performed among consecutive outpatients from a cardiac clinic over 2 months in 2014. Results : Of 1406 patients approached, 1000 (71.1%) responded (mean age 57.0 ± 12.7 years, 713 [71.3%] males). There was significant correlation between knowledge and attitude scores (r = 0.224, P Asian cohort, knowledge of cardiovascular health plays a significant role in influencing attitudes and practices. There exists significant gender differences in KAP. Adopting gender-specific strategies for future public health campaigns could address the above gender differences.

  14. Coeliac disease in Asians in a single centre in southern Derbyshire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmes, Geoffrey KT; Moor, Fiona

    2012-01-01

    Background Coeliac disease affects adult Asians from north India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in the UK but how commonly this occurs is unknown. An audit of coeliac disease was therefore conducted in a well-defined area in southern Derbyshire. Methods All white and Asian patients with biopsy-confirmed coeliac disease diagnosed between 1958 and 2008 were identified. Population data from the Office of National Statistics allowed the calculation of prevalence. Presenting symptoms, adherence to a gluten-free diet and follow-up record were determined for Asians and compared with matched white patients. Results Among 1305 coeliac patients diagnosed between 1958 and 2008, 82 were Asian. Coeliac disease occurred significantly more frequently in Asian than white individuals and this could be attributed to the significantly higher prevalence in women 16 years and older and under 60 years of age. No Asian man over the age of 65 years was diagnosed with coeliac disease. Asians are more likely to present with anaemia and less likely to present with diarrhoea than white individuals. Asians are less likely to adhere to a strict gluten-free diet than white patients. Conclusions This baseline audit indicates that increased efforts should be directed towards diagnosing coeliac disease in Asian men over the age of 65 years, in whom at present it is unrepresented. Strategies also need to be developed to help more Asian patients adhere strictly to the gluten-free diet. PMID:28839681

  15. Fractional resurfacing in the Asian patient: Current state of the art.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wat, Heidi; Wu, Douglas C; Chan, Henry Hin Lee

    2017-01-01

    Fractionated photothermolysis (FP) has revolutionized modern laser technology. By creating selective columns of microthermal damage, fractionated devices allows for greater treatment depths to be achieved without the prolonged downtime and risk of complications seen in traditional fully ablative laser resurfacing. Fractional resurfacing is a proven method to treat a variety of cutaneous conditions. In the Caucasian patient, a wide range of devices and treatment settings can be utilized safely and effectively. However, ethnic skin requires special consideration due to its unique pigmentary characteristics and clinical presentations. In this review article, we detail the current indications and strategies to optimize results and mitigate complications when utilizing fractional resurfacing for the Asian patient. A review of the MEDLINE English literature was conducted on fractionated laser devices studied in the Asian population. Articles included describe non-ablative devices including fractionated erbium glass, thulium fiber, diode, and radiofrequency devices; and ablative devices including fractionated carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) laser, erbium yttrium aluminum garnet and yttrium scandium gallium garnet (YSGG) laser. These data were integrated with the expert opinion of the authors. Taking into account the unique characteristics and cosmetic concerns of the Asian population, fractional resurfacing can be considered a safe and effective option for the treatment of atrophic and hypertrophic scarring, and photorejuvenation in ethnic skin types. Select cases of melasma may be treated with fractionated non-ablative devices, but utilized with caution. The predominant complication associated with fractional resurfacing for these conditions is post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) and rebound worsening of melasma. A greater number of treatments at lower density settings and wider treatment intervals typically produce the lowest risks of PIH without compromising treatment

  16. Cardiovascular disease and diabetes in patients with African or Asian background.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aambø, Arild; Klemsdal, Tor Ole

    2017-11-28

    Population groups of different ancestry appear to have varying prevalence of diabetes, different risks of developing cardiovascular disease and different responses to certain drugs that are used for these conditions. We wished to review the literature in this field. We have performed searches in several databases for systematic review articles published from the year 2000 onwards, and supplemented these with articles from reference lists, our own literature archives and a pyramid search in the Norwegian Electronic Health Library database. Altogether 37 articles were included. With regard to diagnosed diabetes, the prevalence of coronary heart disease and stroke varies among groups of South Asian, East Asian, African and European ancestry. In patients of South Asian ancestry, the risk of coronary heart disease appears to be twice that of Europeans, and the disease occurs 5–10 years earlier. The prevalence of stroke is especially high in persons of African ancestry. Risk factors such as dyslipidemia and hypertension are distributed differently among these groups. The therapeutic response to drugs such as beta blockers, ACE inhibitors and various statins differs; for example, statin doses in Asians may often be halved in relation to those used for Caucasians, and ACE inhibitors are not recommended as monotherapy for hypertension in persons of African ancestry. These differences are partly attributable to variations in genetic disposition. The findings are clinically significant – better insight in this field enables optimal tailoring of treatment for each patient, with more rapid achievement of goals and reduced risk of adverse effects. The recommendations given in this article are consistent with and complement the Directorate of Health’s revised guidelines for the treatment of diabetes.

  17. Progression-free survival results in postmenopausal Asian women: subgroup analysis from a phase III randomized trial of fulvestrant 500 mg vs anastrozole 1 mg for hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer (FALCON).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noguchi, Shinzaburo; Ellis, Matthew J; Robertson, John F R; Thirlwell, Jackie; Fazal, Mehdi; Shao, Zhimin

    2018-05-01

    The international, phase III FALCON study (NCT01602380) in postmenopausal patients with hormone receptor-positive, locally advanced/metastatic breast cancer (LA/MBC) who had not received prior endocrine therapy, demonstrated statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) for patients who received fulvestrant 500 mg vs anastrozole 1 mg. This subgroup analysis evaluated PFS in Asian (randomized in China, Japan, or Taiwan) and non-Asian patients from the FALCON study. Eligible patients (estrogen receptor- and/or progesterone receptor-positive LA/MBC; World Health Organization performance status 0-2; ≥ 1 measurable/non-measurable lesion[s]) were randomized. PFS was assessed via Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours version 1.1, surgery/radiotherapy for disease worsening, or death (any cause). Secondary endpoints included: objective response rate, clinical benefit rate, duration of response, and duration of clinical benefit. Consistency of effect across subgroups was assessed via hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a log-rank test. Adverse events (AEs) were evaluated. Of the 462 randomized patients, the Asian and non-Asian subgroups comprised 67 and 395 patients, respectively. In the Asian subgroup, median PFS was 16.6 and 15.9 months with fulvestrant and anastrozole, respectively (hazard ratio 0.81; 95% CI 0.44-1.50). In the non-Asian subgroup, median PFS was 16.5 and 13.8 months, respectively (hazard ratio 0.79; 95% CI 0.62-1.01). Secondary outcomes were numerically improved with fulvestrant vs anastrozole in both subgroups. AE profiles were generally consistent between Asian and non-Asian subgroups. Results of this subgroup analysis suggest that treatment effects in the Asian patient subgroup are broadly consistent with the non-Asian population.

  18. Epidemiology of abdominal aortic aneurysms in the Asian community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spark, J I; Baker, J L; Vowden, P; Wilkinson, D

    2001-03-01

    Studies relating to the ethnic origin of patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) are few and are mainly concerned with the differences between black and white Americans. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the incidence of AAA among the Asian population of Bradford is different from that in the Caucasian population. A retrospective study of patients with an AAA was carried out between 1990 and 1997 using data collected by the Patient Administrative Service, personal databases of the vascular consultants and theatre records. Information about the ethnic composition of the population of Bradford was obtained from the 1991 national census. Demographic data, including ethnic origin and clinical details, were obtained from patient notes. Two hundred and thirty-three patients with an AAA were identified during the study interval. The Asian population comprised 14.0 per cent of the total population of Bradford. Twenty-eight AAAs would be expected per year. All of the aneurysms identified occurred in the Caucasian population and none in the Asian community. These early results suggest that AAA is rare among the Asian population.

  19. Care and outcomes of Asian-American acute myocardial infarction patients: findings from the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines-Coronary Artery Disease program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Feng; Ling, Frederick S; Deedwania, Prakash; Hernandez, Adrian F; Fonarow, Gregg C; Cannon, Christopher P; Peterson, Eric D; Peacock, W Frank; Kaltenbach, Lisa A; Laskey, Warren K; Schwamm, Lee H; Bhatt, Deepak L

    2012-01-01

    Asian-Americans represent an important United States minority population, yet there are limited data regarding the clinical care and outcomes of Asian-Americans following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Using data from the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines-Coronary Artery Disease (GWTG-CAD) program, we compared use of and trends in evidence-based care AMI processes and outcome in Asian-American versus white patients. We analyzed 107,403 AMI patients (4412 Asian-Americans, 4.1%) from 382 United States centers participating in the Get With The Guidelines-Coronary Artery Disease program between 2003 and 2008. Use of 6 AMI performance measures, composite "defect-free" care (proportion receiving all eligible performance measures), door-to-balloon time, and in-hospital mortality were examined. Trends in care over this time period were explored. Compared with whites, Asian-American AMI patients were significantly older, more likely to be covered by Medicaid and recruited in the west region, and had a higher prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, and smoking. In-hospital unadjusted mortality was higher among Asian-American patients. Overall, Asian-Americans were comparable with whites regarding the baseline quality of care, except that Asian-Americans were less likely to get smoking cessation counseling (65.6% versus 81.5%). Asian-American AMI patients experienced improvement in the 6 individual measures (P≤0.048), defect-free care (PAsian-Americans and whites. Compared with whites, the adjusted in-hospital mortality rate was higher for Asian-Americans (adjusted relative risk: 1.16; 95% confidence interval: 1.00-1.35; P=0.04). Evidence-based care for AMI processes improved significantly over the period of 2003 to 2008 for Asian-American and white patients in the Get With The Guidelines-Coronary Artery Disease program. Differences in care between Asian-Americans and whites, when present, were reduced over time.

  20. Selection of oncoplastic surgical technique in Asian breast cancer patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eui Sun Shin

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background Oncoplastic surgery is being increasingly performed in Korean women; however, unlike Westerners, Korean women usually have small to moderate-sized breasts. To achieve better outcomes in reconstructed breasts, several factors should be considered to determine the optimal surgical method. Methods A total of 108 patients who underwent oncoplastic surgery from January 2013 to December 2016 were retrospectively investigated. We used various methods, including glandular tissue reshaping, latissimus dorsi (LD flap transposition, and reduction oncoplasty, to restore the breast volume and symmetry. Results The mean weight of the tumor specimens was 40.46 g, and the ratio of the tumor specimen weight to breast volume was 0.12 g/mL in the patients who underwent glandular tissue reshaping (n=59. The corresponding values were 101.47 g and 0.14 g/mL, respectively, in the patients who underwent reduction oncoplasty (n=17, and 82.54 g and 0.20 g/mL, respectively, in those treated with an LD flap (n=32. Glandular tissue reshaping was mostly performed in the upper outer quadrant, and LD flap transposition was mostly performed in the lower inner quadrant. No major complications were noted. Most patients were satisfied with the aesthetic results. Conclusions We report satisfactory outcomes of oncoplastic surgical procedures in Korean patients. The results regarding specimen weight and the tumor-to-breast ratio of Asian patients will be a helpful reference point for determining the most appropriate oncoplastic surgical technique.

  1. Phase 1 study of the investigational Aurora A kinase inhibitor alisertib (MLN8237) in East Asian cancer patients: pharmacokinetics and recommended phase 2 dose.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venkatakrishnan, Karthik; Kim, Tae Min; Lin, Chia-Chi; Thye, Lim Soon; Chng, Wee Joo; Ma, Brigette; Chen, Ming Huang; Zhou, Xiaofei; Liu, Hua; Kelly, Virginia; Kim, Won Seog

    2015-08-01

    This phase 1 study assessed the pharmacokinetics (PK), maximum tolerated dose (MTD)/recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D), safety, and preliminary efficacy of the investigational Aurora A kinase inhibitor, alisertib, in East Asian patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphomas. Patients received alisertib twice-daily (BID) for 7 days in 21-day cycles. Doses were escalated (3 + 3) from 30 mg BID based on cycle 1 dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) until the MTD, followed by expansion for PK/safety characterization. Thirty-six patients (61 % Chinese, 36 % Korean, 3 % Malay) received alisertib (30 mg BID, n = 30; 40 mg BID, n = 6; median, 2.5 cycles). Alisertib exposures increased approximately dose proportionally, and mean half-life was 16 h. Geometric mean apparent oral clearance (2.65 L/h) was 40 % lower than previous estimates in Western patients, resulting in approximately 70 % higher mean dose-normalized, steady-state exposures (735 nM*h/mg) in East Asian patients. Two patients experienced DLTs at 40 mg BID (grade 3 stomatitis; grade 4 neutropenia); the MTD/RP2D was 30 mg BID. Common toxicities (grade ≥3 at RP2D) were neutropenia (50 %), diarrhea (13 %), and stomatitis (10 %). One patient with extranodal T-/NK-cell lymphoma (nasal type) achieved a partial response and 18 (51 %) had stable disease. The MTD/RP2D of alisertib in East Asian patients (30 mg BID) was lower than in Western patients (50 mg BID), consistent with higher systemic exposures in the East Asian population. Alisertib was generally well tolerated and showed signs of antitumor activity in East Asian cancer patients.

  2. Incidence of postoperative delirium in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty-an Asian perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Juncheng; Bin Abd Razak, Hamid Rahmatullah; Yeo, Seng Jin

    2017-08-01

    Very little is known in the literature with regards to the incidence of postoperative delirium following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in Asians and the associated surgical factors. We conducted a retrospective study on incidence of postoperative delirium following TKA in Asians. One thousand sixteen knees of 954 consecutive patients who underwent TKA by the senior author of this study in the year 2006 were included in this review. All written and electronic medical records for patients were screened. Delirium was recorded to be present based on clinical entry onto the patients' inpatient hospital notes and a diagnosis made by psychiatrist based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV). All statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v.18.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). The incidence of postoperative delirium in our patients undergoing TKA was 0.59%. Six patients had a confirmed diagnosis of delirium postoperatively. We noted an association between a higher mean age (P<0.0001), a lower body mass index (P<0.0001), Chinese ethnicity (P=0.002), male gender (P=0.002) and chronic opioid use (P<0.0001) with incidence of post-operative delirium. We also noted a higher proportion of post-operative DVT (P<0.0001) and wound infection (P<0.0001) in the delirium group. The incidence of postoperative delirium in Asians undergoing TKA in our institution is very low at 0.59%. Advanced age, lower body mass index, Chinese ethnicity, male gender and preoperative chronic opioid use may be associated with developing postoperative delirium.

  3. The Burden of Diagnosed and Undiagnosed Diabetes in Native Hawaiian and Asian American Hospitalized Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sentell, T L; Cheng, Y; Saito, E; Seto, T B; Miyamura, J; Mau, M; Juarez, D T

    2015-12-01

    Little is known about diabetes in hospitalized Native Hawaiians and Asian Americans. We determined the burden of diabetes (both diagnosed and undiagnosed) among hospitalized Native Hawaiian, Asian (Filipino, Chinese, Japanese), and White patients. Diagnosed diabetes was determined from discharge data from a major medical center in Hawai'i during 2007-2008. Potentially undiagnosed diabetes was determined by Hemoglobin A1c ≥6.5% or glucose ≥200 mg/dl values for those without diagnosed diabetes. Multivariable log-binomial models predicted diabetes (potentially undiagnosed and diagnosed, separately) controlling for socio-demographic factors. Of 17,828 hospitalized patients, 3.4% had potentially undiagnosed diabetes and 30.5% had diagnosed diabetes. In multivariable models compared to Whites, Native Hawaiian and all Asian subgroups had significantly higher percentages of diagnosed diabetes, but not of potentially undiagnosed diabetes. Potentially undiagnosed diabetes was associated with significantly more hospitalizations during the study period compared to both those without diabetes and those with diagnosed diabetes. In all racial/ethnic groups, those with potentially undiagnosed diabetes also had the longest length of stay and were more likely to die during the hospitalization. Hospitalized Native Hawaiians (41%) and Asian subgroups had significantly higher overall diabetes burdens compared to Whites (23%). Potentially undiagnosed diabetes was associated with poor outcomes. Hospitalized patients, irrespective of race/ethnicity, may require more effective inpatient identification and management of previously undiagnosed diabetes to improve clinical outcomes.

  4. Clinical and sociodemographic correlates of suicidality in patients with major depressive disorder from six Asian countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Ah-Young; Lee, Ah-Rong; Hatim, Ahmad; Tian-Mei, Si; Liu, Chia-Yih; Jeon, Hong Jin; Udomratn, Pichet; Bautista, Dianne; Chan, Edwin; Liu, Shen-Ing; Chua, Hong Choon; Hong, Jin Pyo

    2014-02-13

    East Asian countries have high suicide rates. However, little is known about clinical and sociodemographic factors associated with suicidality in Asian populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with suicidality in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) from six Asian countries. The study cohort consisted of 547 outpatients with MDD. Patients presented to study sites in China (n = 114), South Korea (n = 101), Malaysia (n = 90), Singapore (n = 40), Thailand (n = 103), and Taiwan (n = 99). All patients completed the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the Global Severity Index(SCL-90R), the Fatigue Severity Scale, the 36-item short-form health survey, the Sheehan Disability Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Patients were classified as showing high suicidality if they scored ≥ 6 on the MINI suicidality module. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine sociodemographic and clinical factors related to high suicidality. One hundred and twenty-five patients were classed as high suicidality. Unemployed status (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.43, p < 0.01), MADRS score (adjusted OR 1.08), p < 0.001, and GSI (SCL-90R) score (adjusted OR 1.06, p < 0.01) were positively related to high suicidality. Hindu (adjusted OR 0.09, p < 0.05) or Muslim (adjusted OR 0.21, p < 0.001) religion and MSPSS score (adjusted OR 0.82, p < 0.05) were protective against high suicidality. A variety of sociodemographic and clinical factors were associated with high suicidality in Asian patients with MDD. These factors may facilitate the identification of MDD patients at risk of suicide.

  5. HEART score performance in Asian and Caucasian patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected acute coronary syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Hoog, Vince C; Lim, Swee Han; Bank, Ingrid Em; Gijsberts, Crystel M; Ibrahim, Irwani B; Kuan, Win Sen; Ooi, Shirley Bs; Chua, Terrance Sj; Tai, E Shyong; Gao, Fei; Pasterkamp, Gerard; den Ruijter, Hester M; Doevendans, Pieter A; Wildbergh, Thierry X; Mosterd, Arend; Richards, A Mark; de Kleijn, Dominique Pv; Timmers, Leo

    2017-03-01

    The HEART score is a simple and effective tool to predict short-term major adverse cardiovascular events in patients suspected of acute coronary syndrome. Patients are assigned to three risk categories using History, ECG, Age, Risk factors and Troponin (HEART). The purpose is early rule out and discharge is considered safe for patients in the low risk category. Its performance in patients of Asian ethnicity is unknown. We evaluated the performance of the HEART score in patients of Caucasian, Chinese, Indian and Malay ethnicity. The HEART score was assessed retrospectively in 3456 patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected acute coronary syndrome (1791 Caucasians, 1059 Chinese, 344 Indians, 262 Malays), assigning them into three risk categories. The incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events within six weeks after presentation was similar between the ethnic groups. A smaller proportion of Caucasians was in the low risk category compared with Asians (Caucasians 35.8%, Chinese 43.5%, Indians 45.3%, Malays 44.7%, p<0.001). The negative predictive value of a low HEART score was comparable across the ethnic groups, but lower than previously reported (Caucasians 95.3%, Chinese 95.0%, Indians 96.2%, Malays 96.6%). Also the c-statistic for the HEART score was not significantly different between the groups. These results show that the overall performance of the HEART score is equal among Caucasian and Asian ethnic groups. The event rate in the low risk group, however, was higher than reported in previous studies, which queries the safety of early discharge of patients in the low risk category.

  6. The Asian dermatologic patient: review of common pigmentary disorders and cutaneous diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, Stephanie G Y; Chan, Henry H L

    2009-01-01

    The Asian patient with Fitzpatrick skin types III-V is rarely highlighted in publications on cutaneous disorders or cutaneous laser surgery. However, with changing demographics, Asians will become an increasingly important group in this context. Although high melanin content confers better photoprotection, photodamage in the form of pigmentary disorders is common. Melasma, freckles, and lentigines are the epidermal disorders commonly seen, whilst nevus of Ota and acquired bilateral nevus of Ota-like macules are common dermal pigmentary disorders. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) occurring after cutaneous injury remains a hallmark of skin of color. With increasing use of lasers and light sources in Asians, prevention and management of PIH is of great research interest. Bleaching agents, chemical peels, intense pulsed light (IPL) treatments, and fractional skin resurfacing have all been used with some success for the management of melasma. Q-switched (QS) lasers are effective for the management of epidermal pigmentation but are associated with a high risk of PIH. Long-pulsed neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) lasers and IPL sources pose less of a PIH risk but require a greater number of treatment sessions. Dermal pigmentary disorders are better targeted by QS ruby, QS alexandrite, and QS 1064-nm Nd:YAG lasers, but hyper- and hypopigmentation may occur. Non-ablative skin rejuvenation using a combination approach with different lasers and light sources in conjunction with cooling devices allows different skin chromophores to be targeted and optimal results to be achieved, even in skin of color. Deep-tissue heating using radiofrequency and infra-red light sources affects the deep dermis and achieves enhanced skin tightening, resulting in eyebrow elevation, rhytide reduction, and contouring of the lower face and jawline. For management of severe degrees of photoaging, fractional resurfacing is useful for wrinkle and pigment reduction, as well as

  7. Doctor-Patient Communication in a Southeast Asian Setting: The Conflict between Ideal and Reality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claramita, Mora; Utarini, Adi; Soebono, Hardyanto; Van Dalen, Jan; Van der Vleuten, Cees

    2011-01-01

    Doctor-patient communication has been extensively studied in non-Western contexts and in relation to patients' cultural and education backgrounds. This study explores the perceived ideal communication style for doctor-patient consultations and the reality of actual practice in a Southeast Asian context. We conducted the study in a teaching…

  8. Doctors in a Southeast Asian country communicate sub-optimally regardless of patients' educational background.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Claramita, M.; Dalen, J.V.; Vleuten, C.P.M. van der

    2011-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the style of doctor-patient communication and patients' educational background in a Southeast Asian teaching hospital setting using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS). METHODS: We analyzed a total of 245 audio-taped consultations involving 30

  9. Health-related quality of life in Asian patients with breast cancer: a systematic review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gernaat, Sofie A M; Hartman, Mikael

    2018-01-01

    Objective To summarise the evidence on determinants of health-related quality of life (HRQL) in Asian patients with breast cancer. Design Systematic review conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations and registered with PROSPERO (CRD42015032468). Methods According to the PRISMA guidelines, databases of MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase and PsycINFO were systematically searched using the following terms and synonyms: breast cancer, quality of life and Asia. Articles reporting on HRQL using EORTC-QLQ-C30, EORTC-QLQ-BR23, FACT-G and FACT-B questionnaires in Asian patients with breast cancer were eligible for inclusion. The methodological quality of each article was assessed using the quality assessment scale for cross-sectional studies or the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale for cohort studies. Results Fifty-seven articles were selected for this qualitative synthesis, of which 43 (75%) were cross-sectional and 14 (25%) were longitudinal studies. Over 75 different determinants of HRQL were studied with either the EORTC or FACT questionnaires. Patients with comorbidities, treated with chemotherapy, with less social support and with more unmet needs have poorer HRQL. HRQL improves over time. Discordant results in studies were found in the association of age, marital status, household income, type of surgery, radiotherapy and hormone therapy and unmet sexuality needs with poor global health status or overall well-being. Conclusions In Asia, patients with breast cancer, in particular those with other comorbidities and those treated with chemotherapy, with less social support and with more unmet needs, have poorer HRQL. Appropriate social support and meeting the needs of patients may improve patients’ HRQL. PMID:29678980

  10. Communication Challenges and Strategies of U.S. Health Professionals Caring for Seriously Ill South Asian Patients and Their Families.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khosla, Nidhi; Washington, Karla T; Shaunfield, Sara; Aslakson, Rebecca

    2017-06-01

    While effective communication is important in the care of seriously ill patients, little is known about communication challenges faced by healthcare providers serving U.S. patients of South Asian origin, one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the United States. Researchers sought to examine communication challenges faced by healthcare providers serving seriously ill South Asian patients and their families and present strategies recommended by providers for effective communication. Researchers conducted a thematic analysis of qualitative data obtained through focus groups and individual interviews with 57 healthcare providers, including physicians, social workers, nurses, chaplains, and others drawn from different healthcare settings in one Midwestern city. While acknowledging the considerable diversity within the U.S. South Asian community, participants discussed three types of communication challenges they often encounter when serving this population: ensuring effective interpretation, identifying a spokesperson, and challenges posed by different cultural norms. Participants shared strategies to address these challenges such as proactively inquiring about patients' and families' preferences and encouraging early appointment of a spokesperson. While providers should avoid stereotyping patients, an awareness of common challenges and adoption of recommended strategies to address these challenges may enhance the provision of culturally responsive person-centered services for seriously ill South Asian patients and their families receiving care in the United States.

  11. Spectrum of breast cancer in Asian women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agarwal, Gaurav; Pradeep, P V; Aggarwal, Vivek; Yip, Cheng-Har; Cheung, Polly S Y

    2007-05-01

    Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Asia, and in recent years is emerging as the commonest female malignancy in the developing Asian countries, overtaking cancer of the uterine cervix. There have been no studies objectively comparing data and facts relating to breast cancer in the developed, newly developed, and developing Asian countries thus far. This multi-national collaborative study retrospectively compared the demographic, clinical, pathological and outcomes data in breast cancer patients managed at participating breast cancer centers in India, Malaysia and Hong Kong. Data, including those on the availability of breast screening, treatment facilities and outcomes from other major cancer centers and cancer registries of these countries and from other Asian countries were also reviewed. Despite an increasing trend, the incidence of breast cancer is lower, yet the cause-specific mortality is significantly higher in developing Asian countries compared with developed countries in Asia and the rest of the world. Patients are about one decade younger in developing countries than their counterparts in developed nations. The proportions of young patients (women and the clinical picture are different from those of average patients managed elsewhere in the world. Owing to lack of awareness, lack of funding, lack of infrastructure, and low priority in public health schemes, breast cancer screening and early detection have not caught up in these under-privileged societies. The inadequacies of health care infrastructures and standards, sociocultural barriers, economic realities, illiteracy, and the differences in the clinical and pathological attributes of this disease in Asian women compared with the rest of the world together result in a different spectrum of the disease. Better socioeconomic conditions, health awareness, and availability of breast cancer screening in developed Asian countries seem to be the major causes of a favorable clinical

  12. Critical thinking dispositions of nursing students in Asian and non-Asian countries: a literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salsali, Mahvash; Tajvidi, Mansooreh; Ghiyasvandian, Shahrzad

    2013-09-26

    Critical thinking disposition represents an inclination of a person to use possessed skills in relation to critical thinking. The trend of critical thinking has been described as inner motivation to solve problems and make decisions by thinking. In nursing as a practical profession, the concept of critical thinking dispositions is important component in helping to manage complex health situations and to deal with patient issues effectively. Willingness to think critically is a prerequisite for safe and subtly performance. The results of studies show critical thinking dispositions of nursing students in Asian countries are different from non-Asian countries. Aim of this literature review was to compare critical thinking dispositions of nursing students in Asian and non-Asian countries. Literature review was done in English and Persian databases. The results showed of the 795 articles published in English and Persian language that studied critical thinking, 73 ones studied critical thinking skills and dispositions in nursing education, and relationship between teaching methods and critical thinking skills and dispositions in nursing education of different countries. Fifteen of seventy three articles assessed critical thinking dispositions in nursing students. Limited studies showed that the Asian nursing students had mostly undermining score of the critical thinking dispositions, while non-Asian countries tend to positive scores. The reasons for these differences could be due to issues such as environmental, educational methods and cultural differences. However, future studies should measure critical thinking disposition by discipline-based tools.

  13. Critical Thinking Dispositions of Nursing Students in Asian and Non-Asian Countries: A Literature Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salsali, Mahvash; Tajvidi, Mansooreh; Ghiyasvandian, Shahrzad

    2013-01-01

    Critical thinking disposition represents an inclination of a person to use possessed skills in relation to critical thinking. The trend of critical thinking has been described as inner motivation to solve problems and make decisions by thinking. In nursing as a practical profession, the concept of critical thinking dispositions is important component in helping to manage complex health situations and to deal with patient issues effectively. Willingness to think critically is a prerequisite for safe and subtly performance. The results of studies show critical thinking dispositions of nursing students in Asian countries are different from non-Asian countries. Aim of this literature review was to compare critical thinking dispositions of nursing students in Asian and non-Asian countries. Literature review was done in English and Persian databases. The results showed of the 795 articles published in English and Persian language that studied critical thinking, 73 ones studied critical thinking skills and dispositions in nursing education, and relationship between teaching methods and critical thinking skills and dispositions in nursing education of different countries. Fifteen of seventy three articles assessed critical thinking dispositions in nursing students. Limited studies showed that the Asian nursing students had mostly undermining score of the critical thinking dispositions, while non-Asian countries tend to positive scores. The reasons for these differences could be due to issues such as environmental, educational methods and cultural differences. However, future studies should measure critical thinking disposition by discipline-based tools. PMID:24171885

  14. Comparison of exposure response relationship of atrasentan between North American and Asian populations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heerspink, Hiddo J L; Makino, Hirofumi; Andress, Dennis

    2017-01-01

    AIMS: The selective endothelin (ET) A receptor antagonist atrasentan has been shown to lower albuminuria in North American and Asian patients with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy. As drug responses to many drugs may differ between North American and Asian populations, we assessed the influence...... change in albuminuria. Bodyweight change, a proxy of fluid retention, was used as a safety endpoint. Pharmacodynamics were determined in Asians (N = 77) and North Americans (N = 134). Atrasentan plasma concentration was measured in 161 atrasentan-treated patients. RESULTS: Mean albuminuria reduction...... in Asian, compared to North American, patients was, respectively, -34.4% vs -26.3% for 0.75 mg/d ( P  = .44) and -48.0% vs -28.9% for 1.25 mg/d ( P  = .035). Bodyweight gain did not differ between North American and Asian populations. Atrasentan plasma concentrations were higher in Asians compared to North...

  15. Understanding adherence-related beliefs about medicine amongst patients of South Asian origin with diabetes and cardiovascular disease patients: a qualitative synthesis

    OpenAIRE

    Kumar, Kanta; Greenfield, Sheila; Raza, Karim; Gill, Paramjit; Stack, Rebecca

    2016-01-01

    Background: Prevalence of diabetes and cardiovascular (CVD) disease amongst UK South Asians is higher than in\\ud the general population. Non-adherence to medicines may lead to poor clinical outcomes for South Asian patients\\ud with diabetes and CVD. To understand the decision making processes associated with taking medicines, a qualitative systematic meta-synthesis exploring medicine taking behaviours, and beliefs was undertaken.\\ud \\ud Methods: Four databases (Medline, Embase, Science Citati...

  16. Lay health educators within primary care practices to improve cancer screening uptake for South Asian patients: challenges in quality improvement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lofters AK

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available AK Lofters,1–4 M Vahabi,5 V Prakash,6 L Banerjee,7 P Bansal,8 S Goel,7,8 S Dunn1,2,9 1Department of Family and Community Medicine, 2Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 3Department of Family and Community Medicine, 4Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St Michael’s Hospital, 5Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Ryerson University, Toronto, 6Screening Saves Lives Program, Canadian Cancer Society, Mississauga, 7Wise Elephant Family Health Team, Brampton, 8Mississauga Halton Central West Regional Cancer Program, Mississauga, 9Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada Background: Cancer screening uptake is known to be low among South Asian residents of Ontario. The objective of this pilot study was to determine if lay health educators embedded within the practices of primary care providers could improve willingness to screen and cancer screening uptake for South Asian patients taking a quality improvement approach.Materials and methods: Participating physicians selected quality improvement initiatives to use within their offices that they felt could increase willingness to screen and cancer screening uptake. They implemented initiatives, adapting as necessary, for six months.Results: Four primary care physicians participated in the study. All approximated that at least 60% of their patients were of South Asian ethnicity. All physicians chose to work with a preexisting lay health educator program geared toward South Asians. Health ambassadors spoke to patients in the office and telephoned patients. For all physicians, ~60% of South Asian patients who were overdue for cancer screening and who spoke directly to health ambassadors stated they were willing to be screened. One physician was able to track actual screening among contacted patients and found that screening uptake was relatively high: from 29.2% (colorectal cancer to 44.6% (breast cancer of patients came in for screening

  17. A multinational, open-label, phase 2 study of ruxolitinib in Asian patients with myelofibrosis: Japanese subset analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oritani, Kenji; Okamoto, Shinichiro; Tauchi, Tetsuzo; Saito, Shigeki; Ohishi, Kohshi; Handa, Hiroshi; Takenaka, Katsuto; Gopalakrishna, Prashanth; Amagasaki, Taro; Ito, Kazuo; Akashi, Koichi

    2015-03-01

    Ruxolitinib is a potent Janus kinase (JAK) 1/JAK2 inhibitor that has demonstrated rapid and durable improvements in splenomegaly and symptoms and a survival benefit in 2 phase 3 trials in patients with myelofibrosis. Ruxolitinib was well tolerated and effectively reduced splenomegaly and symptom burden in Asian patients with myelofibrosis in the Asian multinational, phase 2 Study A2202. We present a subset analysis of Japanese patients (n = 30) in Study A2202. At data cutoff, 22 patients were ongoing; 8 discontinued, mainly due to adverse events (n = 4). At week 24, 33 % of patients achieved ≥35 % reduction from baseline in spleen volume; 56.0 % achieved ≥50 % reduction from baseline in total symptom score, as measured by the 7-day Myelofibrosis Symptom Assessment Form v2.0. The most common adverse events were anemia (63 %), thrombocytopenia (40 %), nasopharyngitis (37 %), decreased platelet counts (30 %), and diarrhea (30 %). Dose reductions or interruptions due to hemoglobin decreases were more frequent in Japanese patients; no loss of efficacy and no discontinuations due to hematologic abnormalities were observed. Ruxolitinib was well tolerated in Japanese patients and provided substantial reductions in splenomegaly and myelofibrosis-related symptoms similar to those observed in the overall Asian population and phase 3 COMFORT studies.

  18. Young Asian Dutch constructing Asianness: Understanding the role of Asian popular culture

    OpenAIRE

    Kartosen, R.A.

    2016-01-01

    This doctoral thesis is about young Asian Dutch, panethnic Asian identities and identifications, and Asian/Asian Dutch popular culture. It addresses several pressing questions, including: why do young Asian Dutch, who were born and/or raised in the Netherlands, identify as Asian and construct Asian identities? What is the content or meaning of these Asian identities and identifications young Asian Dutch imagine? And how do these relate to young Asian Dutch’ Dutch and homeland identities and i...

  19. Young Asian Dutch constructing Asianness: Understanding the role of Asian popular culture

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kartosen, R.A.

    2016-01-01

    This doctoral thesis is about young Asian Dutch, panethnic Asian identities and identifications, and Asian/Asian Dutch popular culture. It addresses several pressing questions, including: why do young Asian Dutch, who were born and/or raised in the Netherlands, identify as Asian and construct Asian

  20. Asian Rhinoplasty: Preoperative Simulation and Planning Using Adobe Photoshop.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiranantawat, Kidakorn; Nguyen, Anh H

    2015-11-01

    A rhinoplasty in Asians differs from a rhinoplasty performed in patients of other ethnicities. Surgeons should understand the concept of Asian beauty, the nasal anatomy of Asians, and common problems encountered while operating on the Asian nose. With this understanding, surgeons can set appropriate goals, choose proper operative procedures, and provide an outcome that satisfies patients. In this article the authors define the concept of an Asian rhinoplasty-a paradigm shift from the traditional on-top augmentation rhinoplasty to a structurally integrated augmentation rhinoplasty-and provide a step-by-step procedure for the use of Adobe Photoshop as a preoperative program to simulate the expected surgical outcome for patients and to develop a preoperative plan for surgeons.

  1. Bearing Dislocation and Progression of Osteoarthritis After Mobile-bearing Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty Vary Between Asian and Western Patients: A Meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ro, Kyung-Han; Heo, Jae-Won; Lee, Dae-Hee

    2018-05-01

    Implant survivorship is reported to be lower and complications, particularly bearing dislocation, are reported to be more frequent in Asian than in Western patients with medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) undergoing Oxford® Phase III unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). To date, however, these complications have not been compared between these groups of patients. The purpose of this study was to perform a meta-analysis comparing the standardized incidence rates of (1) all-cause reoperation; (2) reoperation related to bearing dislocation; and (3) reoperation related to progression of lateral compartment arthritis in Asian and Western patients with medial knee OA who underwent Oxford Phase III UKA. We searched MEDLINE® (January 1, 1976, to May 31, 2017), EMBASE® (January 1, 1985, to May 31, 2017), and the Cochrane Library (January 1, 1987, to May 31, 2017) for studies that reported complications of Oxford Phase III UKAs. Studies were included if they reported reoperation rates attributable to bearing dislocation and/or progression of lateral knee OA after surgery with this implant. Twenty-seven studies were included in this systematic review and 16 studies with followups > 5 years were included in the meta-analysis. These rates were converted to standardized incidence rate (that is, reoperations per 100 observed component years) based on mean followup and number of involved knees in each study. After applying prespecified inclusion and exclusion criteria, the studies were categorized into two groups, Asian and Western, based on hospital location. Twenty-five studies, containing 3152 Asian patients and 5455 Western patients, were evaluated. Study quality was assessed by the modified Coleman Methodology score (MCMS). Although all studies were Level IV, their mean MCMS score was 66.92 (SD, 8.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 63.5-70.3), indicating fair quality. Because the heterogeneity of all subgroup meta-analyses was high, a random-effects model was used with

  2. Is cardiovascular risk reduction therapy effective in South Asian, Chinese and other patients with diabetes? A population-based cohort study from Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ke, Calvin H; Morgan, Steve; Smolina, Kate; Gasevic, Danijela; Qian, Hong; Khan, Nadia A

    2017-08-31

    Guidelines recommend ACE inhibitors (ACEi), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and diuretics in all patients with diabetes mellitus. However, the effectiveness of these agents in South Asian and Chinese populations is unknown. We sought to determine whether ACEi, ARB, CCB and diuretics are associated with reduced mortality in South Asian, Chinese and other patients with diabetes. Population-based cohort study using administrative health databases. Province of British Columbia, Canada (2006-2013). Patients aged ≥35 years with incident diabetes. Primary outcome was all-cause mortality for each medication class compared with untreated patients within each ethnicity. Treatment effect was assessed using inverse probability of treatment weighted Cox proportional hazards models. Medication adherence effect on mortality was also evaluated. 208 870 patients (13 755 South Asian, 22 871 Chinese, 172 244 other Canadian) were included. ACEi reduced mortality in other patients (HR=0.88, 0.84-0.91), but power was insufficient to evaluate for benefit in Chinese and South Asian patients. ARB and diuretics reduced mortality in Chinese (ARB HR=0.64, 0.50-0.82; diuretics HR=0.77, 0.62-0.96) and other patients (ARB HR=0.69, 0.64-0.74; diuretics HR=0.66, 0.63-0.69) compared with untreated patients. No mortality benefit was observed among South Asians for any drug class or for CCB among all ethnicities. Higher medication adherence was associated with lower mortality for other patients only (HR=0.79, 0.72-0.86). Effectiveness of cardiovascular risk reduction therapy on mortality varies considerably by ethnicity. Further study is needed to evaluate the mortality benefit of antihypertensive agents in South Asians. Inclusion of these ethnic groups in future clinical trials is essential to examine for differential responses. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No

  3. Melancholic features and hostility are associated with suicidality risk in Asian patients with major depressive disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeon, Hong Jin; Peng, Daihui; Chua, Hong Choon; Srisurapanont, Manit; Fava, Maurizio; Bae, Jae-Nam; Man Chang, Sung; Hong, Jin Pyo

    2013-06-01

    Suicide rates are higher in East-Asians than other populations, and especially high in Koreans. However, little is known about suicidality risk and melancholic features in Asian patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Drug-free MDD outpatients were included from 13 centers across five ethnicities consisting of Chinese (n=290), Korean (n=101), Thai (n=102), Indian (n=27), and Malay (n=27). All were interviewed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.), the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and the Symptoms Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R). Of 547 subjects, 177 MDD patients showed melancholic features (32.4%). These melancholic MDD patients revealed significantly higher suicidality risk (pdepression (pdifference in higher hostility. Adjusted odds ratios of melancholic features and hostility for moderate to high suicidality risk were 1.79 (95% CI=1.15-2.79) and 2.45 (95% CI=1.37-4.38), after adjusting for age, sex, education years, and depression severity. Post-hoc analyses showed that suicidality risk was higher in Korean and Chinese than that of Thai, Indian and Malay in MDD subjects with melancholic features, although depression severity showed no significant differences among the ethnicities. Suicidality risk is associated with both melancholic features and hostility and it shows cross-ethnic differences in Asian MDD patients, independent of depression severity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Inter-ethnic differences in valve morphology, valvular dysfunction, and aortopathy between Asian and European patients with bicuspid aortic valve.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, William K F; Regeer, Madelien V; Poh, Kian K; Yip, James W; van Rosendael, Philippe J; Yeo, Tiong C; Tay, Edgar; Kamperidis, Vasileios; van der Velde, Enno T; Mertens, Bart; Ajmone Marsan, Nina; Delgado, Victoria; Bax, Jeroen J

    2018-04-14

    Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been shown safe and feasible in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) morphology. Evaluation of inter-ethnic differences in valve morphology and function and aortic root dimensions in patients with BAV is important for the worldwide spread of this therapy in this subgroup of patients. Comparisons between large European and Asian cohorts of patients with BAV have not been performed, and potential differences between populations may have important implications for TAVR. The present study evaluated the differences in valve morphology and function and aortic root dimensions between two large cohorts of European and Asian patients with BAV. Aortic valve morphology was defined on transthoracic echocardiography according to the number of commissures and raphe: type 0 = no raphe and two commissures, type 1 = one raphe and two commissures, type 2 = two raphes and one commissure. Aortic stenosis and regurgitation were graded according to current recommendations. For this study, aortic root dimensions were manually measured on transthoracic echocardiograms at the level of the aortic annulus, sinus of Valsalva (SOV), sinotubular junction (STJ), and ascending aorta (AA). Of 1427 patients with BAV (45.2 ± 18.1 years, 71.9% men), 794 (55.6%) were Europeans and 633 (44.4%) were Asians. The groups were comparable in age and proportion of male sex. Asians had higher prevalence of type 1 BAV with raphe between right and non-coronary cusps than Europeans (19.7% vs. 13.6%, respectively; P < 0.001), whereas the Europeans had higher prevalence of type 0 BAV (two commissures, no raphe) than Asians (14.5% vs. 6.8%, respectively; P < 0.001). The prevalence of moderate and severe aortic regurgitation was higher in Europeans than Asians (44.2% vs. 26.8%, respectively; P < 0.001) whereas there were no differences in BAV with normal function or aortic stenosis. After adjusting for demographics, comorbidities

  5. A comparison of cardiovascular risk factors among Indo-Asian and caucasian patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Birmingham, England.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhanjal, T S; Lal, M; Haynes, R; Lip, G

    2001-12-01

    Indo-Asians in the UK are at an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD); this may be a reflection of their cardiovascular risk factor profile as well as of a more sedentary lifestyle. We hypothesised that Indo-Asians in Malaysia and the UK may exhibit a similar cardiovascular risk factor and physical activity profile, which would be more adverse compared with caucasians. We studied 70 consecutive Indo-Asian patients admitted to hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (n=42; 35 males; mean age 60.6 years, SD 11.8); and Birmingham, England (n=28; 20 males; mean age 60.8 years, SD 12.9). Both groups of Indo-Asian patients were compared with 20 caucasian patients (13 males; mean age 62.7 years, SD 9.4) admitted with myocardial infarction from Birmingham. There was a higher prevalence of diabetes among Indo-Asians in both countries than among caucasians (p=0.0225). By contrast, caucasians had a higher prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia (p=0.0113), peripheral vascular disease (p=0.0008), regular alcohol consumption (pleisure activity score (p=0.001) and total physical activity score (p=0.003) among Indo-Asians in both countries than among caucasians. This survey has demonstrated differences in cardiovascular risk factors among Indo-Asian and caucasian patients. The high prevalence of diabetes, as well as the lower physical activity and sedentary lifestyles among Indo-Asians, in both Malaysia and the UK, may in part contribute to the high incidence of CAD in this ethnic group.

  6. Dietary Protein Intake in a Multi-ethnic Asian Population of Healthy Participants and Chronic Kidney Disease Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teo, Boon Wee; Toh, Qi Chun; Xu, Hui; Yang, Adonsia Y T; Lin, Tingxuan; Li, Jialiang; Lee, Evan J C

    2015-04-01

    Clinical practice guidelines recommend different levels of dietary protein intake in predialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. It is unknown how effectively these recommendations perform in a multi-ethnic Asian population, with varied cultural beliefs and diets. We assess the profi le of protein intake in a multi-ethnic Asian population, comparing healthy participants and CKD patients. We analysed the 24-hour urine collections of the Asian Kidney Disease Study (AKDS) and the Singapore Kidney Function Study (SKFS) to estimate total protein intake (TPI; g/day). We calculated ideal body weight (IDW; kg): 22.99 × height2 (m). Standard statistical tests were applied where appropriate, and linear regression was used to assess associations of continuous variables with protein intake. There were 232 CKD patients and 103 healthy participants with 35.5% diabetics. The mean TPI in healthy participants was 58.89 ± 18.42 and the mean TPI in CKD patients was 53.64 ± 19.39. By US National Kidney Foundation (NKF) guidelines, 29/232 (12.5%) of CKD patients with measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR) patients had TPI-IDW >0.75g/kg/ day. By American Dietetic Association (ADA) guidelines, 34.7% (44/127) of CKD patients with GFR patients with GFR protein intake of between 0.3 to 0.5 g/kg/day. A total of 21.9% (25/114) of diabetic CKD patients had protein intake between 0.8 to 0.9 g/kg/day. On average, the protein intake of most CKD patients exceeds the recommendations of guidelines. Diabetic CKD patients should aim to have higher protein intakes.

  7. Issues regarding the delivery of early intervention psychiatric services to the South Asian population in England.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agius, Mark; Talwar, A; Murphy, S; Zaman, Rashid

    2010-06-01

    Little research has been done to ascertain how patients and families of South Asian origin access and use early intervention mental health services today. The aim of this retrospective study is to gain a better understanding of how well South Asian patients engage with standard psycho-social interventions. In June 2003 an audit was conducted amongst 75 patients from different ethnic groups in Luton. Measures of engagement with mental health services included; number of missed outpatient appointments over one year and compliance with medication regimes. The results of this audit showed that South Asian patients are more likely to miss appointments and refuse to take medication in comparison to their Caucasian or Afro- Caribbean counter-parts. Further analysis revealed that the Bangladeshi subgroup had missed more appointments and had a greater proportion of medication refusal in comparison to the other Asian subgroups. These results support the pioneering work by Dr Robin Pinto in the 1970s he observed that Asian patients perceive and utilise mental health services in a different way compared to the Caucasian population. The observations from our study depict the difficulties in engaging ethnic minority patients into existing services. Hence we argue that future interventions should be adapted and tailored to overcome cultural and language barriers with patients and their families.

  8. Post hoc analyses of East Asian patients from the randomized placebo-controlled PREVAIL trial of enzalutamide in patients with chemotherapy-naïve, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Choung Soo; Choi, Young Deuk; Lee, Sang Eun; Lee, Hyun Moo; Ueda, Takeshi; Yonese, Junji; Fukagai, Takashi; Chiong, Edmund; Lau, Weber; Abhyankar, Sarang; Theeuwes, Ad; Tombal, Bertrand; Beer, Tomasz M; Kimura, Go

    2017-07-01

    Enzalutamide is an androgen receptor (AR) inhibitor that acts on different steps in the AR signaling pathway. In PREVAIL, an international, phase III, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, enzalutamide significantly reduced the risk of radiographic progression by 81% (hazard ratio [HR], 0.19; P PREVAIL trial, we performed a post hoc analysis of the Japanese, Korean, and Singaporean patients. PREVAIL enrolled patients with asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic chemotherapy-naïve metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who had progressed on androgen deprivation therapy. During the study, patients received enzalutamide (160 mg/d) or placebo (1:1) until death or discontinuation because of radiographic progression or skeletal-related event and initiation of subsequent therapy. Centrally assessed radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) and overall survival (OS) were coprimary endpoints. The secondary endpoints of the PREVAIL trial were investigator-assessed rPFS, time to initiation of chemotherapy, time to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression, and PSA response (≥50% decline). Of 1717 patients, 148 patients were enrolled at sites in East Asia (enzalutamide 73, placebo 75). Treatment effect of enzalutamide versus placebo was consistent with that for the overall population as indicated by the HRs (95% confidence interval) of 0.38 (0.10-1.44) for centrally assessed rPFS, 0.59 (0.29-1.23) for OS, 0.33 (0.19-0.60) for time to chemotherapy, and 0.32 (0.20-0.50) for time to PSA progression. In East Asian patients, PSA responses were observed in 68.5% and 14.7% of enzalutamide- and placebo-treated patients, respectively. The enzalutamide plasma concentration ratio (East Asian:non-Asian patients) was 1.12 (90% confidence interval, 1.05-1.20) at 13 weeks. Treatment-related adverse events grade ≥ 3 occurred in 1.4% and 2.7% of enzalutamide- and placebo-treated East Asian patients, respectively. Treatment effects and safety of enzalutamide in East Asian

  9. Lung function and long-term safety of tiotropium/olodaterol in East Asian patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bai C

    2017-11-01

    after study medication.Results: In the East Asian population, 1,152 patients were randomized (5,163 overall. After 24 weeks, FEV1 AUC0–3 and trough FEV1 responses were greater (P<0.0001 with tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 µg in both populations versus tiotropium or olodaterol. The East Asian population showed slightly greater trough FEV1 treatment differences between tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 µg and tiotropium compared to the overall population. Generally, no increase in adverse events was seen with tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 µg compared to tiotropium and olodaterol in either population.Conclusion: The efficacy and safety profile of tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 µg has been demonstrated for both East Asian and global populations. Keywords: COPD, adverse effects, pulmonary function, TONADO® 

  10. [Midterm follow-up results on Asian femoral intramedullary nail for the treatment of segmental and comminuted femoral fractures].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Lang; Gao, Feng; Huang, Qi; Li, Qiang; Xie, Lin; Zhang, Bin

    2016-06-01

    To investigate midterm follow-up results on Asian femoral intramedullary nail in treating segmental and comminuted femoral fractures. Between June 2011 and October 2012,16 patients with segmental and comminuted femoral fractures were treated with minimally invasive reset and Asian femoral intramedullary nail under extension table. Among them, there were 10 males and 6 females aged from 21 to 49 years old with an average of 34.5 years old; the time from injury to operation ranged from 3 to 24 d with an average of 9.1 d. There were 6 cases were type C1,2 cases were type C2 and 8 cases were type C3 according to AO classification. X-ray of femoral segment at 3,6 and 12 months after operation were applied for evaluating fracture healing. Harris score of hip joint and HSS score of knee joint were used to evaluate postoperative function. All patients were followed up from 24 to 36 months with an average of 28.4 months. Operative time was from 88 to 112 min with an average of 90.7 min; blood loss ranged from 150 to 200 ml with an average of 188.75 ml; the time of fracture healing was from 5 to 9 months with an average of 5.4 months. All incision were healed at stage I. No loosening, breakage of internal fixation and displacement of fracture were occurred. There were no significant differences in Harris score of hip joint at 3, 6 and 12 months after operation (F = 0.07, P = 0.893 > 0.05), 10 cases obtained excellent results, 5 good and 1 moderate. There was no obvious meaning in HSS score of knee joint (F = 0.08,P = 0.876 > 0.05), 9 cases obtained excellent results, 6 good and 1 poor. Asian femoral intramedullary nail could treat segmental and comminuted femoral fractures by using variety of less invasive ways,which has advantages of less trauma, quick recovery of function and satisfied midterm following-up results. But long term following-up effects remains to be seen.

  11. Treatment of pigmented keratosis pilaris in Asian patients with a novel Q-switched Nd:YAG laser.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sangeun

    2011-06-01

    Treatment for most cases of keratosis pilaris requires simple reassurance and general skin care recommendations. Many Asian patients find lesions due to pigmented keratosis pilaris to be cosmetically unappealing. Treatment of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation using a 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with low fluence is reported. To investigate the efficacy of a novel Q-switched Nd:YAG laser for the treatment of pigmented keratosis pilaris in Asian patients. Ten patients with pigmented keratosis pilaris underwent five weekly treatments using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (RevLite(®); HOYA ConBio(®), Freemont, CA, USA) at 1064 nm with a 6-mm spot size and a fluence of 5.9 J/cm(2). Photographic documentation was obtained at baseline and 2 months after the final treatment. Clinical improvement was achieved in all 10 patients with minimal adverse effects. For the treatment of keratosis pilaris, the use of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser can be helpful for improving cosmetic appearance as it can improve pigmentation.

  12. SLC22A1-ABCB1 haplotype profiles predict imatinib pharmacokinetics in Asian patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Onkar Singh

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the influence of SLC22A1, PXR, ABCG2, ABCB1 and CYP3A5 3 genetic polymorphisms on imatinib mesylate (IM pharmacokinetics in Asian patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Healthy subjects belonging to three Asian populations (Chinese, Malay, Indian; n = 70 each and CML patients (n = 38 were enrolled in a prospective pharmacogenetics study. Imatinib trough (C(0h and clearance (CL were determined in the patients at steady state. Haplowalk method was applied to infer the haplotypes and generalized linear model (GLM to estimate haplotypic effects on IM pharmacokinetics. Association of haplotype copy numbers with IM pharmacokinetics was defined by Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Global haplotype score statistics revealed a SLC22A1 sub-haplotypic region encompassing three polymorphisms (rs3798168, rs628031 and IVS7+850C>T, to be significantly associated with IM clearance (p = 0.013. Haplotype-specific GLM estimated that the haplotypes AGT and CGC were both associated with 22% decrease in clearance compared to CAC [CL (10(-2 L/hr/mg: CAC vs AGT: 4.03 vs 3.16, p = 0.017; CAC vs CGC: 4.03 vs 3.15, p = 0.017]. Patients harboring 2 copies of AGT or CGC haplotypes had 33.4% lower clearance and 50% higher C(0h than patients carrying 0 or 1 copy [CL (10(-2 L/hr/mg: 2.19 vs 3.29, p = 0.026; C(0h (10(-6 1/ml: 4.76 vs 3.17, p = 0.013, respectively]. Further subgroup analysis revealed SLC22A1 and ABCB1 haplotypic combinations to be significantly associated with clearance and C(0h (p = 0.002 and 0.009, respectively. CONCLUSION: This exploratory study suggests that SLC22A1-ABCB1 haplotypes may influence IM pharmacokinetics in Asian CML patients.

  13. Use of electroconvulsive therapy for Asian patients with schizophrenia (2001-2009): Trends and correlates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiang, Yu-Tao; Ungvari, Gabor S; Correll, Christoph U; Chiu, Helen F K; Lai, Kelly Y C; Wang, Chuan-Yue; Si, Tian-Mei; Lee, Edwin H M; He, Yan-Ling; Yang, Shu-Yu; Chong, Mian-Yoon; Kua, Ee-Heok; Fujii, Senta; Sim, Kang; Yong, Michael K H; Trivedi, Jitendra K; Chung, Eun-Kee; Udomratn, Pichet; Chee, Kok-Yoon; Sartorius, Norman; Tan, Chay-Hoon; Shinfuku, Naotaka

    2015-08-01

    Little is known about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) use in Asian inpatients with schizophrenia. This study examined trends of ECT use for schizophrenia patients in Asia between 2001 and 2009 and its independent demographic and clinical correlates. Data on 6761 hospitalized schizophrenia patients (2001 = 2399, 2004 = 2136, and 2009 = 2226) in nine Asian countries and territories were collected by either chart review or interviews during a 1-month period. Patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, prescriptions of psychotropic drugs and ECT use were recorded using a standardized protocol and data-collection procedure. The frequency of ECT was 3.3% in the whole sample; rising from 1.8% in 2001 to 3.3% in 2004 and 4.9% in 2009 (P < 0.0001). However, this increased trend was driven solely by increased ECT use in China (P < 0.0001), and the inclusion of India in the 2009 survey. There were wide inter-country variations: 2001, 0% (Hong Kong, Korea) to 5.9% (China); 2004, 0% (Singapore) to 11.1% (China); 2009, 0% (Hong Kong) to 13.8% (India) and 15.2% (China). Multiple logistic regression analysis of the whole sample revealed that patients receiving ECT were less likely in the 35-64-year age group, had shorter length of current hospitalization and fewer negative symptoms, and were more likely to receive second-generation antipsychotic medications compared to those who were not treated with ECT (R(2)  = 0.264, P < 0.001). ECT use for schizophrenia has increased over the past decade in China, being low/relatively stable in other Asian countries/regions. Reasons for substantial variations in ECT frequency in Asia require further study. © 2015 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2015 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

  14. Characteristics, quality of care, and in-hospital outcomes of Asian-American heart failure patients: Findings from the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Feng; Fonarow, Gregg C; Krim, Selim R; Vivo, Rey P; Cox, Margueritte; Hannan, Edward L; Shaw, Benjamin A; Hernandez, Adrian F; Eapen, Zubin J; Yancy, Clyde W; Bhatt, Deepak L

    2015-01-01

    Because little was previously known about Asian-American patients with heart failure (HF), we compared clinical profiles, quality of care, and outcomes between Asian-American and non-Hispanic white HF patients using data from the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure (GWTG-HF) program. We analyzed 153,023 HF patients (149,249 whites, 97.5%; 3774 Asian-Americans, 2.5%) from 356 U.S. centers participating in the GWTG-HF program (2005-2012). Baseline characteristics, quality of care metrics, in-hospital mortality, discharge to home, and length of stay were examined. Relative to white patients, Asian-American HF patients were younger, more likely to be male, uninsured or covered by Medicaid, and recruited in the western region. They had higher prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and renal insufficiency, but similar ejection fraction. Overall, Asian-American HF patients had comparable quality of care except that they were less likely to receive aldosterone antagonists at discharge (relative risk , 0.88; 95% confidence interval , 0.78-0.99), and anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation (RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85-0.97) even after risk adjustment. Compared with white patients, Asian-American patients had comparable risk adjusted in-hospital mortality (RR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.91-1.35), length of stay>4 days (RR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.95-1.08), and were more likely to be discharged to home (RR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.06-1.11). Despite some differences in clinical profiles, Asian-American patients hospitalized with HF receive very similar quality of care and have comparable health outcomes to their white counterparts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Higher Mortality in Surgically Managed Diverticulitis is Associated with Asian Ethnicity and Right-Sided Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Christine S; Koltun, Walter A; Hollenbeak, Christopher S

    2016-03-01

    Although right-sided diverticulitis is perceived to have a higher incidence among Asians and infrequently requires surgical management in comparison with sigmoid diverticulitis, it is unknown whether differences in outcomes are due to ethnic disparity or disease pathophysiology. The aim of this study was to determine the surgical outcomes for Asian and non-Asian patients with diverticulitis who underwent colectomy. Patients identifiable by ethnicity in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample with diverticulitis and colectomy between 2004 and 2010 were included. Univariate comparisons were made between Asian and non-Asian patients by using t tests for continuous variables and χ tests for categorical variables. Propensity score matching analysis was performed to compare Asian patients with otherwise similar non-Asian patients. Included were 58,142 non-Asian and 335 Asian patients with diverticulitis who underwent a colectomy. The primary outcomes were in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay, and total costs. Asian patients were younger (56.1 vs. 59.2 years, p ethnicity variable was not uniformly collected by all states within the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database. Among patients undergoing a colectomy for diverticulitis, a higher mortality was observed in Asian patients and right-sided disease. Future longitudinal studies comparing the natural history and outcomes of management between right- and left-sided diverticulitis are necessary to investigate whether a true ethnic disparity exists.

  16. Characteristics of Androgenetic Alopecia in Asian

    OpenAIRE

    Lee, Won-Soo; Lee, Hae-Jin

    2012-01-01

    Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), or pattern hair loss, is a common disorder in Asian men and women, with a reported incidence of up to 73% among general population. There are several descriptions regarding the characteristics of AGA in patients of European descent. Asian patients with AGA have different types of hair loss and family histories from Europeans, which may affect treatment response. Therefore, in this review, prevalence, hair loss patterns, familial factors, androgen receptor gene pol...

  17. Survival and hepatitis status among Asian Americans with hepatocellular carcinoma treated without liver transplantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hassan Manal M

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV and hepatitis C virus (HCV are established causes of HCC. HCC patients are often diagnosed late and receive palliative therapies, however, the survival of Asian American patients with HCC treated without transplantation has not been well studied. We reviewed our institution's experience to determine predictors and rates of survival in Asian American HCC patients treated without transplantation. Methods We identified Asian American patients with HCC referred to M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Patients were tested for HBV and HCV. Survival curves were generated by Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used to test the relationship between prognostic factors and survival. Results Of 82 Asian American HCC patients, most had advanced disease (65% and received treatment (68%; however, only 11% had surgical resection. 94% had positive anti-HBc and 61% had positive HBsAg. 20% had positive anti-HCV. There were no significant changes in the rates of HBV and HCV over time. Male gender, high alpha-fetoprotein levels, and stage IV disease were associated with shorter survival Overall median survival was 9.2 months (95% CI 6.5–11.9, and the survival of HCV and HBV patients was not statistically different. Conclusion The survival rate of Asian American patients with advanced HCC, for whom transplantation was not available, was low. Timely hepatitis screening and interventions by primary care physicians may be the most logical solution to reduce the burden of hepatitis-associated HCC among Asian Americans.

  18. Increased Range of Motion Is Important for Functional Outcome and Satisfaction After Total Knee Arthroplasty in Asian Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ha, Chul-Won; Park, Yong-Beom; Song, Young-Suk; Kim, Jun-Ho; Park, Yong-Geun

    2016-06-01

    Although range of motion (ROM) is considered as an important factor for good outcome after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), the association of the degree of ROM with functional outcome and patient satisfaction is debated. We, therefore, investigated whether increased ROM would affect functional outcome and patient satisfaction after TKA in Asian patients. We reviewed 630 patients who underwent primary TKA with minimum 2-year follow-up. Clinical outcomes were evaluated by Knee Society (KS) score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index, and high-flexion knee score. Patient satisfaction was evaluated using a validated questionnaire. The association of ROM and change in ROM (cROM) with clinical outcomes and satisfaction were analyzed using partial correlation analysis and multiple median regression analysis. All functional scores showed significant correlation with postoperative ROM (r = 0.129, P = .001 in Knee Society score; r = -0.101, P = .012 in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index; r = 0.183, P satisfaction (r = 0.192, P = .005). Postoperative ROM and cROM were revealed as predisposing factors affecting function outcome using multivariable regression analysis. cROM was found as a predisposing factor affecting satisfaction. Based on the results of this study, ROM positively associated with functional outcome and cROM positively associated with patient satisfaction after TKA. These findings suggest that increased ROM after TKA is an important factor for functional outcome and satisfaction in Asian patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Reduced disparities and improved surgical outcomes for Asian Americans with colorectal cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mulhern, Kayln C; Wahl, Tyler S; Goss, Lauren E; Feng, Katey; Richman, Joshua S; Morris, Melanie S; Chen, Herbert; Chu, Daniel I

    2017-10-01

    Studies suggest Asian Americans may have improved oncologic outcomes compared with other ethnicities. We hypothesized that Asian Americans with colorectal cancer would have improved surgical outcomes in mortality, postoperative complications (POCs), length of stay (LOS), and readmissions compared with other racial/ethnic groups. We queried the 2011-2014 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program for patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer and stratified patients by race. Primary outcome was 30-d mortality with secondary outcomes including POCs, LOS, and 30-d readmission. Stepwise backward logistic regression analyses and incident rate ratio calculations were performed to identify risk factors for disparate outcomes. Of the 28,283 patients undergoing colorectal surgery for malignancy, racial/ethnic groups were divided into Caucasian American (84%), African American (12%), or Asian American (4%). On unadjusted analyses, compared with other racial/ethnic groups, Asian Americans were more likely to have normal weight, not smoke, and had lower American Society of Anesthesiologists score of 1 or 2 (P Asian Americans had the shortest LOS and the lowest rates of complications due to ileus, respiratory, and renal complications (P Asian American race was independently associated with less postoperative ileus (odds ratio 0.8, 95% confidence interval 0.66-0.98, P American and Caucasian American patients, respectively (P Asian Americans undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer have shorter LOS and fewer POCs when compared with other racial/ethnic groups without differences in 30-d mortality or readmissions. The mechanism(s) underlying these disparities will require further study, but may be a result of patient, provider, and healthcare system differences. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Lifestyle and health-related quality of life in Asian patients with total hip arthroplasties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujita, Kimie; Xia, Zhenlan; Liu, Xueqin; Mawatari, Masaaki; Makimoto, Kiyoko

    2014-09-01

    Total hip arthroplasty reduces pain and restores physical function in patients with hip joint problems. This study examined lifestyle and health-related quality of life before and after total hip arthroplasty in Japanese and Chinese patients. Two hospitals in China recruited 120 patients and 120 Japanese patients matched by age and operative status were drawn from a prospective cohort database. Oxford Hip Score, EuroQol, and characteristics of Asian lifestyle and attitudes toward the operation were assessed. There were no differences between patients from the two countries in quality-of-life-scale scores: postoperative patients had significantly better quality-of-life scores than preoperative patients in both countries. In China, patients who reported that living at home was inconvenient had significantly worse Oxford Hip Scores than those who did not. Mean scores for anxiety items concerning possible dislocation and durability of the implant were significantly higher in Japanese than in Chinese subjects. Our findings suggest that providing information about housing conditions and lifestyles would result in improved quality of life and reduced anxiety in patients with implanted joints. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  1. A Meta-analysis on the Effect of Ulinastatin on Serum Levels of C-Reactive Protein, Interleukin 6, and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha in Asian Patients with Acute Pancreatitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Chunze; Wang, Yijia; Fu, Wenzheng; Zhang, Weihua; Wang, Tao; Qin, Hai

    2016-03-01

    We aimed to investigate the influence of ulinastatin (UTI) on the serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in Asian patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) by performance of a meta-analysis. Two investigators independently searched 11 databases, including PUBMED, EBSCO, Ovid, SpringerLink, Wiley, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Wanfang database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Journal Full-text Database, and China Biomedicine Database. The full-text articles were screened and the data were extracted using a standardized data extraction form. All statistical analyses were conducted with Stata software, version 12.0 (Stata Corporation, College Station, TX). A total of 94 studies were initially retrieved, and 10 studies containing 424 Asian patients with AP were ultimately enrolled in this meta-analysis. The results revealed that the serum levels of CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α in Asian AP patients significantly decreased after UTI therapy (CRP: standardized mean difference [SMD] = 3.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.69-4.83, p < 0.001; IL-6: SMD = 5.92, 95% CI = 2.09-9.75, p = 0.002; TNF-α: SMD = 4.07, 95% CI = 0.79-7.35, p = 0.015). The results of this meta-analysis suggest that UTI can effectively depress the serum levels of CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α in Asian patients with AP, and thereby inhibit inflammation.

  2. Linagliptin improves glycemic control after 1 year as add-on therapy to basal insulin in Asian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheu, Wayne H-H; Park, Sung Woo; Gong, Yan; Pinnetti, Sabine; Bhattacharya, Sudipta; Patel, Sanjay; Seck, Thomas; Woerle, Hans-Juergen

    2015-03-01

    To evaluate the efficacy and long-term safety of linagliptin added to basal insulin in Asian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) inadequately controlled by basal insulin with/without oral agents. This was a post hoc analysis of Asian patients from a global ≥52 week study in which patients on basal insulin were randomized (1:1) to double-blind treatment with linagliptin 5 mg once daily or placebo (NCT00954447). Basal insulin dose remained stable for 24 weeks, after which adjustments could be made according to the investigator's discretion to improve glycemic control. The primary endpoint was the mean change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) from baseline to 24 weeks. Data were available for 154 Asian patients (80 linagliptin, 74 placebo). Baseline HbA1c (standard deviation [SD]) was 8.6 (0.9)% (70 [10] mmol/mol). The placebo-corrected mean change (standard error [SE]) in HbA1c from baseline was -0.9 (0.1)% (-10 [1] mmol/mol) (95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.2, -0.7; p1) at Week 24 and -0.9 (0.1)% (-10 [1] mmol/mol) (95% CI: -1.1, -0.6; p1) at Week 52. The frequency of adverse events (linagliptin 81.3%, placebo 91.9%) and hypoglycemia (Week 24: linagliptin 25.0%, placebo 25.7%; treatment end: linagliptin 28.8%, placebo 35.1%) was similar between groups. By Week 52, changes (SE) in mean body weight were similar in both groups (linagliptin -0.67 [0.26] kg, placebo -0.38 [0.25] kg). This study was limited by the post hoc nature of the analysis and the small number of patients in the subgroup. However, the results suggest that linagliptin significantly improves glycemic control in Asian patients with T2DM inadequately controlled by basal insulin, without increasing the risk for hypoglycemia or weight gain. ClinicalTrials identifier: NCT00954447.

  3. Stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation--an Asian stroke perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tse, Hung-Fat; Wang, Yong-Jun; Ahmed Ai-Abdullah, Moheeb; Pizarro-Borromeo, Annette B; Chiang, Chern-En; Krittayaphong, Rungroj; Singh, Balbir; Vora, Amit; Wang, Chun-Xue; Zubaid, Mohammad; Clemens, Andreas; Lim, Paul; Hu, Dayi

    2013-07-01

    Despite relatively lower prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in Asians (~1%) than in Caucasians (~2%), Asia has a much higher overall disease burden because of its proportionally larger aged population. For example, on the basis of reported age-adjusted prevalence rates and projected population figures in China, there will be an estimated 5.2 million men and 3.1 million women with AF older than 60 years by year 2050. Stroke is a disabling complication of AF that is of increasing cause for concern in Asians patients. Implementing consensus expert recommendations for managing stroke risk in patients with AF can considerably reduce stroke rates. However, caution is necessary when aligning management of Asian patients with AF to that of their Caucasian counterparts. Current international guidelines and risk stratification tools for AF management are based on findings in predominantly Caucasian populations and may therefore have limited relevance, in certain respects, to Asian patients. Oral anticoagulants play an important role in preventing AF-related stroke. The vitamin K antagonist warfarin is recommended for reducing the risk of stroke and thromboembolism in high-risk patients with nonvalvular AF; however, warfarin interacts with many drugs and food ingredients, which may pose significant challenges in administration and monitoring among Asian patients. Further research is needed to inform specific guidance on the implications of different stroke and bleeding profiles in Asians vs Caucasians. Moreover, there is scope to improve physician perceptions and patient knowledge, as well as considering alternative new oral anticoagulants, for example, direct thrombin inhibitors or factor Xa inhibitors. Copyright © 2013 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Depression in Asian-American and Caucasian undergraduate students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Christina B; Fang, Daniel Z; Zisook, Sidney

    2010-09-01

    Depression is a serious and often under-diagnosed and undertreated mental health problem in college students which may have fatal consequences. Little is known about ethnic differences in prevalence of depression in US college campuses. This study compares depression severity in Asian-American and Caucasian undergraduate students at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Participants completed the nine item Patient Health Questionnaire and key demographic information via an anonymous online questionnaire. Compared to Caucasians, Asian-Americans exhibited significantly elevated levels of depression. Furthermore, Korean-American students were significantly more depressed than Chinese-American, other minority Asian-American, and Caucasian students. In general, females were significantly more depressed than males. Results were upheld when level of acculturation was considered. The demographic breakdown of the student population at UCSD is not representative to that of the nation. These findings suggest that outreach to female and Asian-American undergraduate students is important and attention to Korean-American undergraduates may be especially worthwhile. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. The Rhetorical Making of the Asian/Asian American Face: Reading and Writing Asian Eyelids

    OpenAIRE

    Sano-Franchini, Jennifer

    2013-01-01

    In The Rhetorical Making of the Asian/Asian American Face: Reading and Writing Asian Eyelids, I examine representations of East Asian blepharoplasty in online video in order to gain a sense of how cultural values change over time. Drawing on scholarship in and around rhetorical theory, cultural rhetorics, Asian American rhetoric, cultural studies, Asian American studies, and postcolonial theory alongside qualitative data analysis of approximately fifty videos and the numerous viewer comments ...

  6. Aesthetic facial surgery for the asian male.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lam, Samuel M

    2005-11-01

    Cosmetic surgery of the Asian face has become increasingly popular in the Far East and the West. The Asian male identity has undergone an evolution in Western media toward a more positive change. The standards of beauty have also changed, being defined by more multicultural models and styles of dress than before. To undertake cosmetic surgery of the Asian face, particularly of the Asian male, requires a different psychological understanding of the individual as well as an entirely different surgical technique in most cases. This brief article does not delve into the technical details of each procedure but concentrates on the salient differences in how to approach the Asian male patient for each of the different procedures, including Asian blepharoplasty, augmentation rhinoplasty, lip reduction, dimple fabrication, otoplasty, facial contouring and aging face procedures, and hair restoration.

  7. An Asian perspective on organ transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tai, Michael Cheng-tek

    2009-01-01

    The organ transplantation seems to have become a route practice of modern medical treatment when a patient's organ fails providing that she/he can afford the cost and a suitable organ is found. This practice, however, was not without scepticism and reservation at least to some Asians, for instance, Japan has been reluctant to launch a brave search for organs to save any patient whose organs fail. The western world including Vatican has seen donating one's organ for transplantation to save others as an act of love. Compassion is one of the main teachings in Asian tradition too, therefore culturally, Asians should be in favour of this modern medical treatment. But the ancient teachings of Asia also call for respecting parents by carefully safeguarding the gift of body that they gave and abiding in Tao to follow the flow of nature. What will the Asian ancient sages say to this new modern medical technology? This article will examine the teachings of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism to find out how they respond to the procedures of organ transplantation.

  8. Participation of Asian-American women in cancer treatment research: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Tung T; Somkin, Carol P; Ma, Yifei; Fung, Lei-Chun; Nguyen, Thoa

    2005-01-01

    Few Asian-American women participate in cancer treatment trials. In a pilot study to assess barriers to participation, we mailed surveys to 132 oncologists and interviewed 19 Asian-American women with cancer from Northern California. Forty-four oncologists responded. They reported as barriers language problems, lack of culturally relevant cancer information, and complex protocols. Most stated that they informed Asian-American women about treatment trials. Only four women interviewed knew about trials. Other patient-identified barriers were fear of side effects, language problems, competing needs, and fear of experimentation. Family decision making was a barrier for both oncologists and patients. Compared to non-Asian oncologists, more Asian oncologists have referred Asian-American women to industry trials and identified barriers similar to patients' reports. Our findings indicate that Asian-American women need to be informed about cancer treatment trials, linguistic barriers should be addressed, and future research should evaluate cultural barriers such as family decision making.

  9. Macroeconomic Stabilization and Monetary Policyof Four Asian CountriesJapan, Korea, Indonesia, and the Philippines- Targets, Effectiveness and Results - (in Japanese)

    OpenAIRE

    Masaaki Kuroyanagi; Junji Yano; Yasuo Nakanishi; Masaaki Komatsu; Hidehiko Futamura; Tsuyoshi Mihira

    1996-01-01

    The rapid, stable economic development of Asian countries has been an important topic of empirical study in recent years. The remarkable results of this steady economic development have been called a "miracle" in the recent literature of development economics. This cross-country study attempts to investigate the roots of the rapid, sustained economic growth of East Asian countries. In "The East Asian Miracle" (The World Bank, 1993), rapid growth of human capital, productivity improvement and ...

  10. Articulating Asianness: Young Asian Dutch and non-homeland Asian popular media

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kartosen, R.A.; Tan, E.S.H.

    2013-01-01

    This study explores Asian Dutch young people’s ethnic-cultural identification in relation to their media consumption, and specifically their consumption of popular media from Asian countries other than their country of origin. A survey was conducted among 486 Asian Dutch (18-35 years old). In

  11. Estimating 10-year cardiovascular disease risk in Asian patients with schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rekhi, Gurpreet; Khyne, Toe Toe; Lee, Jimmy

    This study aims to describe the cardiovascular risk profile of Asian patients with schizophrenia. Data was extracted from the databases of 139 patients with schizophrenia and 206 controls from two previous studies conducted at the Institute for Mental Health (IMH), Singapore. Their medical and smoking histories were obtained, and anthropometric parameters measured. Framingham risk score (FRS) calculator using body mass index was used to compute the 10-year cardiovascular disease risk (FRS BMI ) and the vascular age (VA BMI ) for each participant. Data on fasting lipids were available for 80 patients and all the controls; hence the FRS for lipids (FRS lipids ) and VA (VA lipids ) were also computed. The difference between VA and actual age was computed as VA diff . The 10-year CVD risk and VA diff based on lipids as well as BMI were significantly higher for patients compared to controls (all prisk of CVD in patients with schizophrenia as compared to controls; and conclude that patients with schizophrenia need regular physical health monitoring, especially for cardiovascular risk factors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Trends in presentation, management and survival of patients with de novo metastatic breast cancer in a Southeast Asian setting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bhoo Pathy, Nirmala; Verkooijen, Helena Marieke; Tan, Ern-Yu; Miao, Hui; Taib, Nur Aishah Mohd; Brand, Judith S.; Dent, Rebecca A.; See, Mee-Hoong; Subramaniam, ShriDevi; Chan, Patrick; Lee, Soo-Chin; Hartman, Mikael; Yip, Cheng-Har

    2015-01-01

    Up to 25% of breast cancer patients in Asia present with de novo metastatic disease. We examined the survival trends of Asian patients with metastatic breast cancer over fifteen years. The impact of changes in patient's demography, tumor characteristics, tumor burden, and treatment on survival trend

  13. Ethnopsychopharmacology considerations for Asians and Asian Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Felicia K; Pi, Edmond H

    2012-03-01

    Asians comprise more than 60% of the world's population and are the fastest growing minority group in the United States. Today's psychiatrist must learn to recognize and appreciate the unique factors that influence mental health outcomes in this group. Asian Americans are affected by psychiatric disorders at similar rates as non-Asians, but are significantly underrepresented in psychiatric clinics. When Asians and Asian Americans do present for psychiatric treatment, they often do so with higher severity of illness, and variable levels of compliance. Studies over the past three decades have suggested that pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of various psychotropic medications may be different in Asians, leading to differences in dosage requirements and side-effect profiles. These variations appear to be largely determined by genetic predisposition, but are also influenced by other factors such as environment, social support, cultural perceptions, and physicians' prescribing habits. In this paper, we provide an overview of biological and socio-cultural issues as they relate to psychopharmacology in Asians and Asian Americans, with the hope that a better understanding of these issues will lead to improved mental health care delivery to this population both in the United States, as well as in Asian countries. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. The burden of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes in Native Hawaiian and Asian American hospitalized patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T.L. Sentell

    2015-12-01

    Conclusions: Hospitalized Native Hawaiians (41% and Asian subgroups had significantly higher overall diabetes burdens compared to Whites (23%. Potentially undiagnosed diabetes was associated with poor outcomes. Hospitalized patients, irrespective of race/ethnicity, may require more effective inpatient identification and management of previously undiagnosed diabetes to improve clinical outcomes.

  15. Ki-67 as a prognostic marker in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer in Asian patients: a meta-analysis of published studies involving 32 studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wen, Song; Zhou, Wei; Li, Chun-ming; Hu, Juan; Hu, Xiao-ming; Chen, Ping; Shao, Guo-liang; Guo, Wu-hua

    2015-01-01

    Despite the large number of published papers analyzing the prognostic role of Ki-67 in NSCLC, it is still not considered an established factor for routine use in clinical practice. The present meta-analysis summarizes and analyses the associations between Ki-67 expression and clinical outcome in NSCLC patients. PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases were searched systematically using identical search strategies. The impacts of Ki-67 expression on survival in patients with NSCLC and NSCLC subtypes were evaluated. Furthermore, the association between Ki-67 expression and the clinicopathological features of NSCLC were evaluated. In total, 32 studies from 30 articles met the inclusion criteria, involving 5600 patients. Meta-analysis results suggested that high Ki-67 expression was negatively associated with overall survival (OS; HR = 1.59, 95 % CI 1.35-1.88, P < 0.001) and disease-free survival (DFS; HR = 2.21, 95 % CI 1.43-3.42, P < 0.001) in NSCLC patients. Analysis of the different subgroups of NSCLC suggested that the negative association between high Ki-67 expression and OS and DFS in Asian NSCLC patients was stronger than that in non-Asian NSCLC patients, particularly in early-stage (Stage I-II) adenocarcinoma (ADC) patients. Additionally, while high expression was more common in males, smokers, and those with poorer differentiation, there was no correlation between high Ki-67 expression and age or lymph node status. Importantly, significant correlations between high Ki-67 expression and clinicopathological features (males, higher tumor stage, poor differentiation) were seen only in Asian NSCLC patients. The present meta-analysis indicated that elevated Ki-67 expression was associated with a poorer outcome in NSCLC patients, particularly in early-stage Asian ADC patients. Studies with larger numbers of patients are needed to validate our findings. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1524-2) contains supplementary material, which is

  16. Cancer-specific mortality of Asian Americans diagnosed with cancer: a nationwide population-based assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trinh, Quoc-Dien; Nguyen, Paul L; Leow, Jeffrey J; Dalela, Deepansh; Chao, Grace F; Mahal, Brandon A; Nayak, Manan; Schmid, Marianne; Choueiri, Toni K; Aizer, Ayal A

    2015-06-01

    Racial disparities in cancer survival outcomes have been primarily attributed to underlying biologic mechanisms and the quality of cancer care received. Because prior literature shows little difference exists in the socioeconomic status of non-Hispanic whites and Asian Americans, any difference in cancer survival is less likely to be attributable to inequalities of care. We sought to examine differences in cancer-specific survival between whites and Asian Americans. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program was used to identify patients with lung (n = 130 852 [16.9%]), breast (n = 313 977 [40.4%]), prostate (n = 166 529 [21.4%]), or colorectal (n = 165 140 [21.3%]) cancer (the three leading causes of cancer-related mortality within each sex) diagnosed between 1991 and 2007. Fine and Gray's competing risks regression compared the cancer-specific mortality (CSM) of eight Asian American groups (Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Japanese, Korean, other Asian, South Asian [Indian/Pakistani], and Vietnamese) to non-Hispanic white patients. All P values were two-sided. In competing risks regression, the receipt of definitive treatment was an independent predictor of CSM (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.35 to 0.40; HR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.53 to 0.58; HR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.60 to 0.62; and HR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.25 to 0.29) for prostate, breast, lung, and colorectal cancers respectively, all P < .001). In adjusted analyses, most Asian subgroups (except Hawaiians and Koreans) had lower CSM relative to white patients, with hazard ratios ranging from 0.54 (95% CI = 0.38 to 0.78) to 0.88 (95% CI = 0.84 to 0.93) for Japanese patients with prostate and Chinese patients with lung cancer, respectively. Despite adjustment for potential confounders, including the receipt of definitive treatment and tumor characteristics, most Asian subgroups had better CSM than non-Hispanic white patients. These findings suggest that underlying genetic

  17. Tofacitinib induction and maintenance therapy in East Asian patients with active ulcerative colitis: subgroup analyses from three phase 3 multinational studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Satoshi Motoya

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims : Tofacitinib is an oral, small-molecule Janus kinase inhibitor being investigated for ulcerative colitis (UC. In OCTAVE Induction 1 and 2, patients with moderately to severely active UC received placebo or tofacitinib 10 mg twice daily (BID for 8 weeks. Clinical responders in OCTAVE Induction were re-randomized to 52 weeks' therapy with placebo, tofacitinib 5 mg BID, or tofacitinib 10 mg BID. Methods : We conducted post-hoc efficacy and safety analyses of East Asian patients in OCTAVE Induction 1 and 2 and OCTAVE Sustain. Results : A total of 121 East Asian (Japan, Korea, and Taiwan patients were randomized in OCTAVE Induction 1 and 2 (placebo, n=26; tofacitinib 10 mg BID, n=95, and 63 in OCTAVE Sustain (placebo, n=20; tofacitinib 5 mg BID, n=22; tofacitinib 10 mg BID, n=21. At week 8 of OCTAVE Induction 1 and 2, 18.9% of patients (18/95 achieved remission with tofacitinib 10 mg BID versus 3.8% (1/26 with placebo. In OCTAVE Sustain, the week 52 remission rates were 45.5% (10/22, 47.6% (10/21, and 15.0% (3/20 with 5 mg BID, 10 mg BID, and placebo, respectively. Adverse event rates were similar between groups in OCTAVE Induction and numerically higher with tofacitinib in OCTAVE Sustain. Serious adverse event rates were similar across groups in all studies. Infections were numerically more frequent with tofacitinib than placebo. Increases in serum lipid levels were observed with tofacitinib. Conclusion : In East Asian patients with UC, tofacitinib demonstrated numerically greater efficacy versus placebo as induction and maintenance therapy, with a safety profile consistent with the global study population. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01465763; NCT01458951; NCT01458574.

  18. Regional and ethnic differences among patients with heart failure in Asia: the Asian sudden cardiac death in heart failure registry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lam, Carolyn S P; Teng, Tiew-Hwa Katherine; Tay, Wan Ting; Anand, Inder; Zhang, Shu; Shimizu, Wataru; Narasimhan, Calambur; Park, Sang Weon; Yu, Cheuk-Man; Ngarmukos, Tachapong; Omar, Razali; Reyes, Eugene B; Siswanto, Bambang B; Hung, Chung-Lieh; Ling, Lieng H; Yap, Jonathan; MacDonald, Michael; Richards, A Mark

    2016-11-01

    To characterize regional and ethnic differences in heart failure (HF) across Asia. We prospectively studied 5276 patients with stable HF and reduced ejection fraction (≤40%) from 11 Asian regions (China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand). Mean age was 59.6 ± 13.1 years, 78.2% were men, and mean body mass index was 24.9 ± 5.1 kg/m 2 . Majority (64%) of patients had two or more comorbid conditions such as hypertension (51.9%), coronary artery disease (CAD, 50.2%), or diabetes (40.4%). The prevalence of CAD was highest in Southeast Asians (58.8 vs. 38.2% in Northeast Asians). Compared with Chinese ethnicity, Malays (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.97, 95% CI 1.63-2.38) and Indians (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.24-1.68) had higher odds of CAD, whereas Koreans (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.29-0.50) and Japanese (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.36-0.55) had lower odds. The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes was highest in Southeast Asians (64.2 and 49.3%, respectively) and high-income regions (59.7 and 46.2%, respectively). There was significant interaction between ethnicity and region, where the adjusted odds were 3.95 (95% CI 2.51-6.21) for hypertension and 4.91 (95% CI 3.07-7.87) for diabetes among Indians from high- vs. low-income regions; and 2.60 (95% CI 1.66-4.06) for hypertension and 2.62 (95% CI 1.73-3.97) for diabetes among Malays from high- vs. low-income regions. These first prospective multi-national data from Asia highlight the significant heterogeneity among Asian patients with stable HF, and the important influence of both ethnicity and regional income level on patient characteristics. NCT01633398. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2016. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  19. Genitourinary syndrome of menopause in five Asian countries: results from the Pan-Asian REVIVE survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chua, Y; Limpaphayom, K K; Cheng, B; Ho, C M; Sumapradja, K; Altomare, C; Huang, K

    2017-08-01

    The Pan-Asian REVIVE survey aimed to examine women's experiences with genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) and their interactions with health-care professionals (HCPs). Self-completed surveys were administered face-to-face to 5992 women (aged 45-75 years) in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Of 638 postmenopausal women with GSM symptoms, only 35% were aware of the GSM condition, most of whom first heard of GSM through their physician (32%). The most common symptoms were vaginal dryness (57%) and irritation (43%). GSM had the greatest impact on sexual enjoyment (65%) and intimacy (61%). Only 25% had discussed their GSM symptoms with a HCP, and such discussions were mostly patient-initiated (64%) rather than HCP-initiated (24%). Only 21% had been clinically diagnosed with GSM and only 24% had ever used treatment for their symptoms. Three-quarters of those who had used treatment for GSM had discussed their symptoms with a HCP compared to only 9% of those who were treatment-naïve. GSM is underdiagnosed and undertreated in Asia. As discussion of GSM with HCPs appears to be a factor influencing women's awareness and treatment status, a more active role by HCPs to facilitate early discussions on GSM and its treatment options is needed.

  20. The Asian atopic dermatitis phenotype combines features of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis with increased TH17 polarization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noda, Shinji; Suárez-Fariñas, Mayte; Ungar, Benjamin; Kim, Soo Jung; de Guzman Strong, Cristina; Xu, Hui; Peng, Xiangyu; Estrada, Yeriel D; Nakajima, Saeko; Honda, Tetsuya; Shin, Jung U; Lee, Hemin; Krueger, James G; Lee, Kwang-Hoon; Kabashima, Kenji; Guttman-Yassky, Emma

    2015-11-01

    Atopic dermatitis (AD) shows very high prevalence in Asia, with a large unmet need for effective therapeutics. Direct comparisons between European American (EA) and Asian patients with AD are unavailable, but earlier blood studies detected increased IL-17(+)-producing cell counts in Asian patients with AD. We sought to characterize the Asian AD skin phenotype and compare it with the EA AD skin phenotype. We performed genomic profiling (real-time PCR) and immunohistochemistry on lesional and nonlesional biopsy specimens from 52 patients with AD (25 EAs and 27 Asians), 10 patients with psoriasis (all EAs), and 27 healthy subjects (12 EAs and 15 Asians). Although disease severity/SCORAD scores were similar between the AD groups (58.0 vs 56.7, P = .77), greater acanthosis, higher Ki67 counts, and frequent parakeratosis were characteristics of lesional epidermis from Asian patients with AD (P Asian patients had high IgE levels. A principal component analysis using real-time PCR data clustered the Asian AD phenotype between the EA AD and psoriasis phenotypes. TH2 skewing characterized both Asian and EA patients with AD but not patients with psoriasis. Significantly higher TH17 and TH22 (IL17A, IL19, and S100A12 in lesional and IL-22 in nonlesional skin; P Asian patients. The Asian AD phenotype presents (even in the presence of increased IgE levels) a blended phenotype between that of EA patients with AD and those with psoriasis, including increased hyperplasia, parakeratosis, higher TH17 activation, and a strong TH2 component. The relative pathogenic contributions of the TH17 and TH2 axes in creating the Asian AD phenotype need to be tested in future clinical trials with appropriate targeted therapeutics. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Racial and Ethnic Variation in Lipoprotein (a Levels among Asian Indian and Chinese Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dipanjan Banerjee

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Lipoprotein (a [Lp(a] is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD in Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW. There are known racial/ethnic differences in Lp(a levels, and the association of Lp(a with CVD outcomes has not been examined in Asian Americans in the USA. Objective. We hypothesized that Lp(a levels would differ in Asian Indians and Chinese Americans when compared to NHW and that the relationship between Lp(a and CVD outcomes would be different in these Asian racial/ethnic subgroups when compared to NHW. Methods. We studied the outpatient electronic health records of 2022 NHW, 295 Asian Indians, and 151 Chinese adults age ≥18 y in Northern California in whom Lp(a levels were assessed during routine clinical care from 2001 to 2008, excluding those who had received prescriptions for niacin (14.6%. Nonparametric methods were used to compare median Lp(a levels. Significance was assessed at the P<.0001 level to account for multiple comparisons. CVD outcomes were defined as ischemic heart disease (IHD (265 events, stroke (122, or peripheral vascular disease (PVD (87. We used logistic regression to determine the relationship between Lp(a and CVD outcomes. Results. Both Asian Indians (36 nmol/L and NHW (29 nmol/L had higher median Lp(a levels than Chinese (22 nmol/L, P≤.0001 and P=.0032. When stratified by sex, the differences in median Lp(a between these groups persisted in the 1761 men (AI v CH: P=.001, NHW v CH: P=.0018 but were not statistically significant in the 1130 women (AI v CH: P=.0402, NHW v CH: P=.0761. Asian Indians (OR=2.0 and Chinese (OR=4.8 exhibited a trend towards greater risk of IHD with high Lp(a levels than NHW (OR=1.4, but no relationship was statistically significant. Conclusion. Asian Indian and NHW men have higher Lp(a values than Chinese men, with a trend toward, similar associations in women. High Lp(a may be more strongly associated with IHD in Asian Indians and Chinese, although we did

  2. Health care expenditures among Asian American subgroups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jie; Vargas-Bustamante, Arturo; Ortega, Alexander N

    2013-06-01

    Using two nationally representative data sets, this study examined health care expenditure disparities between Caucasians and different Asian American subgroups. Multivariate analyses demonstrate that Asian Americans, as a group, have significantly lower total expenditures compared with Caucasians. Results also point to considerable heterogeneities in health care spending within Asian American subgroups. Findings suggest that language assistance programs would be effective in reducing disparities among Caucasians and Asian American subgroups with the exception of Indians and Filipinos, who tend to be more proficient in English. Results also indicate that citizenship and nativity were major factors associated with expenditure disparities. Socioeconomic status, however, could not explain expenditure disparities. Results also show that Asian Americans have lower physician and pharmaceutical costs but not emergency department or hospital expenditures. These findings suggest the need for culturally competent policies specific to Asian American subgroups and the necessity to encourage cost-effective treatments among Asian Americans.

  3. [Donor supply of scalp and specificities of hair transplantation in Asians].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsilosani, A Z; Mshvenieradze, E G

    2008-01-01

    In 2005--2007 in a hair transplantation clinic 'Talizi' the flow of international patients increased dramatically, including those from Central and Eastern Asia. During this period 211 ethnic Asian patients underwent operations, including 146 patients from South Korea, 2--from China, 62-- from Kazakhstan and 1--from Philippines. Black and straight hair give impact of low density due to considerable contrast with characteristic for Asians light color scalp; therefore, from the very beginning we tried to transplant as many grafts (follicular units - FU) as possible. For the operation we chose strip version (FUSS) that enables to receive large number of grafts. The scale of transplantation varied in a range of 1200-3800 FU, on average--2500-3000 FU. Though, even from the very first cases we faced specificities of ethnic Asian scalp that significantly complicated our work: low density and low hair/graft ratio in donor zone in contrast to information from special literature, and low laxity (flexibility) of the scalp. We set an objective to specify indicators of donor density (number of FU on a sq.cm and hair/FU ratio), to study bio-mechanical specificities of ethnic Asian scalp and develop optimal surgical tactics for these patients after the evaluation of transplantation results. Observation group was composed of 211 patients from abovementioned countries and a sub-group--50 Korean patients for medium-scale hair transplantation (2000-3000 FU) by strip version. Study of donor characteristics of these patients revealed low density--74 FU/cm2; on 1 cm2 grow only 121 hairs, whereas hair/FU ration was 1,63. Strength required to close would edges (scalp tension power) varied from 1,4 kg-f to 2,6 kg-f depending on scalp flexibility and number of transplanted grafts (strip width), and amounted on average to 2,16 +/- 0,02 kg-f, p flexibility of the scalps this resulted in high percentage (10-15%) of wide (4-10 mm) scar formation in donor area. In order to find the way out from

  4. Association between painful physical symptoms and clinical outcomes in East Asian patients with major depressive disorder: a 3-month prospective observational study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ang, Q Q; Wing, Y K; He, Y; Sulaiman, A H; Chiu, N-Y; Shen, Y-C; Wang, G; Zhang, C; Lee, K-H; Singh, P; Granger, R E; Raskin, J; Dossenbach, M

    2009-07-01

    Reports from non-Asian populations indicate that painful physical symptoms (PPS) are associated with poorer clinical and functional outcomes in major depressive disorder (MDD). The purpose of this study is to report comparative changes in disease severity, treatment patterns and quality of life observed in East Asian patients with MDD, with and without PPS, as assessed prospectively over a 3-month observation period. This observational study enrolled 909 patients with MDD in psychiatric care settings in China, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. Patients were classified as PPS positive (PPS+) or negative (PPS-) based on mean modified Somatic Symptom Inventory scores of >or= 2 or Depression Rating Scale (HAMD(17)) determined depression severity; a visual analogue scale (VAS) determined pain severity; and the EuroQoL (EQ-5D) assessed well-being after 3 months observation. Of the 909 enrollees, 355/471 (75.4%) of PPS+ patients and 363/438 (82.9%) of PPS- patients completed the study (p = 0.006). PPS+ patients improved less than PPS- patients on depression, pain and quality of life measures during the study (HAMD(17) p < 0.001, CGI-S p < 0.001, VAS p = 0.008 and EQ-5D p = 0.004). Fewer PPS+ patients (46.5%) achieved remission compared with PPS- patients (69.4%, p < 0.001). As the presence of PPS is associated with poorer outcomes in East Asian MDD patients, clinical management should aim to address both the mental and PPS associated with MDD.

  5. Prevalence of NS5B resistance-associated variants in treatment-naïve Asian patients with chronic hepatitis C.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Song; Xing, Huichun; Feng, Shenghu; Ju, Wei; Liu, Shunai; Wang, Xiaomei; Ou, Weini; Cheng, Jun; Pan, Calvin Q

    2018-02-01

    There is little information on the association between baseline non-structural protein (NS) 5b resistance-associated variants (RAVs) and treatment failure in hepatitis C patients. This study examined the frequencies of natural hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B resistance-associated variants (RAVs) in an Asian cohort. Samples from Asian HCV patients enrolled between October 2009 and September 2014 were analyzed for NS5B RAVs within the region from amino acid 230 to 371. Serum samples were tested by PCR genotyping, with sequence alignment performed using the neighbor-joining method. NS5B was detected by Sanger sequencing followed by Geno2pheno analysis. NS5B RAVs were detected in 80.52% (1199/1489) of patients; 68.4% (1019/1489) and 79.7% (1186/1489) were associated with resistance to sofosbuvir (SOF) and dasabuvir (DSV), respectively. These RAVs were present in 95% (1004/1058) of genotype 1b patients. When genotypes 1b and 2a were compared, SOF-associated RAVs were detected at a higher frequency in genotype 1b (94.8% [1004/1058] vs. 2.9% [9/309]; χ 2 = 1054.433, P C316H/N was more common in genotype 1b (94.7% [1002/1058] vs. 0% [0/309]; χ 2 = 1096.014, P C316Y/H/N/W was higher in genotype 1b (94.7% [1002/1058] vs. 0% [0/309]; χ 2 = 1096.014, P < 0.001). In conclusion, baseline SOF and DSV RAVs are common in Asian HCV patients and predominantly occur in genotype 1b.

  6. Population effect model identifies gene expression predictors of survival outcomes in lung adenocarcinoma for both Caucasian and Asian patients.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guoshuai Cai

    Full Text Available We analyzed and integrated transcriptome data from two large studies of lung adenocarcinomas on distinct populations. Our goal was to investigate the variable gene expression alterations between paired tumor-normal tissues and prospectively identify those alterations that can reliably predict lung disease related outcomes across populations.We developed a mixed model that combined the paired tumor-normal RNA-seq from two populations. Alterations in gene expression common to both populations were detected and validated in two independent DNA microarray datasets. A 10-gene prognosis signature was developed through a l1 penalized regression approach and its prognostic value was evaluated in a third independent microarray cohort.Deregulation of apoptosis pathways and increased expression of cell cycle pathways were identified in tumors of both Caucasian and Asian lung adenocarcinoma patients. We demonstrate that a 10-gene biomarker panel can predict prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma in both Caucasians and Asians. Compared to low risk groups, high risk groups showed significantly shorter overall survival time (Caucasian patients data: HR = 3.63, p-value = 0.007; Asian patients data: HR = 3.25, p-value = 0.001.This study uses a statistical framework to detect DEGs between paired tumor and normal tissues that considers variances among patients and ethnicities, which will aid in understanding the common genes and signalling pathways with the largest effect sizes in ethnically diverse cohorts. We propose multifunctional markers for distinguishing tumor from normal tissue and prognosis for both populations studied.

  7. Risk factors for acute stroke among South Asians compared to other racial/ethnic groups.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tefera Gezmu

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Studies of racial/ethnic variations in stroke rarely consider the South Asian population, one of the fastest growing sub-groups in the United States. This study compared risk factors for stroke among South Asians with those for whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics. METHODS: Data on 3290 stroke patients were analyzed to examine risk differences among the four racial/ethnic groups. Data on 3290 patients admitted to a regional stroke center were analyzed to examine risk differences for ischemic stroke (including subtypes of small and large vessel disease among South Asians, whites, African Americans and Hispanics. RESULTS: South Asians were younger and had higher rates of diabetes mellitus, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose levels than other race/ethnicities. Prevalence of diabetic and antiplatelet medication use, as well as the incidence of small-artery occlusion ischemic stroke was also higher among South Asians. South Asians were almost a decade younger and had comparable socioeconomic levels as whites; however, their stroke risk factors were comparable to that of African Americans and Hispanics. DISCUSSION: Observed differences in stroke may be explained by dietary and life style choices of South Asian-Americans, risk factors that are potentially modifiable. Future population and epidemiologic studies should consider growing ethnic minority groups in the examination of the nature, outcome, and medical care profiles of stroke.

  8. Characterization of acute-on-chronic liver failure and prediction of mortality in Asian patients with active alcoholism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hwi Young; Chang, Young; Park, Jae Yong; Ahn, Hongkeun; Cho, Hyeki; Han, Seung Jun; Oh, Sohee; Kim, Donghee; Jung, Yong Jin; Kim, Byeong Gwan; Lee, Kook Lae; Kim, Won

    2016-02-01

    Alcoholic liver diseases often evolve to acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), which increases the risk of (multi-)organ failure and death. We investigated the development and characteristics of alcohol-related ACLF and evaluated prognostic scores for prediction of mortality in Asian patients with active alcoholism. A total of 205 patients who were hospitalized with severe alcoholic liver disease were included in this retrospective cohort study, after excluding those with serious cardiovascular diseases, malignancy, or co-existing viral hepatitis. The Chronic Liver Failure (CLIF) Consortium Organ Failure score was used in the diagnosis and grading of ACLF, and the CLIF Consortium ACLF score (CLIF-C ACLFs) was used to predict mortality. Patients with ACLF had higher Maddrey discriminant function, model for end-stage liver disease (MELD), and MELD-sodium scores than those without ACLF. Infections were more frequently documented in patients with ACLF (33.3% vs 53.0%; P = 0.004). Predictive factors for ACLF development were systemic inflammatory response syndrome (odds ratio [OR], 2.239; P alcohol-related ACLF in Asian patients with active alcoholism. The CLIF-C ACLFs may be more useful for predicting mortality in ACLF cases than liver-specific scoring systems. © 2015 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  9. Identifying Depression in South Asian Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease: Considerations for Practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shivani Sharma

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Depression is a prevalent burden for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD and one that is under-recognized and consequently under-treated. Although several studies have explored the association between depression symptoms, treatment adherence and outcomes in Euro-American patient groups, quantitative and qualitative exploration of these issues in patients from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds has been lacking. This review discusses the methodological issues associated with measuring depression in patients of South Asian origin who have a 3- to 5-fold greater risk of developing ESRD. There is a need to advance research into the development of accurate screening practices for this patient group, with an emphasis on studies utilizing rigorous approaches to evaluating the use of both emic (culture-specific and etic (universal or culture-general screening instruments.

  10. Masculine Norms, Avoidant Coping, Asian Values and Depression among Asian American Men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwamoto, Derek Kenji; Liao, Liang; Liu, William Ming

    2010-01-01

    Contrary to the "model minority" myth, growing research indicates that the rates of mental health problems among Asian Americans may be higher than initially assumed. This study seeks to add to the scant knowledge regarding the mental health of Asian American men by examining the role of masculine norms, coping and cultural values in predicting depression among this population (N=149). Results reveal that Asian American men who used avoidant coping strategies and endorsed the masculine norm Dominance reported higher levels of depressive symptoms. In contrast, endorsing Winning masculine norms was associated to lower levels of depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that adherence to masculine norms and avoidant coping strategies play a salient role in the mental health of Asian American men.

  11. Masculine Norms, Avoidant Coping, Asian Values and Depression among Asian American Men

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwamoto, Derek Kenji; Liao, Liang; Liu, William Ming

    2010-01-01

    Contrary to the “model minority” myth, growing research indicates that the rates of mental health problems among Asian Americans may be higher than initially assumed. This study seeks to add to the scant knowledge regarding the mental health of Asian American men by examining the role of masculine norms, coping and cultural values in predicting depression among this population (N=149). Results reveal that Asian American men who used avoidant coping strategies and endorsed the masculine norm Dominance reported higher levels of depressive symptoms. In contrast, endorsing Winning masculine norms was associated to lower levels of depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that adherence to masculine norms and avoidant coping strategies play a salient role in the mental health of Asian American men. PMID:20657794

  12. A new era of Asian urology: a SWOT analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Rajeev

    2016-11-01

    Economic prosperity and increasing connectivity have made Asia an emerging centre of growth in health care, including in the field of urology. Large and varied patient populations, the availability of a trained workforce, the use of English as a common communication language, and overall low costs have contributed to this change. Rapid growth of regional urological associations and journals has fuelled the aspirations and abilities of Asian urologists to not only keep abreast of but often lead the change in urological disease management. Asian urology has immense potential to expand in areas in which it currently lags behind, the most important being research. The increasing ability to travel aids in developing networks for collaboration. However, Asian urologists will need to look at sustainable models of engagement and temper the need for short-term results if these opportunities are to reach their maximal potential.

  13. Whole-genome sequencing of asian lung cancers: second-hand smoke unlikely to be responsible for higher incidence of lung cancer among Asian never-smokers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishnan, Vidhya G; Ebert, Philip J; Ting, Jason C; Lim, Elaine; Wong, Swee-Seong; Teo, Audrey S M; Yue, Yong G; Chua, Hui-Hoon; Ma, Xiwen; Loh, Gary S L; Lin, Yuhao; Tan, Joanna H J; Yu, Kun; Zhang, Shenli; Reinhard, Christoph; Tan, Daniel S W; Peters, Brock A; Lincoln, Stephen E; Ballinger, Dennis G; Laramie, Jason M; Nilsen, Geoffrey B; Barber, Thomas D; Tan, Patrick; Hillmer, Axel M; Ng, Pauline C

    2014-11-01

    Asian nonsmoking populations have a higher incidence of lung cancer compared with their European counterparts. There is a long-standing hypothesis that the increase of lung cancer in Asian never-smokers is due to environmental factors such as second-hand smoke. We analyzed whole-genome sequencing of 30 Asian lung cancers. Unsupervised clustering of mutational signatures separated the patients into two categories of either all the never-smokers or all the smokers or ex-smokers. In addition, nearly one third of the ex-smokers and smokers classified with the never-smoker-like cluster. The somatic variant profiles of Asian lung cancers were similar to that of European origin with G.C>T.A being predominant in smokers. We found EGFR and TP53 to be the most frequently mutated genes with mutations in 50% and 27% of individuals, respectively. Among the 16 never-smokers, 69% had an EGFR mutation compared with 29% of 14 smokers/ex-smokers. Asian never-smokers had lung cancer signatures distinct from the smoker signature and their mutation profiles were similar to European never-smokers. The profiles of Asian and European smokers are also similar. Taken together, these results suggested that the same mutational mechanisms underlie the etiology for both ethnic groups. Thus, the high incidence of lung cancer in Asian never-smokers seems unlikely to be due to second-hand smoke or other carcinogens that cause oxidative DNA damage, implying that routine EGFR testing is warranted in the Asian population regardless of smoking status. ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

  14. Low, rather than High, Body Mass Index Is a Risk Factor for Acute Kidney Injury in Multiethnic Asian Patients: A Retrospective Observational Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Allen Yan Lun Liu

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Acute kidney injury (AKI is common in hospitalised patients. The relationship between body mass index (BMI and the risk of having AKI for patients in the acute hospital setting is not known, particularly in the Asian population. Methods. This was a retrospective, single-centre, observational study conducted in Singapore, a multiethnic population. All patients aged ≥21 years and hospitalised from January to December 2013 were recruited. Results. A total of 12,555 patients were eligible for the analysis. A BMI of <18.5 kg/m2 was independently associated with the development of AKI in hospitalised patients (odds ratio (OR: 1.23 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04–1.44, P=0.01] but not for overweight and obesity. Subgroup analysis further revealed that underweight patients aged ≥75 and repeated hospitalisation posed a higher risk of AKI (OR: 1.25 [CI: 1.01–1.56], P=0.04; OR: 1.23 [CI: 1.04–1.44], P=0.01, resp.. Analyses by interactions between different age groups and BMI using continuous or categorised variables did not affect the overall probability of developing AKI. Conclusions. Underweight Asian patients are susceptible to AKI in acute hospital settings. Identification of this novel risk factor for AKI allows us to optimise patient care by prevention, early detection, and timely intervention.

  15. Asian Adolescents with Excess Weight are at Higher Risk for Insulin Resistance than Non-Asian Peers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elsamadony, Ahmed; Yates, Kathy F; Sweat, Victoria; Yau, Po Lai; Mangone, Alex; Joseph, Adriana; Fierman, Arthur; Convit, Antonio

    2017-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether Asian American adolescents have higher metabolic risk from excess weight than non-Asians. Seven hundred thirty-three students, aged 14 to 19 years old, completed a school-based health screening. The 427 Asian and 306 non-Asian students were overall equivalent on age, sex, and family income. Height, weight, waist circumference, percent body fat, and blood pressure were measured. Fasting triglycerides, high- and low-density lipoproteins, glucose, and insulin levels were measured. Asian and non-Asians in lean or overweight/obesity groups were contrasted on the five factors that make up the metabolic syndrome. Asian adolescents carrying excess weight had significantly higher insulin resistance (IR), triglyceride levels, and waist-height ratios (W/H), despite a significantly lower overall BMI than corresponding non-Asians. Similarly, Asians had a stronger relationship between W/H and the degree of IR than non-Asian counterparts; 35% and 18% of the variances were explained (R 2  = 0.35, R 2  = 0.18) respectively, resulting in a significant W/H by racial group interaction (F change [1,236] = 11.56, P Asians have higher IR and triglyceride levels from excess weight than their non-Asian counterparts. One-size-fits-all public health policies targeting youth should be reconsidered and attention paid to Asian adolescents, including those with mild degrees of excess weight. © 2017 The Obesity Society.

  16. Initial results from the StratoClim aircraft campaign in the Asian Monsoon in summer 2017

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rex, M.

    2017-12-01

    The Asian Monsoon System is one of the Earth's largest and most energetic weather systems. Monsoon rainfall is critical to feeding over a billion people in Asia and the monsoon circulation affects weather patterns over the entire northern hemisphere. The Monsoon also acts like an enormous elevator, pumping vast amounts of air and pollutants from the surface up to the tropopause region at levels above 16km altitude, from where air can ascend into the stratosphere, where it spreads globally. Thus the monsoon affects the chemical composition of the global tropopause region and the stratosphere, and hence plays a key role for the composition of the UTS. Dynamically the monsoon circulation leads to the formation of a large anticyclone at tropopause levels above South Asia - the Asian Monsoon Anticyclone (AMA). Satellite images show a large cloud of aerosols directly above the monsoon, the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL). In July to August 2017 the international research project StratoClim carried out the first in-situ aircraft measurements in the AMA and the ATAL with the high altitude research aircraft M55-Geophysica. Around 8 scientific flights took place in the airspaces of Nepal, India and Bangladesh and have horizontally and vertically probed the AMA and have well characterized the ATAL along flight patterns that have been carefully designed by a theory, modelling and satellite data analysing team in the field. The aircraft campaign has been complemented by launches of research balloons from ground stations in Nepal, Bangladesh, China and Palau. The presentation will give an overview of the StratoClim project, the aircraft and balloon activities and initial results from the StratoClim Asian Monsoon campaign in summer 2017.

  17. Ethnic Differences in Mental Illness Severity: A Population-Based Study of Chinese and South Asian Patients in Ontario, Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiu, Maria; Lebenbaum, Michael; Newman, Alice M; Zaheer, Juveria; Kurdyak, Paul

    2016-09-01

    Little is known about the sociocultural determinants of mental illness at hospital presentation. Our objective was to examine ethnic differences in illness severity at hospital admission among Chinese, South Asian, and the general population living in Ontario, Canada. We conducted a large, population-based, cross-sectional study of psychiatric inpatients aged from 19 to 105 years who were discharged between 2006 and 2014. A total of 133,588 patients were classified as Chinese (n = 2,582), South Asian (n = 2,452), or the reference group (n = 128,554) using a validated surnames algorithm (specificity: 99.7%). Diagnoses were based on DSM-IV criteria. We examined the association between ethnicity and 4 measures of disease severity: involuntary admissions, aggressive behaviors, and the number and frequency of positive symptoms (ie, hallucinations, command hallucinations, delusions, and abnormal thought process) (Positive Symptoms Scale, Resident Assessment Instrument-Mental Health [RAI-MH]). After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, immigration status, and discharge diagnosis, Chinese patients had greater odds of involuntary admissions (odds ratio [OR] = 1.79; 95% CI, 1.64-1.95) and exhibiting severe aggressive behaviors (OR = 1.36; 95% CI, 1.23-1.51) and ≥ 3 positive symptoms (OR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.24-1.56) compared to the general population. South Asian ethnicity was also an independent predictor of most illness severity measures. The association between Chinese ethnicity and illness severity was consistent across sex, diagnostic and immigrant categories, and first-episode hospitalization. Chinese and South Asian ethnicities are independent predictors of illness severity at hospital presentation. Understanding the role of patient, family, and health system factors in determining the threshold for hospitalization is an important future step in informing culturally specific care for these large and growing populations worldwide. © Copyright 2016 Physicians

  18. Efficacy and safety of paliperidone palmitate three-monthly formulation in East Asian patients with schizophrenia: subgroup analysis of a global, randomized, double-blind, Phase III, noninferiority study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Savitz AJ

    2017-08-01

    remained relapse free at the end of the 48-week DB phase, using Kaplan–Meier cumulative survival estimate. Secondary efficacy endpoints included change from DB baseline to endpoint in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Clinical Global Impression Severity, Personal and Social Performance scores and symptomatic remission. Additional assessments included caregiver burden and safety. Results: A total of 285/344 (83% randomized East Asian patients completed the DB phase. The percentage of patients who had a relapse event was similar on comparing PP3M (17 [10.2%] to PP1M (20 [11.8%], and also for Japan (PP3M: 9 [17.6%], PP1M: 13 [23.2%] and China (PP3M: 6 [5.9%], PP1M: 7 [6.9%]. Mean change from baseline in secondary efficacy parameters was similar to the global population, regardless of treatment. Symptomatic remission was attained by 50% of the treated patients. Caregiver burden was significantly reduced (P<0.001 following treatment with PP3M/PP1M. Frequency of treatment-emergent adverse events in PP3M group during DB phase was greater in the East Asian subgroup (81% than the global population (68% and was higher in Japan (92% than China (75%. Conclusion: Results suggest that PP3M is efficacious in the East Asian subgroup. Although treatment-emergent adverse events were slightly higher in the East Asian subgroup versus the global population, no new safety signals were identified. Keywords: antipsychotic, caregiver burden, depot paliperidone palmitate, East Asia, long-acting injectable, paliperidone palmitate once-monthly, paliperidone palmitate three-monthly, schizophrenia, symptom remission

  19. The burden of prostate cancer in Asian nations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer Cullen

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: In this review, the International Agency for Research on Cancer′s cancer epidemiology databases were used to examine prostate cancer (PCa age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR in selected Asian nations, including Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5 and GLOBOCAN databases, in an effort to determine whether ASIRs are rising in regions of the world with historically low risk of PCa development. Materials and Methods: Asian nations with adequate data quality were considered for this review. PCa ASIR estimates from CI5 and GLOBOCAN 2008 public use databases were examined in the four eligible countries: China, Japan, Korea and Singapore. Time trends in PCa ASIRs were examined using CI5 Volumes I-IX. Results: While PCa ASIRs remain much lower in the Asian nations examined than in North America, there is a clear trend of increasing PCa ASIRs in the four countries examined. Conclusion: Efforts to systematically collect cancer incidence data in Asian nations must be expanded. Current CI5 data indicate a rise in PCa ASIR in several populous Asian countries. If these rates continue to rise, it is uncertain whether there will be sufficient resources in place, in terms of trained personnel and infrastructure for medical treatment and continuum of care, to handle the increase in PCa patient volume. The recommendation by some experts to initiate PSA screening in Asian nations could compound a resource shortfall. Obtaining accurate estimates of PCa incidence in these countries is critically important for preparing for a potential shift in the public health burden posed by this disease.

  20. Consensus on Changing Trends, Attitudes, and Concepts of Asian Beauty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liew, Steven; Wu, Woffles T L; Chan, Henry H; Ho, Wilson W S; Kim, Hee-Jin; Goodman, Greg J; Peng, Peter H L; Rogers, John D

    2016-04-01

    Asians increasingly seek non-surgical facial esthetic treatments, especially at younger ages. Published recommendations and clinical evidence mostly reference Western populations, but Asians differ from them in terms of attitudes to beauty, structural facial anatomy, and signs and rates of aging. A thorough knowledge of the key esthetic concerns and requirements for the Asian face is required to strategize appropriate facial esthetic treatments with botulinum toxin and hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers. The Asian Facial Aesthetics Expert Consensus Group met to develop consensus statements on concepts of facial beauty, key esthetic concerns, facial anatomy, and aging in Southeastern and Eastern Asians, as a prelude to developing consensus opinions on the cosmetic facial use of botulinum toxin and HA fillers in these populations. Beautiful and esthetically attractive people of all races share similarities in appearance while retaining distinct ethnic features. Asians between the third and sixth decades age well compared with age-matched Caucasians. Younger Asians' increasing requests for injectable treatments to improve facial shape and three-dimensionality often reflect a desire to correct underlying facial structural deficiencies or weaknesses that detract from ideals of facial beauty. Facial esthetic treatments in Asians are not aimed at Westernization, but rather the optimization of intrinsic Asian ethnic features, or correction of specific underlying structural features that are perceived as deficiencies. Thus, overall facial attractiveness is enhanced while retaining esthetic characteristics of Asian ethnicity. Because Asian patients age differently than Western patients, different management and treatment planning strategies are utilized. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www

  1. The Asian methanol market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagase, Hideki

    1995-01-01

    For the purpose of this presentation, Asia has been broadly defined as a total of 15 countries, namely Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar, India, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand. In 1994 and the first half of 1995, the methanol industry and its derivative industries experienced hard time, because of extraordinarily high methanol prices. In spite of this circumstance, methanol demand in Asian countries has been growing steadily and remarkably, following Asian high economic growth. Most of this growth in demand has been and will continue to be met by outside supply. However, even with increased import of methanol from outside of Asia, as a result of this growth, Asian trade volume will be much larger in the coming years. Asian countries must turn their collective attention to making logistics and transportation for methanol and its derivatives more efficient in the Asian region to make better use of existing supply resources. The author reviews current economic growth as his main topic, and explains the forecast of the growth of methanol demand and supply in Asian countries in the near future

  2. Exploring end-of-life care for South Asian kidney patients: interviewer reflections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkinson, Emma; Waqar, Muhammad; Gill, Balbir; Hoque, Pina; Jetha, Champa; Bola, Kulwinder Kaur; Mahmood, Riffat; Mahmood, Sultan; Saujani, Rita; Randhawa, Gurch

    2017-03-16

    The reduction of inequalities in access to quality care has been a central tenet of UK health policy. Ethnic minorities may experience additional inequalities because of language and other cultural barriers. This article reports interviewer reflections of conducting interviews with South Asian kidney patients about their experiences of end-of-life care. It explores themes which emerged from the analysis of a focus group held with eight bilingual research interviewers. The relevance of these themes to understanding inequalities and access to end-of-life care is discussed; together with the potential for the research process to contribute to service improvement.

  3. Profile: Asian Americans

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... and Data > Minority Population Profiles > Asian American Profile: Asian Americans Asian American Profile (Map of the US with the top 10 states displaying the largest Asian American population according to the Census Bureau) CA - ...

  4. Impact of marital status on survival of gastric adenocarcinoma patients: Results from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Miaozhen; Yang, Dajun; Xu, Ruihua

    2016-02-15

    Marital status was found to be an independent prognostic factor for survival in various cancer types. In this study, we used the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database to analyze the survival difference among different marital status in the United States. Gastric adenocarcinoma patients from 2004-2012 were enrolled for study. The 5-year cause specific survival (CSS) was our primary endpoint. Totally 29,074 eligible patients were identified. We found that more male patients were married than female. Asian patients had the highest percentages of married than the other races. More married patients were covered by the insurance. Married patients had better 5-year CSS than unmarried, 30.6% vs 25.7%, P married and unmarried patients, hazard ratio: 1.09 (95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.17), P = 0.027. The survival difference was significant in the insured but not in the uninsured patients. Widowed patients had the worst prognosis compared with other groups even though they had more stage I disease and more well / moderate differentiated tumors. These results indicated that unmarried gastric adenocarcinoma patients were at greater risk of cancer specific mortality. We recommend every patient should have access to best available gastric cancer therapy.

  5. Asian Motility Studies in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

    OpenAIRE

    Lee, Oh Young

    2010-01-01

    Altered motility remains one of the important pathophysiologic factors in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who commonly complain of abdominal pain and stool changes such as diarrhea and constipation. The prevalence of IBS has increased among Asian populations these days. Gastrointestinal (GI) physiology may vary between Asian and Western populations because of differences in diets, socio-cultural backgrounds, and genetic factors. The characteristics and differences of GI dysmotili...

  6. Influences on hospital admission for asthma in south Asian and white adults: qualitative interview study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffiths, C; Kaur, G; Gantley, M; Feder, G; Hillier, S; Goddard, J; Packe, G

    2001-10-27

    To explore reasons for increased risk of hospital admission among south Asian patients with asthma. Qualitative interview study using modified critical incident technique and framework analysis. Newham, east London, a deprived area with a large mixed south Asian population. 58 south Asian and white adults with asthma (49 admitted to hospital with asthma, 9 not admitted); 17 general practitioners; 5 accident and emergency doctors; 2 out of hours general practitioners; 1 asthma specialist nurse. Patients' and health professionals' views on influences on admission, events leading to admission, general practices' organisation and asthma strategies, doctor-patient relationship, and cultural attitudes to asthma. South Asian and white patients admitted to hospital coped differently with asthma. South Asians described less confidence in controlling their asthma, were unfamiliar with the concept of preventive medication, and often expressed less confidence in their general practitioner. South Asians managed asthma exacerbations with family advocacy, without systematic changes in prophylaxis, and without systemic corticosteroids. Patients describing difficulty accessing primary care during asthma exacerbations were registered with practices with weak strategies for asthma care and were often south Asian. Patients with easy access described care suggesting partnerships with their general practitioner, had better confidence to control asthma, and were registered with practices with well developed asthma strategies that included policies for avoiding hospital admission. The different ways of coping with asthma exacerbations and accessing care may partly explain the increased risk of hospital admission in south Asian patients. Interventions that increase confidence to control asthma, confidence in the general practitioner, understanding of preventive treatment, and use of systemic corticosteroids in exacerbations may reduce hospital admissions. Development of more sophisticated

  7. The clinical application of linagliptin in Asians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cao CQ

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Chu-qing Cao, Yu-fei Xiang, Zhi-guang Zhou Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Institute of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China Abstract: Asia has a growing diabetic population. Linagliptin, a member of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor class, is unique in its nonlinear pharmacokinetics with the characteristics of rapid attainment of steady state, little accumulation, predominantly nonrenal route of elimination, prolonged terminal half-life, and sustained inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 enzyme. No clinically relevant difference in pharmacokinetics was observed between Asians and non-Asians. The management of type 2 diabetes is increasingly challenging with the progression of disease, especially with the requirements of minimal hypoglycemia, weight gain, fluid retention, and other adverse effects. Linagliptin was efficacious and well-tolerated in Asian type 2 diabetes patients with or without renal or hepatic dysfunctions, comparable to that in Caucasians. This review will focus on the usage of linagliptin in clinical studies in Asians. Keywords: linagliptin, Asians, type 2 diabetes

  8. Type 2 diabetes: identifying high risk Asian American subgroups in a clinical population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Elsie J; Wong, Eric C; Dixit, Anjali A; Fortmann, Stephen P; Linde, Randolph B; Palaniappan, Latha P

    2011-08-01

    We compared the prevalence and treatment of type 2 diabetes across Asian American subgroups (Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese) and Non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) in a Northern California healthcare system. A three-year, cross-sectional sample of patient electronic health records was accessed to compare diabetes prevalence in 21,816 Asian and 73,728 NHWs aged 35+ years. Diabetes was classified through ICD-9 codes, abnormal laboratory values, or use of oral anti-diabetic medication. Multivariate adjusted prevalence rates for each Asian subgroup, and adjusted odds ratios (OR) relative to NHWs, were compared. Age-adjusted prevalence ranged from 5.8% to 18.2% (women) and 8.1 to 25.3% (men). Age-adjusted ORs of Asian subgroups ranged 1.11-3.94 (women) and 1.14-4.56 (men). The odds of diabetes were significantly higher in Asian Indians (women OR 3.44, men OR 3.54) and Filipinos (women OR 3.94, men OR 4.56), compared to NHWs. Results for Asian Indians and Filipinos were similar with age-and-BMI adjustment. Treatment rates across subgroups were 59.7-82.0% (women) and 62.9-79.4% (men). Heterogeneity exists in the prevalence of diabetes across Asian subgroups, independent of obesity prevalence. Asian Indian and Filipino subgroups had particularly high prevalence of diabetes when compared to NHWs. Future studies should explore these clinically important differences among Asian subgroups. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. South Asian high and Asian-Pacific-American climate teleconnection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Peiqun; Song, Yang; Kousky, Vernon E.

    2005-11-01

    Growing evidence indicates that the Asian monsoon plays an important role in affecting the weather and climate outside of Asia. However, this active role of the monsoon has not been demonstrated as thoroughly as has the variability of the monsoon caused by various impacting factors such as sea surface temperature and land surface. This study investigates the relationship between the Asian monsoon and the climate anomalies in the Asian-Pacific-American (APA) sector. A hypothesis is tested that the variability of the upper-tropospheric South Asian high (SAH), which is closely associated with the overall heating of the large-scale Asian monsoon, is linked to changes in the subtropical western Pacific high (SWPH), the mid-Pacific trough, and the Mexican high. The changes in these circulation systems cause variability in surface temperature and precipitation in the APA region. A stronger SAH is accompanied by a stronger and more extensive SWPH. The enlargement of the SWPH weakens the mid-Pacific trough. As a result, the southern portion of the Mexican high becomes stronger. These changes are associated with changes in atmospheric teleconnections, precipitation, and surface temperature throughout the APA region. When the SAH is stronger, precipitation increases in southern Asia, decreases over the Pacific Ocean, and increases over the Central America. Precipitation also increases over Australia and central Africa and decreases in the Mediterranean region. While the signals in surface temperature are weak over the tropical land portion, they are apparent in the mid latitudes and over the eastern Pacific Ocean.

  10. The South Asian genome.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John C Chambers

    Full Text Available The genetic sequence variation of people from the Indian subcontinent who comprise one-quarter of the world's population, is not well described. We carried out whole genome sequencing of 168 South Asians, along with whole-exome sequencing of 147 South Asians to provide deeper characterisation of coding regions. We identify 12,962,155 autosomal sequence variants, including 2,946,861 new SNPs and 312,738 novel indels. This catalogue of SNPs and indels amongst South Asians provides the first comprehensive map of genetic variation in this major human population, and reveals evidence for selective pressures on genes involved in skin biology, metabolism, infection and immunity. Our results will accelerate the search for the genetic variants underlying susceptibility to disorders such as type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease which are highly prevalent amongst South Asians.

  11. Cultural Patterns of South Asian and Southeast Asian Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathews, Rachel

    2000-01-01

    An overview of South Asian and Southeast Asian Americans is discussed to aid teachers in understanding behaviors exhibited by Asian students. Culture influences in the following areas are explored: family relationships, respect for age, social interaction, communication style, family expectations, humility, school situations, decision making, and…

  12. Ulcerative colitis in a multiracial Asian country: racial differences and clinical presentation among Malaysian patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Yan-Mei; Goh, Khean-Lee

    2005-10-07

    Inflammatory bowel disease appears to be uncommon among Asians. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of ulcerative colitis (UC) in Malaysian patients and to establish the spectrum of the disease seen in Malaysian patients. Three major Asian races: Malay, Chinese, and Indian co-exist in Malaysia and we sought to determine if there were any racial differences in the prevalence and presentation of disease. Racial differences for several other gastrointestinal diseases have previously been observed and found to be extremely interesting. Data were obtained retrospectively from a review of the medical records of in- and out-patients with a diagnosis of UC at the University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur between 1985 and 1998. There were 45 confirmed cases of UC of which 3 were foreigners, who were excluded from analysis. Thirty new cases of UC were diagnosed during the study period. Their mean age at presentation was 33.0+/-10.0 years. The highest prevalence of UC was 17.9/100 000 hospital admissions in the Indians, followed by 11.2/100 000 hospital admissions in the Chinese. The lowest prevalence was 3.7/100 000 hospital admissions in the Malays. The prevalence of UC was significantly higher in the Indians and the Chinese when compared with the Malays with an OR of 4.89 (CI = 2.02-12.24; chi2 = 15.45, PMalaysia, but racial differences exist. The Indians had the highest prevalence of UC with the Chinese demonstrating the least extensive disease.

  13. Asian Americans and Cancer Clinical Trials: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Understanding Awareness and Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paterniti, Debora A.; Chen, Moon S.; Chiechi, Christine; Beckett, Laurel A.; Horan, Nora; Turrell, Corinne; Smith, Ligaya; Morain, Claudia; Montell, Lisa; Gonzalez, Jose Luis; Davis, Sharon; Lara, Primo N.

    2006-01-01

    Cancer clinical trials have been based on low accrual rates. Barriers to recruitment of minority populations affect the generalizability and impact of trial findings for those populations. The authors undertook a mixed-methods approach to understanding levels of awareness and experiences with cancer clinical trials. A survey was administered to new cancer patients and their caretakers (family, close friends, or other social support) at outpatient oncology clinics. Field observations of the trial accrual process also were conducted by employing the grounded theory approach in qualitative methods. Comparison of survey results for Asian-American respondents and non-Asian respondents indicated that Asians were less likely to have heard the term “clinical trial” and were more likely to define a clinical trial as “an experiment” or “a test procedure in a clinic” than non-Asians. Asians were more likely to have employer-based insurance and to report understanding issues related to cost reimbursement. Asians were less likely to have been involved in or to know someone in a trial and reported less willingness than white respondents to consider trial participation. Qualitative observations suggested that Asians who presented for a potential trial were interested in the availability of a novel cancer therapy but were not eligible for available trials. Multiple strategies will be necessary to enhance awareness of and experience with accrual to cancer clinical trials for Asians, including richer understanding and increased involvement of Asians in cancer clinical trials and greater attention to the location and diversity of the Asian population in structuring study centers and evaluating trial results. PMID:16247795

  14. Impact of culture on healthcare seeking behavior of Asian Indians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Vidya Bhushan

    2010-01-01

    Healthcare seeking behavior is a dynamic process that evolves through the stages of self evaluation of symptoms, self treatment, seeking professional advice and acting on professional advice. (Weaver, 1970) This article explores the influence of culture at each of these stages in the context of Asian Indian culture. Although Asian-Indians constitute only 1.5% of the US population they are among the fastest growing minorities in the United States. Through the example of Asian Indian culture this article informs the clinicians that at the initial visit they should explore what the symptoms mean to the patient and what modalities including complementary and alternative (CAM) were used by the patient to address them and at subsequent visits they should explore how their advise was filtered through the prism of the patient's culture and what was adhered to and what was not. In the case of disability and death the clinicians should explore religious beliefs such as karma that help the patient in coping.

  15. A Qualitative Study of Breast Reconstruction Decision-Making among Asian Immigrant Women Living in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Rose; Chang, Michelle Milee; Chen, Margaret; Rohde, Christine Hsu

    2017-02-01

    Despite research supporting improved psychosocial well-being, quality of life, and survival for patients undergoing postmastectomy breast reconstruction, Asian patients remain one-fifth as likely as Caucasians to choose reconstruction. This study investigates cultural factors, values, and perceptions held by Asian women that might impact breast reconstruction rates. The authors conducted semistructured interviews of immigrant East Asian women treated for breast cancer in the New York metropolitan area, investigating social structure, culture, attitudes toward surgery, and body image. Three investigators independently coded transcribed interviews, and then collectively evaluated them through axial coding of recurring themes. Thirty-five immigrant East Asian women who underwent surgical treatment for breast cancer were interviewed. Emerging themes include functionality, age, perceptions of plastic surgery, inconvenience, community/family, fear of implants, language, and information. Patients spoke about breasts as a function of their roles as a wife or mother, eliminating the need for breasts when these roles were fulfilled. Many addressed the fear of multiple operations. Quality and quantity of information, and communication with practitioners, impacted perceptions about treatment. Reconstructive surgery was often viewed as cosmetic. Community and family played a significant role in decision-making. Asian women are statistically less likely than Caucasians to pursue breast reconstruction. This is the first study to investigate culture-specific perceptions of breast reconstruction. Results from this study can be used to improve cultural competency in addressing patient concerns. Improving access to information regarding treatment options and surgical outcomes may improve informed decision-making among immigrant Asian women.

  16. Working with culture: culturally appropriate mental health care for Asian Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Mijung; Chesla, Catherine A; Rehm, Roberta S; Chun, Kevin M

    2011-11-01

    The aim of this study is to describe how mental healthcare providers adapted their practice to meet the unique needs of Asian Americans. As the number of ethnic minorities and multicultural patients and families rapidly increases, cultural competency becomes an essential skill for all healthcare providers. The lack of knowledge about how healthcare providers grapple with diverse cultures and cultural competency limits the ability of others to deliver patient-centred care across cultural lines. Interpretive phenomenology guided the design and conduct of this study. Twenty mental healthcare providers who treated Asian Americans were recruited. Narrative data were collected through face-to-face, in-depth interviews between 2006 and 2007. Three characteristics of culturally appropriate care for Asian Americans were identified. Cultural brokering: providers addressed issues stemming from cultural differences via bicultural skills education. Asian American patients generally received broader education than current literature recommended. Supporting families in transition: providers assisted Asian American families during transition from and to professional care. Using cultural knowledge to enhance competent care: providers' knowledge of Asian culture and flexible attitudes affected the care that they provided. Culturally competent providers were able to identify cultural issues that were relevant to the specific situation, and incorporated cultural solutions into the care provided. Culturally appropriate care is nuanced and context specific. Thus, more sophisticated and broader conceptualizations are necessary to prepare nurses for such complex practice. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  17. Impact of anthropogenic aerosols from global, East Asian, and non-East Asian sources on East Asian summer monsoon system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qiuyan; Wang, Zhili; Zhang, Hua

    2017-01-01

    The impact of the total effects due to anthropogenic aerosols from global, East Asian, and non-East Asian sources on East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) system is studied using an aerosol-climate online model BCC_AGCM2.0.1_CUACE/Aero. The results show that the summer mean net all-sky shortwave fluxes averaged over East Asian monsoon region (EAMR) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and surface reduce by 4.8 and 5.0 W m- 2, respectively, due to the increases of global aerosol emissions in 2000 relative to 1850. Changes in radiations and their resulting changes in heat and water transport and cloud fraction contribute together to the surface cooling over EAMR in summer. The increases in global anthropogenic aerosols lead to a decrease of 2.1 K in summer mean surface temperature and an increase of 0.4 hPa in summer mean surface pressure averaged over EAMR, respectively. It is shown that the changes in surface temperature and pressure are significantly larger over land than ocean, thus decreasing the contrast of land-sea surface temperature and pressure. This results in the marked anomalies of north and northeast winds over eastern and southern China and the surrounding oceans in summer, thereby weakening the EASM. The summer mean precipitation averaged over the EAMR reduces by 12%. The changes in non-East Asian aerosol emissions play a more important role in inducing the changes of local temperature and pressure, and thus significantly exacerbate the weakness of the EASM circulation due to local aerosol changes. The weakening of circulation due to both is comparable, and even the effect of non-local aerosols is larger in individual regions. The changes of local and non-local aerosols contribute comparably to the reductions in precipitation over oceans, whereas cause opposite changes over eastern China. Our results highlight the importance of aerosol changes outside East Asia in the impact of the changes of anthropogenic aerosols on EASM.

  18. Asian Americans have greater prevalence of metabolic syndrome despite lower body mass index.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palaniappan, L P; Wong, E C; Shin, J J; Fortmann, S P; Lauderdale, D S

    2011-03-01

    To examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and metabolic syndrome for Asian Americans and non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs), given that existing evidence shows racial/ethnic heterogeneity exists in how BMI predicts metabolic syndrome. Electronic health records of 43,507 primary care patients aged 35 years and older with self-identified race/ethnicity of interest (Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese or NHW) were analyzed in a mixed-payer, outpatient-focused health-care organization in the San Francisco Bay Area. Metabolic syndrome prevalence is significantly higher in Asians compared with NHWs for every BMI category. For women at the mean age of 55 and BMI of 25  kg  m(-2), the predicted prevalence of metabolic syndrome is 12% for NHW women compared with 30% for Asians; similarly for men, the predicted prevalence of metabolic syndrome is 22% for NHWs compared with 43% of Asians. Compared with NHW women and men with a BMI of 25  kg  m(-2), comparable prevalence of metabolic syndrome was observed at BMI of 19.6  kg  m(-2) for Asian women and 19.9  kg  m(-2) for Asian men. A similar pattern was observed in disaggregated Asian subgroups. In spite of the lower BMI values and lower prevalence of overweight/obesity than NHWs, Asian Americans have higher rates of metabolic syndrome over the range of BMI. Our results indicate that BMI ranges for defining overweight/obesity in Asian populations should be lower than for NHWs.

  19. Palliative Care Physicians' Attitudes Toward Patient Autonomy and a Good Death in East Asian Countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morita, Tatsuya; Oyama, Yasuhiro; Cheng, Shao-Yi; Suh, Sang-Yeon; Koh, Su Jin; Kim, Hyun Sook; Chiu, Tai-Yuan; Hwang, Shinn-Jang; Shirado, Akemi; Tsuneto, Satoru

    2015-08-01

    Clarification of the potential differences in end-of-life care among East Asian countries is necessary to provide palliative care that is individualized for each patient. The aim was to explore the differences in attitude toward patient autonomy and a good death among East Asian palliative care physicians. A cross-sectional survey was performed involving palliative care physicians in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. Physicians' attitudes toward patient autonomy and physician-perceived good death were assessed. A total of 505, 207, and 211 responses were obtained from Japanese, Taiwanese, and Korean physicians, respectively. Japanese (82%) and Taiwanese (93%) physicians were significantly more likely to agree that the patient should be informed first of a serious medical condition than Korean physicians (74%). Moreover, 41% and 49% of Korean and Taiwanese physicians agreed that the family should be told first, respectively; whereas 7.4% of Japanese physicians agreed. Physicians' attitudes with respect to patient autonomy were significantly correlated with the country (Japan), male sex, physician specialties of surgery and oncology, longer clinical experience, and physicians having no religion but a specific philosophy. In all 12 components of a good death, there were significant differences by country. Japanese physicians regarded physical comfort and autonomy as significantly more important and regarded preparation, religion, not being a burden to others, receiving maximum treatment, and dying at home as less important. Taiwanese physicians regarded life completion and being free from tubes and machines as significantly more important. Korean physicians regarded being cognitively intact as significantly more important. There are considerable intercountry differences in physicians' attitudes toward autonomy and physician-perceived good death. East Asia is not culturally the same; thus, palliative care should be provided in a culturally acceptable manner for each country

  20. A study of a culturally focused psychiatric consultation service for Asian American and Latino American primary care patients with depression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fava Maurizio

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Ethnic minorities with depression are more likely to seek mental health care through primary care providers (PCPs than mental health specialists. However, both provider and patient-specific challenges exist. PCP-specific challenges include unfamiliarity with depressive symptom profiles in diverse patient populations, limited time to address mental health, and limited referral options for mental health care. Patient-specific challenges include stigma around mental health issues and reluctance to seek mental health treatment. To address these issues, we implemented a multi-component intervention for Asian American and Latino American primary care patients with depression at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH. Methods/Design We propose a randomized controlled trial to evaluate a culturally appropriate intervention to improve the diagnosis and treatment of depression in our target population. Our goals are to facilitate a primary care providers' ability to provide appropriate, culturally informed care of depression, and b patients' knowledge of and resources for receiving treatment for depression. Our two-year long intervention targets Asian American and Latino American adult (18 years of age or older primary care patients at MGH screening positive for symptoms of depression. All eligible patients in the intervention arm of the study who screen positive will be offered a culturally focused psychiatric (CFP consultation. Patients will meet with a study clinician and receive toolkits that include psychoeducational booklets, worksheets and community resources. Within two weeks of the initial consultation, patients will attend a follow-up visit with the CFP clinicians. Primary outcomes will determine the feasibility and cost associated with implementation of the service, and evaluate patient and provider satisfaction with the CFP service. Exploratory aims will describe the study population at screening, recruitment, and enrollment

  1. Culture, attitude and knowledge about breast cancer and preventive measures: a qualitative study of South Asian breast cancer patients in the UK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karbani, Gulshan; Lim, Jennifer N W; Hewison, Jenny; Atkin, Karl; Horgan, Kieran; Lansdown, Mark; Chu, Carol E

    2011-01-01

    Little is known about the influence of culture and beliefs about breast cancer, and its implications on preventive health behaviour among South Asian people in the UK. Using a qualitative approach, 24 South Asian breast cancer patients and their significant others were interviewed. Most patients were unfamiliar with the subject of cancer; they expressed lack of knowledge of cancer as a disease and its symptoms. They identified a painless lump in the breast as sign of abnormality, but not cancer. They also did not know any non-lump breast symptoms. Over half participated in breast screening after encouragement from daughters or relatives. Most did not practise breast self-examination. Perceptions of cancer and health behaviour were influenced by cultural beliefs. Common themes were cancer is a taboo subject and cancer is a stigma. Patients also expressed misunderstandings about the cause of cancer. Cancer in the family had ramifications on children' s marriage prospects and may cause marital breakdown. Terminology used also caused communication problems with healthcare professionals and within the family: the use of ' chest' to substitute ' breast' changed the meaning of the message conveyed. Cultural beliefs and practices accentuate difficulties in understanding breast cancer, breast screening and breast self-examination, and can prevent South Asian women from adopting preventive health practices.

  2. Disparities in abnormal mammogram follow-up time for Asian women compared to non-Hispanic Whites and between Asian ethnic groups

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, KH; Pasick, RJ; Stewart, SL; Kerlikowske, K; Karliner, LS

    2017-01-01

    Background Delays in abnormal mammogram follow-up contribute to poor outcomes. We examined abnormal screening mammogram follow-up differences for non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) and Asian women. Methods Prospective cohort of NHW and Asian women with a Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System abnormal result of 0 or 3+ in the San Francisco Mammography Registry between 2000–2010. We performed Kaplan-Meier estimation for median-days to follow-up with a diagnostic radiologic test, and compared proportion with follow-up at 30, 60 and 90 days, and no follow-up at one-year for Asians overall (and Asian ethnic groups) and NHWs. We additionally assessed the relationship between race/ethnicity and time-to-follow-up with adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. Results Among Asian women, Vietnamese and Filipinas had the longest, and Japanese the shortest, median follow-up time (32, 28, 19 days, respectively) compared to NHWs (15 days). The proportion of women receiving follow-up at 30 days was lower for Asians vs NHWs (57% vs 77%, pAsian ethnic groups except Japanese. Asians had a reduced hazard of follow-up compared with NHWs (aHR 0.70, 95% CI 0.69–0.72). Asians also had a higher rate than NHWs of no follow-up (15% vs 10%; pAsian ethnic groups, Filipinas had the highest percentage of women with no follow-up (18.1%). Conclusion Asian, particularly Filipina and Vietnamese, women were less likely than NHWs to receive timely follow-up after an abnormal screening mammogram. Research should disaggregate Asian ethnicity to better understand and address barriers to effective cancer prevention. PMID:28603859

  3. Pathogenesis and treatment of leukemia: an Asian perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwong, Yok-Lam

    2012-03-01

    Leukemias occur worldwide, but there are important geographic differences in incidences. Three leukemias with special Asian perspectives, acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), T-cell large granular lymphocyte (T-LGL) leukemia and NK-cell leukemia. In APL, China has made contributions in discovering the efficacy of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide. Some APL patients are potentially curable after treatment with ATRA or arsenic trioxide as a single agent. Combined treatment of APL with ATRA and arsenic trioxide induces remission with deeper molecular response. An oral formulation of arsenic trioxide is available, making outpatient treatment feasible. Future regimens for APL should examine how ATRA and arsenic trioxide can be optimally combined with other synergistic drugs. Asian patients with T-LGL leukemia present more frequently with pure red cell aplasia, but less frequently with neutropenia, recurrent infection, splenomegaly and rheumatoid arthritis as compared with Western patients. These differences have potential effects on treatment and disease pathogenesis. NK-cell leukemia is rapidly fatal and occurs almost exclusively in Asian and South American patients. Conventional anthracycline-based chemotherapy designed for B-cell lymphomas do not work in NK-cell leukemias. Novel therapeutic approaches targeting cellular signaling pathways or preferentially upregulated genes are needed to improve outcome.

  4. Risk factors for mortality in Asian Taiwanese patients with methanol poisoning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Chen-Yen; Chang, Eileen Kevyn; Lin, Ja-Liang; Weng, Cheng-Hao; Lee, Shen-Yang; Juan, Kuo-Chang; Yang, Huang-Yu; Lin, Chemin; Lee, Shwu-Hua; Wang, I-Kwan; Yen, Tzung-Hai

    2014-01-01

    Methanol poisoning continues to be a serious public health issue in Taiwan, but very little work has been done to study the outcomes of methanol toxicity in the Asian population. In this study, we examined the value of multiple clinical variables in predicting mortality after methanol exposure. We performed a retrospective observational study on patients with acute poisoning who were admitted to the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital over a period of 9 years (2000-2008). Out of the 6,347 patients, only 32 suffered methanol intoxication. The demographic, clinical, laboratory, and mortality data were obtained for analysis. Most patients were middle aged (46.1±13.8 years), male (87.5%), and habitual alcohol consumers (75.0%). All the poisonings were from an oral exposure (96.9%), except for one case of intentionally injected methanol (3.1%). After a latent period of 9.3±10.1 hours, many patients began to experience hypothermia (50.0%), hypotension (15.6%), renal failure (59.4%), respiratory failure (50.0%), and consciousness disturbance (Glasgow coma scale [GCS] score 10.5±5.4). Notably, the majority of patients were treated with ethanol antidote (59.4%) and hemodialysis (58.1%). The remaining 41.6% of patients did not meet the indications for ethanol therapy. At the end of analysis, there were six (18.8%), 15 (46.9%), and eleven (34.4%) patients alive, alive with chronic complications, and dead, respectively. In a multivariate Cox regression model, it was revealed that the GCS score (odds ratio [OR] 0.816, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.682-0.976) (P=0.026), hypothermia (OR 168.686, 95% CI 2.685-10,595.977) (P=0.015), and serum creatinine level (OR 4.799, 95% CI 1.321-17.440) (P=0.017) were significant risk factors associated with mortality. The outcomes (mortality rate 34.4%) of the Taiwanese patients subjected to intensive detoxification protocols were comparable with published data from other international poison centers. Furthermore, the analytical results indicate

  5. Red blood cell antigen genotype analysis for 9087 Asian, Asian American, and Native American blood donors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delaney, Meghan; Harris, Samantha; Haile, Askale; Johnsen, Jill; Teramura, Gayle; Nelson, Karen

    2015-10-01

    There has yet to be a comprehensive analysis of blood group antigen prevalence in Asian Americans and Native Americans. There may be ethnic differences in blood group frequencies that would result in clinically important mismatches through transfusion. Blood donors who self-identified as Asian or Native American were tested using a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) DNA array (HEA BeadChip kit, Bioarray Solutions Ltd) that predicts expression of 38 human erythrocyte antigens (HEAs) and by serology for ABO, D, C, M, N, Jk(a) , and Jk(b) . The prevalence of blood group antigens was compared to published European prevalence. Discrepancies between SNP-predicted and serology-detected antigens were tallied. A total of 9087 blood donors were tested from nine Asian and Native American heritages. The predicted prevalence of selected antigens in the RHCE, JK, FY, MNS, LU, CO, and DO blood group systems were variable between Asian populations, but overall not significantly different than Europeans. Compared to European frequencies, Kell blood group allele frequencies were significantly different in the Chinese, Native American, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, South Asian, and Southeast Asian heritage blood donors; Diego antigens Di(a) and Di(b) were different in donors of Native American and South Asian ancestries (p Asian and Native Americans donors. Several ethnic groups exhibited differences in HEA frequencies compared to Europeans. Genotype-serotype discrepancies were detected in all systems studied. © 2015 AABB.

  6. Tofacitinib induction and maintenance therapy in East Asian patients with active ulcerative colitis: subgroup analyses from three phase 3 multinational studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Motoya, Satoshi; Watanabe, Mamoru; Kim, Hyo Jong; Kim, Young Ho; Han, Dong Soo; Yuasa, Hirotoshi; Tabira, Junichi; Isogawa, Naoki; Arai, Shoko; Kawaguchi, Isao; Hibi, Toshifumi

    2018-04-01

    Tofacitinib is an oral, small-molecule Janus kinase inhibitor being investigated for ulcerative colitis (UC). In OCTAVE Induction 1 and 2, patients with moderately to severely active UC received placebo or tofacitinib 10 mg twice daily (BID) for 8 weeks. Clinical responders in OCTAVE Induction were re-randomized to 52 weeks' therapy with placebo, tofacitinib 5 mg BID, or tofacitinib 10 mg BID. We conducted post-hoc efficacy and safety analyses of East Asian patients in OCTAVE Induction 1 and 2 and OCTAVE Sustain. A total of 121 East Asian (Japan, Korea, and Taiwan) patients were randomized in OCTAVE Induction 1 and 2 (placebo, n=26; tofacitinib 10 mg BID, n=95), and 63 in OCTAVE Sustain (placebo, n=20; tofacitinib 5 mg BID, n=22; tofacitinib 10 mg BID, n=21). At week 8 of OCTAVE Induction 1 and 2, 18.9% of patients (18/95) achieved remission with tofacitinib 10 mg BID versus 3.8% (1/26) with placebo. In OCTAVE Sustain, the week 52 remission rates were 45.5% (10/22), 47.6% (10/21), and 15.0% (3/20) with 5 mg BID, 10 mg BID, and placebo, respectively. Adverse event rates were similar between groups in OCTAVE Induction and numerically higher with tofacitinib in OCTAVE Sustain. Serious adverse event rates were similar across groups in all studies. Infections were numerically more frequent with tofacitinib than placebo. Increases in serum lipid levels were observed with tofacitinib. In East Asian patients with UC, tofacitinib demonstrated numerically greater efficacy versus placebo as induction and maintenance therapy, with a safety profile consistent with the global study population. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01465763; NCT01458951; NCT01458574.

  7. Lung cancer in patients younger than 40 years in a multiracial Asian country.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liam, C K; Lim, K H; Wong, C M

    2000-12-01

    This study aimed to determine whether the clinicopathological features of lung cancer in patients younger than 40 years differ from that of older patients in an Asian country. We undertook a review of the clinicopathological data of all patients with confirmed primary lung cancer at the Department of Medicine, University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from October 1991 to September 1999. Of the 580 patients with lung cancer, 36 (6.2%; 23 males, 13 females) were 21-39 years old at diagnosis. The percentage of people who had never smoked was higher among the younger patients (58.3% vs 19.1%, P < 0.001). Although adenocarcinoma was the most common cell type in both groups, its incidence was higher in the younger patients (24/36 (66.7%) vs 228/544 (41.9%), P = 0.007). The mean World Health Organization performance status at presentation was worse in the younger patients (2.4 vs 2, P = 0.007). In the case of non-small cell lung cancer, all the younger patients presented with either stage IIIb or metastatic disease compared to 77.2% of the older patients (P < 0.001). Younger lung cancer patients were more likely than older patients to have never smoked, to have adenocarcinoma, and to present with poorer performance status and with more advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer.

  8. Prediction of Mortality after Emergent Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Placement: Use of APACHE II, Child-Pugh and MELD Scores in Asian Patients with Refractory Variceal Hemorrhage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tzeng, Wen Sheng; Wu, Reng Hong; Lin, Ching Yih; Chen, Jyh Jou; Sheu, Ming Juen; Koay, Lok Beng; Lee, Chuan

    2009-01-01

    This study was designed to determine if existing methods of grading liver function that have been developed in non-Asian patients with cirrhosis can be used to predict mortality in Asian patients treated for refractory variceal hemorrhage by the use of the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure. Data for 107 consecutive patients who underwent an emergency TIPS procedure were retrospectively analyzed. Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II), Child-Pugh and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores were calculated. Survival analyses were performed to evaluate the ability of the various models to predict 30-day, 60-day and 360-day mortality. The ability of stratified APACHE II, Child-Pugh, and MELD scores to predict survival was assessed by the use of Kaplan-Meier analysis with the log-rank test. No patient died during the TIPS procedure, but 82 patients died during the follow-up period. Thirty patients died within 30 days after the TIPS procedure; 37 patients died within 60 days and 53 patients died within 360 days. Univariate analysis indicated that hepatorenal syndrome, use of inotropic agents and mechanical ventilation were associated with elevated 30-day mortality (p 11 or an MELD score > 20 predicted increased risk of death at 30, 60 and 360 days (p 11 or an MELD score > 20 are predictive of mortality in Asian patients with refractory variceal hemorrhage treated with the TIPS procedure. An APACHE II score is not predictive of early mortality in this patient population

  9. Blood pressure and antihypertensive medication profile in a multiethnic Asian population of stable chronic kidney disease patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teo, Boon Wee; Chua, Horng Ruey; Wong, Weng Kin; Haroon, Sabrina; Subramanian, Srinivas; Loh, Ping Tyug; Sethi, Sunil; Lau, Titus

    2016-05-01

    Clinical practice guidelines recommend different blood pressure (BP) goals for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Usage of antihypertensive medication and attainment of BP targets in Asian CKD patients remain unclear. This study describes the profile of antihypertensive agents used and BP components in a multiethnic Asian population with stable CKD. Stable CKD outpatients with variability of serum creatinine levels 3 months apart, were recruited. Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured using automated manometers, according to practice guidelines. Serum creatinine was assayed and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) calculated using the CKD Epidemiology Collaboration equation. BP and antihypertensive medication profile was examined using univariate analyses. 613 patients (55.1% male; 74.7% Chinese, 6.4% Indian, 11.4% Malay; 35.7% diabetes mellitus) with a mean age of 57.8 ± 14.5 years were recruited. Mean SBP was 139 ± 20 mmHg, DBP was 74 ± 11 mmHg, serum creatinine was 166 ± 115 µmol/L and GFR was 53 ± 32 mL/min/1.73 m(2). At a lower GFR, SBP increased (p < 0.001), whereas DBP decreased (p = 0.0052). Mean SBP increased in tandem with the number of antihypertensive agents used (p < 0.001), while mean DBP decreased when ≥ 3 antihypertensive agents were used (p = 0.0020). Different targets are recommended for each BP component in CKD patients. A majority of patients cannot attain SBP targets and/or exceed DBP targets. Research into monitoring and treatment methods is required to better define BP targets in CKD patients. Copyright: © Singapore Medical Association.

  10. Snails in bottles and language cuckoos: an evaluation of patient information resources for South Asians with osteomalacia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samanta, A; Johnson, M R D; Guo, F; Adebajo, A

    2009-03-01

    To assess the acceptability for use of information on osteomalacia for South Asian patients. Ten focus groups of South Asian persons speaking Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu (one male and one female group for each language) were used to evaluate the written (leaflets) and spoken information (CD) on osteomalacia for South Asian patients produced by the Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC). Focus group discussion was facilitated by community-based workers using the Social Action Research Method. A subsidiary evaluation of the information was conducted by a questionnaire-based survey sent to British Society of Rheumatology/British Health Professionals in Rheumatology (BSR/BHPR) members and others who had requested such materials from ARC in the past. Evaluation by focus groups revealed that there were potential difficulties relating to the understanding of the information leaflets and CDs and problematic issues regarding the quality of translation and pronunciation. Evaluation by BSR/BHPR members and others who had requested such material was that although the information was culturally appropriate, there were some weak areas such as mispronunciation, the quality of translation and specific customs. Healthcare information resources for minority ethnic groups has traditionally been developed depending upon the needs of the community, the language spoken and cultural norms. Such information is regarded as 'culturally sensitive'. However, an additional dimension is required. Information should be evaluated by the community and also specific users in order to determine its acceptability. This test of 'cultural competence' can ensure that such information has real practical value. An iterative evaluation process with feedback and refinement of information resources for minority ethnic groups is essential.

  11. Online resources for culturally and linguistically appropriate services in home healthcare and hospice, part 2: resources for Asian patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Judith S

    2012-04-01

    Home care and hospice clinicians are increasingly working with patients for whom English is not their primary language. Provision of culturally respectful and acceptable patient-centered care includes both an awareness of cultural beliefs that influence the patient's health and also the ability to provide the patient with health information in the language with which he or she is most comfortable. This article identifies resources for understanding the cultural norms of Asian-born patients and appropriate patient education materials in the many languages spoken by this population. The resources have been made available free on the Web by healthcare professionals and government agencies from around the world.

  12. Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in Asian women with breast cancer receiving anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bourdeanu, Laura; Frankel, Paul; Yu, Wai; Hendrix, Gregory; Pal, Sumanta; Badr, Lina; Somlo, George; Luu, Thehang

    2012-01-01

    Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) remain among the most frequently reported distressing side effects associated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy despite significant advances in antiemetic management. The main risk factor for severity of CINV is the emetogenic potential of the chemotherapeutic agents. However, patient-related risk factors have been identified, including genetic makeup. Although studies have noted that ethnicity influences nausea and vomiting in other contexts, there is a paucity of research regarding the impact of ethnicity on CINV. This study was undertaken to evaluate whether Asian women receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy experience more CINV than non-Asians. A retrospective, comparative, correlational chart review was performed to abstract the relevant variables. Data from a convenience sample of 358 women with breast cancer who received chemotherapy with doxorubicin between 2004 and 2008 at City of Hope in Duarte, California, were evaluated. The sample consisted of Caucasians (45%), Hispanics (27.7%), Asians (19.8%), and African Americans (7.5%). The results indicate that Asian women with breast cancer undergoing anthracycline-based chemotherapy experienced statistically significantly more clinically important CINV than their non-Asian counterparts. The data were collected retrospectively, with a certain population distribution at a specific time. This study provides interesting preliminary evidence that Asian ethnicity plays a role in the development of severe CINV. When managing chemotherapy toxicities in women with breast cancer, health-care providers should tailor therapy to individual risk profiles. Specifically, consideration of antiemetic therapy should accommodate patient characteristics, such as Asian descent. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Beyond 'Asian Values': Rationales For Australian-Japan Cooperation In Asian Regionalism

    OpenAIRE

    Go Ito

    2010-01-01

    In the past, the experience of the ‘East Asian Miracle’ and the sufferings from the ‘East Asian Meltdown’ were the impetus to generate and develop East Asian regional identity. The situation, however, is changing drastically. The future of East Asia regionalism has become amorphous because of complicated new trends. Japan, one of the important actors that constitute triangular relationships in East Asia, has been encouraging development of East Asian regionalism in the economic arena. Austral...

  14. In a subgroup of high-risk Asians, telmisartan was non-inferior to ramipril and better tolerated in the prevention of cardiovascular events.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio L Dans

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Results of the recently published ONTARGET study (The Ongoing Telmisartan Alone and in Combination with Ramipril Global Endpoint Trial showed that telmisartan (80 mg/day was non-inferior to ramipril (10 mg/day in reducing cardiovascular events. Clinicians in Asia doubt tolerability of these doses for their patients. We therefore analyzed data from this study and a parallel study TRANSCEND (Telmisartan Randomized Assessment Study in ACE Intolerant Subjects with Cardiovascular Disease. Our objectives were to compare Asians and non-Asians with respect to the following: 1 Effectiveness of telmisartan vs. ramipril in reducing cardiovascular events;2 Proportions who reached the full dose of telmisartan, ramipril or placebo; and3 Proportions of overall discontinuations, and discontinuations due to adverse effects.The ONTARGET study randomized 25,620 patients at risk of cardiovascular events to ramipril, telmisartan, or their combination. The primary composite endpoint was death caused by cardiovascular disease, acute MI, stroke, and hospitalization because of congestive heart failure. TRANSCEND randomized 5926 high-risk patients with a history of intolerance to ACE-inhibitors to telmisartan or placebo. The primary outcome was the same. In this substudy, we compared Asians and non-Asians as to how well they tolerated telmisartan (given in both studies and ramipril (given in ONTARGET.1 Telmisartan was non-inferior to ramipril in lowering the primary endpoint among Asians (RR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.74, 1.13; 2 more Asians achieved the full dose of either drug; 3 less withdrew (overall; and 4 less withdrew for adverse effects. Furthermore, telmisartan was better tolerated than ramipril. This advantage was greater among Asians.Although Asians had lower BMI than non-Asians, Asians tolerated both drugs better. Regulatory agencies require reporting of safety and effectiveness data by ethnicity, but few comply with this requirement. This study shows that safety data

  15. Effectiveness of Onion Extract Gel on Surgical Scars in Asians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kumutnart Chanprapaph

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Onion extracts have been shown in vitro to accelerate wound healing. Results from clinical studies on surgical scars in Caucasians were disappointing. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of onion extract gel in improving the cosmetic and symptoms of surgical scars in Asians. Patients/Methods. Twenty Asians who had new Pfannenstiel’s cesarean section scars were recruited in this prospective double-blinded, split-scar study. Each side was randomly assigned treatment with onion extract gel or placebo at 7 days after surgery. The product was applied three times daily for 12 weeks. Subjects were evaluated at baseline and 4th and 12th weeks. Scar redness was assessed by calorimeter, scar height and pliability were assessed by blinded investigators, and scar symptoms and overall cosmetic improvement were assessed by subjects. Results. Sixteen subjects completed the study. A statistically significant difference between two sides of scar in terms of scar height and scar symptoms was found. There was no statistically significant difference in scar redness, scar pliability, and overall cosmetic appearance between two sides. Conclusions. The early use of topical 12% onion extract gel on Pfannenstiel’s cesarean section scar in Asians resulted in the improvement of scar height and scar symptoms.

  16. Family support and cardiac rehabilitation: a comparative study of the experiences of South Asian and White-European patients and their carer's living in the United Kingdom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Astin, Felicity; Atkin, Karl; Darr, Aliya

    2008-03-01

    Effective lifestyle modification facilitated by cardiac rehabilitation is known to reduce the occurrence of adverse coronary events and mortality. South Asians have poorer outcomes after a myocardial infarction than the general UK population, but little is known about their experiences of family support, cardiac rehabilitation and lifestyle change. To explore the nature of family support available to a sample of South Asian and White-European cardiac patients and to highlight similarities and differences between these groups with regard to cardiac rehabilitation and lifestyle modification. Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews (in 1 of 6 languages) were conducted by researchers with; 45 South Asian patients and 37 carers and 20 White-European patients and 17 carers. Interviews were conducted in a home setting, up to eighteen months after discharge from hospital following myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass surgery or unstable angina. The main themes that emerged related to the provision of advice and information, family support and burden, dietary change and exercise regimes. Several cultural and ethnic differences were identified between patients and their families alongside similarities, irrespective of ethnicity. These may represent generic characteristics of recovery after a cardiac event. Health professionals should develop a cultural repertoire to engage with diversity and difference. Not every difficulty a person encounters as they try to access appropriate service delivery can be attributed to ethnic background. By improving services generally, support for South Asian populations can be improved. The challenge is to know when ethnicity makes a difference and mediates a person's relationship with service support and when it does not.

  17. Chemical peels for acne and acne scars in asians: Evidence based review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evangeline B Handog

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Chemical peeling is a widely used procedure in the management of acne and acne scars, but there are very few studies on Asian populations who are more prone to develop hyper pigmentation. This article aims to summarize and evaluate the existing studies on the role of chemical peels in the treatment of acne and acne scars among Asians. An online search was conducted to identify prospective studies published in English that evaluated the use of chemical peels in active acne and acne scars in Asian populations. There were six studies for acne and eight studies for acne scars that were identified using our search parameters. Most were single-centre, open label and with small sample sizes. Acne severity was not uniformly reported and the objective outcome measures of some studies were not explicitly reported as well. The general trend of the results of the studies support the safety and efficacy of chemical peels for acne and acne scars including those of darker skin types. The existing studies support the use of chemical peels in the treatment of acne and acne scars in Asians. Further clinical trials with better study design and more subjects are needed to further establish the role of chemical peels in Asian acne patients.

  18. Late presentation and management of South Asian breast cancer patients in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajan, Sreekumar Sundara; Lim, Jennifer N W; Haq, Anwar

    2011-01-01

    The objective of this study was to bridge the knowledge gap and improve our understanding of the late presentation and management of breast cancer among South Asian women of non-oriental origin (SA) living in the United Kingdom. Retrospective review of the breast cancer waiting list data-base held at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS trust was undertaken to identify SA women diagnosed with breast cancer from January 2000 to August 2007. We identified 41 (2.5%) SA women among 1,630 patients diagnosed with breast cancer during this period and 36 were included (median age=53.5 years, range=32-84). Only 19% (n=7) were screen detected and 81% (n=29) presented thorough symptomatic breast clinic. In the latter, 66% (n=19) were in the screening age group and 45% (n=13) presented beyond 8 weeks (late presentation). In our cohort, 91% (n=29) patients had advanced disease (TNM stage 2 and 3) resulting in a high mastectomy rate of 61% (n=22). 19% (n=7) died as a direct result of cancer and the remaining 78% (n=28) remains disease free following treatment thus far. The delay in presentation and poor national breast screening programme uptake among the SA women resulted in advanced disease at diagnosis. There is need for increasing the breast cancer awareness as well as encouraging breast screening among SA women in the UK.

  19. In the Right Place at the Right Time: Asian English Accents in a Listening Test for Healthcare Professions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suebsook, Khwanchanok; Adunyarittigun, Dumrong

    2016-01-01

    The rise of medical tourism and the increasing number of international patients from Asian countries have led Thai healthcare professionals to serve a lot of Asian patients and to encounter a complexity of language use in their workplace. There is a necessity for these professionals to strive for an understanding of Asian accents spoken by the…

  20. Family communication as strategy in diabetes prevention: an observational study in families with Dutch and Surinamese South-Asian ancestry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Esch, Suzanne C M; Cornel, Martina C; Geelhoed-Duijvestijn, Petronella H L M; Snoek, Frank J

    2012-04-01

    To explore the possibility of utilizing family communication as a diabetes prevention strategy, specifically targeting high-risk families with South-Asian ancestry in The Netherlands. In a cross-sectional study, type 2 diabetes patients from Dutch (n=311) and Surinamese South-Asian (n=157) origin filled in a questionnaire assessing socio-demographic characteristics, beliefs and concerns about familial diabetes risk, primary prevention, and diabetes-related family communication. Discussing diabetes is regarded acceptable in most families. Especially Surinamese South-Asian patients (68%) seemed motivated to convey risk messages to their relatives; they reported a higher risk perception and expressed more concern than Dutch patients. While 40% in both groups thought relatives are able to prevent developing diabetes, 46% in Dutch and 33% in Surinamese South-Asian patients were unsure. Promoting family communication appears a feasible strategy in diabetes prevention in high-risk (Surinamese South-Asian) families. Health care providers should address patients' concern and emphasize opportunities for prevention. Findings favor training of clinicians in utilizing a family approach as prevention strategy. Patients (particularly Surinamese South-Asians) are in need of professional help in the process of family risk disclosure. (Online) Educational tools should be made available at which patients can refer their relatives. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Barriers and facilitators for clinical trial participation among diverse Asian patients with breast cancer: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Guek Eng; Ow, Mandy; Lie, Desiree; Dent, Rebecca

    2016-07-22

    Recruitment rates for cancer trials are low for racial/ethnic minorities. Little is known about factors influencing trial recruitment in Asian patients. Our aim is to examine the barriers and facilitators for participation in trials among multi-ethnic Asian women with breast cancer. We recruited a convenience sample from consecutive women seen at the National Cancer Centre. Two experienced bilingual (English and Chinese) moderators conducted focus groups to theme saturation. The question guide incorporated open-ended questions soliciting opinions about trial participation and knowledge. Women were first asked if they were willing, unwilling, or still open to participate in future trials. Sessions were audiotaped and transcribed. Transcripts were independently coded for emergent themes. Sixteen of 103 women approached participated in five focus groups. Chinese, Malay, and Indian participants aged 29 to 69 represented different cancer stages. Five had no prior knowledge of trials. We identified three major themes comprising of 22 minor themes for barriers and facilitators. The major themes were: 1) patient-related, 2) trial-related, and 3) sociocultural factors. Women willing to join trials expressed themes representing facilitators (better test therapy, cost-effective profile, or trust in doctors and local healthcare systems). Women unwilling to participate expressed themes associated with barriers, while women still open to participation expressed themes representing both facilitators and barriers. Malay women were more likely to express themes related to 'fatalism' as a barrier. We found that facilitators and barriers to trial participation among Asian women were similar to those previously reported in Western women. Knowledge of trials is limited among women receiving breast cancer treatment. Unique sociocultural factors suggest that approaches customised to local and community beliefs are needed to improve trial participation in minority groups.

  2. Asian Students' Voices: An Empirical Study of Asian Students' Learning Experiences at a New Zealand University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Jacqui; Li, Mingsheng

    2008-01-01

    More than 85% of the international students in New Zealand are Asian in origin. The level of satisfaction of Asian international students with their learning experiences in New Zealand has been of enormous concern for the New Zealand export education industry. The results of this current research, based on a qualitative research study conducted at…

  3. PALOMA-3: Phase III Trial of Fulvestrant With or Without Palbociclib in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women With Hormone Receptor–Positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2–Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer That Progressed on Prior Endocrine Therapy—Safety and Efficacy in Asian Patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Im, Seock-Ah; Masuda, Norikazu; Im, Young-Hyuck; Inoue, Kenichi; Rai, Yoshiaki; Nakamura, Rikiya; Kim, Jee Hyun; Hoffman, Justin T.; Zhang, Ke; Giorgetti, Carla; Iyer, Shrividya; Schnell, Patrick T.; Bartlett, Cynthia Huang; Ro, Jungsil

    2017-01-01

    Purpose To assess efficacy and safety of palbociclib plus fulvestrant in Asians with endocrine therapy–resistant metastatic breast cancer. Patients and Methods The Palbociclib Ongoing Trials in the Management of Breast Cancer 3 (PALOMA-3) trial, a double-blind phase III study, included 521 patients with hormone receptor–positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative metastatic breast cancer with disease progression on endocrine therapy. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were assessed on study treatment and at the end of treatment. Results This preplanned subgroup analysis of the PALOMA-3 study included premenopausal and postmenopausal Asians taking palbociclib plus fulvestrant (n = 71) or placebo plus fulvestrant (n = 31). Palbociclib plus fulvestrant improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with fulvestrant alone. Median PFS was not reached with palbociclib plus fulvestrant (95% CI, 9.2 months to not reached) but was 5.8 months with placebo plus fulvestrant (95% CI, 3.5 to 9.2 months; hazard ratio, 0.485; 95% CI, 0.270 to 0.869; P = .0065). The most common all-cause grade 3 or 4 adverse events in the palbociclib arm were neutropenia (92%) and leukopenia (29%); febrile neutropenia occurred in 4.1% of patients. Within-patient mean trough concentration comparisons across subgroups indicated similar palbociclib exposure between Asians and non-Asians. Global quality of life was maintained; no statistically significant changes from baseline were observed for patient-reported outcome scores with palbociclib plus fulvestrant. Conclusion This is the first report, to our knowledge, showing that palbociclib plus fulvestrant improves PFS in asian patients. Palbociclib plus fulvestrant was well tolerated in this study. PMID:28831437

  4. PALOMA-3: Phase III Trial of Fulvestrant With or Without Palbociclib in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women With Hormone Receptor–Positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2–Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer That Progressed on Prior Endocrine Therapy—Safety and Efficacy in Asian Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiroji Iwata

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To assess efficacy and safety of palbociclib plus fulvestrant in Asians with endocrine therapy–resistant metastatic breast cancer. Patients and Methods: The Palbociclib Ongoing Trials in the Management of Breast Cancer 3 (PALOMA-3 trial, a double-blind phase III study, included 521 patients with hormone receptor–positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative metastatic breast cancer with disease progression on endocrine therapy. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs were assessed on study treatment and at the end of treatment. Results: This preplanned subgroup analysis of the PALOMA-3 study included premenopausal and postmenopausal Asians taking palbociclib plus fulvestrant (n = 71 or placebo plus fulvestrant (n = 31. Palbociclib plus fulvestrant improved progression-free survival (PFS compared with fulvestrant alone. Median PFS was not reached with palbociclib plus fulvestrant (95% CI, 9.2 months to not reached but was 5.8 months with placebo plus fulvestrant (95% CI, 3.5 to 9.2 months; hazard ratio, 0.485; 95% CI, 0.270 to 0.869; P = .0065. The most common all-cause grade 3 or 4 adverse events in the palbociclib arm were neutropenia (92% and leukopenia (29%; febrile neutropenia occurred in 4.1% of patients. Within-patient mean trough concentration comparisons across subgroups indicated similar palbociclib exposure between Asians and non-Asians. Global quality of life was maintained; no statistically significant changes from baseline were observed for patient-reported outcome scores with palbociclib plus fulvestrant. Conclusion: This is the first report, to our knowledge, showing that palbociclib plus fulvestrant improves PFS in asian patients. Palbociclib plus fulvestrant was well tolerated in this study.

  5. Recruiting South Asians to a lifestyle intervention trial: experiences and lessons from PODOSA (Prevention of Diabetes & Obesity in South Asians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tuomilehto Jaakko

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite the growing emphasis on the inclusion of ethnic minority patients in research, there is little published on the recruitment of these populations especially to randomised, community based, lifestyle intervention trials in the UK. Methods We share our experience of recruitment to screening in the PODOSA (Prevention of Diabetes and Obesity in South Asians trial, which screened 1319 recruits (target 1800 for trial eligibility. A multi-pronged recruitment approach was used. Enrolment via the National Health Service included direct referrals from health care professionals and written invitations via general practices. Recruitment within the community was carried out by both the research team and through our partnerships with local South Asian groups and organisations. Participants were encouraged to refer friends and family throughout the recruitment period. Results Health care professionals referred only 55 potential participants. The response to written invitations via general practitioners was 5.2%, lower than reported in other general populations. Community orientated, personal approaches for recruitment were comparatively effective yielding 1728 referrals (82% to the screening stage. Conclusions The PODOSA experience shows that a community orientated, personal approach for recruiting South Asian ethnic minority populations can be successful in a trial setting. We recommend that consideration is given to cover recruitment costs associated with community engagement and other personalised approaches. Researchers should consider prioritising approaches that minimise interference with professionals' work and, particularly in the current economic climate, keep costs to a minimum. The lessons learned in PODOSA should contribute to future community based trials in South Asians. Trial Registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN25729565

  6. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Asian American students using Asian specific criteria to determine weight classification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Individuals of Asian descent have been found to be at greater risk of developing conditions associated with obesity at lower BMI levels compared to other ethnic groups. As a result, new criteria have been developed to identify overweight and obesity in Asian populations. The purpose of the current s...

  7. Risk factors for acute stroke among South Asians compared to other racial/ethnic groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gezmu, Tefera; Schneider, Dona; Demissie, Kitaw; Lin, Yong; Gizzi, Martin S

    2014-01-01

    Studies of racial/ethnic variations in stroke rarely consider the South Asian population, one of the fastest growing sub-groups in the United States. This study compared risk factors for stroke among South Asians with those for whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics. Data on 3290 stroke patients were analyzed to examine risk differences among the four racial/ethnic groups. Data on 3290 patients admitted to a regional stroke center were analyzed to examine risk differences for ischemic stroke (including subtypes of small and large vessel disease) among South Asians, whites, African Americans and Hispanics. South Asians were younger and had higher rates of diabetes mellitus, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose levels than other race/ethnicities. Prevalence of diabetic and antiplatelet medication use, as well as the incidence of small-artery occlusion ischemic stroke was also higher among South Asians. South Asians were almost a decade younger and had comparable socioeconomic levels as whites; however, their stroke risk factors were comparable to that of African Americans and Hispanics. Observed differences in stroke may be explained by dietary and life style choices of South Asian-Americans, risk factors that are potentially modifiable. Future population and epidemiologic studies should consider growing ethnic minority groups in the examination of the nature, outcome, and medical care profiles of stroke.

  8. The effects of contact with Asians and Asian Americans on White American college students: attitudes, awareness of racial discrimination, and psychological adjustment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dinh, Khanh T; Weinstein, Traci L; Nemon, Melissa; Rondeau, Sara

    2008-12-01

    On the basis of acculturation theory, explicating mutual influences between different cultural or ethnic groups coming into contact, this study focused "on the other side of acculturation" theory by examining the effects of intercultural contact with Asians and Asian Americans on the psychosocial experiences of White American college students. Participants (N = 315), undergraduates attending a public university located within the state of Massachusetts, completed a survey that assessed demographic and personal characteristics, acculturation (extent of intercultural contact with Asian people and Asian cultures), attitudes towards Asians and Asian Americans, awareness of institutional discrimination and blatant racial issues, and psychological distress. Results indicated that White American students' intercultural contact with Asians and Asian Americans contributed significant variance to the prediction of their attitudes towards this ethnic group and awareness of discrimination and racial issues, but not to psychological distress. This study provides implications for understanding mutual acculturative influences between different ethnic groups in the United States.

  9. Asian Consensus Report on Functional Dyspepsia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miwa, Hiroto; Ghoshal, Uday C; Gonlachanvit, Sutep; Gwee, Kok-Ann; Ang, Tiing-Leong; Chang, Full-Young; Fock, Kwong Ming; Hongo, Michio; Hou, Xiaohua; Kachintorn, Udom; Ke, Meiyun; Lai, Kwok-Hung; Lee, Kwang Jae; Lu, Ching-Liang; Mahadeva, Sanjiv; Miura, Soichiro; Park, Hyojin; Rhee, Poong-Lyul; Sugano, Kentaro; Vilaichone, Ratha-korn; Wong, Benjamin CY

    2012-01-01

    Background/Aims Environmental factors such as food, lifestyle and prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection are widely different in Asian countries compared to the West, and physiological functions and genetic factors of Asians may also be different from those of Westerners. Establishing an Asian consensus for functional dyspepsia is crucial in order to attract attention to such data from Asian countries, to articulate the experience and views of Asian experts, and to provide a relevant guide on management of functional dyspepsia for primary care physicians working in Asia. Methods Consensus team members were selected from Asian experts and consensus development was carried out using a modified Delphi method. Consensus teams collected published papers on functional dyspepsia especially from Asia and developed candidate consensus statements based on the generated clinical questions. At the first face-to-face meeting, each statement was reviewed and e-mail voting was done twice. At the second face-to-face meeting, final voting on each statement was done using keypad voting system. A grade of evidence and a strength of recommendation were applied to each statement according to the method of the GRADE Working Group. Results Twenty-nine consensus statements were finalized, including 7 for definition and diagnosis, 5 for epidemiology, 9 for pathophysiology and 8 for management. Algorithms for diagnosis and management of functional dyspepsia were added. Conclusions This consensus developed by Asian experts shows distinctive features of functional dyspepsia in Asia and will provide a guide to the diagnosis and management of functional dyspepsia for Asian primary care physicians. PMID:22523724

  10. Osteoporosis and Asian American Women

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... and Asian American Women Osteoporosis and Asian American Women Asian American women are at high risk for ... medications. Are There Any Special Issues for Asian Women Regarding Bone Health? Recent studies indicate a number ...

  11. Prediction of Mortality after Emergent Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Placement: Use of APACHE II, Child-Pugh and MELD Scores in Asian Patients with Refractory Variceal Hemorrhage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tzeng, Wen Sheng; Wu, Reng Hong; Lin, Ching Yih; Chen, Jyh Jou; Sheu, Ming Juen; Koay, Lok Beng; Lee, Chuan [Chi-Mei Foundation Medical Center, Tainan (China)

    2009-10-15

    This study was designed to determine if existing methods of grading liver function that have been developed in non-Asian patients with cirrhosis can be used to predict mortality in Asian patients treated for refractory variceal hemorrhage by the use of the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure. Data for 107 consecutive patients who underwent an emergency TIPS procedure were retrospectively analyzed. Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II), Child-Pugh and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores were calculated. Survival analyses were performed to evaluate the ability of the various models to predict 30-day, 60-day and 360-day mortality. The ability of stratified APACHE II, Child-Pugh, and MELD scores to predict survival was assessed by the use of Kaplan-Meier analysis with the log-rank test. No patient died during the TIPS procedure, but 82 patients died during the follow-up period. Thirty patients died within 30 days after the TIPS procedure; 37 patients died within 60 days and 53 patients died within 360 days. Univariate analysis indicated that hepatorenal syndrome, use of inotropic agents and mechanical ventilation were associated with elevated 30-day mortality (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that a Child-Pugh score > 11 or an MELD score > 20 predicted increased risk of death at 30, 60 and 360 days (p < 0.05). APACHE II scores could only predict mortality at 360 days (p < 0.05). A Child-Pugh score > 11 or an MELD score > 20 are predictive of mortality in Asian patients with refractory variceal hemorrhage treated with the TIPS procedure. An APACHE II score is not predictive of early mortality in this patient population.

  12. Bounds for Asian basket options

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deelstra, Griselda; Diallo, Ibrahima; Vanmaele, Michèle

    2008-09-01

    In this paper we propose pricing bounds for European-style discrete arithmetic Asian basket options in a Black and Scholes framework. We start from methods used for basket options and Asian options. First, we use the general approach for deriving upper and lower bounds for stop-loss premia of sums of non-independent random variables as in Kaas et al. [Upper and lower bounds for sums of random variables, Insurance Math. Econom. 27 (2000) 151-168] or Dhaene et al. [The concept of comonotonicity in actuarial science and finance: theory, Insurance Math. Econom. 31(1) (2002) 3-33]. We generalize the methods in Deelstra et al. [Pricing of arithmetic basket options by conditioning, Insurance Math. Econom. 34 (2004) 55-57] and Vanmaele et al. [Bounds for the price of discrete sampled arithmetic Asian options, J. Comput. Appl. Math. 185(1) (2006) 51-90]. Afterwards we show how to derive an analytical closed-form expression for a lower bound in the non-comonotonic case. Finally, we derive upper bounds for Asian basket options by applying techniques as in Thompson [Fast narrow bounds on the value of Asian options, Working Paper, University of Cambridge, 1999] and Lord [Partially exact and bounded approximations for arithmetic Asian options, J. Comput. Finance 10 (2) (2006) 1-52]. Numerical results are included and on the basis of our numerical tests, we explain which method we recommend depending on moneyness and time-to-maturity.

  13. IL28B genotype is not useful for predicting treatment outcome in Asian chronic hepatitis B patients treated with pegylated interferon-α.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmes, Jacinta A; Nguyen, Tin; Ratnam, Dilip; Heerasing, Neel M; Tehan, Jane V; Bonanzinga, Sara; Dev, Anouk; Bell, Sally; Pianko, Stephen; Chen, Robert; Visvanathan, Kumar; Hammond, Rachel; Iser, David; Rusli, Ferry; Sievert, William; Desmond, Paul V; Bowden, D Scott; Thompson, Alexander J

    2013-05-01

    IL28B genotype predicts response to pegylated interferon (peg-IFN)-based therapy in chronic hepatitis C. However, the utility of IL28B genotyping in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) cohorts treated with peg-IFN is unclear. It was investigated whether IL28B genotype is associated with peg-IFN treatment outcomes in a predominantly Asian CHB cohort. This was a retrospective analysis of CHB patients treated with 48 weeks of peg-IFN monotherapy. IL28B genotype (rs12979860) was determined (TaqMan allelic discrimination kit). Baseline hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA, alanine aminotransferase, and liver histology were available. The primary end-points were HBV e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion with HBV-DNA < 2000 IU/mL 24 weeks post-therapy (HBeAg-positive patients) and HBV-DNA < 2000 IU/mL 24 weeks after peg-IFN (HBeAg-negative patients). The association between IL28B genotype and peg-IFN outcomes was analyzed. IL28B genotype was determined for 96 patients. Eighty-eight percent were Asian, 62% were HBeAg positive, and 13% were METAVIR stage F3-4. Median follow-up time was 39.3 months. The majority of patients carried the CC IL28B genotype (84%). IL28B genotype did not differ according to HBeAg status. The primary end-points were achieved in 27% of HBeAg-positive and 61% of HBeAg-negative patients. There was no association between IL28B genotype and the primary end-point in either group. Furthermore, there was no difference in HBeAg loss alone, HBV surface antigen, alanine aminotransferase normalization, or on-treatment HBV-DNA levels according to IL28B genotype. In the context of a small possible effect size and high frequency in Asian populations, IL28B genotyping is likely to have, at best, limited clinical utility for predicting peg-IFN treatment outcome for CHB patients in the Asia-Pacific region. © 2013 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  14. Assessment of psychological distress among Asian adolescents and young adults (AYA) cancer patients using the distress thermometer: a prospective, longitudinal study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Alexandre; Poon, Eileen; Goh, Wei Lin; Gan, Yanxiang; Tan, Chia Jie; Yeo, Kelvin; Chua, Annabelle; Chee, Magdalene; Law, Yi Chye; Somasundaram, Nagavalli; Kanesvaran, Ravindran; Ng, Quan Sing; Tham, Chee Kian; Toh, Chee Keong; Lim, Soon Thye; Tao, Miriam; Tang, Tiffany; Quek, Richard; Farid, Mohamad

    2018-04-11

    Since few studies have investigated whether the Distress Thermometer (DT) in Asian adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients (between 15 and 39 years), we investigated the appropriateness of the DT as a screening tool for psychological symptom burden in these AYA patients and to evaluate AYA patients' distress across a trajectory of three time points longitudinally over a 6-month period. This was a prospective, longitudinal study. Recruited Asian AYA patients were diagnosed with lymphomas, sarcomas, primary brain malignancies, or germ cell tumors. Patients completed the DT, PedsQL Generic Core Scales, and the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist. Data were analyzed using STATA version 15. Approximately half of the patients experienced clinically significant DT distress (distress score ≥ 4) early in their cancer journey with 43.1% patients presenting with distress at time of diagnosis and 47.7% patients 1 month after diagnosis. Among AYA patients > 24 years old, worry (68.3%), insurance/financial issues (61%), treatment decisions (43.9%), work/school issues (41.5%), nervousness (41.5%), and sadness (41.5%) were the top five identified problems. On the other hand, the top five identified problems among AYA ≤ 24 years were worry (54.2%), nervousness (41.7%), bathing/dressing problems (37.5%), work/school issues (33.3%), and fatigue (33.3%). DT scores were significantly associated with certain psychological symptom burden items such as worry (p psychological distress in AYA cancer patients with clinically significant distress being identified in the early phases of the cancer journey.

  15. Treatment for Trochanteric Fracture of the Femur with Short Femoral Nail: A Comparison between the Asian Intramedullary Hip Screw (IMHS) and the Conventional IMHS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawaji, Hidemi; Uematsu, Takuya; Oba, Ryosuke; Satake, Yoshihiko; Hoshikawa, Naoya; Takai, Shinro

    2016-01-01

    We usually use short femoral nails for the treatment of trochanteric fracture of the femur. In this retrospective study, we investigated and compared the clinical results of the conventional intramedullary hip screw (IMHS) and the Asian IMHS, which is a redesigned version of the former. The subjects were 42 patients; 21 treated with the Asian IMHS and 21 were treated with the conventional IMHS. From the clinical records, we retrospectively investigated the patients' age, sex, in-hospital waiting period for operation, operating time, intraoperative blood loss, walking ability before fracture and at discharge, and complication pertaining to the operation. The 21 patients (4 men and 17 women) receiving the Asian IMHS and the 21 patients (5 men and 16 women) receiving the conventional IMHS did not differ significantly in mean age, sex ratio, preoperative waiting period, mean postoperative hospital stay, mean operation time, or mean intraoperative blood loss. Among patients receiving the Asian IMHS, the complications of intraoperative fractures of the femur developed in 3 patients and breakage of the implant occurred in 1 patient. No complications occurred in patients receiving the conventional IMHS. Compared with the conventional IMHS, the Asian IMHS is smaller, has increased variations in the shaft/neck angle of the lag screw, and has a titanium-alloy construction, allowing magnetic resonance imaging. The intraoperative fracture may have occurred because of the configuration of the distal interlocking screw in the Asian IMHS. Breakage of the implant likely occurred because the nail was too small in diameter, and too short in length for the unstable AO 31-A3 fracture. If careful attention is paid to the configuration of its distal interlocking screw intraoperatively and a nail of appropriate size is selected, the Asian IMHS is better suited than the conventional IMHS for treating Japanese patients, who generally have a small physique, because of its many variations in

  16. South Asian Ethnicity as a Risk Factor for Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events after Renal Transplantation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vangala, Sai K.; Silver, Samuel A.; Wong, Steven C.W.; Huang, Michael; Rapi, Lindita; Nash, Michelle M.; Zaltzman, Jeffrey S.

    2011-01-01

    Summary Background and objectives South Asians (SAs) comprise 25% of all Canadian visible minorities. SAs constitute a group at high risk for cardiovascular disease in the general population, but the risk in SA kidney transplant recipients has never been studied. Design, setting, participants, & measurements In a cohort study of 864 kidney recipients transplanted from 1998 to 2007 and followed to June 2009, we identified risk factors including ethnicity associated with major cardiac events (MACEs, a composite of nonfatal myocardial infarction, coronary intervention, and cardiac death) within and beyond 3 months after transplant. Kaplan-Meier methodology and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to determine risk factors for MACEs. Results There was no difference among SAs (n = 139), whites (n = 550), blacks (n = 65), or East Asians (n = 110) in baseline risk, including pre-existing cardiac disease. Post-transplant MACE rate in SAs was 4.4/100 patient-years compared with 1.31, 1.16, and 1.61/100 patient-years in whites, blacks, and East Asians, respectively (P diabetes, systolic BP, and prior cardiac disease. SAs also experienced more MACEs within 3 months after transplant compared with whites (P < 0.0001), blacks (P = 0.04), and East Asians (P = 0.006). However, graft and patient survival was similar to other groups. Conclusions SA ethnicity is an independent risk factor for post-transplant cardiac events. Further study of this high-risk group is warranted. PMID:20884776

  17. Determinants of the over-anticoagulation response during warfarin initiation therapy in Asian patients based on population pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohara, Minami; Takahashi, Harumi; Lee, Ming Ta Michael; Wen, Ming-Shien; Lee, Tsong-Hai; Chuang, Hui-Ping; Luo, Chen-Hui; Arima, Aki; Onozuka, Akiko; Nagai, Rui; Shiomi, Mari; Mihara, Kiyoshi; Morita, Takashi; Chen, Yuan-Tsong

    2014-01-01

    To clarify pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) factors associated with the over-anticoagulation response in Asians during warfarin induction therapy, population PK-PD analyses were conducted in an attempt to predict the time-courses of the plasma S-warfarin concentration, Cp(S), and coagulation and anti-coagulation (INR) responses. In 99 Chinese patients we analyzed the relationships between dose and Cp(S) to estimate the clearance of S-warfarin, CL(S), and that between Cp(S) and the normal prothrombin concentration (NPT) as a coagulation marker for estimation of IC50. We also analyzed the non-linear relationship between NPT inhibition and the increase in INR to derive the non-linear index λ. Population analyses accurately predicted the time-courses of Cp(S), NPT and INR. Multivariate analysis showed that CYP2C9*3 mutation and body surface area were predictors of CL(S), that VKORC1 and CYP4F2 polymorphisms were predictors of IC50, and that baseline NPT was a predictor of λ. CL(S) and λ were significantly lower in patients with INR≥4 than in those with INR<4 (190 mL/h vs 265 mL/h, P<0.01 and 3.2 vs 3.7, P<0.01, respectively). Finally, logistic regression analysis revealed that CL(S), ALT and hypertension contributed significantly to INR≥4. All these results indicate that factors associated with the reduced metabolic activity of warfarin represented by CL(S), might be critical determinants of the over-anticoagulation response during warfarin initiation in Asians. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02065388.

  18. Determinants of the over-anticoagulation response during warfarin initiation therapy in Asian patients based on population pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic analyses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minami Ohara

    Full Text Available To clarify pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD factors associated with the over-anticoagulation response in Asians during warfarin induction therapy, population PK-PD analyses were conducted in an attempt to predict the time-courses of the plasma S-warfarin concentration, Cp(S, and coagulation and anti-coagulation (INR responses. In 99 Chinese patients we analyzed the relationships between dose and Cp(S to estimate the clearance of S-warfarin, CL(S, and that between Cp(S and the normal prothrombin concentration (NPT as a coagulation marker for estimation of IC50. We also analyzed the non-linear relationship between NPT inhibition and the increase in INR to derive the non-linear index λ. Population analyses accurately predicted the time-courses of Cp(S, NPT and INR. Multivariate analysis showed that CYP2C9*3 mutation and body surface area were predictors of CL(S, that VKORC1 and CYP4F2 polymorphisms were predictors of IC50, and that baseline NPT was a predictor of λ. CL(S and λ were significantly lower in patients with INR≥4 than in those with INR<4 (190 mL/h vs 265 mL/h, P<0.01 and 3.2 vs 3.7, P<0.01, respectively. Finally, logistic regression analysis revealed that CL(S, ALT and hypertension contributed significantly to INR≥4. All these results indicate that factors associated with the reduced metabolic activity of warfarin represented by CL(S, might be critical determinants of the over-anticoagulation response during warfarin initiation in Asians.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02065388.

  19. Do Asian women do as well as their Caucasian counterparts in IVF treatment: Cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kan, Andrew; Leung, Peter; Luo, Kehui; Fay, Louise; Tan, Chunyan Leeann

    2015-06-01

    To evaluate if there is a difference in pregnancy rate between Asian and Caucasian women when they undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF). This was a retrospective cohort study set in a private reproductive medicine clinic. The study consisted of a total of 2594 patients (Asian, n = 522; Caucasian, n = 2072) undergoing IVF managed by a single doctor over a 10 year period. The main outcome measures were clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate. Logistic regression was used to control for confounding factors. Asian women achieved a significantly lower clinical pregnancy and live birth rate than their Caucasian counterparts, despite replacement of more embryos. This difference was not significant after controlling for age and duration of infertility. Despite higher doses of gonadotrophin, they achieved fewer oocytes and had resultant fewer embryos for transfer or cryopreservation. In a study designed to reduce the effect of confounding factors by looking at a large number of patients from a single IVF unit under the care of a single doctor, there does not appear to be a difference in IVF pregnancy rate as a result of race. Asian women tend to present for IVF treatment at a later age after having tried for a longer period of time and this contributes significantly to their lower pregnancy rate. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research © 2014 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

  20. Awareness and Use of South Asian Tobacco Products Among South Asians in New Jersey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hrywna, Mary; Jane Lewis, M; Mukherjea, Arnab; Banerjee, Smita C; Steinberg, Michael B; Delnevo, Cristine D

    2016-12-01

    South Asians are the third largest Asian group in the US and among the fastest growing racial groups in New Jersey. Tobacco consumption among South Asians is characterized by several smoked and smokeless tobacco products indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. However, there is a paucity of research on tobacco use behaviors among South Asians in the US. The goal of this study was to examine the awareness and use of South Asian tobacco products such as bidis, gutkha, paan, paan masala, and zarda as well as other potentially carcinogenic products such as supari, their context of use, and their cultural significance among South Asians living in the US. Eight focus groups were conducted with South Asian adults living in Central New Jersey. Overall, participants were aware of a wide variety of foreign and American tobacco products with older South Asians identifying a greater variety of indigenous products compared to younger South Asians. Hookah was consistently recognized as popular among the younger generation while products such as paan or paan masala were more commonly identified with elders. Use of tobacco-related products such as paan and supari were described as common at social gatherings or after meals. In addition, light or social users of South Asian tobacco products, including products not consistently defined as tobacco, may not report tobacco use on a survey. Better understanding of the use of these products among South Asians and how some may classify tobacco usage can inform future research and public health interventions in these communities.

  1. Asians in Higher Education: Conflicts over Admissions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoachlander, E. Gareth; Brown, Cynthia L.

    1989-01-01

    Many Asian Americans believe that the admissions policies of many selective colleges are unfair to them. Demographic trends and the resultant political activity are discussed. The admissions policies and practices that Asian Americans consider objectionable are examined and some policy options are offered. (MLW)

  2. Results of the IAEA/RCA personal dosemeter intercomparison in the Asian and Pacific region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murakami, H.; Minami, K.; Griffith, R.V.

    1994-01-01

    In 1988, the International Atomic Energy Agency started the Regional Co-operative Agreement project for strengthening the radiation protection infrastructure in the Asian and Pacific region. One component of the initial programme was a regional personal dosimetry intercomparison, which was subsequently conducted in three phases over three years during the period 1990 to 1992. Seventeen organisations of all 14 member states participated in the programmes. Irradiations and data compilation were conducted by the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. This paper describes the results of the intercomparison programmes and discusses some features and personal dosimetry problems in the RCA member states. (author)

  3. The Asian Taenia and the possibility of cysticercosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    V. Fuentes, Màrius

    2000-01-01

    In certain Asian countries, a third form of human Taenia, also known as the Asian Taenia, has been discovered. This Asian Taenia seems to be an intermediate between Taenia solium and T. saginata since in morphological terms it is similar to T. saginata, yet biologically, as it uses the same intermediate host (pigs), it is more akin to T. solium. Taenia solium causes human cysticercosis, while T. saginata does not. It is not known whether the Asian taeniid is able to develop to the larval stage in humans or not. The arguments proposed by those authors who consider it unlikely that the Asian Taenia causes human cysticercosis are: (a) its molecular similarities with T. saginata; (b) the absence of cases of human cysticercosis in populations where the Asian adult is highly prevalent; and (c) the unsupporting results derived from an experimental infestation study. These three arguments are debated, although bearing in mind that at present there is still no clear scientific data to support that human cysticercosis can be caused by the Asian Taenia. PMID:10743352

  4. Comparison of exposure response relationship of atrasentan between North American and Asian populations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heerspink, Hiddo J. L.; Makino, Hirofumi; Andress, Dennis; Brennan, John J.; Correa-Rotter, Ricardo; Coll, Blai; Davis, Justin W.; Idler, Ken; Kohan, Donald E.; Liu, Mohan; Perkovic, Vlado; Remuzzi, Giuseppe; Tobe, Sheldon W.; Toto, Robert; Parving, Hans-Henrik; de Zeeuw, Dick

    Aims: The selective endothelin (ET) A receptor antagonist atrasentan has been shown to lower albuminuria in North American and Asian patients with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy. As drug responses to many drugs may differ between North American and Asian populations, we assessed the influence of

  5. A Novel Supra-Brow Combined with Infra-Brow Lift Approach for Asian Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shu, Maoguo; He, Lin; Su, Yingjun; Shi, Junli; Zhang, Xi; Liu, Xiangyu; Yu, Xueyuan

    2016-06-01

    Direct brow lift surgery remains popular among Asian women despite its disadvantages. The traditional direct brow lift by a supra-brow incision is not suitable for Asian women because of their unique facial features, such as higher eyebrows, wider upper eyelids, and more orbital fat. Therefore, we designed a novel brow lift technique via a supra-brow combined with an infra-brow approach for Asian women. An area of skin above and below the eyebrow was measured, demarcated, and surgically removed. The redundant orbicularis oculi muscle (OOM) was excised while keeping the frontalis muscle intact. The OOM in the inferior flap was elevated and sutured to the frontalis muscle. In cases of puffy eyelids, orbital fat was partially removed through an infra-brow incision. Finally, a series of modifications were performed to reduce post-operative scarring. A total of 496 patients underwent this surgery from July 2009 to December 2013 and 432 patients were followed up for at least 6 months after surgery. Post-operative scars, in most patients (428/432), were inconspicuous. There were no facial nerve injuries documented and eight patients reported transient forehead numbness. The height of the palpebral fissure was increased but there was no marked increase observed of the distance between the upper eyelid edge and the eyebrow. In follow-up visits, 409 out of 432 patients (94.7 %) were satisfied with their surgical results. This new brow lift technique via a supra-brow combined with an infra-brow approach provided a simple and safe surgical repair of lateral brow ptosis, upper eyelids hooding, and crows' feet in Asian women. The surgical outcomes were predictable and the scars were inconspicuous. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

  6. High Incidence of Hepatitis B Infection-Associated Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Southeast Asian Patients with Portal Vein Thrombosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Auewarakul Chirayu U

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Portal vein thrombosis (PVT is a rare condition associated with serious morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency, clinical presentations, and risk factors of PVT from the set of data firstly collected among the Southeast Asian population. Methods A retrospective study was undertaken to identify patients diagnosed with thrombosis of the portal system and other abdominal veins. The hospital medical records were retrieved based on the selected ICD-10 codes. Clinical presentations were collected and risk factors determined. Results From 2000-2009, 467 hospital charts with designated ICD-10 codes of I81, I82.2, I82.3, I82.8, I82.9, or K55.0 were identified. PVT (I81 was the most common thrombosis (194 cases, 41.54%. The majority of PVT patients were males (65%, older than 40 years (75%, and presented with abdominal distension/ascites (69%, splenomegaly (54.6%, and abdominal pain (50.5%. Overall, the predominant risk factor was hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC (52.5%, followed by liver cirrhosis without cancer (9.3%, abdominal infection/inflammation (9.3%, cholangiocarcinoma (8.2%, and abdominal intervention (7.7%. In young patients, abdominal interventions including umbilical catheterization (23.1% and hepatectomy (7.7% were the most frequent risks whereas in older cases, primary hepatobiliary cancer and cirrhosis (78% were the major risks. Liver metastases from other organs were infrequently found. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV infection was the main etiology associated with cirrhosis/HCC leading to PVT in this cohort. A third of the older PVT patients (age >40 had HBV and very few carried hepatitis C virus (HCV whereas none of the young PVT patients (age Conclusion HBV is the major risk of PVT in the Southeast Asian population. Several risk factors identified in this population have rarely been described and some are remarkably different from those reported in the West. Host and

  7. Understanding advance care planning within the South Asian community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biondo, Patricia D; Kalia, Rashika; Khan, Rooh-Afza; Asghar, Nadia; Banerjee, Cyrene; Boulton, Debbie; Marlett, Nancy; Shklarov, Svetlana; Simon, Jessica E

    2017-10-01

    Advance care planning (ACP) is a process of reflection on and communication of a person's future health-care preferences. Evidence suggests visible minorities engage less in ACP. The South Asian ethnic group is the largest visible minority group in Canada, and information is needed to understand how ACP is perceived and how best to approach ACP within this diverse community. To explore perspectives of South Asian community members towards ACP. Peer-to-peer inquiry. South Asian community members who graduated from the Patient and Community Engagement Research programme (PaCER) at the University of Calgary utilized the PaCER method (SET, COLLECT and REFLECT) to conduct a focus group, family interviews and a community forum. Fifty-seven community-dwelling men and women (22-86 years) who self-identified with the South Asian community in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The concept of ACP was mostly foreign to this community and was often associated with other end-of-life issues such as organ donation and estate planning. Cultural aspects (e.g. trust in shared family decision making and taboos related to discussing death), religious beliefs (e.g. fatalism) and immigration challenges (e.g. essential priorities) emerged as barriers to participation in ACP. However, participants were eager to learn about ACP and recommended several engagement strategies (e.g. disseminate information through religious institutions and community centres, include families in ACP discussions, encourage family physicians to initiate discussions and translate materials). Use of a patient engagement research model proved highly successful in understanding South Asian community members' participation in ACP. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Close relationships between Asian American and European American college students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, C; Edwards, K; Young, B; Greenberger, E

    2001-02-01

    The authors examined attitudes and behaviors regarding close relationships between European and Asian Americans, with a particular emphasis on 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Filipino Americans). Participants were 218 Asian American college students and 171 European American college students attending a culturally diverse university. The European Americans did not differentiate among the various subgroups of Asian Americans. Their attitudes regarding close relationships were less positive toward Asian Americans than toward Mexican and African Americans, a finding contrary to the prediction of social exchange theory (H. Tajfel, 1975). In contrast to the European Americans' view of homogeneity among Asian Americans, the 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans expressed a distinctive hierarchy of social preference among themselves. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for future research on interethnic relations involving Asian Americans.

  9. Reduction in cardiovascular risk using a proactive multifactorial intervention is consistent among patients residing in Pacific Asian and non-Pacific Asian regions: a CRUCIAL trial subanalysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cho EJ

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Eun Joo Cho,1 Jae Hyung Kim,1 Santosh Sutradhar,2 Carla Yunis,2 Mogens Westergaard2On behalf of the CRUCIAL trial investigators1Department of Cardiology, St Paul's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea; 2Pfizer Inc., New York, NY, USABackground: Few trials have compared different approaches to cardiovascular disease prevention among Pacific Asian (PA populations. The Cluster Randomized Usual Care versus Caduet Investigation Assessing Long-term-risk (CRUCIAL trial demonstrated that a proactive multifactorial intervention (PMI approach (based on single-pill amlodipine/atorvastatin resulted in a greater reduction in calculated Framingham 10-year coronary heart disease (CHD risk compared with usual care (UC among hypertensive patients with additional risk factors. One-third of CRUCIAL patients resided in the PA region. The aim of this subanalysis was to compare two approaches to cardiovascular risk factor management (PMI versus UC among patients residing in PA and non-PA regions.Methods: This subanalysis of the CRUCIAL trial compared treatment-related changes in calculated CHD risk among patients residing in PA and non-PA regions. Sensitivity analyses were conducted among men and women and those with and without diabetes.Results: Overall, 448 patients (31.6% resided in the PA region and 969 patients (68.4% resided in non-PA regions. The PMI approach was more effective in reducing calculated CHD risk versus UC in both PA (−37.1% versus −3.5%; P<0.001 and non-PA regions (−31.1% versus −4.2%; P<0.001; region interaction P=0.131. PA patients had slightly greater reductions in total cholesterol compared with non-PA patients. PA patients without diabetes had slightly greater reductions in CHD risk compared with non-PA patients. Treatment effects were similar in men and women and those with diabetes.Conclusion: The PMI approach was more effective in reducing calculated Framingham 10-year CHD risk compared with UC among men and

  10. Omalizumab therapy for treatment of recalcitrant chronic spontaneous urticaria in an Asian population.

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    Kulthanan, Kanokvalai; Tuchinda, Papapit; Chularojanamontri, Leena; Likitwattananurak, Chayanee; Ungaksornpairote, Chanida

    2017-03-01

    There are limited data regarding omalizumab in the treatment of recalcitrant chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) in Asian populations. This study evaluated the effectiveness and the proper dosage of omalizumab for Asian CSU patients in a real-life setting. We retrospectively reviewed recalcitrant CSU patients seeking treatment at the Skin Allergy Clinic, Siriraj Hospital during the 3-year period. All patients were treated with omalizumab as an add-on therapy. Standard seven-day urticaria activity score (UAS7) and medication score were used to assess omalizumab response. Of 13 patients, 9 patients (70%) responded well to 150 mg omalizumab injection every month, whereas 4 patients requiring updosing to 300 mg. In the 150 mg group, one patient achieved complete symptom control without antihistamine intake. Most of them required antihistamines without prednisolone and ciclosporin. Onset of omalizumab was fast, usually within the first week. Though only two patients in the 300 mg group achieved complete absence of symptoms, ciclosporin and oral corticosteroids could be discontinued. No patients reported adverse effects. Omalizumab at an initial dosage of 150 mg was effective in the treatment of recalcitrant CSU among Asians. Updosing to 300 mg was required to achieve satisfactory outcomes.

  11. The association of HMGB1 expression with clinicopathological significance and prognosis in Asian patients with colorectal carcinoma: a meta-analysis and literature review

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    Zhang XL

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Xiaoli Zhang,1,2 Jinming Yu,1,2 Minghuan Li,2 Hui Zhu,2 Xindong Sun,2 Li Kong2 1Department of Oncology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 2Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Jinan, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China Background: The association of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1 expression with clinicopathological significance and prognosis in Asian patients with colorectal carcinoma (CRC remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis and literature review to identify the role of HMGB1 in the development and prognosis of CRC in Asians. Methods: All eligible studies regarding the association between HMGB1 expression in tissue with clinicopathological significance and prognosis in Asian patients with CRC published up to January 2015 were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WanFang database. Analysis of pooled data was performed, while odds ratio (OR or hazard radio with 95% confidence interval (CI was calculated and summarized to evaluate the strength of this association in fixed- or random-effects model. Results: The expression level of HMGB1 in CRC tissues was much higher than normal colorectal tissues (OR =27.35, 95% CI 9.32–80.26, P<0.0001 and para-tumor colorectal tissues (OR =10.06, 95% CI 4.61–21.95, P<0.0001. There was no relation between the HMGB1 expression and sex, age, clinical T stage, tumor size, and location (colon or rectum cancer. However, a significant relation was detected between the HMGB1 expression and clinical stage (American Joint Committee on Cancer 7, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, tumor invasion depth, and differentiation rate (P=0.002, P≤0.0001, P<0.0001, P<0.0001, and P=0.007, respectively. Patients with higher HMGB1 expression had shorter overall survival time, whereas patients with lower level of HMGB1 had better survival (hazard

  12. Emergence of the Asian 1 Genotype of Dengue Virus Serotype 2 in Viet Nam: In Vivo Fitness Advantage and Lineage Replacement in South-East Asia

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    Ty Hang, Vu Thi; Holmes, Edward C.; Veasna, Duong; Quy, Nguyen Thien; Tinh Hien, Tran; Quail, Michael; Churcher, Carol; Parkhill, Julian; Cardosa, Jane; Farrar, Jeremy; Wills, Bridget; Lennon, Niall J.; Birren, Bruce W.; Buchy, Philippe

    2010-01-01

    A better description of the extent and structure of genetic diversity in dengue virus (DENV) in endemic settings is central to its eventual control. To this end we determined the complete coding region sequence of 187 DENV-2 genomes and 68 E genes from viruses sampled from Vietnamese patients between 1995 and 2009. Strikingly, an episode of genotype replacement was observed, with Asian 1 lineage viruses entirely displacing the previously dominant Asian/American lineage viruses. This genotype replacement event also seems to have occurred within DENV-2 in Thailand and Cambodia, suggestive of a major difference in viral fitness. To determine the cause of this major evolutionary event we compared both the infectivity of the Asian 1 and Asian/American genotypes in mosquitoes and their viraemia levels in humans. Although there was little difference in infectivity in mosquitoes, we observed significantly higher plasma viraemia levels in paediatric patients infected with Asian 1 lineage viruses relative to Asian/American viruses, a phenotype that is predicted to result in a higher probability of human-to-mosquito transmission. These results provide a mechanistic basis to a marked change in the genetic structure of DENV-2 and more broadly underscore that an understanding of DENV evolutionary dynamics can inform the development of vaccines and anti-viral drugs. PMID:20651932

  13. Clinical significance of the BRAFV600E mutation in Asian patients with colorectal cancer.

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    Cheng, Hou-Hsuan; Lin, Jen-Kou; Chen, Wei-Shone; Jiang, Jeng-Kai; Yang, Shung-Haur; Chang, Shih-Ching

    2018-06-04

    To investigate the clinicopathological features and prognostic significance of the BRAFV600E mutation in Asian patients with colorectal cancer. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 1969 patients with colorectal cancer admitted to Taipei Veterans General Hospital for surgical treatment between 2000 and 2013. The measured endpoint was overall survival after surgery. The prognostic value of the BRAFV600E mutation was analyzed using the log-rank test and Cox regression analysis. The BRAFV600E mutation was detected in 106 (5.4%) patients and associated with female gender, abnormal cancer antigen (CA)19-9 at diagnosis, microsatellite status, right-sided primary tumors, mucinous histology, poor differentiation, and lymphovascular invasion. Metastatic patterns were more common in non-regional lymph node metastasis (20.8 vs. 7.4%, p = 0.06) and peritoneal seeding (41. vs. 21.2%, p = 0.04). Mutations were not prognostic in the overall survival of the entire study group but only in specific patients: age < 65, normal carcinoembryonic antigen at diagnosis, and stage IV disease. The BRAFV600E mutation was associated with distinct clinicopathological features and metastatic patterns. The overall survival rate was lower in selected colorectal patients with the BRAFV600E mutation.

  14. Percutaneous coronary intervention in asians- are there differences in clinical outcome?

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    Chua Terrance S

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Ethnic differences in clinical outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI have been reported. Data within different Asian subpopulations is scarce. We aim to explore the differences in clinical profile and outcome between Chinese, Malay and Indian Asian patients who undergo PCI for coronary artery disease (CAD. Methods A prospective registry of consecutive patients undergoing PCI from January 2002 to December 2007 at a tertiary care center was analyzed. Primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE of myocardial infarction (MI, repeat revascularization and all-cause death at six months. Results 7889 patients underwent PCI; 7544 (96% patients completed follow-up and were included in the analysis (79% males with mean age of 59 years ± 11. There were 5130 (68% Chinese, 1056 (14% Malays and 1001 (13.3% Indian patients. The remaining 357 (4.7% patients from other minority ethnic groups were excluded from the analysis. The primary end-point occurred in 684 (9.1% patients at six months. Indians had the highest rates of six month MACE compared to Chinese and Malays (Indians 12% vs. Chinese 8.2% vs. Malays 10.7%; OR 1.55 95%CI 1.24-1.93, p Conclusion These data indicate that ethnic variations in clinical outcome exist following PCI. In particular, Indian patients have higher six month event rates compared to Chinese and Malays. Future studies are warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms behind these variations.

  15. Perinatal outcomes among Asian-white interracial couples.

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    Nystrom, Michael J; Caughey, Aaron B; Lyell, Deirdre J; Druzin, Maurice L; El-Sayed, Yasser Y

    2008-10-01

    To investigate whether perinatal outcomes among interracial Asian-white couples are different than among Asian-Asian and white-white couples. This was a retrospective study of Asian, white, and Asian-white couples delivered at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital from 2000-2005. Asian-white couples were subdivided into white-mother/Asian-father or Asian-mother/white-father. Perinatal outcomes included gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, preterm delivery, birth weight >4000 g and interracial Asian-white couples.

  16. Biopsychosocial correlates of hope in Asian patients with cancer: a systematic review.

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    Mahendran, Rathi; Chua, Shi Min; Lim, Haikel A; Yee, Isaac J; Tan, Joyce Y S; Kua, Ee Heok; Griva, Konstadina

    2016-10-06

    To examine the factors associated with hope and hopelessness in patients with cancer in Asian countries, and the instruments used to measure hope and hopelessness. A comprehensive systematic review was conducted with search terms, including cancer, hope, hopelessness and individual Asian country names, on CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed and Scopus databases. Only quantitative studies on adult cancer populations in Asia examining hope or hopelessness were included. A total of 2062 unique articles were retrieved from the databases, and 32 studies were selected for inclusion in this review. Hope and hopelessness were most frequently measured with the Herth Hope Index and the Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale, respectively. The biopsychosocial factors that were most consistently associated with hope and hopelessness included sociodemographic variables (education, employment and economic status); clinical factors (cancer stage, physical condition and symptoms); and psychosocial factors (emotional distress, social support and connections, quality of life, control or self-efficacy, as well as adjustment and resilience). There is a need for more studies from South and Southeast Asia as most studies hailed from East Asia. This review highlighted the possibility of cultural differences influencing factors related to hope, suggesting that cross-cultural studies specifically would facilitate understanding behind these variations, although future reviews on hope should also include studies on hopelessness for a comprehensive understanding of the concept. Finally, more longitudinal research could be conducted to assess whether the factors associated with hope and hopelessness change over time and disease progression. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  17. Current Update in Asian Rhinoplasty

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    Clyde H. Ishii, MD, FACS

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Summary: There has been a tremendous growth of cosmetic surgery among Asians worldwide. Rhinoplasty is second only to blepharoplasty in terms of popularity among Asians regarding cosmetic surgical procedures. Most Asians seek to improve their appearance while maintaining the essential features of their ethnicity. There are considerable ethnic nasal and facial variations in this population alone. Successful rhinoplasty in Asians must take into account underlying anatomic differences between Asians and whites. Due to ethnic variations, cultural differences, and occasional language barriers, careful preoperative counseling is necessary to align the patient’s expectations with the limitations of the procedure. This article will review the many facets of Asian rhinoplasty as it is practiced today.

  18. Barriers and Facilitators for Type-2 Diabetes Management in South Asians: A Systematic Review.

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    Tanveer Sohal

    Full Text Available Although South Asian populations have among the highest burden of type 2 diabetes in the world, their diabetes management remains poor. We systematically reviewed studies on South Asian patient's perspectives on the barriers and facilitators to diabetes management.We conducted a literature search using OVID, CINHAL and EMBASE (January, 1990 -February, 2014 evaluating the core components of diabetes management: interactions with health care providers, diet, exercise, and medication adherence. South Asian patients were self-reported as Indian, Pakistani, Malaysian-Indian or Bangladeshi origin. From 208 abstracts reviewed, 20 studies were included (19 qualitative including mixed methods studies, 1 questionnaire. Barriers and facilitators were extracted and combined using qualitative synthesis.All studies included barriers and few facilitators were identified. Language and communication discordance with the healthcare provider was a significant barrier to receiving and understanding diabetes education. There was inconsistent willingness to partake in self-management with preference for following their physician's guidance. Barriers to adopting a diabetic diet were lack of specific details on South Asian tailored diabetic diet; social responsibilities to continue with a traditional diet, and misconceptions on the components of the diabetic diet. For exercise, South Asian patients were concerned with lack of gender specific exercise facilities and fear of injury or worsening health with exercise. Patients reported a lack of understanding about diabetes medication management, preference for folk and phytotherapy, and concerns about the long-term safety of diabetes medications. Facilitators included trust in care providers, use of culturally appropriate exercise and dietary advice and increasing family involvement. Overall themes for the barriers included lack of knowledge and misperceptions as well as lack of cultural adaptation to diabetes management

  19. Barriers and Facilitators for Type-2 Diabetes Management in South Asians: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sohal, Tanveer; Sohal, Parmjit; King-Shier, Kathryn M; Khan, Nadia A

    2015-01-01

    Although South Asian populations have among the highest burden of type 2 diabetes in the world, their diabetes management remains poor. We systematically reviewed studies on South Asian patient's perspectives on the barriers and facilitators to diabetes management. We conducted a literature search using OVID, CINHAL and EMBASE (January, 1990 -February, 2014) evaluating the core components of diabetes management: interactions with health care providers, diet, exercise, and medication adherence. South Asian patients were self-reported as Indian, Pakistani, Malaysian-Indian or Bangladeshi origin. From 208 abstracts reviewed, 20 studies were included (19 qualitative including mixed methods studies, 1 questionnaire). Barriers and facilitators were extracted and combined using qualitative synthesis. All studies included barriers and few facilitators were identified. Language and communication discordance with the healthcare provider was a significant barrier to receiving and understanding diabetes education. There was inconsistent willingness to partake in self-management with preference for following their physician's guidance. Barriers to adopting a diabetic diet were lack of specific details on South Asian tailored diabetic diet; social responsibilities to continue with a traditional diet, and misconceptions on the components of the diabetic diet. For exercise, South Asian patients were concerned with lack of gender specific exercise facilities and fear of injury or worsening health with exercise. Patients reported a lack of understanding about diabetes medication management, preference for folk and phytotherapy, and concerns about the long-term safety of diabetes medications. Facilitators included trust in care providers, use of culturally appropriate exercise and dietary advice and increasing family involvement. Overall themes for the barriers included lack of knowledge and misperceptions as well as lack of cultural adaptation to diabetes management. Diabetes

  20. English language proficiency and smoking prevalence among California's Asian Americans.

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    Tang, Hao; Shimizu, Robin; Chen, Moon S

    2005-12-15

    The authors documented California's tobacco control initiatives for Asian Americans and the current tobacco use status among Asian subgroups and provide a discussion of the challenges ahead. The California Tobacco Control Program has employed a comprehensive approach to decrease tobacco use in Asian Americans, including ethnic-specific media campaigns, culturally competent interventions, and technical assistance and training networks. Surveillance of tobacco use among Asian Americans and the interpretation of the results have always been a challenge. Data from the 2001 The California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) were analyzed to provide smoking prevalence estimates for all Asian Americans and Asian-American subgroups, including Korean, Filipino, Japanese, South Asian, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Current smoking prevalence was analyzed by gender and by English proficiency level. Cigarette smoking prevalence among Asian males in general was almost three times of that among Asian females. Korean and Vietnamese males had higher cigarette smoking prevalence rates than males in other subgroups. Although Asian females in general had low smoking prevalence rates, significant differences were found among Asian subgroups, from 1.1% (Vietnamese) to 12.7% (Japanese). Asian men who had high English proficiency were less likely to be smokers than men with lower English proficiency. Asian women with high English proficiency were more likely to be smokers than women with lower English proficiency. Smoking prevalence rates among Asian Americans in California differed significantly on the basis of ethnicity, gender, and English proficiency. English proficiency seemed to have the effect of reducing smoking prevalence rates among Asian males but had just the opposite effect among Asian females. Cancer 2005. (c) 2005 American Cancer Society.

  1. Role of Social Support in Examining Acculturative Stress and Psychological Distress Among Asian American Immigrants and Three Sub-groups: Results from NLAAS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Shipra; McBride, Kimberly; Kak, Vivek

    2015-12-01

    This study examined the impact of acculturative stress and social support (family and friend) on psychological distress among Asian American immigrants and three Asian sub-groups (Vietnamese, Filipino and Chinese) immigrants. The National Latino and Asian American Study 2002-2003 dataset was used. The study findings were: (1) among all Asian American immigrants high language barrier and discrimination stress were associated with increased level of psychological distress, but similar association was not present for legal stress; (2) among all Asian American immigrants high family social support decreased the levels of psychological distress, and in addition, friend social support buffered the relationship of discrimination and psychological distress; and (3) among Vietnamese, Filipino, and Chinese, differential association of social support and acculturative stress to psychological distress were observed. These findings highlight the importance of social support among Asian American immigrants, while also paying attention to the variation that may exist between different sub-groups.

  2. Effectiveness and Safety of Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants in Asian Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

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    Cha, Myung-Jin; Choi, Eue-Keun; Han, Kyung-Do; Lee, So-Ryoung; Lim, Woo-Hyun; Oh, Seil; Lip, Gregory Y H

    2017-11-01

    There are limited real-world data comparing the effectiveness and safety of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and warfarin in Asians with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. We aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety between NOACs and warfarin users in the Korean atrial fibrillation population, with particular focus on high-risk patients. Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, we analyzed the risk of ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) events, and all-cause death in NOAC users (n=11 611 total, n=5681 taking rivaroxaban, n=3741 taking dabigatran, and n=2189 taking apixaban) compared with propensity score-matched warfarin users (n=23 222) among patients with high-risk atrial fibrillation (CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score ≥2) between 2014 and 2015. NOAC treatment was associated with similar risk of ischemic stroke and lower risk of ICH and all-cause mortality compared with warfarin. All 3 NOACs were associated with a similar risk of ischemic stroke and a lower risk of ICH compared with warfarin. Dabigatran and apixaban were associated with a lower risk of total mortality and the composite net clinical outcome (ischemic stroke, ICH, and all-cause death) compared with warfarin, whereas this was nonsignificant for rivaroxaban. Among previously oral anticoagulant-naive patients (n=23 262), dabigatran and apixaban were superior to warfarin for ICH prevention, whereas rivaroxaban and warfarin were associated with similar risk of ICH. In real-world practice among a high-risk Asian atrial fibrillation population, all 3 NOACs demonstrated similar risk of ischemic stroke and lower risk of ICH compared with warfarin. All-cause mortality was significantly lower only with dabigatran and apixaban. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  3. In vitro fertilization outcomes after fresh and frozen blastocyst transfer in South Asian compared with Caucasian women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Meera Sridhar; Caballes, Marissa; Lathi, Ruth Bunker; Baker, Valerie Lynn; Westphal, Lynn Marie; Milki, Amin A

    2016-06-01

    To study pregnancy outcomes between South Asian and Caucasian women undergoing frozen blastocyst transfer cycles. Retrospective cohort study. Not applicable. Caucasian and South Asian patients undergoing frozen blastocyst transfer between January 2011 and December 2014. Not applicable. Live birth rate. A total of 196 Caucasian and 117 South Asian women were included in our study. Indians were on average 2.2 years younger than Caucasian women (34.9 vs. 37.1 years), and were more likely to be nulliparous (59% vs. 43%). All other baseline characteristics were similar. In women undergoing their first frozen ET cycle, implantation rate (49% vs. 47%), clinical pregnancy rate (PR; 54% vs. 49%), and live birth rate (43% vs. 43%) were similar between South Asians and Caucasians, respectively. In patients who underwent a prior fresh blastocyst transfer, the live birth rate was significantly lower in South Asian versus Caucasian women (21% vs. 37%). Our data demonstrate that IVF outcomes are better in frozen versus fresh cycles among South Asian women. The IVF clinics may wish to consider these findings when counseling South Asian patients about the timing of ET. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Angiotensin converting enzyme genotype affects development and course of sarcoidosis in Asian Indians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tahir, Mohammad; Sharma, S K; Ashraf, Shazia; Mishra, Hemant K

    2007-09-01

    Studies of serum angiotensin converting enzyme (SACE) activity and its association with ACE gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in relation to sarcoidosis have yielded variable results. This has been attributed to possible ethnic differences. Present study was designed to evaluate the relationship between I/D polymorphism and susceptibility to develop sarcoidosis and its effect on SACE activity and disease course in Asian Indian patients with sarcoidosis. ACE genotyping was performed in 72 consecutive patients with sarcoidosis and 199 controls (96 normal healthy individuals and 103 tuberculosis patients taken as disease controls). SACE activity was determined in all patients with sarcoidosis. Various parameters were compared amongst patients with different genotypes as well as between sarcoidosis and control groups. Gene frequency of I and D in control group was 0.6 and 0.4, whereas in patients with sarcoidosis it was 0.35 and 0.65 respectively (p SACE activity was highest in patients with DD genotype and followed an order of DD > ID > II. Good response to initial corticosteroids was seen in 6 of 6 (100%) patients with II genotype whereas in only 32 of 37 (84%) with ID and 16 of 25 (64%) with DD (p = 0.013). In Asian Indian population 'D' allele is associated with an increased risk for development of sarcoidosis and patients with 'D' allele show poor response to corticosteroids.

  5. History of Asian American psychology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leong, Frederick T L; Okazaki, Sumie

    2009-10-01

    An overview of the history of Asian American psychology is provided by reviewing the context for the development of the field as well as the early founding of the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA). The presidents of AAPA as well as key events and conferences are noted. The involvement of AAPA leaders in national mental health policies and activities are reviewed. The substantive areas of Asian American psychology and the education and training of Asian American psychologists are also discussed. The article ends with some comments about the future of Asian American psychology. Copyright 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

  6. EGFR Mutation Testing in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Real-World Practice in an East Asian Tertiary Hospital

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Juhee; Rampal, Sanjay; Han, Joungho; Parasuraman, Bhash; Guallar, Eliseo; Lee, Genehee; Lee, Jeeyun; Shim, Young Mog

    2013-01-01

    Introduction Guidelines for management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) strongly recommend EGFR mutation testing. These recommendations are particularly relevant in Asians that have higher EGFR mutation prevalence. This study aims to explore current testing practices, logistics of testing, types of EGFR mutation, and prevalence of EGFR mutations in patients with advanced NSCLC in a large comprehensive cancer center in Korea. Methods Our retrospective cohort included 1,503 NSCLC patients aged ≥18 years, with stage IIIB/IV disease, who attended the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, Korea, from January 2007 through July 2010. Trained oncology nurses reviewed and abstracted data from electronic medical records. Results This cohort had a mean age (SD) of 59.6 (11.1) years, 62.7% were males, and 52.9% never-smokers. The most common NSCLC histological types were adenocarcinoma (70.5%) and squamous cell carcinoma (18.0%). Overall, 39.5% of patients were tested for EGFR mutations. The proportion of patients undergoing EGFR testing during January 2007 through July 2008, August 2008 through September 2009, and October 2009 through July 2010 were 23.3%, 38.3%, and 63.5%, respectively (P<0.001). The median time elapsed between cancer diagnoses and receiving EGFR testing results was 21 days. EGFR testing was most frequently ordered by oncologists (57.7%), pulmonologists (31.9%), and thoracic surgeons (6.6%). EGFR testing was more commonly requested for women, younger patients, stage IV disease, non-smokers, and adenocarcinoma histology. Of 586 cases successfully tested for EGFR mutations, 209 (35.7%) were positive, including 118 cases with exon 19 deletions and 62 with L858R mutations. EGFR mutation positive patients were more likely to be female, never-smokers, never-drinkers and to have adenocarcinoma. Conclusions In a large cancer center in Korea, the proportion of EGFR testing increased from 2007 through 2010. The high frequency of EGFR mutation positive cases warrants

  7. EGFR mutation testing in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a comprehensive evaluation of real-world practice in an East Asian tertiary hospital.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoon-La Choi

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Guidelines for management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC strongly recommend EGFR mutation testing. These recommendations are particularly relevant in Asians that have higher EGFR mutation prevalence. This study aims to explore current testing practices, logistics of testing, types of EGFR mutation, and prevalence of EGFR mutations in patients with advanced NSCLC in a large comprehensive cancer center in Korea. METHODS: Our retrospective cohort included 1,503 NSCLC patients aged ≥18 years, with stage IIIB/IV disease, who attended the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, Korea, from January 2007 through July 2010. Trained oncology nurses reviewed and abstracted data from electronic medical records. RESULTS: This cohort had a mean age (SD of 59.6 (11.1 years, 62.7% were males, and 52.9% never-smokers. The most common NSCLC histological types were adenocarcinoma (70.5% and squamous cell carcinoma (18.0%. Overall, 39.5% of patients were tested for EGFR mutations. The proportion of patients undergoing EGFR testing during January 2007 through July 2008, August 2008 through September 2009, and October 2009 through July 2010 were 23.3%, 38.3%, and 63.5%, respectively (P<0.001. The median time elapsed between cancer diagnoses and receiving EGFR testing results was 21 days. EGFR testing was most frequently ordered by oncologists (57.7%, pulmonologists (31.9%, and thoracic surgeons (6.6%. EGFR testing was more commonly requested for women, younger patients, stage IV disease, non-smokers, and adenocarcinoma histology. Of 586 cases successfully tested for EGFR mutations, 209 (35.7% were positive, including 118 cases with exon 19 deletions and 62 with L858R mutations. EGFR mutation positive patients were more likely to be female, never-smokers, never-drinkers and to have adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: In a large cancer center in Korea, the proportion of EGFR testing increased from 2007 through 2010. The high frequency of EGFR mutation positive

  8. Ethnic differences: Is there an Asian phenotype for polycystic ovarian syndrome?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Zhongwei; Yong, Eu-Leong

    2016-11-01

    Ethnicity has not been accounted for in the diagnostic criteria for polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). It is increasingly recognised that ethnic differences are likely contributors to the differing manifestations of PCOS. Generally, rates of PCOS may be lower in East Asians. It is clear that East Asians are less hirsute than Caucasians. Hirsutism cut-off thresholds need to be lower in East Asian populations than in Caucasian populations. Despite population-adjusted scoring, Caucasians have higher hirsutism rates among patients diagnosed with PCOS. Rates of hyperandrogenaemia do not appear to differ among PCOS subjects, although serum androstenedione appeared to be higher in Caucasians in one study. Interestingly, higher prevalence of the polycystic ovarian morphology has been reported in East Asian PCOS populations than in Caucasian PCOS subjects. Hence, there is a need for comparative studies across different ethnicities to establish whether epidemiological differences observed reflect a true ethnic difference in the phenotype of PCOS and whether there is an Asian phenotype for PCOS. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  9. Priorities and approaches to investigating Asian youth health: perspectives of young Asian New Zealanders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Agnes; Peiris-John, Roshini; Sobrun-Maharaj, Amritha; Ameratunga, Shanthi

    2015-12-01

    The proportion of young people in New Zealand identifying with Asian ethnicities has increased considerably. Despite some prevalent health concerns, Asian youth are less likely than non-Asian peers to seek help. As preparatory research towards a more nuanced approach to service delivery and public policy, this qualitative study aimed to identify young Asian New Zealanders' perspectives on best approaches to investigate health issues of priority concern to them. Three semi-structured focus group discussions were conducted with 15 Asian youth leaders aged 18-24 years. Using an inductive approach for thematic analysis, key themes were identified and analysed. Study participants considered ethno-cultural identity, racism and challenges in integration to play significant roles influencing the health of Asian youth (especially mental health) and their access to health services. While emphasising the importance of engaging young Asians in research and service development so that their needs and aspirations are met, participants also highlighted the need for approaches that are cognisant of the cultural, contextual and intergenerational dimensions of issues involved in promoting youth participation. Research that engages Asian youth as key agents using methods that are sensitive to their cultural and sociological contexts can inform more responsive health services and public policy. This is of particular relevance in primary health care where culturally competent services can mitigate risks of unmet health needs and social isolation.

  10. Stressful life events preceding the onset of depression in Asian patients with major depressive disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Subin; Hatim, Ahmad; Si, Tian-Mei; Jeon, Hong Jin; Srisurapanont, Manit; Bautista, Dianne; Liu, Shen-ing; Chua, Hong Choon; Hong, Jin Pyo

    2015-12-01

    Previous studies have identified the significant role of stressful life events in the onset of depressive episodes. However, there is a paucity of cross-national studies on stressful life events that precede depression. We aimed to compare types of stressful life events associated with the onset of depressive episodes in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) in five Asian countries. A total of 507 outpatients with MDD were recruited in China (n = 114), South Korea (n = 101), Malaysia (n = 90), Thailand (n = 103) and Taiwan (n = 99). All patients were assessed with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview and the List of Threatening Experiences. The prevalence of each type of stressful life events was calculated and compared between each country. The type of stressful life event that preceded the onset of a depressive episode differed between patients in China and Taiwan and those in South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand. Patients in China and Taiwan were less likely to report interpersonal relationship problems and occupational/financial problems than patients in South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand. Understanding the nature and basis of culturally determined susceptibilities to specific stressful life events is critical for establishing a policy of depression prevention and providing effective counseling services for depressed patients. © The Author(s) 2015.

  11. Evolution of Asian Interior Arid-Zone Biota: Evidence from the Diversification of Asian Zygophyllum (Zygophyllaceae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hong-Lei; Yu, Sheng-Xiang; Zhang, Lin-Jing; Wang, Wei

    2015-01-01

    The Asian interior arid zone is the largest desert landform system in the Northern Hemisphere, and has high biodiversity. Little is currently known about the evolutionary history of its biota. In this study, we used Zygophyllum, an important and characteristic component of the Asian interior arid zone, to provide new insights into the evolution of this biota. By greatly enlarged taxon sampling, we present the phylogenetic analysis of Asian Zygophyllum based on two plastid and one nuclear markers. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that Asian Zygophyllum and Sarcozygium form a clade and Sarcozygium is further embedded within the shrub subclade. An integration of phylogenetic, biogeographic, and molecular dating methods indicates that Zygophyllum successfully colonized the Asian interior from Africa in the early Oligocene, and Asian Zygophyllum became differentiated in the early Miocene and underwent a burst of diversification in the late Miocene associated with the expansion of Asian interior arid lands due to orogenetic and climatic changes. Combining diversification patterns of other important components of the Asian interior arid zone, we propose a multi-stage evolution model for this biota: the late Eocene–early Oligocene origin, the early Miocene expansion, and the middle-late Miocene rapid expansion to the whole Asian interior arid zone. This study also demonstrates that, for Zygophyllum and perhaps other arid-adapted organisms, arid biomes are evolutionary cradles of diversity. PMID:26393796

  12. Perinatal Practices & Traditions Among Asian Indian Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goyal, Deepika

    2016-01-01

    As the population in the United States grows more diverse, nurses caring for childbearing women must be aware of the many cultural traditions and customs unique to their patients. This knowledge and insight supports women and their families with the appropriate care, information, and resources. A supportive relationship builds trust, offers guidance, and allows for the new family to integrate information from nurses and other healthcare providers with the practice of certain perinatal cultural traditions. The Asian Indian culture is rich in tradition, specifically during the perinatal period. To support the cultural beliefs and practices of Asian Indian women during this time, nurses need to be aware of and consider multiple factors. Many women are navigating the new role of motherhood while making sense of and incorporating important cultural rituals. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of perinatal cultural practices and traditions specific to the Asian Indian culture that perinatal nurses may observe in the clinical setting. Cultural traditions and practices specific to the pregnancy and postpartum period are described together with symbolism and implications for nursing practice. It is important to note that information regarding perinatal customs is provided in an effort to promote culturally sensitive nursing care and may not pertain to all Asian Indian women living in the United States.

  13. Consensus Recommendations for Optimal Augmentation of the Asian Face with Hyaluronic Acid and Calcium Hydroxylapatite Fillers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rho, Nark-Kyoung; Chang, Yao-Yuan; Chao, Yates Yen-Yu; Furuyama, Nobutaka; Huang, Peter Y C; Kerscher, Martina; Kim, Hee-Jin; Park, Je-Young; Peng, Hsien Li Peter; Rummaneethorn, Paisal; Rzany, Berthold; Sundaram, Hema; Wong, Chin Ho; Yang, Yuli; Prasetyo, Adri Dwi

    2015-11-01

    Although the use of filling agents for soft-tissue augmentation has increased worldwide, most consensus statements do not distinguish between ethnic populations. There are, however, significant differences between Caucasian and Asian faces, reflecting not only cultural disparities, but also distinctive treatment goals. Unlike aesthetic patients in the West, who usually seek to improve the signs of aging, Asian patients are younger and request a broader range of indications. Members of the Asia-Pacific Consensus group-comprising specialists from the fields of dermatology, plastic surgery, anatomy, and clinical epidemiology-convened to develop consensus recommendations for Asians based on their own experience using cohesive polydensified matrix, hyaluronic acid, and calcium hydroxylapatite fillers. The Asian face demonstrates differences in facial structure and cosmetic ideals. Improving the forward projection of the "T zone" (i.e., forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin) forms the basis of a safe and effective panfacial approach to the Asian face. Successful augmentation may be achieved with both (1) high- and low-viscosity cohesive polydensified matrix/hyaluronic acid and (2) calcium hydroxylapatite for most indications, although some constraints apply. The Asia-Pacific Consensus recommendations are the first developed specifically for the use of fillers in Asian populations. Therapeutic, V.

  14. Novel low fluence combination laser treatment of solar lentigines in type III Asian skin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brian Wei Cheng Anthony Tian

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To demonstrate a novel low fluence combination laser technique [Erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Erb:YAG and neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG] to effectively treat solar lentigines in type III Asian skin in a single session. Design: A prospective study. Setting: A Singapore-based clinic. Participants: Five patients (all females were enrolled into the study. The ages ranged 35-60 years; all patients had Fitzpatrick skin type III. Measurements: Photographs were taken at baseline and at 1-month follow-up. These were reviewed by two independent physicians who were blinded to the study. Changes in pigment severity were assessed by a 5-point scale (1: Aggravation of pigment, 2: No change, 3: 25-50% improvement, 4: 51-75% improvement, and 5: 76-100% improvement. Results: All patients received a single treatment session. At 1-month follow-up, a reduction in pigment was observed in all patients. Both physicians′ reports were independently agreeable. All patients scored 5, having >90% improvement in pigment severity. No hypopigmentation, postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH, or recurrence was seen. Conclusion: Low fluence combination laser is effective and safe for clearance of solar lentigines in type III Asian skin.

  15. South Asian Canadian experiences of depression

    OpenAIRE

    Grewal, Amarjit

    2010-01-01

    This narrative research study explored the socio-cultural context surrounding depression through semi-structured interviews with six South Asian Canadian participants, who self identified as having experienced depression. The study sought to expand on the knowledge of depression and South Asian Canadians by considering the roles of the family, the community, and the culture in the experiences of depression. Thematic analysis of the participant interviews resulted in five major themes: the exp...

  16. Clinical phenotype of South-East Asian temporomandibular disorder patients with upper airway resistance syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tay, D K L; Pang, K P

    2018-01-01

    Clinical and radiographic characteristics of a subset of South East Asian temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients with comorbid upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) were documented in a multi-center prospective series of 86 patients (26 men and 60 women / mean age 35.7 years). All had excessive daytime sleepiness, high arousal index and Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index (AHI) temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthralgia while 90·7% reported sleep bruxism (SB). Unlike patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), hypertension was uncommon (4·7%) while depression was prevalent at 68·6% with short REM latency of 25% documented in 79·6% and 57·6% of these depressed patients, respectively. 65·1% displayed a posteriorly displaced condyle at maximum intercuspation with or without TMJ clicking. Most exhibited a forward head posture (FHP) characterised by loss of normal cervical lordosis (80·2%), C0-C1 narrowing (38·4%) or an elevated hyoid position (50%), and 91·9% had nasal congestion. We postulate the TMD-UARS phenotype may have originally developed as an adaptive response to 'awake' disordered breathing during growth. Patients with persistent TMD and/or reporting SB should be screened for UARS and chronic nasal obstruction, especially when they also present with FHP. The lateral cephalogram is a useful tool in the differentiation of UARS from other OSA phenotypes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. "How Asian Am I?": Asian American Youth Cultures, Drug Use, and Ethnic Identity Construction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunt, Geoffrey; Moloney, Molly; Evans, Kristin

    2011-01-01

    This article analyzes the construction of ethnic identity in the narratives of 100 young Asian Americans in a dance club/rave scene. Authors examine how illicit drug use and other consuming practices shape their understanding of Asian American identities, finding three distinct patterns. The first presents a disjuncture between Asian American…

  18. Teaching East and Southeast Asia through Asian Eyes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tracy C. Barrett

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Colonialism and indigenous responses to its varied forms dominate modern Asian historiography and imbue the history of the region with rich and multifaceted connections to world history. As a result, the histories of East and Southeast Asian nation-states since 1500 cannot be viewed outside of the context of global affairs. Imagining Asian peoples and cultures during this time is problematic for students, who typically approach colonialism from a western perspective. This presentation explores various means of incorporating into the classroom pedagogical materials and diverse media sources that facilitate a more grounded examination of East and Southeast Asian colonies, peoples, and nation-states.It pays special attention to teaching colonialism, anti-colonialism, nationalism, and transnationalism from the perspective of Southeast Asia’s indigenous peoples.

  19. At what age should screening mammography be recommended for Asian women?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsuchida, Junko; Nagahashi, Masayuki; Rashid, Omar M; Takabe, Kazuaki; Wakai, Toshifumi

    2015-01-01

    Although regular screening mammography has been suggested to be associated with improvements in the relative survival of breast cancer in recent years, the appropriate age to start screening mammography remains controversial. In November 2009, the United States Preventive Service Task Force published updated guidelines for breast cancer, which no longer support routine screening mammography for women aged 40–49 years, but instead, defer the choice of screening in that age group to the patient and physician. The age to begin screening differs between guidelines, including those from the Task Force, the American Cancer Society and the World Health Organization. It remains unclear how this discrepancy impacts patient survival, especially among certain subpopulations. Although the biological characteristics of breast cancer and peak age of incidence differ among different ethnic populations, there have been few reports that evaluate the starting age for screening mammography based on ethnicity. Here, we discuss the benefits and harm of screening mammography in the fifth decade, and re-evaluate the starting age for screening mammography taking ethnicity into account, focusing on the Asian population. Breast cancer incidence peaked in the fifth decade in Asian women, which has been thought to be due to a combination of biological and environmental factors. Previous reports suggest that Asian women in their 40s may receive more benefit and less harm from screening mammography than the age-matched non-Asian US population. Therefore, starting screening mammography at age 40 may be beneficial for women of Asian ethnicity in well-resourced countries, such as Japanese women who reside in Japan

  20. GROWTH AFTER THE ASIAN CRISIS: WHAT REMAINS OF THE EAST ASIAN MODEL?

    OpenAIRE

    JOMO K.S.

    2001-01-01

    This paper focuses on the prospects for sustained development in the four East Asian economies most adversely affected by the crises of 1997/98. These include all three second-tier South-East Asian newly industrializing countries (NICs) – Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand – as well as the Republic of Korea, the most adversely affected of the first-generation newly industrialized economies (NIEs). The first section critically examines the East Asian model presented by the World Bank’s “East Asi...

  1. Racial differences in eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders among Caucasian and Asian

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Ito

    2015-07-01

    Conclusions: We found that EoE occurs more frequently in Caucasian EGID patients than Asian EGID patients, while the reverse is true for EGE. Also, racial disparities in symptoms and eosinophil-infiltrated tissues were observed. Our findings suggest further genetic and environmental studies to elucidate the etiology of EGID.

  2. Bullying Prevention as a Social Justice Issue: Implications with Asian American Elementary School Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Cixin; Wang, Weimeng; Zheng, Lianzhe; Atwal, Kavita

    2016-01-01

    This study examined Asian American elementary students' experience with victimization. Data were collected from 313 fourth and fifth graders from an ethnically diverse elementary school in southern California. Most participants self-identified as Asian/Asian American and spoke an Asian language at home. Results indicated that Asian American…

  3. Review of insulin-associated hypoglycemia and its impact on the management of diabetes in Southeast Asian countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goh, Su-Yen; Hussein, Zanariah; Rudijanto, Achmad

    2017-09-01

    Although the incidence of diabetes is rising in Southeast Asia, there is limited information regarding the incidence and manifestation of insulin-associated hypoglycemia. The aim of the present review was to discuss what is currently known regarding insulin-associated hypoglycemia in Southeast Asia, including its known incidence and impact in the region, and how the Southeast Asian population with diabetes differs from other populations. We found a paucity of data regarding the incidence of hypoglycemia in Southeast Asia, which has contributed to the adoption of Western guidelines. This might not be appropriate, as Southeast Asians have a range of etiological, educational and cultural differences from Western populations with diabetes that might place them at greater risk of hypoglycemia if not managed optimally. For example, Southeast Asians with type 2 diabetes tend to be younger, with lower body mass indexes than their Western counterparts, and the management of type 2 diabetes with premixed insulin preparations is more common in Southeast Asia. Both of these factors might result in higher rates of hypoglycemia. In addition, Southeast Asians are often poorly educated about hypoglycemia and its management, including during Ramadan fasting. We conclude there is a need for more information about Southeast Asian populations with diabetes to assist with the construction of more appropriate national and regional guidelines for the management of hypoglycemia, more closely aligned to patient demographics, behaviors and treatment practices. Such bespoke guidelines might result in a greater degree of implementation and adherence within clinical practice in Southeast Asian nations. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Diabetes Investigation published by Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes (AASD) and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  4. South Asian and Middle Eastern patients' perspectives on medicine-related problems in the United Kingdom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alhomoud, Faten; Dhillon, Soraya; Aslanpour, Zoe; Smith, Felicity

    2015-08-01

    There has been little research which specifically examines medicine use among South Asian (SA) and Middle Eastern (ME) groups, although evidence suggests that medicine-related needs may be poorly met for these groups. To describe medicine-related problems (MRPs) experienced by SA and ME patients from their perspectives and identify possible contributory factors that may be specific to their cultures. The data were collected in seven pharmacies in London, United Kingdom (UK). The study was a qualitative study. Patients were from SA and ME origins, aged over 18 and prescribed three or more regular medicines. Patients were identified when presenting with a prescription. The data were collected in 80 face-to-face semi-structured interviews using Gordon's MRPs tool. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using Gordon's coding frame and Nvivo 10 software. Describing MRPs experienced by SA and ME patients from their perspectives and identifying possible contributory factors that may be specific to their cultures. Results Eighty participants (61 % male) had mean (SD) age 58 (13.4) years and a mean (SD) of 8 (4) medicines. Interviews revealed that several factors contributed to the development of MRPs; some appeared to be specific to SA and ME cultures and others were similar to the general population. The factors that were reported to be specific to SA and ME groups comprised religious practices and beliefs, use of non-prescription medicines, extent of family support, and travelling abroad--to patient's homeland or to take religious journeys. Illiteracy, language and communication barriers, lack of translated resources, perceptions of healthcare providers, and difficulty consulting a doctor of the same gender may also contribute to the problems. Many of these factors could be expected to influence patient's safety, adherence, and informed decision-making. This study demonstrated that SA and ME patients have their own problems and needs

  5. Racism and Asian American Student Leadership

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Jennifer Y.

    2014-01-01

    This article provides a theoretical analysis and ethnographic account of Asian American student leadership in higher education. Existing literature highlights Asian and Asian American leadership styles as cultural differences. I shift the analysis from culture to racism in order to work toward a more socially just conception of Asian American…

  6. The clinical characteristics and new classification of sticky eyelid syndrome in East Asian patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Minwook; Lee, Hwa; Park, Min Soo; Baek, Sehyun

    2014-12-01

    The aim of this study was to demonstrate the characteristics of sticky eyelid syndrome (SES) and to suggest a modified definition and new classification of the disease in relation to the severity of the syndrome in East Asian patients. Forty-four eyes of 31 patients with sticky eyelid syndrome were included in this study. The medical records of patients who were diagnosed with sticky eyelid syndrome were retrospectively reviewed. Sticky eyelid syndrome was defined as an abnormal adhesion between the upper and lower eyelids during blinking. We divided the subjects into four grades according to the severity of the disease. Among 31 patients, there were 10 men and 21 women. The mean age of patients was 62.5 years. A total of 13 patients had SES bilaterally. All patients had meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Thirty-three eyes had dermatochalasis, and 30 eyes had involutional ptosis. Horizontal lower lid laxity was observed in 23 eyes, and reverse ptosis found in 15 eyes. Patients were classified into four groups as follows: G1: 11 (25%), G2: 24 (54.5%), G3: 6 (13.6%) and G4: 3 eyes (6.8%). Patients in Grade 1 tended to improve only with medical treatment for MGD. However, surgical management was necessary for patients in Grades 3 and 4. Meibomian gland dysfunction is a fundamental risk factor for developing sticky eyelid syndrome. Further, combined upper lid ptosis or lower lid laxity may be aggravating factors. According to the grading, medical or surgical management can be chosen. © 2014 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Negotiating Intra-Asian Games Networks: On Cultural Proximity, East Asian Games Design, and Chinese Farmers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dean Chan

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available A key feature of networked games in East Asia is the relationship between the adaptation of regional Asian aesthetic and narrative forms in game content, and the parallel growth in more regionally-focused marketing and distribution initiatives. This essay offers a contextual analysis of intra-Asian games networks, with reference to the production, marketing and circulation of Asian MMORPGs. My discussion locates these networks as part of broader discourses on regionalism, East Asian cultural production and Asian modernity. At the same time, I consider how these networks highlight structural asymmetry and uneven power relations within the region; and I examine the emergent use of gamer-workers known as Chinese farmers in the digital game-items trade.

  8. Effect of exposure to an Asian dust storm on fractional exhaled nitric oxide in adult asthma patients in Western Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Masanari; Kurai, Jun; Sano, Hiroyuki; Shimizu, Eiji

    2015-01-01

    Epidemiological investigations indicate that an Asian dust storm (ADS) can aggravate respiratory disorders. However, the effects of ADS on airway inflammation remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of exposure to ADS with airway inflammation. The subjects were 33 adult patients with asthma who measured daily peak flow expiratory (PEF) from March to May 2012. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) was measured before and after ADS. The FeNO values were 13.8±13.7 ppb before the ADS and 20.3±19.0 ppb after the ADS, with no significant difference. There was also no significant association of PEF with ADS exposure. However, the increase of FeNO after ADS exposure was proportional to the decrease of PEF (R=-0.78, P<0.0001). These results suggest that airway inflammation aggravated by ADS exposure may induce a decrease in pulmonary function in some adult patients with asthma.

  9. Impact of anxiety symptoms on outcomes of depression: an observational study in Asian patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Novick D

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Diego Novick,1 William Montgomery,2 Jaume Aguado,3 Xiaomei Peng,4 Josep Maria Haro3 1Eli Lilly and Company, Windlesham, Surrey, UK; 2Eli Lilly Australia Pty Ltd, West Ryde, NSW, Australia; 3Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, CIBERSAM, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 4Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA Objective: To investigate the impact of anxiety symptoms on depression outcomes in Asian patients with major depressive disorder (MDD (n=714. Methods: The 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17, overall severity, somatic symptoms, and quality of life (QOL (EuroQOL Questionnaire-5 Dimensions [EQ-5D] were assessed at baseline and 3 months. Anxiety was measured using items 10 and 11 from the HAMD-17. Linear, tobit, and logistic multiple regression models analyzed the impact of anxiety symptoms on outcomes. Baseline anxiety was related to age and the presence of pain symptoms at baseline. Results: Regression models showed that a higher level of anxiety was associated with a lower frequency of remission and lower QOL at 3 months. Patients with lower baseline anxiety symptoms had higher remission rates (odds ratio for each point of anxiety symptoms, 0.829 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.723–0.951]. Patients with higher levels of baseline anxiety had a lower QOL at 3 months (a decrease in EQ-5D tariff score for each point of anxiety symptoms, 0.023 [95% CI: 0.045–0.001]. Conclusion: In conclusion, the presence of anxiety symptoms negatively impacts the outcomes of depression. Keywords: depression, anxiety, Asia, observational, outcomes

  10. Endometrial cancer in Asian and American Indian/Alaskan Native women: tumor characteristics, treatment and outcome compared to non-Hispanic white women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahdi, Haider; Schlick, Cary Jo; Kowk, Li-Lian; Moslemi-Kebria, Mehdi; Michener, Chad

    2014-02-01

    The objective of this study is to compare survival of Asian (AS), American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) and non-Hispanic white (NHW) women with endometrial adenocarcinoma (EC). Patients with EC were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program from 1988 to 2009. Kaplan-Meier survival methods and Cox proportional hazards regression were performed. Of the 105,083 women, 97,763 (93%) were NHW, 6699 (6.4%) were AS and 621 (0.6%) were AI/AN. AS and AI/AN were younger than NHW with mean age of 57.7 and 56.5 vs. 64.3 years (p Asian immigrants were younger than Asian natives (mean age 57 vs. 60.5 years, p Asian immigrants had better OS (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.73-0.94, p = 0.002) and CSS (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.54-0.80, p Asian natives. In contrast, AI/AN had worse OS (HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.15-1.59, p Asians were younger at presentation, more likely to have lymphadenectomy and had an improved outcome compared to NHW. Interestingly, Asian immigrants had more favorable outcome than Asians born in the US. Further studies are warranted to find possible explanations for such a difference. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Real-World Study on Sofosbuvir-based Therapies in Asian Americans With Chronic Hepatitis C.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Calvin Q; Tiongson, Benjamin C; Hu, Ke-Qin; Han, Steven-Huy B; Tong, Myron; Chu, Danny; Park, James; Lee, Tai Ping; Bhamidimarri, Kalyan Ram; Ma, Xiaoli; Xiao, Pei Ying; Mohanty, Smruti R; Wang, Dan

    2018-06-16

    Limited data exist with regard to treatment outcomes in Asian Americans with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). We evaluated sofosbuvir (SOF)-based regimens in a national cohort of Asian Americans. Eligible Asian Americans patients with CHC who had posttreatment follow-up of 24 weeks for SOF -based therapies from December 2013 to June 2017 were enrolled from 11 sites across the United States. The primary endpoint was sustained virologic response (SVR) rates at posttreatment weeks 12 and 24. Secondary endpoints were to evaluate safety by tolerability and adverse events (AEs). Among 231 patients screened, 186 were enrolled. At baseline, 31% (57/186) patients were cirrhotic, 34% (63/186) were treatment experienced. Most of the subjects (42%, 79/186) received ledispavir/SOF therapy. The overall SVR12 was 95%, ranging from 86% in genotype (GT) 1b on SOF+ribavirin to 100% in GT 1b patients on ledipasvir/SOF at subgroup analyses. SVR12 was significantly lower in cirrhotic than in noncirrhotic patients [88% (50/57) vs. 98% (126/129), P<0.01]. Stratified by GT, SVR12 were: 96% (43/45) in GT 1a; 93% (67/72) in GT 1b; 100% (23/23) in GT 2; 90% (19/21) in GT 3; 100% (1/1) in GT 4; 83% (5/6) in GT 5; and 100% (16/16) in GT 6. Cirrhotic patients with treatment failure were primarily GT 1, (GT 1a, n=2; GT 1b, n=4) with 1 GT 5 (n=1). Patients tolerated the treatment without serious AEs. Late relapse occurred in 1 patient after achieving SVR12. In Asian Americans with CHC, SOF-based regimens were well tolerated without serious AEs and could achieve high SVR12 regardless of hepatitis C viral infection GT.

  12. Education and Recreation Activities of Older Asian Immigrants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Junhyoung; Dattilo, John; Heo, Jinmoo

    2011-01-01

    Older Asian immigrants experience a variety of challenges when attempting to adapt to life in a new society. Adjustment difficulties associated with cultural differences among older Asian immigrants and the host country may result in a certain levels of acculturative stress. This stress is negatively associated with health and quality of life. In…

  13. Functional bracing for delayed union of a femur fracture associated with Paget's disease of the bone in an Asian patient: a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fukuta Masashi

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Paget's disease of the bone is a common metabolic bone disease in most European countries, Australia, New Zealand, and North America. Conversely, this disease is rare in Scandinavia, Asia, and Africa. In Japan, it is extremely rare, with a prevalence of 0.15/100000. Paget's disease is a localized disorder of bone remodeling. Excessive bone resorption and abnormal bone formation result in biomechanically weakened bone and predispose patients to fracture. Delayed union and non-union of fractures have been reported in patients with Paget's disease. Therefore, open reduction and internal fixation of fractures has been recommended to prevent such complications. Here we report an unusual case of a 63-year-old Asian woman with delayed union of a femur fracture secondary to Paget's disease, which was treated successfully by functional bracing.

  14. Riding the Asian Wave....

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Ben

    1999-01-01

    Discusses strategies U.S. universities are using to deal with declining enrollments by Asian students, brought on by the Asian financial crisis. Strategies include recruiting students from other countries. (Author/VWL)

  15. Comparison of Western and Asian Guidelines Concerning the Management of Colon Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pellino, Gianluca; Warren, Oliver; Mills, Sarah; Rasheed, Shahnawaz; Tekkis, Paris P; Kontovounisios, Christos

    2018-02-01

    Guidelines are important to standardize treatments and optimize outcomes. Several societies have published authoritative guidelines for patients with colon cancer, and a certain degree of variation can be predicted. This study aims to compare Western and Asian guidelines for the management of colon cancer. A literature review was performed following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for studies published between 2010 and 2017 by the online resources from the official Web sites of the societies/panels. Sources included guidelines by European Society of Medical Oncology, the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Only full-text studies and the latest guidelines dealing with colon cancer were included. Studies and guidelines were separately assessed by 2 authors, who independently identified discrepancies and areas for further research. These were discussed and agreed with by all the authors. The recommendations of the guidelines of each society were compared, seeking discrepancies and potential areas for improvement. Endoscopic techniques for the management of early colon cancer are discussed in detail in the Asian guidelines. Asian guidelines advocate extended (D3) lymphadenectomy on a routine basis in T3/T4 and in selected T2 patients, whereas such an approach is still under investigation in Western countries. Only US guidelines describe neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. All the guidelines recommend adjuvant treatment in selected stage II patients, but agreement exists that this is performed without solid evidence, because better outcomes are hypothesized based on studies including stage III or stage II/III patients. The role of cytoreductive surgery with intra-abdominal chemotherapy is dubious, and European guidelines only recommend it in the setting of trials. Asian guidelines endorse an aggressive surgical approach to peritoneal disease. Only US

  16. Scrolling and Strolling, Asian Style

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sterling, Joan

    2012-01-01

    In this article, the author describes a lesson on Asian cultures. Asian cultures demonstrate respect for nature through their art. Students learned how to use Asian brush techniques and designs to create scrolls. They also learned how to write Haiku, a three-line form of poetry that uses a pattern of syllables.

  17. Correlation between Asian dust storms and worsening asthma in Western Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Masanari; Yamasaki, Akira; Burioka, Naoto; Kurai, Jun; Yoneda, Kazuhiko; Yoshida, Atsushi; Igishi, Tadashi; Fukuoka, Yasushi; Nakamoto, Masaki; Takeuchi, Hiromi; Suyama, Hisashi; Tatsukawa, Toshiyuki; Chikumi, Hiroki; Matsumoto, Shingo; Sako, Takanori; Hasegawa, Yasuyuki; Okazaki, Ryota; Horasaki, Kazunori; Shimizu, Eiji

    2011-09-01

    Severe wind storms during spring in East Asia, called Asian dust storms (ADS), have been assessed in the past for their effect on health in Asian countries. Our objective was to study the ADS association with asthma symptoms in adult patients in Japan. We designed a telephone survey to assess ADS influence on upper and lower respiratory, ocular and cutaneous symptoms in 98 patients with adult asthma from April to May 2007. Peak expiratory flow (PEF) was also measured from February to May. Worsening lower respiratory symptoms were noted by 22 of 98 patients during ADS in April, when Japanese cedar pollen levels also increased. During ADS in May, however, Japanese cedar and cypress pollen levels were not elevated, 11 patients had worsening of lower respiratory symptoms. None required emergency treatment for the exacerbation. Lower respiratory symptoms worsening most were cough and sputum; this was more common in patients with allergic rhinitis or atopy than in those without (P storm. We found that ADS aggravated lower respiratory symptoms in adult patients with asthma, but this influence was mild.

  18. Asian American Education: Identities, Racial Issues, and Languages. Research on the Education of Asian Pacific Americans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rong, Xue Lan, Ed.; Endo, Russell, Ed.

    2011-01-01

    Asian American Education--Asian American Identities, Racial Issues, and Languages presents groundbreaking research that critically challenges the invisibility, stereotyping, and common misunderstandings of Asian Americans by disrupting "customary" discourse and disputing "familiar" knowledge. The chapters in this anthology…

  19. The efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in Asian patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis: A Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, JianZhong; Tsai, Tsen-Fang; Lee, Min-Geol; Zheng, Min; Wang, Gang; Jin, HongZhong; Gu, Jun; Li, RuoYu; Liu, QuanZhong; Chen, Jin; Tu, CaiXia; Qi, ChunMei; Zhu, Hua; Ports, William C; Crook, Tim

    2017-10-01

    Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor. This study assessed tofacitinib efficacy and safety vs placebo in Asian patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis. Patients from China mainland, Taiwan, and Korea were randomized 2:2:1:1 to tofacitinib 5mg (N=88), tofacitinib 10mg (N=90), placebo→5mg (N=44), or placebo→10mg (N=44), twice daily (BID) for 52 weeks. Placebo-treated patients advanced to tofacitinib at Week 16. Co-primary efficacy endpoints: proportions of patients achieving Physician's Global Assessment (PGA) response ('clear' or 'almost clear') and proportion achieving ≥75% reduction from baseline Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI75) at Week 16. At Week 16, more patients achieved PGA and PASI75 responses with tofacitinib 5mg (52.3%; 54.6%) and 10mg (75.6%; 81.1%) BID vs placebo (19.3%; 12.5%; all ptofacitinib 5mg and 10mg BID, respectively. Over 52 weeks, 2.2-4.5% of patients across treatment groups experienced serious adverse events, and 1.1-6.8% discontinued due to adverse events. Tofacitinib demonstrated efficacy vs placebo at Week 16 in Asian patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis; efficacy was maintained through Week 52. No unexpected safety findings were observed. [NCT01815424]. Copyright © 2017 The Authors and Pfizer Inc. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Obesity and Asian Americans

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... and Data > Minority Population Profiles > Asian American > Obesity Obesity and Asian Americans Non-Hispanic whites are 60% ... youthonline . [Accessed 08/18/2017] HEALTH IMPACT OF OBESITY People who are overweight are more likely to ...

  1. Glaucoma in Asian Populations

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Involved News About Us Donate In This Section Glaucoma In Asian Populations email Send this article to ... lower than in their Asian counterparts. Normal Tension Glaucoma affects Japanese Japanese populations, however, have a substantially ...

  2. Efficacy and Safety of Sacubitril/Valsartan (LCZ696) Compared With Olmesartan in Elderly Asian Patients (≥65 Years) With Systolic Hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Supasyndh, Ouppatham; Wang, Jian'an; Hafeez, Kudsia; Zhang, Ying; Zhang, Jack; Rakugi, Hiromi

    2017-11-06

    Systolic hypertension is common in elderly patients and remains a challenge to treat effectively. The efficacy and safety of sacubitril/valsartan (LCZ696), a first-in-class angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor, vs. olmesartan was evaluated in elderly Asian patients (≥65 years) with systolic hypertension. In this randomized, double-blind, 14-week study, patients initially received once-daily sacubitril/valsartan 100 mg or olmesartan 10 mg, increased to sacubitril/valsartan 200 mg or olmesartan 20 mg at week 4. At week 10, for patients with blood pressure (BP) >140/90 mm Hg, the doses were up-titrated to sacubitril/valsartan 400 mg or olmesartan 40 mg. The primary assessment was superiority of sacubitril/valsartan vs. olmesartan in reducing office mean sitting (ms) systolic BP (msSBP) from baseline at week 10. Secondary efficacy assessments included changes from baseline in ms diastolic BP (msDBP), ms pulse pressure (msPP), 24-hour mean ambulatory (ma) BP (maBP), and maPP at week 10; msBP and msPP at weeks 4 and 14. Overall, 588 patients were randomized (mean age, 70.7 years; baseline msBP, 160.3/84.9 mm Hg; msPP, 75.4 mm Hg). At week 10, sacubitril/valsartan provided superior msSBP reductions vs. olmesartan (22.71 vs. 16.11 mm Hg, respectively; P sacubitril/valsartan. At week 14, despite more patients requiring up-titration in the olmesartan group, msBP and msPP reductions from baseline were significantly greater with sacubitril/valsartan. Both treatments were generally well-tolerated. Sacubitril/valsartan is more effective than olmesartan in reducing BP in elderly Asian patients with systolic hypertension. © American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd 2017. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

  3. At what age should screening mammography be recommended for Asian women?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuchida, Junko; Nagahashi, Masayuki; Rashid, Omar M; Takabe, Kazuaki; Wakai, Toshifumi

    2015-07-01

    Although regular screening mammography has been suggested to be associated with improvements in the relative survival of breast cancer in recent years, the appropriate age to start screening mammography remains controversial. In November 2009, the United States Preventive Service Task Force published updated guidelines for breast cancer, which no longer support routine screening mammography for women aged 40-49 years, but instead, defer the choice of screening in that age group to the patient and physician. The age to begin screening differs between guidelines, including those from the Task Force, the American Cancer Society and the World Health Organization. It remains unclear how this discrepancy impacts patient survival, especially among certain subpopulations. Although the biological characteristics of breast cancer and peak age of incidence differ among different ethnic populations, there have been few reports that evaluate the starting age for screening mammography based on ethnicity. Here, we discuss the benefits and harm of screening mammography in the fifth decade, and re-evaluate the starting age for screening mammography taking ethnicity into account, focusing on the Asian population. Breast cancer incidence peaked in the fifth decade in Asian women, which has been thought to be due to a combination of biological and environmental factors. Previous reports suggest that Asian women in their 40s may receive more benefit and less harm from screening mammography than the age-matched non-Asian US population. Therefore, starting screening mammography at age 40 may be beneficial for women of Asian ethnicity in well-resourced countries, such as Japanese women who reside in Japan. © 2015 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  4. Sea level trends in Southeast Asian seas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strassburg, M. W.; Hamlington, B. D.; Leben, R. R.; Manurung, P.; Lumban Gaol, J.; Nababan, B.; Vignudelli, S.; Kim, K.-Y.

    2015-05-01

    Southeast Asian seas span the largest archipelago in the global ocean and provide a complex oceanic pathway connecting the Pacific and Indian oceans. The Southeast Asian sea regional sea level trends are some of the highest observed in the modern satellite altimeter record that now spans almost 2 decades. Initial comparisons of global sea level reconstructions find that 17-year sea level trends over the past 60 years exhibit good agreement with decadal variability associated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and related fluctuations of trade winds in the region. The Southeast Asian sea region exhibits sea level trends that vary dramatically over the studied time period. This historical variation suggests that the strong regional sea level trends observed during the modern satellite altimeter record will abate as trade winds fluctuate on decadal and longer timescales. Furthermore, after removing the contribution of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) to sea level trends in the past 20 years, the rate of sea level rise is greatly reduced in the Southeast Asian sea region. As a result of the influence of the PDO, the Southeast Asian sea regional sea level trends during the 2010s and 2020s are likely to be less than the global mean sea level (GMSL) trend if the observed oscillations in wind forcing and sea level persist. Nevertheless, long-term sea level trends in the Southeast Asian seas will continue to be affected by GMSL rise occurring now and in the future.

  5. Stomach cancer incidence rates among Americans, Asian Americans and Native Asians from 1988 to 2011

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yeerae Kim

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Stomach cancer is the second most common cancer in Eastern Asia, accounting for approximately 50% of all new cases of stomach cancer worldwide. Our objective was to compare the stomach cancer incidence rates of Asian Americans in Los Angeles with those of native Asians to assess the etiology of stomach cancer from 1988 to 2011. To examine these differences, Asian Americans (Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino Americans living in Los Angeles, California, USA and native Asians (from Korea, Japan, China, and the Philippines were selected for this study. Using the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents database, stomach cancer incidence rates were examined. Data from the National Cancer Registry of Korea were used for native Koreans. Between native countries, the incidence rates in Japan, China, the Philippines, and the US declined over time, but the incidence in Korea has remained constant. The incidences among Asian immigrants were lower than those among native Asians. The incidence rates of males were approximately 2 times higher than those among females in Asian countries were. The effect of immigration on stomach cancer incidence suggests that lifestyle factors are a significant determinant of stomach cancer risk. However, the incidence in Korea remains the highest of these countries

  6. Emerging Asian Economics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trezise, Philip H.

    What we can expect in the future from the miracle economies of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, whether they pose a threat to the older industrial states of Western Europe and North American, and whether China is to be the next emerging Asian economy are discussed. The amazing economic recovery of these East Asian countries…

  7. Australian Asian Options

    OpenAIRE

    Manuel Moreno; Javier F. Navas

    2003-01-01

    We study European options on the ratio of the stock price to its average and viceversa. Some of these options are traded in the Australian Stock Exchange since 1992, thus we call them Australian Asian options. For geometric averages, we obtain closed-form expressions for option prices. For arithmetic means, we use different approximations that produce very similar results.

  8. Disparities in abnormal mammogram follow-up time for Asian women compared with non-Hispanic white women and between Asian ethnic groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Kim H; Pasick, Rena J; Stewart, Susan L; Kerlikowske, Karla; Karliner, Leah S

    2017-09-15

    Delays in abnormal mammogram follow-up contribute to poor outcomes. In the current study, the authors examined differences in abnormal screening mammogram follow-up between non-Hispanic white (NHW) and Asian women. The authors used a prospective cohort of NHW and Asian women with a Breast Imaging, Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) abnormal result of category 0 or 3-plus in the San Francisco Mammography Registry between 2000 and 2010. Kaplan-Meier estimation for the median number of days to follow-up with a diagnostic radiologic test was performed, and the authors compared the percentage of women with follow-up at 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days and no follow-up at 1 year for Asian women overall (and Asian ethnic groups) and NHW women. In addition, the authors assessed the relationship between race/ethnicity and time to follow-up with adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. Among Asian women, Vietnamese and Filipina women had the longest, and Japanese women the shortest, median follow-up (32 days, 28 days, and 19 days, respectively) compared with NHW women (15 days). The percentage of women receiving follow-up at 30 days was lower for Asians versus NHWs (57% vs 77%; PAsian ethnic groups except Japanese. Asian women had a reduced hazard of follow-up compared with NHW women (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.69-0.72). Asian women also had a higher rate of receiving no follow-up compared with NHW women (15% vs 10%; PAsian ethnic groups, Filipinas were found to have the highest percentage of women with no follow-up (18.1%). Asian women, particularly Filipina and Vietnamese women, were less likely than NHW women to receive timely follow-up after an abnormal screening mammogram. Research should disaggregate Asian ethnicity to better understand and address barriers to effective cancer prevention. Cancer 2017;123:3468-75. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

  9. Immunizations and Asians and Pacific Islanders

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... and Data > Minority Population Profiles > Asian American > Immunizations Immunizations and Asians and Pacific Islanders Asian/Pacific Islander ... 35 months reached the Healthy People goal for immunizations for hepatitis B, MMR (measles-mumps-rubella), polio ...

  10. Dimensions of Assertiveness in an Asian-American Student Population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukuyama, Mary A.; Greenfield, Tom K.

    1983-01-01

    Analyzed components of assertiveness, assessed by the College Self-Expression Scale, for Asian-American (N=105) and Caucasian (N=135) students. Results showed a significant difference in full-scale assertion scores indicating lower levels of overall assertion in Asian Americans, interpreted as consistent with value differences between…

  11. Asian Values and Democratic Citizenship: Exploring Attitudes among South Korean Eighth Graders Using Data from the ICCS Asian Regional Module

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knowles, Ryan Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Utilizing data from the 2009 IEA International Civic and Citizenship Study Asian Regional Module, this secondary analysis explores the relationship between traditional Asian values and democratic citizenship. Findings identify two dimensions of Asian values: Asian civic values and obedience to authority. Among South Korean students, Asian civic…

  12. Is Pan-Asian Economic Integration Moving Forward?: Evidence from Pan-Asian Trade Statistics

    OpenAIRE

    Sapkota, Jeet Bahadur; Shuto, Motoko

    2016-01-01

    Asia is growing economically faster than any other region in the world; this led to the shift of the center of gravity of the global economy from the West to the East. However, it is not clear whether the Asian economy is integrating regionally or globally. In the context of the growing efforts of regional or sub-regional pan-Asian integration, it is worthwhile to explore the pan-Asian trade flows regionally as well as globally. Thus, this paper examines the trend and determinants of economic...

  13. Shared epitope alleles remain a risk factor for anti-citrullinated proteins antibody (ACPA--positive rheumatoid arthritis in three Asian ethnic groups.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Too Chun-Lai

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: To investigate the associations between HLA-DRB1 shared epitope (SE alleles and rheumatoid arthritis in subsets of rheumatoid arthritis defined by autoantibodies in three Asian populations from Malaysia. METHODS: 1,079 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 1,470 healthy controls were included in the study. Levels of antibodies to citrullinated proteins (ACPA and rheumatoid factors were assessed and the PCR-SSO method was used for HLA-DRB1 genotyping. RESULTS: The proportion of ACPA positivity among Malay, Chinese and Indian rheumatoid arthritis patients were 62.9%, 65.2% and 68.6%, respectively. An increased frequency of SE alleles was observed in ACPA-positive rheumatoid arthritis among the three Asian ethnic groups. HLA-DRB1*10 was highly associated with rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility in these Asian populations. HLA-DRB1*0405 was significantly associated with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis in Malays and Chinese, but not in Indians. HLA-DRB1*01 did not show any independent effect as a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis in this study and HLA-DRB1*1202 was protective in Malays and Chinese. There was no association between SE alleles and ACPA- negative rheumatoid arthritis in any of the three Asian ethnic groups. CONCLUSION: The HLA-DRB1 SE alleles increase the risk of ACPA-positive rheumatoid arthritis in all three Asian populations from Malaysia.

  14. South Asian participation in clinical trials: the views of lay people and health professionals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hussain-Gambles, Mah; Atkin, Karl; Leese, Brenda

    2006-07-01

    There is little UK-based empirical research on South Asian participation in clinical trials. The predominantly US literature rarely engages with mainstream debates about ethnicity, diversity and difference. This study was prompted by a lack of knowledge about how South Asian people perceive trial involvement and the risks and benefits involved. Face to face interviews were conducted with 25 health professionals (consultants, GPs, nursing staff, academics, non-medically trained trial co-ordinators, LREC and MREC members) and 60 South Asian lay people (20 Indians, 20 Pakistanis and 20 Bangladeshis) who had not taken part in a trial. The study took place in the Leeds and Bradford areas of England. It was found that lay South Asian attitudes towards clinical trial participation focused on similarities rather than differences with the general UK population, suggesting that the relevance of ethnicity should be kept in perspective. There was no evidence of antipathy amongst South Asians to the concept of clinical trials, and awareness was a correlate of social class, education and younger age. Lay factors that might affect South Asian participation in clinical trials included: age; language, social class; feeling of not belonging/mistrust; culture and religion. Approachable patients (of the same gender, social class and fluent in English) tended to be 'cherry picked' to clinical trials. This practice was justified because of a lack of time, resources and inadequate support. South Asian patients might be systematically excluded from trials due to the increased cost and time associated with their inclusion, particularly in relation to the language barrier. Under-representation might also be due to passive exclusion associated with cultural stereotypes. The paper concludes by applying the theoretical framework of institutional racism as a means of making sense of policy and practice. At the same time, caution is advocated against using ethnicity as the only form of

  15. The association of suicide risk with negative life events and social support according to gender in Asian patients with major depressive disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Subin; Hatim Sulaiman, Ahmad; Srisurapanont, Manit; Chang, Sung-man; Liu, Chia-Yih; Bautista, Dianne; Ge, Lan; Choon Chua, Hong; Pyo Hong, Jin

    2015-08-30

    We investigated the associations between negative life events, social support, depressive and hostile symptoms, and suicide risk according to gender in multinational Asian patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). A total of 547 outpatients with MDD (352 women and 195 men, mean age of 39.58±13.21 years) were recruited in China, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Taiwan. All patients were assessed with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, the Symptoms Checklist 90-Revised, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the List of Threatening Experiences. Negative life events, social support, depressive symptoms, and hostility were all significantly associated with suicidality in female MDD patients. However, only depressive symptoms and hostility were significantly associated with suicidality in male patients. Depression severity and hostility only partially mediated the association of negative life events and poor social support with suicidality in female patients. In contrast, hostility fully mediated the association of negative life events and poor social support with suicidality in male patients. Our results highlight the need of in-depth assessment of suicide risk for depressed female patients who report a number of negative life events and poor social supports, even if they do not show severe psychopathology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Prevalence of PALB2 mutations in breast cancer patients in multi-ethnic Asian population in Malaysia and Singapore.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phuah, Sze Yee; Lee, Sheau Yee; Kang, Peter; Kang, In Nee; Yoon, Sook-Yee; Thong, Meow Keong; Hartman, Mikael; Sng, Jen-Hwei; Yip, Cheng Har; Taib, Nur Aishah Mohd; Teo, Soo-Hwang

    2013-01-01

    The partner and localizer of breast cancer 2 (PALB2) is responsible for facilitating BRCA2-mediated DNA repair by serving as a bridging molecule, acting as the physical and functional link between the breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer 2 (BRCA2) proteins. Truncating mutations in the PALB2 gene are rare but are thought to be associated with increased risks of developing breast cancer in various populations. We evaluated the contribution of PALB2 germline mutations in 122 Asian women with breast cancer, all of whom had significant family history of breast and other cancers. Further screening for nine PALB2 mutations was conducted in 874 Malaysian and 532 Singaporean breast cancer patients, and in 1342 unaffected Malaysian and 541 unaffected Singaporean women. By analyzing the entire coding region of PALB2, we found two novel truncating mutations and ten missense mutations in families tested negative for BRCA1/2-mutations. One additional novel truncating PALB2 mutation was identified in one patient through genotyping analysis. Our results indicate a low prevalence of deleterious PALB2 mutations and a specific mutation profile within the Malaysian and Singaporean populations.

  17. Asian oil demand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fesharaki, F.

    2005-01-01

    This conference presentation examined global oil market development and the role of Asian demand. It discussed plateau change versus cyclical movement in the global oil market; supply and demand issues of OPEC and non-OPEC oil; if high oil prices reduce demand; and the Asian oil picture in the global context. Asian oil demand has accounted for about 50 per cent of the global incremental oil market growth. The presentation provided data charts in graphical format on global and Asia-Pacific incremental oil demand from 1990-2005; Asia oil demand growth for selected nations; real GDP growth in selected Asian countries; and, Asia-Pacific oil production and net import requirements. It also included charts in petroleum product demand for Asia-Pacific, China, India, Japan, and South Korea. Other data charts included key indicators for China's petroleum sector; China crude production and net oil import requirements; China's imports and the share of the Middle East; China's oil exports and imports; China's crude imports by source for 2004; China's imports of main oil products for 2004; India's refining capacity; India's product balance for net-imports and net-exports; and India's trade pattern of oil products. tabs., figs

  18. Epidemiology of prostate cancer in Asian countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimura, Takahiro; Egawa, Shin

    2018-06-01

    The incidence of prostate cancer has been increasing worldwide in recent years. The GLOBOCAN project showed that prostate cancer was the second most frequently diagnosed cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality among men worldwide in 2012. This trend has been growing even in Asian countries, where the incidence had previously been low. However, the accuracy of data about incidence and mortality as a result of prostate cancer in some Asian countries is limited. The cause of this increasing trend is multifactorial. One possible explanation is changes in lifestyles due to more Westernized diets. The incidence is also statistically biased by the wide implementation of early detection systems and the accuracy of national cancer registration systems, which are still immature in most Asian countries. Mortality rate decreases in Australia, New Zealand and Japan since the 1990s are possibly due to the improvements in treatment and/or early detection efforts employed. However, this rate is increasing in the majority of other Asian countries. Studies of latent and incidental prostate cancer provide less biased information. The prevalence of latent and incidental prostate cancer in contemporary Japan and Korea is similar to those in Western countries, suggesting the influence of lifestyle changes on carcinogenesis. Many studies reported evidence of both congenital and acquired risk factors for carcinogenesis of prostate cancer. Recent changes in the acquired risk factors might be associated with the increasing occurrence of prostate cancer in Asian countries. This trend could continue, especially in developing Asian countries. © 2018 The Japanese Urological Association.

  19. A psychometric revision of the Asian values scale using the Rasch model

    OpenAIRE

    Kim, Bryan S. K.; Hong, Sehee

    2004-01-01

    The 36-item Asian Values Scale (B. S. K. Kim, D. R. Atkinson, & P H. Yang, 1999) was revised on the basis of G. Rasch (1960) model and data from 618 Asian Americans. The results led to the establishment of a 25-item measure named the Asian Values Scale-Revised.

  20. The database of chromosome imbalance regions and genes resided in lung cancer from Asian and Caucasian identified by array-comparative genomic hybridization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lo Fang-Yi

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Cancer-related genes show racial differences. Therefore, identification and characterization of DNA copy number alteration regions in different racial groups helps to dissect the mechanism of tumorigenesis. Methods Array-comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH was analyzed for DNA copy number profile in 40 Asian and 20 Caucasian lung cancer patients. Three methods including MetaCore analysis for disease and pathway correlations, concordance analysis between array-CGH database and the expression array database, and literature search for copy number variation genes were performed to select novel lung cancer candidate genes. Four candidate oncogenes were validated for DNA copy number and mRNA and protein expression by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR, chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH, reverse transcriptase-qPCR (RT-qPCR, and immunohistochemistry (IHC in more patients. Results We identified 20 chromosomal imbalance regions harboring 459 genes for Caucasian and 17 regions containing 476 genes for Asian lung cancer patients. Seven common chromosomal imbalance regions harboring 117 genes, included gain on 3p13-14, 6p22.1, 9q21.13, 13q14.1, and 17p13.3; and loss on 3p22.2-22.3 and 13q13.3 were found both in Asian and Caucasian patients. Gene validation for four genes including ARHGAP19 (10q24.1 functioning in Rho activity control, FRAT2 (10q24.1 involved in Wnt signaling, PAFAH1B1 (17p13.3 functioning in motility control, and ZNF322A (6p22.1 involved in MAPK signaling was performed using qPCR and RT-qPCR. Mean gene dosage and mRNA expression level of the four candidate genes in tumor tissues were significantly higher than the corresponding normal tissues (PP=0.06. In addition, CISH analysis of patients indicated that copy number amplification indeed occurred for ARHGAP19 and ZNF322A genes in lung cancer patients. IHC analysis of paraffin blocks from Asian Caucasian patients demonstrated that the frequency of

  1. South Asians are Under-Represented in a Clinic Treating Atrial Fibrillation in a Multicultural City in the UK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tayebjee, M H; Tyndall, K; Holding, S; Russell, C; Graham, L N; Pepper, C B

    2012-01-01

    The Leeds rapid access atrial fibrillation (AF) clinic was set up to streamline and standardise management of patients with newly diagnosed AF. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is under-representation of south Asians in these clinics.All patient attendances between June 2007 and June 2011 were documented and combined with ethnicity data from patient administration records. Local population demographics for 2009 were obtained from the office of national statistics. This was used to estimate the expected prevalence of AF across the different ethnic groups in Leeds taking age into account. One thousand two hundred and ten patients were referred. The study sample included 992 patients, and the number of south Asians attending was 88% less than expected (Chi squared analysis; pcosmopolitan population. Potential reasons for this discrepancy including barriers to accessing treatment for this population or a lower prevalence of AF in south Asians due to an as yet unidentified genetic factor.

  2. Toxicity of a traditional molluscicide to asian clam veligers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Layhee, Megan J.; ,; Miho Yoshioka,; Bahram Farokhkish,; ,; Gross, Jackson A.; Sepulveda, Adam J.

    2014-01-01

    Aquaculture and hatchery industries are in need of effective control methods to reduce the risk of spreading aquatic invasive species, such as the Asian clam Corbicula fluminea, through aquaculture and hatchery activities. The planktonic nature of Asian clam veligers enables this life stage to enter water-based infrastructure undetected, including hatchery trucks used to stock fish. Once in hatchery trucks, veligers can disperse overland and establish in previously uninvaded habitats. As a result, there is a need to develop techniques that result in veliger mortality but do not harm fish. In September 2012, we conducted laboratory trials to determine if a molluscicide (750 mg/L potassium chloride and 25 mg/L formalin) commonly used to kill zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) veligers in hatchery trucks can also effectively kill Asian clam veligers. We exposed Asian clam veligers to this molluscicide for 1, 3, and 5 h in each of two water types: deionized water and filtered lake water. We found ,20% mortality at the 1-h exposure period and 100% mortality at both the 3-h and 5-h exposure periods, regardless of water type. This laboratory study represents an important step toward reducing the spread of Asian clams by aquaculture facilities.

  3. Genetic diversity of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis East African–Indian family in three tropical Asian countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yih-Yuan Chen

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: The Beijing lineage of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB is the most predominant MTB strain in Asian countries and is spreading worldwide, however, the East African–Indian (EAI lineage is also particularly prevalent in many tropical Asian countries. The evolutionary relationships among MTB EAI isolates from Taiwan and those of tropical Asian countries remain unknown. Methods: The EAI strains collected from patients in Taiwan were analyzed using spacer oligonucleotide typing and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit–variable number of tandem repeats (MIRU-VNTR typing, and compared with published profiles from Cambodia and Singapore to investigate potential epidemiological linkages. Results: Among the three countries, the EAI lineage was most prevalent in Cambodia (60%; Singapore, 25.62%; and Taiwan, 21.85%, having also the highest rates of multidrug resistance and lowest rates of clustering of MTB isolates. We describe a convenient method using seven selected MIRU-VNTR loci for first-line typing to discriminate Beijing and EAI lineages. A potential epidemiological linkage in these tropical Asian countries is also discussed based on a minimum-spanning tree constructed using 24 MIRU-VNTR loci of MTB EAI strains. Conclusion: This study identified evolutionary relationships among MTB EAI isolates from Taiwan and those of two other tropical Asian countries, Cambodia and Singapore. Keywords: East African–Indian family, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, tropical Asian countries

  4. Quality of life in South East Asian patients who consult for dyspepsia: Validation of the short form Nepean Dyspepsia Index

    OpenAIRE

    Mahadeva, Sanjiv; Wee, Hwee-Lin; Goh, Khean-Lee; Thumboo, Julian

    2009-01-01

    Abstract Background Treatment objectives for dyspepsia include improvements in both symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). There is a lack of disease-specific instruments measuring HRQoL in South East Asian dyspeptics. Objectives To validate English and locally translated version of the Short-Form Nepean Dyspepsia Index (SF-NDI) in Malaysian patients who consult for dyspepsia. Methods The English version of the SF-NDI was culturally adapted locally and a Malay translation was de...

  5. Asian Americans in American History: An AsianCrit Perspective on Asian American Inclusion in State U.S. History Curriculum Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    An, Sohyun

    2016-01-01

    Compared to other groups of color, Asian Americans and their perspectives have rarely been given attention in curriculum studies. This article seeks to address the gap in the literature. It uses AsianCrit, a branch of critical race theory, as a theoretical lens to analyze and explicate common patterns across various states' scripting of Asian…

  6. Gender Comparisons Among Asian American and Pacific Islander Patients in Drug Dependency Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Yun; Lin, Veronique; Wu, Fei; Hser, Yih-Ing

    2016-05-11

    Few studies have focused on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), despite indications of increasing substance abuse among AAPIs in recent years. This prospective longitudinal study examined gender differences among AAPIs in treatment. The study included 567 (177 women, 390 men) AAPI patients drawn from two prior studies, one with 32 community treatment programs in 13 California counties (CalTOP, 3, 9 months), and another project including 36 treatment sites in 5 California counties (TSI, 3, 12 months). Baseline and follow-up assessments utilized the Addiction Severity Index(ASI). A subset of patients was assessed at 3 and 9/12 months (n = 106). Significant gender-related differences were observed at baseline: fewer women than men were employed or never married. More women were living with someone having alcohol and drug problems. Methamphetamine was the primary drug for women and men, followed by alcohol and heroin. Compared to AAPI men, AAPI women reported greater problem severity in family/social relationships (0.18 vs. 0.11, p drug, and legal domains for both genders, and in mental health for men only. Compared to AAPI men, AAPI women demonstrated significantly greater improvements in drug problems (ΔASI = 0.07, p drug use problems for AAPI men.

  7. Distribution of branchial anomalies in a paediatric Asian population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teo, Neville Wei Yang; Ibrahim, Shahrul Izham; Tan, Kun Kiaang Henry

    2015-04-01

    The objective of the present study was to review the distribution and incidence of branchial anomalies in an Asian paediatric population and highlight the challenges involved in the diagnosis of branchial anomalies. This was a retrospective chart review of all paediatric patients who underwent surgery for branchial anomalies in a tertiary paediatric hospital from August 2007 to November 2012. The clinical notes were correlated with preoperative radiological investigations, intraoperative findings and histology results. Branchial anomalies were classified based on the results of the review. A total of 28 children underwent surgery for 30 branchial anomalies during the review period. Two children had bilateral branchial anomalies requiring excision. Of the 30 branchial anomalies, 7 (23.3%) were first branchial anomalies, 5 (16.7%) were second branchial anomalies, 3 (10.0%) were third branchial anomalies, and 4 (13.3%) were fourth branchial anomalies (one of the four patients with fourth branchial anomalies had bilateral branchial anomalies). In addition, seven children had 8 (26.7%) branchial anomalies that were thought to originate from the pyriform sinus; however, we were unable to determine if these anomalies were from the third or fourth branchial arches. There was inadequate information on the remaining 3 (10.0%) branchial anomalies for classification. The incidence of second branchial anomalies appears to be lower in our Asian paediatric population, while that of third and fourth branchial anomalies was higher. Knowledge of embryology and the related anatomy of the branchial apparatus is crucial in the identification of the type of branchial anomaly.

  8. Personality disorders in Asians: summary, and a call for cultural research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryder, Andrew G; Sun, Jiahong; Dere, Jessica; Fung, Kenneth

    2014-02-01

    Epidemiological studies show relatively low rates of personality disorder (PD) in Asian-origin samples, but these low rates may result from a lack of understanding about what constitutes PD in Asian cultural contexts. Research on etiology, assessment, and treatment has rarely been extended to incorporate ways in which culture might shape PDs in general, let alone among Asians in particular. PDs did not officially change in DSM-5, but an alternative dimensional system may help link the Asian PD literature to non-clinical personality research. Personality and culture are deeply intertwined, and the research literature on Asian PDs - and on PDs more generally - would benefit greatly from more research unpacking the cultural mechanisms of variation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Why do Asian Americans academically outperform Whites? - The cultural explanation revisited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Airan; Xie, Yu

    2016-07-01

    We advocate an interactive approach to examining the role of culture and SES in explaining Asian Americans' achievement. We use Education Longitudinal Study (ELS) 2002 baseline data to test our proposition that the cultural orientation of Asian American families is different from that of white American families in ways that mediate the effects of family SES on children's academic achievement. The results support our hypothesis, indicating that: (1) SES's positive effects on achievement are stronger among white students than among Asian-Americans; (2) the association between a family's SES and behaviors and attitudes is weaker among Asian-Americans than among Whites; (3) a fraction of the Asian-White achievement gap can be accounted for by ethnic differences in behaviors and attitudes, particularly ethnic differences in family SES's effects on behaviors and attitudes. We find that Asian Americans' behaviors and attitudes are less influenced by family SES than those of Whites are and that this difference helps generate Asians' premium in achievement. This is especially evident at lower levels of family SES. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Do Caucasian and Asian clocks tick differently?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.A. Barbosa

    Full Text Available The Period 3 and Clock genes are important components of the mammalian molecular circadian system. Studies have shown association between polymorphisms in these clock genes and circadian phenotypes in different populations. Nevertheless, differences in the pattern of allele frequency and genotyping distribution are systematically observed in studies with different ethnic groups. To investigate and compare the pattern of distribution in a sample of Asian and Caucasian populations living in Brazil, we evaluated two well-studied polymorphisms in the clock genes: a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR in PER3 and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP in CLOCK. The aim of this investigation was to search for clues about human evolutionary processes related to circadian rhythms. We selected 109 Asian and 135 Caucasian descendants. The frequencies of the shorter allele (4 repeats in the PER3 gene and the T allele in the CLOCK gene among Asians (0.86 and 0.84, respectively were significantly higher than among Caucasians (0.69 and 0.71, respectively. Our results directly confirmed the different distribution of these polymorphisms between the Asian and Caucasian ethnic groups. Given the genetic differences found between groups, two points became evident: first, ethnic variations may have implications for the interpretation of results in circadian rhythm association studies, and second, the question may be raised about which evolutionary conditions shaped these genetic clock variations.

  11. PALOMA-3: Phase III Trial of Fulvestrant With or Without Palbociclib in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women With Hormone Receptor-Positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer That Progressed on Prior Endocrine Therapy-Safety and Efficacy in Asian Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwata, Hiroji; Im, Seock-Ah; Masuda, Norikazu; Im, Young-Hyuck; Inoue, Kenichi; Rai, Yoshiaki; Nakamura, Rikiya; Kim, Jee Hyun; Hoffman, Justin T; Zhang, Ke; Giorgetti, Carla; Iyer, Shrividya; Schnell, Patrick T; Bartlett, Cynthia Huang; Ro, Jungsil

    2017-08-01

    To assess efficacy and safety of palbociclib plus fulvestrant in Asians with endocrine therapy-resistant metastatic breast cancer. The Palbociclib Ongoing Trials in the Management of Breast Cancer 3 (PALOMA-3) trial, a double-blind phase III study, included 521 patients with hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative metastatic breast cancer with disease progression on endocrine therapy. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were assessed on study treatment and at the end of treatment. This preplanned subgroup analysis of the PALOMA-3 study included premenopausal and postmenopausal Asians taking palbociclib plus fulvestrant (n = 71) or placebo plus fulvestrant (n = 31). Palbociclib plus fulvestrant improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with fulvestrant alone. Median PFS was not reached with palbociclib plus fulvestrant (95% CI, 9.2 months to not reached) but was 5.8 months with placebo plus fulvestrant (95% CI, 3.5 to 9.2 months; hazard ratio, 0.485; 95% CI, 0.270 to 0.869; P = .0065). The most common all-cause grade 3 or 4 adverse events in the palbociclib arm were neutropenia (92%) and leukopenia (29%); febrile neutropenia occurred in 4.1% of patients. Within-patient mean trough concentration comparisons across subgroups indicated similar palbociclib exposure between Asians and non-Asians. Global quality of life was maintained; no statistically significant changes from baseline were observed for patient-reported outcome scores with palbociclib plus fulvestrant. This is the first report, to our knowledge, showing that palbociclib plus fulvestrant improves PFS in asian patients. Palbociclib plus fulvestrant was well tolerated in this study.

  12. Esp Research Trends in Asian Context

    OpenAIRE

    Jantaravipark, Arpawan; Sa-ngiamwibool, Amporn

    2015-01-01

    Due to the influence of global and regional economic changes, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) plays a more vital role in English language studies worldwide, including in Asian context. A look at any issues relat-ing to Asian ESP will shed light to the needs of English in this content. This present study therefore sur-veyed recent trends of ESP research in this context, with the purpose of the study which aimed to explore recent trends in Asian ESP research from 2005 to 2013. The Asian ESP...

  13. The Moderating Effects of Ethnicity and Employment Type on Insurance Coverage: Four Asian Subgroups in California.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Duy; Choi, Sunha; Park, So Young

    2015-10-01

    Despite nearly universal insurance coverage for older Americans over the age of 65, the preretirement age cohort is susceptible to gaps in coverage. Related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), this study investigated heterogeneity in insurance status for preretirement Asian immigrants by examining the interacting effects of Asian ethnicity and employment type, which is a major factor that determines an individual's insurance status in the U.S. Data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey, which included 1,024 Asians between the ages of 50 and 64, were analyzed. Our findings indicate significant moderating effects of employment type and Asian ethnicity. However, regardless of employment type, Koreans had the highest rate of being uninsured. To effectively reach the ACA's goal of reducing the number of uninsured individuals, targeted interventions specific to Asian subgroups are essential. © The Author(s) 2013.

  14. Asian American Cultural Resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Libretti, Tim

    1997-01-01

    Explores the encounter of Marxism and Asian American literary theory and imagines an Asian American Marxism. To do so requires theorizing race, class, and gender not as substantive categories of antagonisms but as complementary and coordinated elements of a totality of social relations structuring racial patriarchal capitalism. (SLD)

  15. Adipocytokine Associations with Insulin Resistance in British South Asians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. R. Webb

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Aims. Adipocytokines are implicated in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and may represent identifiable precursors of metabolic disease within high-risk groups. We investigated adiponectin, leptin, and TNF-α and assessed the contribution of these molecules to insulin resistance in south Asians. Hypothesis. South Asians have adverse adipocytokine profiles which associate with an HOMA-derived insulin resistance phenotype. Methods. We measured adipocytokine concentrations in south Asians with newly diagnosed impaired glucose tolerance or Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a case-control study. 158 (48.5% males volunteers aged 25–75 years with risk factors for diabetes but no known vascular or metabolic disease provided serum samples for ELISA and bioplex assays. Results. Total adiponectin concentration progressively decreased across the glucose spectrum in both sexes. A reciprocal trend in leptin concentration was observed only in south Asian men. Adiponectin but not leptin independently associated with HOMA-derived insulin resistance after logistic multivariate regression. Conclusion. Diasporic south Asian populations have an adverse adipocytokine profile which deteriorates further with glucose dysregulation. Insulin resistance is inversely associated with adiponectin independent of BMI and waist circumference in south Asians, implying that adipocytokine interplay contributes to the pathogenesis of metabolic disease in this group.

  16. Delta-gamma-theta Hedging of Crude Oil Asian Options

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juraj Hruška

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Since Black-Scholes formula was derived, many methods have been suggested for vanilla as well as exotic options pricing. More of investing and hedging strategies have been developed based on these pricing models. Goal of this paper is to derive delta-gamma-theta hedging strategy for Asian options and compere its efficiency with gamma-delta-theta hedging combined with predictive model. Fixed strike Asian options are type of exotic options, whose special feature is that payoff is calculated from the difference of average market price and strike price for call options and vice versa for the put options. Methods of stochastic analysis are used to determine deltas, gammas and thetas of Asian options. Asian options are cheaper than vanilla options and therefore they are more suitable for precise portfolio creation. On the other hand their deltas are also smaller as well as profits. That means that they are also less risky and more suitable for hedging. Results, conducted on chosen commodity, confirm better feasibility of Asian options compering with vanilla options in sense of gamma hedging.

  17. Disparities in cervical cancer screening between Asian American and Non-Hispanic white women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Judy H; Sheppard, Vanessa B; Schwartz, Marc D; Liang, Wenchi; Mandelblatt, Jeanne S

    2008-08-01

    Asian American women have higher cervical cancer mortality rates than non-Hispanic White women, yet have lower Pap screening rates than their White counterparts. This study examined whether ethnic differences in the use of Pap screening were associated with differences in cultural views, controlling for demographic and access factors. Cross-sectional survey data from the Commonwealth 2001 Health Care Quality Survey were used. Non-Hispanic White (n = 2,146) and Asian American women (including Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Filipino, and Japanese; n = 259) were included in this study. Eastern cultural views were measured by beliefs in the role of self-care and luck. Access factors (having health insurance, regular providers, and communication with providers) and demographics of patients and providers were measured. The outcome was receipt of a Pap test in the past 2 years. Asian American women had a lower rate of obtaining a recent Pap test (70%) than non-Hispanic White women (81%; P = 0.001). More Asians believed in the role of luck and self-care and experienced access barriers than Whites (P cultural views are more likely to be recently screened than women with more (odds ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.16; P Asian subgroups, Vietnamese women had lower screening rates (55%) and greater Eastern cultural views than their Asian counterparts. More research is needed to understand cultural and other barriers to Pap screening in high-risk Asian women, and attention should be paid to within-group differences.

  18. Dengue viral infections in Pakistan and other Asian countries: a comprehensive review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zubair, Muhammad; Ashraf, Muhammad; Ahsan, Aitezaz; Nazir, Noor-Ul-Ain; Hanif, Hina; Khan, Haider Ali

    2016-07-01

    Infections due to Dengue virus are widespread throughout the world. Disease starts with mild flu like sickness to a severe intricate condition which results in the death of the patient. Dengue illness has high morbidity and mortality in Pakistan as well as in other Asian countries. The Review article is a discourse analysis that explores the facts about the history, emergence and impact of dengue in Pakistan and other Asian countries. Data was collected from internet sources, mainly using Science Direct and PubMed. The final literature was reviewed and summarised. About 150 articles were identified and 47 articles were shortlisted for final review. Aedesaegypti was found to be a major vector for the transmission and spread of dengue illness. Treatment comprises supportive therapy as no specific treatment was available. During the last couple of years, the incidence of dengue fever was extraordinary in metropolitan cities of Pakistan.

  19. Asian Radiology Forum 2015 for Building an Asian Friendship: A Step toward the Vigorous Intersociety Collaboration in Asia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Ho Sung; Choi, Jung-Ah

    2016-01-01

    According to the reports presented at the Asian Radiology Forum 2015, organized by the Korean Society of Radiology (KSR) during the Korean Congress of Radiology (KCR) in September 2015 in Seoul, there is an increasing need to promote international exchange and collaboration amongst radiology societies in Asian countries. The Asian Radiology Forum was first held by KSR and the national delegates of Asian radiological partner societies, who attended this meeting with the aim of discussing selected subjects of global relevance in radiology. In 2015, current stands, pros and cons, and future plans for inter-society collaboration between each Asian radiological partner societies were primarily discussed. The Asian radiology societies have international collaborations with each other through various activities, such as joint symposia, exchange programs, social exchange, and international membership. The advantages of continuing inter-society collaboration in most of the Asian radiology societies include international speakers, diverse clinical research, and cutting edge technology; while limited range of financial and human resources, language barrier, differences in goals and expectations are claimed as disadvantages. With regard to the future, most of the Asian radiology societies focus on expanding partner societies and enhancing globalization and collaboration programs through various international meetings and exchange programs. PMID:26957902

  20. Asian radiology forum 2015 for building an Asian friendship: A step toward the vigorous intersociety collaboration in Asia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Ho Sung; Choi, Jung Ah; Lee, Jong Min

    2016-01-01

    According to the reports presented at the Asian Radiology Forum 2015, organized by the Korean Society of Radiology (KSR) during the Korean Congress of Radiology (KCR) in September 2015 in Seoul, there is an increasing need to promote international exchange and collaboration amongst radiology societies in Asian countries. The Asian Radiology Forum was first held by KSR and the national delegates of Asian radiological partner societies, who attended this meeting with the aim of discussing selected subjects of global relevance in radiology. In 2015, current stands, pros and cons, and future plans for inter-society collaboration between each Asian radiological partner societies were primarily discussed. The Asian radiology societies have international collaborations with each other through various activities, such as joint symposia, exchange programs, social exchange, and international membership. The advantages of continuing inter-society collaboration in most of the Asian radiology societies include international speakers, diverse clinical research, and cutting edge technology; while limited range of financial and human resources, language barrier, differences in goals and expectations are claimed as disadvantages. With regard to the future, most of the Asian radiology societies focus on expanding partner societies and enhancing globalization and collaboration programs through various international meetings and exchange programs

  1. Asian radiology forum 2015 for building an Asian friendship: A step toward the vigorous intersociety collaboration in Asia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Ho Sung [Dept. of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Jung Ah [Dept. of Radiology, Hallym University College of Medicine, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Hwaseong (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jong Min [Dept. of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-04-15

    According to the reports presented at the Asian Radiology Forum 2015, organized by the Korean Society of Radiology (KSR) during the Korean Congress of Radiology (KCR) in September 2015 in Seoul, there is an increasing need to promote international exchange and collaboration amongst radiology societies in Asian countries. The Asian Radiology Forum was first held by KSR and the national delegates of Asian radiological partner societies, who attended this meeting with the aim of discussing selected subjects of global relevance in radiology. In 2015, current stands, pros and cons, and future plans for inter-society collaboration between each Asian radiological partner societies were primarily discussed. The Asian radiology societies have international collaborations with each other through various activities, such as joint symposia, exchange programs, social exchange, and international membership. The advantages of continuing inter-society collaboration in most of the Asian radiology societies include international speakers, diverse clinical research, and cutting edge technology; while limited range of financial and human resources, language barrier, differences in goals and expectations are claimed as disadvantages. With regard to the future, most of the Asian radiology societies focus on expanding partner societies and enhancing globalization and collaboration programs through various international meetings and exchange programs.

  2. Culture in Southeast Asian Language Classes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liem, Nguyen Dang

    A view of the status of Southeast Asian language programs in American schools leads the author to comment on five interrelated issues. They include: (1) the importance of Southeast Asian language and culture teaching and learning, (2) integrating culture in Southeast Asian language classes, (3) teaching techniques, (4) staffing, and (5)…

  3. Patient, hospital, and neighborhood factors associated with treatment of early-stage breast cancer among Asian American women in California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomez, Scarlett Lin; Press, David J.; Lichtensztajn, Daphne; Keegan, Theresa H. M.; Shema, Sarah J.; Le, Gem M.; Kurian, Allison W.

    2012-01-01

    Background Clinical guidelines recommend breast conserving surgery (BCS) with radiation as a viable alternative to mastectomy for treatment of early-stage breast cancer. Yet, Asian Americans (AA) are more likely than other groups to have mastectomy or omit radiation after BCS. Methods We applied polytomous logistic regression and recursive partitioning (RP) to analyze factors associated with mastectomy, or BCS without radiation, among 20,987 California AAs diagnosed with stage 0–II breast cancer from 1990–2007. Results The percentage receiving mastectomy ranged from 40% among US-born Chinese to 58% among foreign-born Vietnamese. Factors associated with mastectomy included tumor characteristics such as larger tumor size, patient characteristics such as older age and foreign birthplace among some AA ethnicities, and additional factors including hospital (smaller hospital size, not NCI cancer center, low socioeconomic status (SES) patient composition, and high hospital AA patient composition) and neighborhood characteristics (ethnic enclaves of low SES). These hospital and neighborhood characteristics were also associated with BCS without radiation. Through RP, the highest mastectomy subgroups were defined by tumor characteristics such as size and anatomic location, in combination with diagnosis year and nativity. Conclusions Tumor characteristics and, secondarily, patient, hospital and neighborhood factors, are predictors of mastectomy and omission of radiation following BCS among AAs. Impact By focusing on interactions among patient, hospital, and neighborhood factors in the differential receipt of breast cancer treatment, our study identifies subgroups of interest for further study, and translation into public health and patient-focused initiatives to ensure that all women are fully informed about treatment options. PMID:22402290

  4. Patients' choice of general practitioner: importance of patients' and doctors' sex and ethnicity.

    OpenAIRE

    Ahmad, W I; Kernohan, E E; Baker, M R

    1991-01-01

    The relative importance of sex and ethnicity in patients' choice of doctor is not known. A total of 1633 consultations at a health centre in Bradford, with a mixed ethnic list, were examined over a four week period to test the relative importance of these variables. Patients had the choice to consult any one of: a male Asian, a male white or a female white doctor. Asian patients, irrespective of sex, were significantly (P less than 0.001) more likely to consult the Asian doctor then either of...

  5. Chronic Liver Disease and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Cancer Asian/Pacific Islander Women Non-Hispanic White Women Asian/Pacific Islander/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio All Sites ... Cancer Asian/Pacific Islander Women Non-Hispanic White Women Asian/Pacific Islander/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio Liver & IBD* ...

  6. Explaining Asian Americans' academic advantage over whites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsin, Amy; Xie, Yu

    2014-06-10

    The superior academic achievement of Asian Americans is a well-documented phenomenon that lacks a widely accepted explanation. Asian Americans' advantage in this respect has been attributed to three groups of factors: (i) socio-demographic characteristics, (ii) cognitive ability, and (iii) academic effort as measured by characteristics such as attentiveness and work ethic. We combine data from two nationally representative cohort longitudinal surveys to compare Asian-American and white students in their educational trajectories from kindergarten through high school. We find that the Asian-American educational advantage is attributable mainly to Asian students exerting greater academic effort and not to advantages in tested cognitive abilities or socio-demographics. We test explanations for the Asian-white gap in academic effort and find that the gap can be further attributed to (i) cultural differences in beliefs regarding the connection between effort and achievement and (ii) immigration status. Finally, we highlight the potential psychological and social costs associated with Asian-American achievement success.

  7. Asian Creativity: A Response to Satoshi Kanazawa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geoffrey Miller

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available This article responds to Satoshi Kanazawa's thoughtful and entertaining comments about my article concerning the Asian future of evolutionary psychology. Contra Kanazawa's argument that Asian cultural traditions and/or character inhibit Asian scientific creativity, I review historical evidence of high Asian creativity, and psychometric evidence of high Asian intelligence (a cognitive trait and openness to experience (a personality trait — two key components of creativity. Contra Kanazawa's concern that political correctness is a bigger threat to American evolutionary psychology than religious fundamentalism, I review evidence from research funding patterns and student attitudes suggesting that fundamentalism is more harmful and pervasive. Finally, in response to Kanazawa's focus on tall buildings as indexes of national wealth and creativity, I find that 13 of the world's tallest 25 buildings are in China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan — of which 11 were built in the last decade. Asian creativity, secularism, and architectural prominence point to a bright future for Asian science.

  8. Asian Organization for Crohn's and Colitis and Asia Pacific Association of Gastroenterology consensus on tuberculosis infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor treatment. Part 2: management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong Il Park

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Because anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF therapy has become increasingly popular in many Asian countries, the risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB among anti-TNF users may raise serious health problems in this region. Thus, the Asian Organization for Crohn's and Colitis and the Asia Pacific Association of Gastroenterology have developed a set of consensus statements about risk assessment, detection and prevention of latent TB infection, and management of active TB infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD receiving anti-TNF treatment. Twenty-three consensus statements were initially drafted and then discussed by the committee members. The quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations were assessed by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology. Web-based consensus voting was performed by 211 IBD specialists from 9 Asian countries concerning each statement. A consensus statement was accepted if at least 75% of the participants agreed. Part 2 of the statements comprised 3 parts: management of latent TB in preparation for anti-TNF therapy, monitoring during anti-TNF therapy, and management of an active TB infection after anti-TNF therapy. These consensus statements will help clinicians optimize patient outcomes by reducing the morbidity and mortality related to TB infections in patients with IBD receiving anti-TNF treatment.

  9. A 16-year examination of domestic violence among Asians and Asian Americans in the empirical knowledge base: a content analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yick, Alice G; Oomen-Early, Jody

    2008-08-01

    Until recently, research studies have implied that domestic violence does not affect Asian American and immigrant communities, or even Asians abroad, because ethnicity or culture has not been addressed. In this content analysis, the authors examined trends in publications in leading scholarly journals on violence relating to Asian women and domestic violence. A coding schema was developed, with two raters coding the data with high interrater reliability. Sixty articles were published over the 16 years studied, most atheoretical and focusing on individual levels of analysis. The terms used in discussing domestic violence reflected a feminist perspective. Three quarters of the studies were empirical, with most guided by logical positivism using quantitative designs. Most targeted specific Asian subgroups (almost a third focused on Asian Indians) rather than categorizing Asians as a general ethnic category. The concept of "Asian culture" was most often assessed by discussing Asian family structure. Future research is discussed in light of the findings.

  10. Evaluation of coping strategies in established rheumatoid arthritis patients: emergence of concealment in an Asian cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chew, Elizabeth; Griva, Konstadina; Cheung, Peter P

    2016-11-01

    To evaluate coping strategies of Asian RA patients and their associations with health-related quality of life (HRQoL). A cross-sectional sample of patients with established RA was evaluated using measures of coping (Coping in Rheumatoid Arthritis Questionnaire [C-RAQ]; appraisal of coping effectiveness and helplessness), HRQoL (Mental and Physical Components [MCS/PCS] of the Short Form 12v2; Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease score [RAID]) and clinical/laboratory assessments. Principal component analysis was conducted to identify coping strategies. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the associations between coping strategies and HRQoL outcomes. The study sample comprised 101 patients, 81% female, 72.3% Chinese, mean age 54.2 ± 12.6 years. Five coping strategies were identified: Active problem solving (E = 5.36), Distancing (E = 2.30), Concealment (E = 1.89), Cognitive reframing (E = 1.55) and Emotional expression (E = 1.26). Concealment was consistently associated with PCS (r s = -0.23, P = 0.049), MCS (r s = -0.24, P = 0.04) and RAID (r s = 0.39, P culture-specific. Interventions should tailor psychosocial support needs to address not only coping strategies, but patients' perception of their coping. © 2016 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  11. Domains of health-related quality of life important and relevant to multiethnic English-speaking Asian systemic lupus erythematosus patients: a focus group study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ow, Yen Ling Mandy; Thumboo, Julian; Cella, David; Cheung, Yin Bun; Yong Fong, Kok; Wee, Hwee Lin

    2011-06-01

    To identify health-related quality of life (HRQOL) domains of importance to multiethnic Asian systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, to identify content gaps in existing SLE-specific HRQOL measures, and to determine whether the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) item banks could serve as a core set of questions for HRQOL assessment among SLE patients. English-speaking patients with physician-diagnosed SLE from a specialist clinic in a tertiary care hospital in Singapore and a patient support group were recruited. Thematic analysis was performed to distill themes from transcripts through open coding by 2 independent coders and axial coding for refinement of categories. Items from 3 existing SLE-specific measures and PROMIS Version 1.0 Item Banks were compared with identified subthemes. Twenty-seven female and 2 male participants (21 Chinese, 4 Malay, 3 Indian, 1 other) ages 23-62 years participated in 6 focus groups and 2 individual interviews, respectively. Twenty-one domains and 92 subthemes were identified. Domains of family, relationships, stigma and discrimination, and freedom were unaddressed by existing SLE-specific measures. Forty subthemes from 14 domains were addressed by the PROMIS Version 1.0 Item Banks (Physical Function, Pain, Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance, Sleep-Related Impairment, Anger, Anxiety, and Depression banks). Family and stigma and discrimination (identified as content gaps) may be accentuated in the Asian sociocultural context. PROMIS item banks have tremendous potential to serve as a core set of items for HRQOL assessment in SLE patients. Additional items may be written to fill the gaps in existing PROMIS item banks. Copyright © 2011 by the American College of Rheumatology.

  12. Potentials in Asian Export Credit Cooperation

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2004-01-01

    "Mekong River Regional Development Project advocated by Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been implemented. Trans-Asia Railway and Trans-Asia Highway are being discussed. It is a good opportunity for Asian Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) to cooperate and financing these large crossboarder projects."On May 11, at the 10th Annual Meeting of Asian Export Credit Agencies,

  13. The New Asian Immigrants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Morrison G.; Hirschman, Charles

    In the early 1960s, Asian immigration to the United States was severely limited. The passage of the Immigration Act of 1965 expanded Asian immigration and ended a policy of racial discrimination and exclusion. Currently, over one third of the total immigrant population to the United States is from Asia, particularly China, Japan, Korea, the…

  14. Metabolic syndrome and psoriasis severity in South-East Asian patients: An investigation of potential association using current and chronological assessments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chularojanamontri, Leena; Wongpraparut, Chanisada; Silpa-Archa, Narumol; Chaweekulrat, Pichanee

    2016-12-01

    Although studies regarding prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in Asian psoriatic patients are limited and show varying results, a previous report describes a significant increase in prevalence of MS in Thai psoriatic patients, as compared with rates in the general population. However, no significant association between MS and psoriasis severity using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) was found, which differs from the findings of Korean and Japanese studies. This study aimed at re-evaluating the association between MS and psoriasis severity in Thai patients using current assessment (PASI) and chronological assessment (historical course and interventions). A total of 273 psoriatic patients were recruited. After controlling for age and sex, 96 patients were assigned to the MS group and 96 patients to the non-MS group. Similar to the previous study, no significant differences were identified between metabolic and non-metabolic patients regarding PASI, age of onset, disease duration and family history of psoriasis. However, the numbers of hospitalizations (P = 0.018) and interventions (P = 0.028) were significantly higher in metabolic patients than in non-metabolic patients. Further, a greater number of metabolic components was significantly associated with a higher number of hospitalizations (P = 0.012), pustular or erythrodermic psoriasis episodes (P = 0.049), and interventions (P = 0.005). Body mass index of 23 kg/m 2 or more, abdominal obesity and high blood pressure were associated with an increased risk of treatment failure. Using chronological assessment, our study supported that MS negatively affects psoriasis severity and treatment outcomes. Screening for MS is highly recommended for psoriatic patients. © 2016 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  15. 'It's like taking poison to kill poison but I have to get better': a qualitative study of beliefs about medicines in Rheumatoid arthritis and Systemic lupus erythematosus patients of South Asian origin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, K; Gordon, C; Barry, R; Shaw, K; Horne, R; Raza, K

    2011-07-01

    To investigate factors that influence beliefs about medicines in patients of South Asian origin with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Qualitative methodology was used to explore the health beliefs of South Asian patients and in particular the factors that influenced their beliefs about medicines and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Thirty two patients with RA and SLE took part in focus group discussions. Patients who chose to participate in focus groups conducted in English were compared with those who chose to participate groups conducted in Punjabi or Urdu. Three main themes emerged to explain patients beliefs about medicines: (1) Beliefs about the necessity of DMARDs; (2) Concerns about DMARDs and other prescribed medicines including: (a) long-term side-effects; (b) the apparent lack of efficacy of some therapies; (c) concerns about changing from one drug to another and the large numbers of different medicines being taken; (3) Contextual factors which informed the patient's view on the necessity for particular medicines and concerns about them including: (a) beliefs about the causes of disease and the influence of religious beliefs on this; (b) barriers to communication with health care professionals about the medications being prescribed in clinic. In addition, our data revealed that these beliefs about DMARDs had important consequences for patient behaviour, including the use of traditional dietary and other non-pharmacological approaches. There were differences in views expressed between those who chose to speak in English and those who did not. This study has identified themes that explain previous findings of negative beliefs about medicines in patients of South Asian origin. Beliefs about the causes of disease had an important impact on the way some patients viewed medicines for RA and SLE. This will have implications for educational programmes designed to promote patient involvement in disease management.

  16. Heart Disease and Asians and Pacific Islanders

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Data > Minority Population Profiles > Asian American > Heart Disease Heart Disease and Asians and Pacific Islanders Overall, Asian American ... are less likely than white adults to have heart disease and they are less likely to die from ...

  17. Trade Liberalization between Russia and East Asian Countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dmitriy Aleksandrovich Izotov

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Based on the international statistics data the author estimates effects of trade liberalization between Russia and East Asian countries. The prospective niche markets in mutual trade and the impact of trade liberalization on the national economies were identified. Using a partial equilibrium model the author indicates the following positive trade effects for Russia and East Asia: trade creation effect prevails over trade diversion effect; general welfare and mutual trade of the countries tend to increase. The Russian economy has positive trade effects with all the East Asian countries, with the highest scale in the case of Sino-Russian trade. At the same time trade liberalization has following some costs for the Russian economy: a the growing role of imports, mostly from China, compared to Russian exports; b reduction of tariff revenues, which are four times higher for Russia, compared to East Asian countries; c continued negative trade balance with the East Asian countries. The evaluation shows that the increase of Russian exports to East Asian countries is feasible only for certain commodity groups which determine marketable niches of specific East Asian countries; at the same time, Russia can import from East Asia a huge range of commodity groups. The study reveals that reduction in tariff measures and non- tariff restrictions will not lead to a massive increase in Russian exports and changing in its trade and geographical structure. On the basis of prolongation of short-term trends the author identifies long-term challenges and opportunities for the Russian economy from trade liberalization with East Asian countries. According to the estimation results, the author suggests that in the current environment of global trade liberalization the tariff measures become less significant as a tool for redistribution of commodity flows

  18. Coping Strategies for Managing Acculturative Stress among Asian International Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ra, Young-An; Trusty, Jerry

    2015-01-01

    This article examines the effects of specific coping strategies on managing acculturative stress and acculturation of Asian international students, based on a sample of 220 Asian international students in the U.S. The data were analyzed with hierarchical multiple regression using Baron and Kenny's (1986) mediation procedure. The results supported…

  19. Time, trust, and transparency: Lessons learned from collecting blood biospecimens for cancer research from the Asian American community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dang, Julie H T; Chen, Moon S

    2018-04-01

    Biospecimens from racially diverse groups are needed to advance cancer research. The Asian American Cancer Education Study was developed to increase the number and proportion of blood biospecimen donations from Asian Americans for cancer research. The authors' targeted approach included 2 types of community engagement, in-reach (within institution to Asian American patients with cancer) and outreach (external to institution to the general Asian American community). Participants received in-language biospecimen education followed by the opportunity to donate blood biospecimens. Outreach participants donated through our community biospecimen blood drives, and in-reach participants consented to donating an extra tube of blood during their routine blood draws as a patient. Donated blood biospecimens were spun down to serum and plasma to be stored in a biorepository or were sent to the laboratory to test for cancer-related risk factors. Three hundred eighty-eight Asian Americans donated 1127 blood biospecimens for cancer research. Four hundred twenty tubes of plasma and serum are currently being stored at the cancer center's biorepository, 39 tubes have been used for cancer genomic research, and 668 tubes were used to characterize cancer-related risk factors. Building upon the past decade of the National Cancer Institute-funded Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training's foundation of trust and service among Asian Americans, researchers were able to leverage relationships not only to introduce the idea of biospecimen contribution to the community but to also exceed expectations with regard to the quantity of blood biospecimens collected from Asian Americans. Cancer 2018;124:1614-21. © 2018 American Cancer Society. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

  20. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenetics of the MEK1/2 inhibitor, selumetinib, in Asian and Western healthy subjects: a pooled analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dymond, Angela W; Elks, Cathy; Martin, Paul; Carlile, David J; Mariani, Gabriella; Lovick, Susan; Huang, Yifan; Lorch, Ulrike; Brown, Helen; So, Karen

    2017-06-01

    Emerging data on selumetinib, a MEK1/2 inhibitor in clinical development, suggest a possible difference in pharmacokinetics (PK) between Japanese and Western patients. This pooled analysis sought to assess the effect of ethnicity on selumetinib exposure in healthy Western and Asian subjects, and to identify any association between genetic variants in the UGT1A1, CYP2C19 and ABCG2 genes and observed differences in selumetinib PK. A pooled analysis of data from ten Phase I studies, one in Asian subjects (encompassing Japanese, non-Japanese Asian and Indian Asian subjects) and nine in Western subjects, was conducted. Key findings were derived from the collective exposure data across doses of 25, 35, 50 and 75 mg selumetinib; primary variables were dose-normalized AUC and C max . PK data from 308 subjects (10 studies) were available for the pooled analysis; genetic data from 87 subjects (3 studies) were available for the pharmacogenetic analysis. Dose-normalized AUC and C max were 35% (95% CI: 25-47%) and 39% (95% CI: 24-56%) higher in the pooled Asian group, respectively, compared with Western subjects. PK exposure parameters were similar between the Japanese, non-Japanese Asian and Indian groups. There was no evidence that the polymorphisms assessed in the genes UGT1A1, CYP2C19 and ABCG2 account for observed PK differences. Selumetinib exposure was higher in healthy Asian subjects compared with Western subjects, and these data provide valuable insight for clinicians to consider when treating patients of Asian ethnicity with selumetinib.

  1. Atypical antipsychotic usage among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeshita, Junji; Goebert, Deborah; Else, Iwalani; Carlton, Barry; Matsu, Courtenay; Guerrero, Anthony

    2014-09-01

    Previous studies have shown significant ethnic differences in prescribing patterns of two or more antipsychotics. This study examined changes in atypical and typical antipsychotic prescriptions among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Five hundred consecutive charts were reviewed for antipsychotics at the time of admission and discharge from each of two inpatient psychiatric facilities in Hawai'i. Multiple antipsychotic prescription rates were 9% at intake and 6% at discharge. For the ethnic groups studied, there were no statistically significant differences by patient ethnicity regarding antipsychotics at intake (χ(2) = 29.2, df = 21, P = .110) or discharge (χ(2) = 20.5, df = 24, P = .667). There were no significant differences in prescription and polypharmacy patterns among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders ethnic groups in this study.

  2. Mental Health and Asian Americans

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Data > Minority Population Profiles > Asian American > Mental Health Mental Health and Asian Americans Suicide was the 9th leading ... Americans is half that of the White population. MENTAL HEALTH STATUS Serious psychological distress among adults 18 years ...

  3. Prevalence of obesity among young Asian-American children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Anjali; Mitchell, Stephanie; Chirumamilla, Radha; Zhang, Jin; Horn, Ivor B; Lewin, Amy; Huang, Z Jennifer

    2012-12-01

    Asian-American children are considered to be at low risk of obesity, but previous estimates have not distinguished between children from different Asian countries. We estimate the prevalence of obesity among Asian-American children by mother's country of origin, generational status, and family socioeconomic factors using a secondary analysis of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) wave III (children ∼4 years old) dataset. The ECLS-B is a nationally representative study of children born in 2001 that oversampled births to Asian mothers. Asian ethnic categories included Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Asian Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, and Other Asian/Pacific Islander. The primary outcome variable was weight status; overweight = BMI ≥85(th) and obese = BMI ≥95(th) percentile for age and gender. Twenty-six percent [95% confidence interval (CI) 23.6-29.1] of Asian-American 4 year olds were overweight or obese, and 13% (95% CI 10.2-15.2) were obese. Chinese-American children were at lower risk of overweight or obesity (23.5%, 95% CI 18.4-29.5 ) compared to whites (36%, 95% CI 34.3-37.7); Asian-Indian 4 year olds had the lowest rates of overweight or obesity (15.6%, 95% CI 8.0-28.2) and were most likely to be underweight (10%, 95% CI 4.9-19.4). Among Asians,Vietnamese-American children had the highest rate of overweight or obesity (34.7%, 95% CI 0.6-52.3). Vietnamese-American children are at elevated risk of obesity and overweight, whereas Chinese and Asian-Indian children are at low risk. After controlling for Asian ethnicity, maternal education, and household poverty status, Asian-American children whose mothers were born outside the United States were less likely to be obese [odds ratio = 0.55 (0.32-0.95), p = 0.03].

  4. Figuring Futures: Early Asian American Mixed-Race Literature

    OpenAIRE

    Poulsen, Melissa Eriko

    2015-01-01

    This dissertation examines figurations of Asian mixed race during the long period of Asian exclusion and enforced anti-miscegenation in the United States, when racial mixing was legally proscribed. During this time of U.S. expansion into Asia, and of unprecedented Asian immigration into the United States, such proscription helped maintain normative white identity while rendering the Asian American mixed-race body illegible, making cultural production one of the few sites where Asian American ...

  5. Mammographic compression in Asian women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Susie; Abdul Aziz, Yang Faridah; Ng, Kwan Hoong

    2017-01-01

    To investigate: (1) the variability of mammographic compression parameters amongst Asian women; and (2) the effects of reducing compression force on image quality and mean glandular dose (MGD) in Asian women based on phantom study. We retrospectively collected 15818 raw digital mammograms from 3772 Asian women aged 35-80 years who underwent screening or diagnostic mammography between Jan 2012 and Dec 2014 at our center. The mammograms were processed using a volumetric breast density (VBD) measurement software (Volpara) to assess compression force, compression pressure, compressed breast thickness (CBT), breast volume, VBD and MGD against breast contact area. The effects of reducing compression force on image quality and MGD were also evaluated based on measurement obtained from 105 Asian women, as well as using the RMI156 Mammographic Accreditation Phantom and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) slabs. Compression force, compression pressure, CBT, breast volume, VBD and MGD correlated significantly with breast contact area (pAsian women. The median compression force should be about 8.1 daN compared to the current 12.0 daN. Decreasing compression force from 12.0 daN to 9.0 daN increased CBT by 3.3±1.4 mm, MGD by 6.2-11.0%, and caused no significant effects on image quality (p>0.05). Force-standardized protocol led to widely variable compression parameters in Asian women. Based on phantom study, it is feasible to reduce compression force up to 32.5% with minimal effects on image quality and MGD.

  6. An Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Intramural Thrombus and Moderate Leak in an Asian Man Presenting with Acute Gastroenteritis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdalla Khalil

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Missing a leaking abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA is common in medical practice because few at-risk patients have a history of AAA and many have an unusual presentation. Background: AAA is less common among Asians than white Caucasians of the same age. Our patient had no significant risk factors apart from age and sex and had an unusual presentation. Patient and Methods: A 67-year-old Asian man presented to the emergency room (ER with a 1-day history of nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and abdominal pain. He was febrile, dehydrated. and had marked tenderness at the right iliac fossa. Laboratory findings suggested bacterial gastroenteritis but this did not explain the localized tenderness at the right iliac fossa. Result and Discussion: A CT scan of the abdomen revealed an AAA arising above the origins of the renal arteries, an intramural thrombus, a retroperitoneal haematoma and a leak extending to the right iliac fossa. The patient was transferred to another hospital and underwent exploratory laparotomy, surgical repair of the aneurysm, and aortobi-iliac grafting with removal of the thrombus. The patient was discharged in good shape 3 weeks after surgery. Without the CT scan of the abdomen, the AAA could have been missed and the patient treated for severe gastroenteritis.

  7. Cardiovascular disease mortality in Asian Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jose, Powell O; Frank, Ariel T H; Kapphahn, Kristopher I; Goldstein, Benjamin A; Eggleston, Karen; Hastings, Katherine G; Cullen, Mark R; Palaniappan, Latha P

    2014-12-16

    Asian Americans are a rapidly growing racial/ethnic group in the United States. Our current understanding of Asian-American cardiovascular disease mortality patterns is distorted by the aggregation of distinct subgroups. The purpose of the study was to examine heart disease and stroke mortality rates in Asian-American subgroups to determine racial/ethnic differences in cardiovascular disease mortality within the United States. We examined heart disease and stroke mortality rates for the 6 largest Asian-American subgroups (Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese) from 2003 to 2010. U.S. death records were used to identify race/ethnicity and cause of death by International Classification of Diseases-10th revision coding. Using both U.S. Census data and death record data, standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), relative SMRs (rSMRs), and proportional mortality ratios were calculated for each sex and ethnic group relative to non-Hispanic whites (NHWs). In this study, 10,442,034 death records were examined. Whereas NHW men and women had the highest overall mortality rates, Asian Indian men and women and Filipino men had greater proportionate mortality burden from ischemic heart disease. The proportionate mortality burden of hypertensive heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, especially hemorrhagic stroke, was higher in every Asian-American subgroup compared with NHWs. The heterogeneity in cardiovascular disease mortality patterns among diverse Asian-American subgroups calls attention to the need for more research to help direct more specific treatment and prevention efforts, in particular with hypertension and stroke, to reduce health disparities for this growing population. Copyright © 2014 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Depression and Pain in Asian and White Americans With Knee Osteoarthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahn, Hyochol; Weaver, Michael; Lyon, Debra; Choi, Eunyoung; Fillingim, Roger B

    2017-10-01

    Few studies have examined the underlying psychosocial mechanisms of pain in Asian Americans. Using the biopsychosocial model, we sought to determine whether variations in depression contribute to racial group differences in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis pain between Asian Americans and non-Hispanic white Americans. The sample consisted of 100 participants, including 50 Asian Americans (28 Korean Americans, 9 Chinese Americans, 7 Japanese Americans, 5 Filipino Americans, and 1 Indian American) and 50 age- and sex-matched non-Hispanic white Americans with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis pain. The Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale was used to assess symptoms of depression, and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index and the Graded Chronic Pain Scale were used to measure clinical pain. In addition, quantitative sensory testing was used to measure experimental sensitivity to heat- and mechanically-induced pain. The results indicated that higher levels of depression in Asian Americans may contribute to greater clinical pain and experimental pain sensitivity. These findings add to the growing literature regarding ethnic and racial differences in pain and its associated psychological conditions, and additional research is warranted to strengthen these findings. This article shows the contribution of depression to clinical pain and experimental pain sensitivity in Asian Americans with knee osteoarthritis. Our results suggest that Asian Americans have higher levels of depressive symptoms and that depression plays a relevant role in greater clinical pain and experimental pain sensitivity in Asian Americans. Copyright © 2017 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Treatment of acne scars and wrinkles in asian patients using carbon-dioxide fractional laser resurfacing: its effects on skin biophysical profiles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Young Ji; Lee, Yu Na; Lee, Yang Won; Choe, Yong Beom; Ahn, Kyu Joong

    2013-11-01

    Although ablative fractional resurfacing is known to be effective against photoaging and acne scars, studies on its efficacy, safety and changes in the skin characteristics of Asians are limited. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of carbon dioxide fractional laser (CO2FL) in Koreans treated for wrinkles and acne scars, and to define the changes in skin characteristics during recovery period. We administered one session of CO2FL on 10 acne scar patients and 14 wrinkles patients with skin types IV and V. The surveillance of efficacy and side effects along with the measurement of biophysical properties was carried out before 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after treatment. Using a non-invasive method, skin barrier damage, erythema and bronzing of skin during the recovery period were assessed, and all of the items eventually returned to the pre-treatment level. Skin elasticity was measured in the wrinkle group, and the statistically significant effect was sustained throughout the next three months. The outcome of treatment was found to be better than 'moderate improvement' in both the acne scar and wrinkle groups. Further, there were no serious side effects three months post-procedure. CO2 FL is thought to be an effective and safe method for treating moderate to severe acne scars and wrinkles in Asians.

  10. South Asian populations in Canada: migration and mental health

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background South Asian populations are the largest visible minority group in Canada; however, there is very little information on the mental health of these populations. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence rates and characteristics of mental health outcomes for South Asian first-generation immigrant and second-generation Canadian-born populations. Methods The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2011 was used to calculate the estimated prevalence rates of the following mental health outcomes: mood disorders, anxiety disorders, fair-poor self-perceived mental health status, and extremely stressful life stress. The characteristics associated with these four mental health outcomes were determined through multivariate logistic regression analysis of merged CCHS 2007–2011 data. Results South Asian Canadian-born (3.5%, 95% CI 3.4-3.6%) and South Asian immigrant populations (3.5%, 95% CI 3.5-3.5%) did not vary significantly in estimated prevalence rates of mood disorders. However, South Asian immigrants experienced higher estimated prevalence rates of diagnosed anxiety disorders (3.4%, 95% CI 3.4-3.5 vs. 1.1%, 95% CI 1.1-1.1%) and self-reported extremely stressful life stress (2.6%, 95% CI 2.6-2.7% vs. 2.4%, 95% CI 2.3-2.4%) compared to their Canadian-born counterparts. Lastly, South Asian Canadian-born populations had a higher estimated prevalence rate of poor-fair self-perceived mental health status (4.4%, 95% CI 4.3-4.5%) compared to their immigrant counterparts (3.4%, 95% CI 3.3-3.4%). Different profiles of mental health determinants emerged for South Asian Canadian-born and immigrant populations. Female gender, having no children under the age of 12 in the household, food insecurity, poor-fair self-rated health status, being a current smoker, immigrating to Canada before adulthood, and taking the CCHS survey in either English or French was associated with greater risk of negative mental health outcomes for South Asian immigrant

  11. Asian Organization for Crohn's and Colitis and Asia Pacific Association of Gastroenterology consensus on tuberculosis infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor treatment. Part 1: risk assessment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong Il Park

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Because anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF therapy has become increasingly popular in many Asian countries, the risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB among anti-TNF users may raise serious health problems in this region. Thus, the Asian Organization for Crohn's and Colitis and the Asia Pacific Association of Gastroenterology have developed a set of consensus statements about risk assessment, detection and prevention of latent TB infection, and management of active TB infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD receiving anti-TNF treatment. Twenty-three consensus statements were initially drafted and then discussed by the committee members. The quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations were assessed by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology. Web-based consensus voting was performed by 211 IBD specialists from 9 Asian countries concerning each statement. A consensus statement was accepted if at least 75% of the participants agreed. Part 1 of the statements comprised 2 parts: risk of TB infection Recommendaduring anti-TNF therapy, and screening for TB infection prior to commencing anti-TNF therapy. These consensus statements will help clinicians optimize patient outcomes by reducing the morbidity and mortality related to TB infections in patients with IBD receiving anti-TNF treatment.

  12. When the Asian Girl Speaks: A Comparative Analysis of Two Young Adult Novels in English Written by Asian Women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lalaine Yanilla Aquino

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper analyzes two contemporary award winning young adult novels in English: Sing to the Dawn by Minfong Ho, and A Step from Heaven by An Na. Sing to the Dawn, published in Singapore, won first prize in the 1975 Council of Interracial Books for Children in New York; while A Step from Heaven, published in New York, won the 2002 Michael L. Printz Award. By using feminist and critical stylistics, this paper aims to answer the following questions: Do Asians retain their “voice” even when they write in English and live in foreign lands? Given this situation, how do they make their voice heard? How do the two women Asian writers represent the voice of their young female protagonists? Is the voice still distinctly Asian in spite of speaking in English and being written by Asian writers who have long lived in America? When the Asian girl speaks, who listens? Literally and figuratively speaking, has the Asian female finally found her voice?By answering these questions, this paper aims to identify at least some aspects of the Asian “voice” in English and determine the Asian female identity represented in the two young adult novels.

  13. Asian American Health - Multiple Languages

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Are Here: Home → Multiple Languages → All Health Topics → Asian American Health URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/ ... V W XYZ List of All Topics All Asian American Health - Multiple Languages To use the sharing features ...

  14. Invisible Asian Americans: The Intersection of Sexuality, Race, and Education among Gay Asian Americans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ocampo, Anthony C.; Soodjinda, Daniel

    2016-01-01

    Most research on Asian American education has centered on addressing and deconstructing the model minority stereotype. While recent studies have highlighted the socioeconomic and cultural heterogeneity among Asian American students, few have examined how sexual identity and masculinity mitigate their academic experiences. In this article, we draw…

  15. Pathways to an East Asian Higher Education Area: A Comparative Analysis of East Asian and European Regionalization Processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, Roger Y., Jr.

    2014-01-01

    The Author argues that historical regional developments in Europe and East Asia greatly influence the formation of an East Asian Higher Education Area. As such, this article compares European and East Asian regionalization and higher education regionalization processes to show this path dependency in East Asian regionalization of higher education…

  16. Obesity and Dyslipidemia in South Asians

    Science.gov (United States)

    Misra, Anoop; Shrivastava, Usha

    2013-01-01

    Obesity and dyslipidemia are emerging as major public health challenges in South Asian countries. The prevalence of obesity is more in urban areas than rural, and women are more affected than men. Further, obesity in childhood and adolescents is rising rapidly. Obesity in South Asians has characteristic features: high prevalence of abdominal obesity, with more intra-abdominal and truncal subcutaneous adiposity than white Caucasians. In addition, there is greater accumulation of fat at “ectopic” sites, namely the liver and skeletal muscles. All these features lead to higher magnitude of insulin resistance, and its concomitant metabolic disorders (the metabolic syndrome) including atherogenic dyslipidemia. Because of the occurrence of type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and other cardiovascular morbidities at a lower range of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), it is proposed that cut-offs for both measures of obesity should be lower (BMI 23–24.9 kg/m2 for overweight and ≥25 kg/m2 for obesity, WC ≥80 cm for women and ≥90 cm for men for abdominal obesity) for South Asians, and a consensus guideline for these revised measures has been developed for Asian Indians. Increasing obesity and dyslipidemia in South Asians is primarily driven by nutrition, lifestyle and demographic transitions, increasingly faulty diets and physical inactivity, in the background of genetic predisposition. Dietary guidelines for prevention of obesity and diabetes, and physical activity guidelines for Asian Indians are now available. Intervention programs with emphasis on improving knowledge, attitude and practices regarding healthy nutrition, physical activity and stress management need to be implemented. Evidence for successful intervention program for prevention of childhood obesity and for prevention of diabetes is available for Asian Indians, and could be applied to all South Asian countries with similar cultural and lifestyle profiles. Finally, more research on

  17. Obesity and Dyslipidemia in South Asians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anoop Misra

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Obesity and dyslipidemia are emerging as major public health challenges in South Asian countries. The prevalence of obesity is more in urban areas than rural, and women are more affected than men. Further, obesity in childhood and adolescents is rising rapidly. Obesity in South Asians has characteristic features: high prevalence of abdominal obesity, with more intra-abdominal and truncal subcutaneous adiposity than white Caucasians. In addition, there is greater accumulation of fat at “ectopic” sites, namely the liver and skeletal muscles. All these features lead to higher magnitude of insulin resistance, and its concomitant metabolic disorders (the metabolic syndrome including atherogenic dyslipidemia. Because of the occurrence of type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and other cardiovascular morbidities at a lower range of body mass index (BMI and waist circumference (WC, it is proposed that cut-offs for both measures of obesity should be lower (BMI 23–24.9 kg/m2 for overweight and ≥25 kg/m2 for obesity, WC ≥80 cm for women and ≥90 cm for men for abdominal obesity for South Asians, and a consensus guideline for these revised measures has been developed for Asian Indians. Increasing obesity and dyslipidemia in South Asians is primarily driven by nutrition, lifestyle and demographic transitions, increasingly faulty diets and physical inactivity, in the background of genetic predisposition. Dietary guidelines for prevention of obesity and diabetes, and physical activity guidelines for Asian Indians are now available. Intervention programs with emphasis on improving knowledge, attitude and practices regarding healthy nutrition, physical activity and stress management need to be implemented. Evidence for successful intervention program for prevention of childhood obesity and for prevention of diabetes is available for Asian Indians, and could be applied to all South Asian countries with similar cultural and lifestyle profiles. Finally, more

  18. Health status of Asians and Pacific Islanders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lum, O M

    1995-02-01

    The elder Asian or Pacific-Island American presents a dynamic, interactive paradigm of forces beyond medical practice that includes religious, societal, and historical factors of delivering health care. The cultural characteristics of family and function, perception of time and healing, and the anthropologic factors of health beliefs on health behaviors can add to understanding our medical patients. Some important trends of environmental factors on expression of genetic predisposition to certain illnesses, such as diabetes and gout, can be used in health prevention. The significance of diet on certain cancers can be better understood using nativity factors. Many of the mental illnesses borne by immigrants can be recognized and treated. Significant clinical research directions imply an ability of American medicine to target at-risk Asians and Pacific Islanders for specific prevention and early diagnoses. The base knowledge of differential physiologic changes for aging and disease due to genetic predisposition and the correlates of social, cultural, and behavioral factors of diseases can then be improved.

  19. Comprehensive spectrum of BRCA1 and BRCA2 deleterious mutations in breast cancer in Asian countries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwong, Ava; Shin, Vivian Y; Ho, John C W; Kang, Eunyoung; Nakamura, Seigo; Teo, Soo-Hwang; Lee, Ann S G; Sng, Jen-Hwei; Ginsburg, Ophira M; Kurian, Allison W; Weitzel, Jeffrey N; Siu, Man-Ting; Law, Fian B F; Chan, Tsun-Leung; Narod, Steven A; Ford, James M; Ma, Edmond S K; Kim, Sung-Won

    2015-01-01

    Approximately 5%–10% of breast cancers are due to genetic predisposition caused by germline mutations; the most commonly tested genes are BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. Some mutations are unique to one family and others are recurrent; the spectrum of BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations varies depending on the geographical origins, populations or ethnic groups. In this review, we compiled data from 11 participating Asian countries (Bangladesh, Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), and from ethnic Asians residing in Canada and the USA. We have additionally conducted a literature review to include other Asian countries mainly in Central and Western Asia. We present the current pathogenic mutation spectrum of BRCA1/BRCA2 genes in patients with breast cancer in various Asian populations. Understanding BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations in Asians will help provide better risk assessment and clinical management of breast cancer. PMID:26187060

  20. Self-harm in British South Asian women: psychosocial correlates and strategies for prevention

    OpenAIRE

    Waheed W; Husain MI; Husain Nusrat

    2006-01-01

    Abstract Objective To review the rates of self-harm in British South Asian women, look into the factors that contribute to these high rates of self-harm and discuss possible strategies for prevention and provision of culturally sensitive service for South Asian women who harm themselves. Method Review. Results South Asian women are significantly more likely to self harm between ages 16–24 years than white women. Across all age groups the rates of self harm are lower in South Asian men as comp...

  1. Differences in psychiatric symptoms among Asian patients with depression: a multi-country cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sulaiman, Ahmad H; Bautista, Dianne; Liu, Chia-Yih; Udomratn, Pichet; Bae, Jae Nam; Fang, Yiru; Chua, Hong C; Liu, Shen-Ing; George, Tom; Chan, Edwin; Tian-mei, Si; Hong, Jin Pyo; Srisurapanont, Manit; Rush, A John

    2014-04-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the symptomatic and clinical features of depression among five groups of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) living in China, Korea, Malaysia/Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Consecutive consenting adults (aged 18-65) who met DSM-IV criteria for non-psychotic MDD – based on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview – and who were free of psychotropic medication were evaluated in a cross-sectional study. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the 10-item Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the 13-item depression subscale of the Symptoms Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R). In addition, the 10-item SCL-90-R Anxiety Subscale was completed. ancova were conducted, adjusting for confounders: age, completion of secondary education, marital status, work status, religion, index episode duration, and depressive severity. For the magnitude of differences, a threshold of 0.10 was taken as the minimum effect size representing clinical significance, and an effect size of 0.25 was considered moderate. Four MADRS symptoms differentiated these five groups, the most prominent being ‘lassitude’ and ‘inner tension’. Nine SCL-90-R depression items also differentiated the groups, as did eight SCL-90-R Anxiety Subscale items. The MADRS lassitude item had the largest effect size (0.131). The rest of those statistically significant differences did not exceed 0.10. MDD is more similar than different among outpatients in these diverse Asian countries. The between-country differences, while present and not due to chance, are small enough to enable the use of common clinician and self-report rating scales in studies involving Asians with MDD from various ethnic backgrounds.

  2. Characteristics of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients in the pulmonology clinics of seven Asian cities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oh YM

    2013-01-01

    the pulmonology clinics of seven Asian cities and also evaluated whether the exposure to biomass fuels and dusty jobs were related to respiratory symptoms, airflow limitation, and quality of life in the COPD patients.Methods: This cross-sectional observational study recruited 922 COPD patients from seven cities of Asia. The patients underwent spirometry and were administered questionnaires about their exposure to cigarette smoking, biomass fuels, and dusty jobs in addition to respiratory symptoms and health related quality of life.Results: Of the patients, there appeared to be variations from city to city in the history of exposure to biomass fuels and dusty jobs and also in respiratory symptoms of cough, phlegm, wheeze, and dyspnea. These symptoms were more frequent in those COPD patients with a history of exposure to biomass fuels than without and those with a history of exposure to dusty jobs than without (P < 0.01 for all comparisons. Airflow limitation was more severe in those COPD patients with a history of exposure to biomass fuels than without (52.2% predicted versus 55.9% of post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1], P = 0.009; quality of life was poorer in those with exposure to biomass fuels than without (40.4 versus 36.2 of the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire [SGRQ] total score, P = 0.001. Airflow limitation was more severe in those COPD patients with a history of exposure to dusty jobs than without (51.2% predicted versus 57.3% of post-bronchodilator FEV1, P < 0.001; quality of life was poorer in those with dusty jobs than without (41.0 versus 34.6 of SGRQ score, P = 0.006.Conclusion: In Asian cities, the characteristics of COPD patients vary and the history of exposure to biomass fuels or dusty jobs was related to frequency of symptoms, severe airflow limitation, and poor quality of life.Keywords: COPD, Asia, biomass, dust

  3. Explaining Asian Americans’ academic advantage over whites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsin, Amy; Xie, Yu

    2014-01-01

    The superior academic achievement of Asian Americans is a well-documented phenomenon that lacks a widely accepted explanation. Asian Americans’ advantage in this respect has been attributed to three groups of factors: (i) socio-demographic characteristics, (ii) cognitive ability, and (iii) academic effort as measured by characteristics such as attentiveness and work ethic. We combine data from two nationally representative cohort longitudinal surveys to compare Asian-American and white students in their educational trajectories from kindergarten through high school. We find that the Asian-American educational advantage is attributable mainly to Asian students exerting greater academic effort and not to advantages in tested cognitive abilities or socio-demographics. We test explanations for the Asian–white gap in academic effort and find that the gap can be further attributed to (i) cultural differences in beliefs regarding the connection between effort and achievement and (ii) immigration status. Finally, we highlight the potential psychological and social costs associated with Asian-American achievement success. PMID:24799702

  4. Ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and overweight in Asian American adolescents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Won Kim Cook

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Asian American children and adolescents are an under-investigated subpopulation in obesity research. This study aimed to identify specific profiles of Asian subgroups at high risk of adolescent overweight with special attention to Asian ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES, and their interaction. Multiple logistic regression models were fitted using a sample of 1533 Asian American adolescents ages 12–17 from the 2007–2012 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS. In addition to Asian ethnicity and socioeconomic status (assessed by family income and parental education level, age, gender, nativity, and two lifestyle variables, fast food consumption and physical activity, were also controlled for in these models. Key predictors of overweight in Asian American adolescents included certain Asian ethnicities (Southeast Asian, Filipino, and mixed ethnicities, low family income (<300% of the Federal Poverty Level, and being male. Multiplicative interaction terms between low family income and two ethnicities, Southeast Asian and Vietnamese that had the lowest SES among Asian ethnic groups, were significantly associated with greatly elevated odds of being overweight (ORs = 12.90 and 6.67, respectively. These findings suggest that high risk of overweight in Asian American adolescents associated with low family incomes may be further elevated for those in low-income ethnic groups. Future research might investigate ethnic-group SES as a meaningful indicator of community-level socioeconomic disparities that influence the health of Asian Americans.

  5. Understanding clinician perception of common presentations in South Asians seeking mental health treatment and determining barriers and facilitators to treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rastogi, Pramit; Khushalani, Sunil; Dhawan, Swaran; Goga, Joshana; Hemanth, Naveena; Kosi, Razia; Sharma, Rashmi K; Black, Betty S; Jayaram, Geetha; Rao, Vani

    2014-02-01

    Little is known about the presentation of mental health symptoms among South Asians living in the US. To explore mental health symptom presentation in South Asians in the US and to identify facilitators and barriers to treatment. Focus group study. Four focus groups were conducted with 7-8 participants in each group. All participants (N = 29) were clinicians who had been involved in the care of South Asian patients with emotional problems and/or mental illness in the US. Qualitative content analysis. Key themes identified included: generational differences in symptom presentation, stress was the most common symptom for younger South Asians (40 years of age). Substance abuse and verbal/physical/sexual abuse were not uncommon but were often not reported spontaneously. Stigma and denial of mental illness were identified as major barriers to treatment. Facilitators for treatment included use of a medical model and conducting systematic but patient-centered evaluations. South Asians living in the US present with a variety of mental health symptoms ranging from stress associated with acculturation to major mental illnesses. Facilitating the evaluation and treatment of South Asians with mental illness requires sensitivity to cultural issues and use of creative solutions to overcome barriers to treatment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Additional Resources on Asian Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kodama, Corinne Maekawa; Lee, Sunny; Liang, Christopher T. H.; Alvarez, Alvin N.; McEwen, Marylu K.

    2002-01-01

    The authors identify Asian American associations and organizations, academic journals, periodicals, and media resources. Selected annotated resources on Asian American activism and politics, counseling and psychology, educational issues, gender and sexual orientation, history, policy reports, and racial and ethnic identity are also included.…

  7. Using appropriate body mass index cut points for overweight and obesity among Asian Americans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jih, Jane; Mukherjea, Arnab; Vittinghoff, Eric; Nguyen, Tung T.; Tsoh, Janice Y.; Fukuoka, Yoshimi; Bender, Melinda S.; Tseng, Winston; Kanaya, Alka M.

    2014-01-01

    Objective Asian Americans have low prevalence of overweight/obesity based on standard BMI cut points yet have higher rates of diabetes. We examined the prevalence of overweight/obesity, using lower BMI cut points recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for Asians, and diabetes in Asian American subgroups in California. Method Secondary analysis of the 2009 adult California Health Interview Survey (n = 45,946) of non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), African Americans, Hispanics and Asians (Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, South Asian and Japanese). WHO Asian BMI cut points (overweight = 23–27.5 kg/m2; obese ≥ 27.5 kg/m2) were used for Asian subgroups. Standard BMI cut points (overweight = 25–29.9 kg/m2; obese ≥ 30 kg/m2) were applied for other groups. Results Among Asian subgroups, overweight/obesity was highest among Filipinos (78.6%), which was higher than NHWs (p Asians with BMI = 23–24.9 kg/m2 and Koreans, Filipinos and Japanese with BMI = 27.5–29.9 kg/m2, the ranges WHO recommends as overweight or obese for Asians but not for other groups. Conclusions Filipinos should be a priority population for overweight/obesity screening. Filipinos, Vietnamese, Korean, South Asians and Japanese have higher diabetes prevalence at lower BMI cut points. WHO Asian BMI cut points may have clinical utility to identify at-risk Asian Americans. PMID:24736092

  8. Asian and European American cultural values and communication styles among Asian American and European American college students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Yong S; Kim, Bryan S K

    2008-01-01

    The present study examined the relationships between adherence to Asian and European cultural values and communication styles among 210 Asian American and 136 European American college students. A principal components analysis revealed that, for both Asian Americans and European Americans, the contentious, dramatic, precise, and open styles loaded onto the first component suggesting low context communication, and interpersonal sensitivity and inferring meaning styles loaded onto the second component suggesting high context communication. Higher adherence to emotional self-control and lower adherence to European American values explained Asian Americans' higher use of the indirect communication, while higher emotional self-control explained why Asian Americans use a less open communication style than their European American counterparts. When differences between sex and race were controlled, adherence to humility was inversely related to contentious and dramatic communication styles but directly related to inferring meaning style, adherence to European American values was positively associated with precise communication and inferring meaning styles, and collectivism was positively related to interpersonal sensitivity style. 2008 APA

  9. Numerical Algorithm for Delta of Asian Option

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Boxiang Zhang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available We study the numerical solution of the Greeks of Asian options. In particular, we derive a close form solution of Δ of Asian geometric option and use this analytical form as a control to numerically calculate Δ of Asian arithmetic option, which is known to have no explicit close form solution. We implement our proposed numerical method and compare the standard error with other classical variance reduction methods. Our method provides an efficient solution to the hedging strategy with Asian options.

  10. Predictors for Stroke and Death in Non-Anticoagulated Asian Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: The Fushimi AF Registry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamatani, Yasuhiro; Yamashita, Yugo; Esato, Masahiro; Chun, Yeong-Hwa; Tsuji, Hikari; Wada, Hiromichi; Hasegawa, Koji; Abe, Mitsuru; Lip, Gregory Y H; Akao, Masaharu

    2015-01-01

    Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of stroke and death. Data on the predictors for stroke and death in 'real-world' AF patients are limited, especially from large prospective Asian cohorts. The Fushimi AF Registry is a community-based prospective survey designed to enroll all AF patients who visited the participating medical institutions in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Follow-up data were available for 3,304 patients (median follow-up period 741 days). We explored the predictors for 'death, stroke, and systemic embolism (SE)' during follow-up in 1,541 patients not receiving oral anticoagulants (OAC) at baseline. The mean age was 73.1 ± 12.5 years, and 673 (44%) patients were female. The mean CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc scores were 1.76 and 3.08, respectively. Cumulative events were as follows: stroke/SE in 61 (4%) and death in 230 (15%), respectively. On multivariate analysis, advanced age (hazard ratio (HR): 1.68, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.24-2.29), underweight (body mass index death/stroke/SE. Cumulative numbers of these 6 risk predictors could stratify the incidence of death/stroke/SE in patients without OAC, as well as those with OAC in our registry. Advanced age, underweight, previous stroke/SE/transient ischemic attack, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and anemia were independently associated with the risk of death/stroke/SE in non-anticoagulated Japanese AF patients.

  11. Overview of the StratoClim Asian Monsoon Aircraft Campaign: Strategy, Instrumentation and preliminary Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stroh, F.

    2017-12-01

    The StratoClim Aircraft Field Campaign employing the high-flying research aircraft M55 Geophysica was carried out from mid July to mid August of 2017 from Kathmandu, Nepal, covering the airspace of Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Myanmar in the frame of the EC FP7 funded StratoClim project (see the Rex. et al. overview in this session). In order to sample the first detailed data set on climate relevant processes of the Asian Summer Monsoon anticyclone a comprehensive chemical and aerosol payload of more than 2 metric tons consisting of 26 different instrumets was flown to altitudes in excess of 20km to measure remote sensing and in-situ data on dynamical, chemical, and micro-chemical processes governing this experimentally underresearched atmospheric domain. An overview of the instrumentation, observation strategies, and preliminary results on open challenges as the horizontal and vertical trace gas and aerosol structures, effects of convective events and the ATAL will be given.

  12. Patient-led versus physician-led titration of insulin glargine in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes: a randomized multinational ATLAS study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garg, Satish K; Admane, Karim; Freemantle, Nick; Odawara, Masato; Pan, Chang-Yu; Misra, Anoop; Jarek-Martynowa, Iwona R; Abbas-Raza, Syed; Mirasol, Roberto C; Perfetti, Riccardo

    2015-02-01

    Self-adjustment of insulin dose is commonly practiced in Western patients with type 2 diabetes but is usually not performed in Asian patients. This multinational, 24-week, randomized study compared patient-led with physician-led titration of once-daily insulin glargine in Asian patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes who were on 2 oral glucose-lowering agents. Patient-led (n = 275) or physician-led (n = 277) subjects followed the same dose-titration algorithm guided by self-monitored fasting blood glucose (FBG; target, 110 mg/dL [6.1 mmol/L]). The primary endpoint was change in mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) at week 24 in the patient-led versus physician-led titration groups. Patient-led titration resulted in a significantly higher drop in HbA1c value at 24 weeks when compared with physician-led titration (-1.40% vs. -1.25%; mean difference, -0.15; 95% confidence interval, -0.29 to 0.00; P = .043). Mean decrease in FBG was greatest in the patient-led group (-2.85 mmol/L vs. -2.48 mmol/L; P = .001). The improvements in HbA1c and FBG were consistent across countries, with similar improvements in treatment satisfaction in both groups. Mean daily insulin dose was higher in the patient-led group (28.9 units vs. 22.2 units; Ptitration achieved near-target blood glucose levels in Asian patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes who were on 2 oral glucose-lowering drugs, demonstrating that Asian patients can self-uptitrate insulin dose effectively when guided.

  13. Acid deposition study in the Asian countries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soon, Ting-Kueh [Tunku Abdul Rahman College, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Lau, Wai-Yoo [Malaysian Scientific Association, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

    1996-12-31

    The Association of South East Asian Nations or ASEAN is a regional association of seven countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei and Vietnam, located at the south eastern part of the Asian continent. Together with the East Asian States of Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan, this part of the world is experiencing rapid economic growth, especially in the last decade. Rapid industrialization has resulted in an increased demand for energy in the manufacturing and transport sectors, and also for infrastructure development. This has led to a significant increase in gaseous emissions and a corresponding increase in atmospheric acidity. Acid deposition study in the ASEAN countries began in the mid-70s when Malaysia first started her acid rain monitoring network in 1976. This was followed closely by Singapore and the other ASEAN countries in the 80s. By now all ASEAN countries have their own acid rain monitoring networks with a number of these countries extending the monitoring to dry deposition as well.

  14. EGFR mutation testing in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a comprehensive evaluation of real-world practice in an East Asian tertiary hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Yoon-La; Sun, Jong-Mu; Cho, Juhee; Rampal, Sanjay; Han, Joungho; Parasuraman, Bhash; Guallar, Eliseo; Lee, Genehee; Lee, Jeeyun; Shim, Young Mog

    2013-01-01

    Guidelines for management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) strongly recommend EGFR mutation testing. These recommendations are particularly relevant in Asians that have higher EGFR mutation prevalence. This study aims to explore current testing practices, logistics of testing, types of EGFR mutation, and prevalence of EGFR mutations in patients with advanced NSCLC in a large comprehensive cancer center in Korea. Our retrospective cohort included 1,503 NSCLC patients aged ≥18 years, with stage IIIB/IV disease, who attended the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, Korea, from January 2007 through July 2010. Trained oncology nurses reviewed and abstracted data from electronic medical records. This cohort had a mean age (SD) of 59.6 (11.1) years, 62.7% were males, and 52.9% never-smokers. The most common NSCLC histological types were adenocarcinoma (70.5%) and squamous cell carcinoma (18.0%). Overall, 39.5% of patients were tested for EGFR mutations. The proportion of patients undergoing EGFR testing during January 2007 through July 2008, August 2008 through September 2009, and October 2009 through July 2010 were 23.3%, 38.3%, and 63.5%, respectively (Pwomen, younger patients, stage IV disease, non-smokers, and adenocarcinoma histology. Of 586 cases successfully tested for EGFR mutations, 209 (35.7%) were positive, including 118 cases with exon 19 deletions and 62 with L858R mutations. EGFR mutation positive patients were more likely to be female, never-smokers, never-drinkers and to have adenocarcinoma. In a large cancer center in Korea, the proportion of EGFR testing increased from 2007 through 2010. The high frequency of EGFR mutation positive cases warrants the need for generalized testing in Asian NSCLC patients.

  15. Game over: Asian Americans and video game representation [symposium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thien-bao Thuc Phi

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Even video games by Asian creators tend to depict primarily white characters or reference Asian stereotypes such as kung fu fighters or yakuza thugs. Games depicting the Vietnam war are particularly troubling for Asian players expected to identify with white characters. As the game industry continues to expand, its representation of Asians and Asian Americans must change.

  16. Impact of TNF-α (rs1800629 and IL-6 (rs1800795 Polymorphisms on Cognitive Impairment in Asian Breast Cancer Patients.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jung-Woo Chae

    Full Text Available Expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines is influenced by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in the promoter regions of the pro-inflammatory cytokine genes, and cytokines are associated with the occurrence of post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between two common pro-inflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms namely, IL6-174 (rs1800795 G>C and TNF-308 (rs1800629 G>A, and chemotherapy-associated cognitive impairment (CACI among Asian early-stage breast cancer patients. In addition, the differential effect of these SNPs on plasma IL-6 and TNF-α levels, and the associations of plasma IL-6 and TNF-α levels with CACI were also assessed.Asian early-stage breast cancer patients (Stage I to III receiving chemotherapy were prospectively recruited from two cancer centers in Singapore. Patients' cognitive function was longitudinally assessed using the validated FACT-Cog (ver. 3 and an objective computerized battery, Headminder™ at three-time points. Plasma IL-6 and TNF-α levels were analyzed using the multiplex immunoassay, and genotyping was performed using Sanger sequencing. Regression analyses and generalized estimating equation were utilized for statistical analysis.A total of 125 patients were included (mean age: 50.3; Chinese: 80.8%; post-menopausal: 48.0%; 68.0% received anthracycline-based chemotherapy. 36.8% patients experienced self-perceived cognitive impairment, detected in memory (32.8% and attention (34.2% domains. Patients with higher levels of anxiety (p<0.001 and insomnia (p = 0.003 also reported more self-perceived cognitive impairment. Higher plasma concentrations of IL-6 were associated with greater severity of self-perceived cognitive impairment (p = 0.001. Polymorphisms of cytokine genes were not associated with expression of plasma cytokines.Present findings further contribute to the growing evidence that supports the role of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in

  17. Depression and emotional reactivity: variation among Asian Americans of East Asian descent and European Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chentsova-Dutton, Yulia E; Chu, Joyce P; Tsai, Jeanne L; Rottenberg, Jonathan; Gross, James J; Gotlib, Ian H

    2007-11-01

    Studies of Western samples (e.g., European Americans [EAs]) suggest that depressed individuals tend to show diminished emotional reactivity (J. G. Gehricke & A. J. Fridlund, 2002; G. E. Schwartz, P. L. Fair, P. Salt, M. R. Mandel, & G. L. Klerman, 1976a, 1976b). Do these findings generalize to individuals oriented to other cultures (e.g., East Asian cultures)? The authors compared the emotional reactions (i.e., reports of emotional experience, facial behavior, and physiological reactivity) of depressed and nondepressed EAs and Asian Americans of East Asian descent (AAs) to sad and amusing films. Their results were consistent with previous findings: Depressed EAs showed a pattern of diminished reactivity to the sad film (less crying, less intense reports of sadness) compared with nondepressed participants. In contrast, depressed AAs showed a pattern of heightened emotional reactivity (greater crying) compared with nondepressed participants. Across cultural groups, depressed and nondepressed participants did not differ in their reports of amusement or facial behavior during the amusing film. Physiological reactivity to the film clips did not differ between depressed and control participants for either cultural group. Thus, although depression may influence particular aspects of emotional reactivity across cultures (e.g., crying), the specific direction of this influence may depend on prevailing cultural norms regarding emotional expression. (c) 2007 APA

  18. Managing Family Conflict over Career Decisions: The Experience of Asian Americans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Pei-Wen Winnie; Desai, Uttara; George, Login S.; San Filippo, Alyssa A.; Varon, Samantha

    2014-01-01

    Conflict over career decisions is a main source of intergenerational conflict among Asian American families. This qualitative study explored the topic using consensual qualitative research methodology in a sample of eight Asian Americans. Results indicated that participants experienced feelings of guilt and indebtedness due to conflicting values,…

  19. 2016 IFToMM Asian Conference on Mechanism and Machine Science (IFToMM Asian MMS 2016) & 2016 International Conference on Mechanism and Machine Science (CCMMS 2016)

    CERN Document Server

    Wang, Nianfeng; Huang, Yanjiang

    2017-01-01

    These proceedings collect the latest research results in mechanism and machine science, intended to reinforce and improve the role of mechanical systems in a variety of applications in daily life and industry. Gathering more than 120 academic papers, it addresses topics including: Computational kinematics, Machine elements, Actuators, Gearing and transmissions, Linkages and cams, Mechanism design, Dynamics of machinery, Tribology, Vehicle mechanisms, dynamics and design, Reliability, Experimental methods in mechanisms, Robotics and mechatronics, Biomechanics, Micro/nano mechanisms and machines, Medical/welfare devices, Nature and machines, Design methodology, Reconfigurable mechanisms and reconfigurable manipulators, and Origami mechanisms. This is the fourth installment in the IFToMM Asian conference series on Mechanism and Machine Science (ASIAN MMS 2016). The ASIAN MMS conference initiative was launched to provide a forum mainly for the Asian community working in Mechanism and Machine Science, in order to ...

  20. A new patient classification for laser resurfacing and peels: predicting responses, risks, and results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fanous, Nabil

    2002-01-01

    Traditional classifications for skin treatment modalities are based on skin characteristics, the most important being skin color. Other factors are considered as well, such as oiliness, thickness, pathology, and sensitivity. While useful, these classifications are occasionally inadequate in predicting and explaining the outcome of some peels, dermabrasions, or laser resurfacing procedures. Why, for example, would a Korean patient with a light white skin inadvertently develop more hyperpigmentation than his darker skinned French counterpart? The new classification introduced here is based on the racial and genetic origins of patients. It suggests that racial genetic predisposition is the determining factor in human response to skin injury, including skin treatments. This classification takes into account both skin and features, rather than skin alone. It offers a new approach in evaluating patients scheduled for skin peels or laser resurfacing, in the hope of helping physicians to better predict reactions, select the appropriate type and intensity of the skin treatment and, ultimately, better control the outcome. Six categories (sub-races) are described: Nordics, Europeans, Mediterraneans, Indo-Pakistanis, Africans, and Asians. The reaction of each sub-race to peels, laser resurfacing, or dermabrasion is analyzed. The risks associated with each group are noted. This new classification provides physicians with a practical way to evaluate patients prior to treatment, with a view to determining each patient's suitability, postoperative reaction, the likelihood of complications, and likely result.

  1. Looking for Asian butch-dykes: exploring filmic representations of East Asian butch-dykes in Donna Lee's Enter the Mullet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Hui-Ling

    2009-01-01

    Asian butch-dykes have been overlooked in analyses of Chinese cinema, studies that often concentrate on "feminized" transgender roles. This article examines cinematic representations of Asian butch-dykes through film analysis of Enter the Mullet (2004), a five-minute short, and in-depth interviews with the filmmaker, Donna Lee, a Chinese-Canadian in Vancouver. Lee's film is inspired by Enter the Dragon (1973), starring Bruce Lee, the most recognized icon of Asian masculinity. Combining with the mullet hairstyle, which is often associated with White working-class, the filmmaker introduces viewers to the hybrid masculinity of Asian butch-dykes. The article argues that Asian female masculinity can be a strategic means of destabilizing the hegemony of White-male-middle-class masculinity.

  2. Historic and current hepatitis B viral DNA and quantitative HBsAg level are not associated with cirrhosis in non-Asian women with chronic hepatitis B

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Harkisoen, S.; Arends, J. E.; van den Hoek, J. A. R.; Whelan, J.; van Erpecum, K. J.; Boland, G. J.; Hoepelman, A. I. M.

    2014-01-01

    Some studies done in Asian patients have shown that serum levels of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA predict the development of cirrhosis. However, it is unclear whether this also applies for non-Asian patients. This study investigated historic and current HBV DNA and quantitative hepatitis B surface

  3. Disparities in cervical cancer survival among Asian American women

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nghiem, Van T.; Davies, Kalatu R.; Chan, Wenyaw; Mulla, Zuber D.; Cantor, Scott B.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose We compared overall survival and influencing factors between Asian American women as a whole and by subgroup with white women with cervical cancer. Methods Cervical cancer data were from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry; socioeconomic information was from the Area Health Resource File. We used standard tests to compare characteristics between groups; the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test to assess overall survival and compare it between groups; and Cox proportional hazards models to determine the effect of race and other covariates on overall survival (with/without age-stratification). Results Being 3.3 years older than white women at diagnosis (pAsian American women were more likely to be in a spousal relationship, had more progressive disease, and were better off socioeconomically. Women of Filipino, Japanese, and Korean origin had similar clinical characteristics compared with white women. Asian American women had higher 36- and 60-month survival rates (p=0.004 and p=0.013, respectively), higher overall survival rates (p=0.049), and longer overall survival durations after adjusting for age and other covariates (hazard ratio=0.77, 95% confidence interval: 0.68–0.86). Overall survival differed across age strata between the two racial groups. With the exception of women of Japanese or Korean origin, Asian American women grouped by geographic origin had better overall survival than white women. Conclusions Although Asian American women, except those of Japanese or Korean origin, had better overall survival than white women, their older age at cervical cancer diagnosis suggests that they have less access to screening programs. PMID:26552330

  4. Phase I dose-escalation study of the c-Met tyrosine kinase inhibitor SAR125844 in Asian patients with advanced solid tumors, including patients with MET-amplified gastric cancer

    OpenAIRE

    Shitara, Kohei; Kim, Tae Min; Yokota, Tomoya; Goto, Masahiro; Satoh, Taroh; Ahn, Jin-Hee; Kim, Hyo Song; Assadourian, Sylvie; Gomez, Corinne; Harnois, Marzia; Hamauchi, Satoshi; Kudo, Toshihiro; Doi, Toshihido; Bang, Yung-Jue

    2017-01-01

    SAR125844 is a potent and selective inhibitor of the c-Met kinase receptor. This was an open-label, phase I, multicenter, dose-escalation, and dose-expansion trial of SAR125844 in Asian patients with solid tumors, a subgroup of whom had gastric cancer and MET amplification (NCT01657214). SAR125844 was administered by intravenous infusion (260–570 mg/m2) on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 of each 28-day cycle. Objectives were to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and to evaluate SAR125844 safety...

  5. Some topics in mathematical finance: Asian basket option pricing, Optimal investment strategies

    OpenAIRE

    Diallo, Ibrahima

    2010-01-01

    This thesis presents the main results of my research in the field of computational finance and portfolios optimization. We focus on pricing Asian basket options and portfolio problems in the presence of inflation with stochastic interest rates.In Chapter 2, we concentrate upon the derivation of bounds for European-style discrete arithmetic Asian basket options in a Black and Scholes framework.We start from methods used for basket options and Asian options. First, we use the general approach f...

  6. Currency Market Reactions to Good and Bad News During the Asian Crisis

    OpenAIRE

    Gab-Je Jo; Thomas D. Willett

    2000-01-01

    There is considerable disagreement among analysts about the extent to which the spread of the Asian crisis was based on reasonable changes in expectations about fundamentals versus pure contagion effects resulting from imperfections in the behavior of currency and financial markets. In this paper we focus specifically on the behavior of the foreign exchange market for the five Asian countries. We find little support for the hypothesis that the Asian currency crisis was dominated by panic in t...

  7. Name Recognition to Identify Patients of South Asian Ethnicity within the Cancer Registry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Savitri Singh-Carlson

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The goal of this project was to develop a list of forenames and surnames of South Asian (SA women that could be used to identify SA breast cancer patients within the cancer registry. This list was compiled, evaluated, and validated to ensure comprehensiveness, accuracy, and applicability of SA names. Methods: This project was conducted by Canadian researchers who are immersed in conducting behavioral studies with SA women diagnosed with cancer in the province of British Columbia. Recruiting SA cancer patients for research can be a difficult task due to social and cultural factors. Methods used by other researchers to identify ethnicity related unique names were employed to filter surnames and forenames that were not common to this ethnic group. Co-author (Gurpreet Oshan of SA ethnicity rigorously identified and deleted multiple lists and redundant entries along with common English forenames which resulted in a list of 16,888 SA forenames. All co-authors of Indian ethnicity (Gurpreet Oshan, Savitri Singh-Carlson, Harajit Lail were involved in critiquing and manually reviewing the names list throughout this process. Comprehensive lists of SA surnames and women′s forenames were reviewed to identify those that were unique to SA ethnicity. Accuracy was ensured by constantly filtering the redundancy by using an Excel program which helped to illustrate the number of times each name was spelled in different ways. Results: The final lists included 9112 surnames and 16,888 forenames of SA ethnicity. On the basis of the surname linkage only, the sensitivity of the list was 76.6%, specificity was 62.9%, and the positive predictive value was 58.5%. On the basis of both the surname and forename linkage, the specificity of the list was 88.6%. These lists include variations in spelling forenames and surnames as well. Conclusions: The list of surnames and forenames can be useful tools to identify SA ethnic groups from large population database in

  8. Social Anxiety and Mental Health Service Use Among Asian American High School Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brice, Chad; Masia Warner, Carrie; Okazaki, Sumie; Ma, Pei-Wen Winnie; Sanchez, Amanda; Esseling, Petra; Lynch, Chelsea

    2015-10-01

    Asian American adults endorse more symptoms of social anxiety (SA) on self-report measures than European Americans, but demonstrate lower prevalence rates of SA disorder in epidemiological studies. These divergent results create ambiguity concerning the mental health needs of Asian Americans. The present study is the first to investigate this issue in adolescents through assessment of self-reported SA in Asian American high school students. Parent and self-ratings of impairment related to SA and self-reported mental health service use for SA were also measured. Asian American students endorsed a greater number of SA symptoms and scored in the clinical range more frequently than other ethnic groups. Also, Asian American and Latino students endorsed more school impairment related to SA than other ethnic groups. No differences in parent-reported impairment or service utilization were identified. Implications for future research and treatment for SA among Asian American adolescents are discussed.

  9. Association of obesity with patient-reported outcomes in patients with axial spondyloarthritis: a cross-sectional study in an urban Asian population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Yi Xuan; Kwan, Yu Heng; Png, Wan Yu; Lim, Ka Keat; Tan, Chuen Seng; Lui, Nai Lee; Chew, Eng Hui; Thumboo, Julian; Østbye, Truls; Fong, Warren

    2017-10-01

    To determine if obesity is associated with poorer patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), we conducted a cross-sectional study using data of the PRESPOND registry from a tertiary referral center in Singapore between 2011 and 2015. Demographics, clinical, and PRO variables were collected. Patients were divided into three categories: normal (BMI < 23 kg/m 2 ), overweight (23 kg/m 2  ≤ BMI < 27.5 kg/m 2 ) and obese (BMI ≥ 27.5 kg/m 2 ), using Asian BMI classification. The dependent variables are Pain score, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Patient Global Score (BAS-G), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 version 2 (SF-36). Multivariate regression analyses were performed with these dependent variables and obesity categories, adjusting for confounders. Among 194 patients with axSpA, 32% are overweight while 22% are obese. We found that obese patients had significant poorer pain (β: 11.87, 95%CI 2.13, 21.60) and BAS-G scores (β: 10.18, 95%CI 1.59, 18.76) when compared to normal BMI patients. However, obesity was not associated with BASDAI (β 0.50, 95%CI -0.22, 1.22), BASFI (β 0.08, 95%CI -0.66, 0.81), HAQ (β -0.07, 95%CI -0.21, 0.06), physical component summary (β -0.02, 95%CI -4.47, 4.44), and mental component summary (β -2.85, 95%CI -7.57, 1.88) of SF-36. Obesity was associated with pain score and BAS-G but not with BASDAI, BASFI, HAQ, and SF-36. Further study is needed to examine the causal relationship between obesity and poorer PROs.

  10. Acculturation levels and personalizing orthognathic surgery for the Asian American patient.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sy, A A; Kim, W S; Chen, J; Shen, Y; Tao, C; Lee, J S

    2016-10-01

    This study was performed to investigate whether the level of acculturation among Asians living in the USA plays a significant role in their opinion of facial profiles. One hundred and ninety-eight Asian American subjects were asked to complete a pre-validated survey to measure their level of acculturation and to evaluate four sets of pictures that displayed a class II male, class II female, class III male, and class III female. Each set consisted of three lateral profile pictures: an initial unaltered photo, a picture simulating a flatter profile (orthodontic camouflage in class II; mandibular setback in class III), and a picture simulating a fuller profile (mandibular advancement in class II; maxillary advancement in class III). For the class II male, subjects who were more acculturated indicated that a flatter profile (orthodontic camouflage) was less attractive. For the class II female, higher acculturated subjects chose expansive treatment (mandibular advancement) as more aesthetic compared to the less acculturated subjects. Each of these scenarios had statistically significant odds ratios. In general, highly acculturated subjects preferred a fuller facial profile, while low acculturated subjects preferred a flatter facial profile appearance, except for the class III female profile, which did not follow this trend. Copyright © 2016 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Reconsidering Asian American Student Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kodama, Corinne M.; Maramba, Dina C.

    2017-01-01

    This chapter addresses the applicability of student development theories in light of empirical research on Asian American college students through a twofold approach: (a) revisiting the relevance of Kodama, McEwen, Liang, and Lee's (2001, 2002) theoretical work on Asian American student development; and (b) using Jones' and Stewart's (2016)…

  12. The influence of childhood atopic dermatitis on health of mothers, and its impact on Asian families.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, Roger C M; Giam, Y C; Ng, T P; Mak, Anselm; Goh, Daniel; Zhang, Melvyn W B; Cheak, Alicia; Van Bever, Hugo P

    2010-05-01

    This study examines maternal perceptions of paediatric atopic dermatitis (AD) on family and determines risk factors including severity of AD, maternal physical and mental health (MH), quality of life of patients and sociodemographics which predict a negative family impact. A cross-sectional assessment using the Dermatitis Family Impact Questionnaire Scale to assess the impact of AD on family, Infant's Dermatitis Quality of Life Index (family impact were assessed using multiple regression analysis. One hundred and four patients with AD and their mothers were studied. Their mean ages (+/-s.d.) were respectively 6.4 +/- 4.3 and 37.2 +/- 6.6 yrs. In multiple regression analysis, Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) appeared to be associated with negative family impact and the association remained significant after adjustment for bio-psycho-social factors and HRQOL of patients. The association remained insignificant after adjustment for physical and MH of the mothers. Our results show that the severity of paediatric AD leads to negative family impact through reduction of physical and MH of the mothers, and is independent of patients' HRQOL and sociodemographics. The current approach for managing paediatric AD in Asian society could include early multidisciplinary intervention, aiming at enhancing physical and MH of mothers while minimizing negative impact on family and social isolation. Further research will be welcomed as the results of this study mainly applied to Asian society which could be different to populations from other geographic areas.

  13. Efficacy and safety of LCZ696, a first-in-class angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor, in Asian patients with hypertension: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kario, Kazuomi; Sun, Ningling; Chiang, Fu-Tien; Supasyndh, Ouppatham; Baek, Sang Hong; Inubushi-Molessa, Akiko; Zhang, Ying; Gotou, Hiromi; Lefkowitz, Martin; Zhang, Jack

    2014-04-01

    LCZ696 (Japanese adopted name: sucabitril valsartan sodium hydrate), a first-in-class angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor, concomitantly inhibits neprilysin and blocks angiotensin type 1 receptor. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the first in Asia for this drug, evaluated the dose-related efficacy and safety of LCZ696 in patients with hypertension using 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring. Asian patients aged ≥18 years (n=389) with hypertension were randomized to receive LCZ696 100 mg (n=100), 200 mg (n=101), 400 mg (n=96), or placebo (n=92) for 8 weeks. The primary end point was mean difference across the 3 single-dose pairwise comparisons of LCZ696 versus placebo in clinic diastolic BP after 8-week treatment. Key secondary efficacy variables included changes in clinic systolic BP and pulse pressure and changes in 24-hour, daytime, and nighttime ambulatory BPs and pulse pressure. Safety assessments included recording all adverse events and serious adverse events. A total of 362 patients completed the study. Reductions in clinic systolic BP, diastolic BP (Phypertension in Asian population and, in general, is safe and well tolerated. Clinical Trial Information- URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01193101.

  14. A review on the performance of osteoporosis self-assessment tool for Asians in determining osteoporosis and fracture risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chin, Kok-Yong

    2017-09-01

    The prevalence of osteoporosis in Asian countries is growing. An effective screening method will enable patients at risk for osteoporosis to receive early diagnosis and treatment, and avoid overcrowding the limited dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) machines available in Asian countries. Many simple osteoporosis screening algorithms have been developed but they are not validated for use in Asian populations. osteoporosis self-assessment tools for Asians (OSTA), established using a multinational Asian cohort, is the first screening algorithm that caters for the Asian populations. It considers only body weight and age in the algorithm. It shows consistently high performance and sensitivity in identifying postmenopausal women at risk for osteoporosis in many Asian countries. Its usage has been expanded for identifying osteoporosis in men, as well as determining fracture risk for both sexes. However, the performance of OSTA is influenced by age, sex, ethnicity and site of BMD measurement to define osteoporosis. Its usage is also limited in individuals without apparent risk factors. These limitations should be noted by physicians considering the use of OSTA in clinical setting. As a conclusion, OSTA is a cost-effective measure for osteoporosis screening in primary healthcare setting.

  15. South Asian Labour and Employment Report: Promoting Inclusive ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    South Asian workers, especially women and lower caste workers, face ... Asian Employment Report will present policy options to promote growth and employment. ... IHD will work with the South Asian offices of the United Nations Economic ...

  16. Physical activity among South Asian women: a systematic, mixed-methods review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Babakus Whitney S

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction The objective of this systematic mixed-methods review is to assess what is currently known about the levels of physical activity (PA and sedentary time (ST and to contextualize these behaviors among South Asian women with an immigrant background. Methods A systematic search of the literature was conducted using combinations of the key words PA, ST, South Asian, and immigrant. A mixed-methods approach was used to analyze and synthesize all evidence, both quantitative and qualitative. Twenty-six quantitative and twelve qualitative studies were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria. Results Studies quantifying PA and ST among South Asian women showed low levels of PA compared with South Asian men and with white European comparison populations. However making valid comparisons between studies was challenging due to a lack of standardized PA measurement. The majority of studies indicated that South Asian women did not meet recommended amounts of PA for health benefits. Few studies assessed ST. Themes emerging from qualitative studies included cultural and structural barriers to PA, faith and education as facilitators, and a lack of understanding of the recommended amounts of PA and its benefits among South Asian women. Conclusions Quantitative and qualitative evidence indicate that South Asian women do not perform the recommended level of PA for health benefits. Both types of studies suffer from limitations due to methods of data collection. More research should be dedicated to standardizing objective PA measurement and to understanding how to utilize the resources of the individuals and communities to increase PA levels and overall health of South Asian women.

  17. Asian Dust particles impacts on air quality and radiative forcing over Korea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Y J; Noh, Y M; Song, C H; Yoon, S C; Han, J S

    2009-01-01

    Asian Dust particles originated from the deserts and loess areas of the Asian continent are often transported over Korea, Japan, and the North Pacific Ocean during spring season. Major air mass pathway of Asian dust storm to Korea is from either north-western Chinese desert regions or north-eastern Chinese sandy areas. The local atmospheric environment condition in Korea is greatly impacted by Asian dust particles transported by prevailing westerly wind. Since these Asian dust particles pass through heavily populated urban and industrial areas in China before it reach Korean peninsular, their physical, chemical and optical properties vary depending on the atmospheric conditions and air mass pathway characteristics. An integrated system approach has been adopted at the Advanced Environment Monitoring Research Center (ADEMRC), Gwangju Institute Science and Technology (GIST), Korea for effective monitoring of atmospheric aerosols utilizing various in-situ and optical remote sensing methods, which include a multi-channel Raman LIDAR system, sunphotometer, satellite, and in-situ instruments. Results from recent studies on impacts of Asian dust particles on local air quality and radiative forcing over Korea are summarized here.

  18. Asian Americans and materialism: Exploring the phenomenon and its why and when.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jia Wei

    2018-05-24

    Consumer values, including but not limited to materialism, have received much less attention than other topics within research on Asian Americans. Across 3 studies (N = 6,955), the author explored the difference between Asian Americans and White/European Americans on materialism, and the mediating and moderating mechanisms. Studies 1a-1c found Asian Americans, compared to White/European Americans, more strongly endorsed materialistic values. In Study 2, the author tested a multiple mediation model and demonstrated that Asian Americans, compared to White/European Americans, more strongly endorse materialistic values because they reported higher extrinsic aspirations (i.e., stronger desires for money, image, and popularity). Finally, in Study 3, the author tested a moderation model and found that Asian Americans who are higher on a general tendency to adhere to norms endorse a greater level of materialism than White/European Americans. The author discussed how these results have implications for expanding the research topics within research on Asian Americans, consequences for mental health and provide future directions to counteract materialism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  19. Acculturation Strategies Among South Asian Immigrants: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Needham, Belinda L; Mukherjee, Bhramar; Bagchi, Pramita; Kim, Catherine; Mukherjea, Arnab; Kandula, Namratha R; Kanaya, Alka M

    2017-04-01

    In the past, epidemiologic research on acculturation and health has been criticized for its conceptual ambiguity and simplistic measurement approaches. This study applied a widely-used theoretical framework from cross-cultural psychology to identify acculturation strategies among South Asian immigrants in the US and to examine sociodemographic correlates of acculturation strategies. Data were from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America study. We used latent class analysis to identify groups of individuals that were similar based on cultural attitudes and behaviors. We used latent class regression analysis to examine sociodemographic correlates of acculturation strategies. We found that South Asian immigrants employed three acculturation strategies, including separation (characterized by a relatively high degree of preference for South Asian culture over US culture), assimilation (characterized by a relatively high degree of preference for US culture over South Asian culture), and integration (characterized by a similar level of preference for South Asian and US cultures). Respondents with no religious affiliation, those with higher levels of income, those who lived a greater percentage of their lives in the US, and those who spoke English well or very well were less likely to use the separation strategy than the assimilation or integration strategies. Using epidemiologic cohort data, this study illustrated a conceptual and methodological approach that addresses limitations of previous research on acculturation and health. More work is needed to understand how the acculturation strategies identified in this study affect the health of South Asian immigrants in the US.

  20. Fathers in situational crisis: a comparison of Asian and Western cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tseng, Yun-Shan; Verklan, M Terese

    2008-09-01

    The purpose of this synthesis was to compare the difference between Asian and Western fathers' perceptions of their roles when confronted with situational crises involving their children. Twenty-two studies were reviewed and assigned to one of two categories: the father experiencing a situational crisis related to his child's illness or cultural influences on the paternal role. The results indicated that Asian and Western fathers' perceptions of crises do not differ greatly. It was concluded that there exists a gap in the literature with respect to the knowledge of Asian fathers' situational crisis surrounding their child's illness, their coping strategies when faced with their child's illness, as well as their emotional reactions toward family health. Future research should investigate the single or same-gender father's perceptions and emotional reactions in both Asian and Western cultures.

  1. The Asian Newspaper's Reluctant Revolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lent, John A., Ed.

    This book is composed of 19 articles written by both Asian and American scholars on the history and present conditions of newspapers in 15 Asian nations: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, South Vietnam, Ceylon, India, and Pakistan. Two overviews of the Asian…

  2. Long-term (52-week) safety and efficacy of Sacubitril/valsartan in Asian patients with hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Supasyndh, Ouppatham; Sun, Ningling; Kario, Kazuomi; Hafeez, Kudsia; Zhang, Jack

    2017-05-01

    Sacubitril/valsartan (LCZ696), a first-in-class angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor, demonstrated significant reductions in office and 24 h ambulatory blood pressure (BP) over 8 weeks in Asian patients with hypertension. This 52-week extension to the 8-week core study was aimed at evaluating the long-term safety, tolerability and efficacy of sacubitril/valsartan. Patients who completed an 8-week randomized study (the core study) were enrolled in this 52-week open-label study and received sacubitril/valsartan 200 mg QD. The sacubitril/valsartan dose was uptitrated to 400 mg QD if BP was uncontrolled (>140/90 mm Hg) after 4 weeks. Subsequently, in patients with uncontrolled BP, treatment was intensified every 4 weeks with amlodipine 5-10 mg followed by hydrochlorothiazide 6.25-25 mg. Of the 341 patients enrolled, 7 (2.1%) discontinued the study drug due to adverse events (AEs). The incidence of AEs and serious AEs were 63.9 and 3.8%, respectively, and no deaths were reported in this study. The most frequent AEs were nasopharyngitis (18.2%) and dizziness (8.8%). Events that were potentially indicative of low BP were infrequent. One patient reported mild transient angioedema (lasting 2.5 h) that resolved without treatment but led to study drug discontinuation. The sacubitril/valsartan-based regimen provided clinically significant mean sitting systolic BP (msSBP) and mean sitting diastolic BP (msDBP) reductions from baseline (-24.7/-16.2 mm Hg). The overall BP control, msSBP and msDBP response rates were 75.3, 90.6 and 87.6%, respectively. Long-term use of sacubitril/valsartan was generally safe and well-tolerated in patients with hypertension and provided significant BP reductions from baseline.

  3. Asian Values: Basic Contentions And Possible Counterarguments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Кирилл Вадимович Батыгин

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The present article provides a retrospective of the “Asian values” debate which can be traced to the late 20 th century with the contemporary topical statements from Southeast Asian political actors, most notably those of Singapore and Malaysia, acting as a starting point. The declamatory proclamations of Southeast Asian political leaders and the numerous articles by esteemed scholars provide a fascinating literary landscape which the author attempts to traverse in the aim of producing what could be considered the concept's most important principals. Still, it is the contention of the author that “Asian values” represent the reaction of a select number of political leaders and thinkers in light of the so-called "Southeast Asian economic miracle". Consequently, a review of various critical statements dealing with the viability of the concept provides the highlight of the article.

  4. Infant feeding in the first 12 weeks following birth: a comparison of patterns seen in Asian and non-Asian women in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahlen, Hannah G; Homer, Caroline S E

    2010-03-01

    There is a belief amongst midwives that Asian women are less likely to breastfeed compared to non-Asian women. The aim of this research was to compare the infant feeding decisions of Asian and non-Asian women on discharge from two Sydney hospitals, and at 6 and 12 weeks following birth. 235 Asian and 462 non-Asian first time mothers. A secondary analysis was undertaken into data from a randomised clinical trial of a perineal management technique (perineal warm packs). Simple descriptive statistics were used for analysis and Chi-square and logistic regression was used to examine differences between women from Asian and non-Asian backgrounds. Compared with non-Asian women, Asian women were no less likely to exclusively breastfeed on discharge from hospital (83% vs. 87%, OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.4-1.2), at 6 weeks (60% vs. 61%, OR 1, 95% CI 0.7-1.4) or 12 weeks postpartum (51% vs. 56%, OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-1.2). They were, however, significantly more likely to be partially breastfeeding on discharge from hospital (10% vs. 2%, OR 5.3, 95% CI 2.3-12.4), at 6 weeks (22% vs. 11%, OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-3.2) and 12 weeks postpartum (17% vs. 8%, OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2-3.9). Asian women were more likely than non-Asian women to be giving their baby some breast milk at 6 and 12 weeks postpartum when partial breastfeeding was taken into account. This contradicts popular beliefs amongst midwives regarding the infant feeding practices of Asian women. Further research into this important issue is needed in order to improve breastfeeding support for women from different cultural backgrounds. The issue of causes of, and variations in, the levels of partial breastfeeding between different ethnic groups needs more investigation. Crown Copyright 2009. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Attitudes and Perceptions of Suicide and Suicide Prevention Messages for Asian Americans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Priyata Thapa

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the context of suicidal behaviors is critical for effective suicide prevention strategies. Although suicide is an important topic for Asian Americans, there is limited information about what Asian Americans’ attitudes are towards suicide and their perceptions about the effectiveness of prevention efforts. These questions are critical to examine to provide foundational knowledge for determining how best to intervene. In this study, Asian American (n = 87 and White (n = 87 participants completed self-report indexes on their knowledge of depression and suicide (e.g., estimates of suicide rates, coping attitudes (e.g., help-seeking and suicide prevention attitudes (e.g., usefulness of PSAs. The results indicate that in comparison to Whites, Asian Americans perceived suicidal behavior to be more common, perceived a stronger link between depression and suicide, less frequently endorsed help-seeking strategies, and reported more concern or distress after viewing a suicide prevention PSA. These preliminary results also suggest the possibility of cultural differences in perceptions of suicide prevention messages. The implications of these findings are discussed with a focus on providing recommendations for exploring suicide prevention efforts for Asian Americans.

  6. Pregnancy and puerperium-related strokes in Asian women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Maria; Wasay, Mohammad; Menon, Bindu; Saadatnia, Mohammad; Venketasubramanian, Narayanaswamy; Gunaratne, Padma; Mehndiratta, M M; Dai, Alper; Kaul, Subhash

    2013-11-01

    Despite an increased risk of stroke in pregnancy and puerperium, the overall incidence of the condition in this population is low. Therefore, there is limited data pertaining to these patients particularly from Asian countries. Our objective was to describe the risk factors and outcomes of 110 pregnancy-related ischemic strokes from 5 Asian countries. Data were collected by retrospective chart review in most cases and prospectively in the rest. Inclusion criteria for this subanalysis were women, pregnant or within 1-month postpartum, presenting to the study center with acute ischemic stroke (arterial or venous) confirmed by neuroimaging. Intracranial hemorrhages other than the ones associated with cerebral venous thrombosis or hemorrhagic infarct were excluded. Risk factors were diagnosed based on already published criteria. Outcomes were measured using modified Rankin score. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 19.0. In all, 110 women with mean age of 27.94 years presented with pregnancy-related ischemic strokes; 58.2% of the strokes occurred postpartum and 49.1% were secondary to cerebral venous thrombosis. Venous strokes were significantly more likely to occur postpartum compared with arterial strokes (P=.01), to have abnormal "hypercoagulable panel result on admission" (PAsian women. Both traditional and pregnancy-specific risk factors should be addressed to control ischemic stroke risk in these women. Copyright © 2013 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Effectiveness of culturally tailored diabetes interventions for Asian immigrants to the United States: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joo, Jee Young

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the effectiveness of tailoring community-based diabetes intervention to Asian immigrant cultures. The Cochrane processes and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses recommendations guided this systematic review. PubMed, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Ovid, and PsycINFO were searched for analyses and syntheses of primary research published since 2000 that described interventions tailored for the cultures of Asian immigrants with diabetes. This search yielded a total of 9 articles published from 2005 to 2013. The Amsterdam-Maastricht Consensus List for Quality Assessment was used to assess the quality of the studies. Retrieved studies' populations were foreign-born adults >50 years of age with type 2 diabetes. The review revealed that culturally tailored diabetes programs are effective at improving patients' objectively measured clinical outcomes, in particular A1C levels, and psychobehavioral outcomes. Patients were also highly satisfied with bilingual health care providers and bilingual educational programs. There is strong evidence of the effectiveness of tailoring diabetes interventions to Asian immigrant populations' cultures. Further studies, including longitudinal studies and studies with rigorous research designs that subclassify Asian immigrants, are needed to encourage the implementation of culturally tailored diabetes intervention for this ethnic minority. © 2014 The Author(s).

  8. The Asian petrochemical industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Selwa, Christopher.

    1996-03-01

    The Asian Petrochemical Industry brings you up to date with the latest developments in this dynamic region and covers all the key issues, giving detailed analysis and comment on: the general economic outlook; demand and production trends for basic petrochemicals and specialities in individual countries; political stability and how with affects growth and investment opportunities; security of supply; the import of petrochemicals and the aim of the region to become a net exporter by 2000; capacity increases - the relative merits of new plant construction versus expanding existing plants; the financing of petrochemical projects; the use of appropriate projects; the use of appropriate technology and patent provision in the Gatt treaty; increasing environmental concerns and the 'responsible care' initiative. The Asian Petrochemical Industry presents an overview of each Asian player in the petrochemical and associated industries, comparing and contrasting the countries within the region. (Author)

  9. Parent-to-Child Aggression among Asian American Parents: Culture, Context, and Vulnerability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Anna S.; Takeuchi, David T.; Alegria, Margarita

    2006-01-01

    We examined correlates of lifetime parent-to-child aggression in a representative sample of 1,293 Asian American parents. Correlates examined included nativity, indicators of acculturation, socioeconomic status, family climate, and stressors associated with minority status. Results revealed that Asian Americans of Chinese descent and those who…

  10. A 16-Year Examination of Domestic Violence among Asians and Asian Americans in the Empirical Knowledge Base: A Content Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yick, Alice G.; Oomen-Early, Jody

    2008-01-01

    Until recently, research studies have implied that domestic violence does not affect Asian American and immigrant communities, or even Asians abroad, because ethnicity or culture has not been addressed. In this content analysis, the authors examined trends in publications in leading scholarly journals on violence relating to Asian women and…

  11. Medical care of hepatitis B among Asian American populations: perspectives from three provider groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Jessica P; Roundtree, Aimee K; Engebretson, Joan C; Suarez-Almazor, Maria E

    2010-03-01

    Physicians can play a significant role in helping to decrease the hepatitis B virus (HBV) burden among Asian Americans. Few studies have described knowledge and practice patterns in the medical community among different provider types regarding HBV and liver cancer. Our study explores the HBV beliefs, attitudes and practice patterns of medical providers serving Asian American communities. We conducted three focus groups with primary care providers, liver specialists, and other providers predominantly serving Asian American community. We asked about practices and barriers to appropriate medical care and outreach. We moderated three focus groups with 23 participants, 18 of whom completed and returned demographic surveys. Twelve were of Asian ethnicity and 13 spoke English as a second language. Only eight screened at least half of their patients, most (72%) using the hepatitis B surface antigen test. We used grounded theory methods to analyze focus group transcripts. Participants frequently discussed cultural and financial barriers to hepatitis care. They admitted reluctance to screen for HBV because patients might be unwilling or unable to afford treatment. Cultural differences were discussed most by primary care providers; best methods of outreach were discussed most by liver specialists; and alternative medicine was discussed most by acupuncturists and other providers. More resources are needed to lower financial barriers complicating HBV care and encourage providing guideline-recommended screenings. Other providers can help promote HBV screening and increase community and cultural awareness.

  12. Resurgent Ethnicity among Asian Americans: Ethnic Neighborhood Context and Health

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walton, Emily

    2012-01-01

    In this study I investigate the associations of neighborhood socioeconomic and social environments with the health of Asian Americans living in both Asian ethnic neighborhoods and non-Asian neighborhoods. I use a sample of 1962 Asian Americans from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS, 2003-04). Three key findings emerge. First,…

  13. South Asians and risk of cardiovascular disease: current insights and trends.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mangalmurti, Sandeep S; Paley, Ari; Gany, Francesca; Fisher, Edward A; Hochman, Judith S

    2010-01-01

    Patients from the Indian subcontinent have a distinct cardiovascular risk profile with profound health consequences. South Asians tend to develop more severe coronary artery disease at a younger age, and may also suffer from earlier myocardial infarction and heart failure. The genesis of this risk is multi-factorial. One important culprit is increased insulin resistance, possibly due to recently identified genetic polymorphisms. Another possible explanation is subclinical inflammation and a prothrombotic environment, as evidenced by increased levels of homocysteine, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, and fibrinogen. The lipid profile of South Asians may play a role, as this population is known to have elevated levels of lipoprotein (a), as well as lower levels of HDL. In addition, this HDL may be dysfunctional, as this population may have a higher prevalence of low levels of HDL2b, as well as an increased preponderance of smaller HDL. Current guidelines for primary and secondary prevention have not reflected our growing insight into the unique characteristics of the South Asian population, and may need to evolve to reflect our knowledge.

  14. Asian Ginseng

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... care provider before using Asian ginseng. Keep in Mind Tell all your health care providers about any ... Privacy and Policies Accessibility en Español FOIA Site Map Contact Us U.S. Department of Health & Human Services , ...

  15. Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Report.pdf [1.2MB] Obesity and Overweight Among Asian American Children and Adolescents 2016.04.28-OBESITY AND ... Month Stay Connected! Receive the latest APIAHF updates Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum. All rights reserved. One Kaiser Plaza, ...

  16. Asian Economic Integration Monitor July 2012

    OpenAIRE

    Asian Development Bank (ADB); Asian Development Bank (ADB); Asian Development Bank (ADB); Asian Development Bank (ADB)

    2012-01-01

    The Asian Economic Integration Monitor is a semiannual review of Asia’s regional economic cooperation and integration. It covers 48 regional member countries of the Asian Development Bank. This issue includes a special section—Regional Integration: A Balanced View.

  17. Liminality, the Australian State and Asian Nurse Immigrants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. M. Willis

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Over the last two decades the flow of Asians to Australia through legitimate immigration programs has accelerated. This is particularly the case for Asian nurses coming from countries that were once subjected to European colonisation. The difficulties encountered by nurses from Asian countries mirror those of earlier waves of migrants. These include navigating the language and differences in cultural mores, values, and beliefs, along with the loneliness that may come from leaving strong family ties at home. While racism has been evident for all earlier waves of migrants, Asians face an additional hurdle linked to the uneasy relationship Australians and the Australian state has with Asia. Australia is geographically in Asia, but culturally Anglo and European.  The impact this might have on the working relationships of Asian and Australian born registered nurses is significant given the nature of their work in caring for the sick and elderly. This liminal relationship between the Australian state and Asians provides a theoretical insight into the particular difficulties experienced by Asian nurses and the integration programs that might assist them and their Australian colleagues to develop cohesive working relationships.

  18. Early Education for Asian American Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitano, Margie K.

    1980-01-01

    A review of early education for Asian American children (Japanese, Chinese, Filipinos, Vietnamese, Koreans, Hawaiians, and Samoans) focuses on the 1975 Asian American Education Project, a study of the learning characteristics of preschool age children and its educational implications. (CM)

  19. Dentists' perceptions of difficulties encountered in providing dental care for British Asians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, S A; Godson, J H; Ahmed, I A

    1995-03-01

    British Asians represent a substantial proportion of the population in some parts of the United Kingdom, yet many fail to use dental services regularly. This study aimed to investigate dentists' concerns about providing care for this client group. Following a pilot study, a postal questionnaire was sent to general dental practitioners and community dental officers working in seven family health services authority localities. Of 1546 questionnaires circulated, 639 (41 per cent) were returned. The language barrier was most frequently identified as a major impediment to care (78 per cent), followed by patients' understanding of treatment proposed (67 per cent), while 64 per cent found difficulty obtaining medical histories. Only 20 per cent considered that gaining consent for treatment was a problem. Other issues concerned attendance as casual patients (65 per cent) and, in terms of treatment provided, difficulties with preventive (77 per cent), periodontal (66 per cent) and orthodontic care (27 per cent). The proportion of dentists identifying barriers to care reflected the English-speaking abilities of different Asian populations. Compared with the high percentage mentioning language, understanding and medical history, the small proportion of dentists who thought that consent was of concern suggests that concepts of consent may need to be questioned. Despite the low response rate, the high proportion of respondents identifying these issues implies that the present position may put patients' health at risk, restrict treatment options and offer a potential for litigation. Future initiatives to overcome barriers to appropriate care must address the perspectives of dentists treating British Asians, as well as that of the client group.

  20. Drug use among Asian Americans: Differentiating use by acculturation status and gender.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bersamira, Clifford S; Lin, Yu-An; Park, Keunhye; Marsh, Jeanne C

    2017-08-01

    This study examined past-year drug use among Asian Americans with respect to ethnic subgroup, acculturation, and gender differences. Survey data were collected during the National Latino and Asian American Survey, a national epidemiological household survey of behavioral health prevalence and service utilization rates. The analytical sample consisted of 505 Filipino, 598 Chinese, 518 Vietnamese, and 466 other Asian respondents. Results indicated that among ethnic subgroups, Filipinos had the highest rates of drug use. Among all Asian Americans, those who were born in the United States, those with higher levels of English proficiency, males, those who were younger, those with lifetime prevalence of a major depressive episode, and those who were frequent drinkers were all more likely to have reported past-year drug use. Findings suggest the need to better understand the heterogeneous character of Asian American drug use when considering the provision of culturally competent and linguistically appropriate prevention and treatment services. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Molecular epidemiology of American/Asian genotype DENV-2 in Peru.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruz, Cristhopher D; Forshey, Brett M; Juarez, Diana S; Guevara, Carolina; Leguia, Mariana; Kochel, Tadeusz J; Halsey, Eric S

    2013-08-01

    During the past decade, countries in South America have reported dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) associated with American/Asian genotype of dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2). DENV-2 strains have been associated with large outbreaks of dengue fever and DHF in numerous regions of Peru since the mid-1990s, but studies to address the origins, distribution, and genetic diversity of DENV-2 strains have been limited. To address this knowledge gap, we sequenced the envelope gene region of DENV-2 isolates from Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Sequences were aligned and compared to a global sample of DENV-2 viruses. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the circulation of two DENV-2 genotypes in Peru: American (prior to 2001) and American/Asian (2000 to present). American/Asian genotype variants can be classified into two lineages, and these were introduced into Peru from the north (Ecuador, Colombia, and/or Venezuela) and the east (Brazil and Bolivia). American/Asian lineage II replaced lineage I after 2009. We estimate the time to the most recent common ancestor for American/Asian DENV-2 genotype in the Americas was in 1980, and 1984 and 1989 for lineages I and II, respectively. In light of evidence for increased virulence of lineage II of American/Asian DENV-2, our results support the need for continuous monitoring for the emergence of new DENV genotypes that may be associated with severe disease. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  2. Physical disorders among Southeast Asian refugee outpatients with psychiatric disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ta, K; Westermeyer, J; Neider, J

    1996-09-01

    The study assessed the prevalence and duration of axis III physical disorders and the resulting level of disability among Southeast Asian refugee outpatients with axis I psychiatric disorders. A total of 266 consecutive patients who were evaluated in a psychiatric outpatient clinic were assessed for the presence of axis III conditions through questions about physical symptoms, a medical history and review of records, physical examination, and laboratory screening. The sample included 158 Hmong, 58 Laotian, 43 Vietnamese, and seven Cambodian patients. Fifty-five percent of the patients had one or more axis III disorders, most of which were chronic and were not associated with extreme disability. Neurological conditions were most common, and the sequelae of war-related trauma were prominent. No associations were found between the presence of axis III conditions and age, gender, marital status, or ethnic group. In 48 cases, the axis III condition may have caused or exacerbated the axis I condition. Routine medical history and a physical examination, including a neurological examination, are recommended for all psychiatric patients, including outpatients.

  3. In search of East Asian self-enhancement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heine, Steven J; Hamamura, Takeshi

    2007-02-01

    A meta-analysis of published cross-cultural studies of self-enhancement reveals pervasive and pronounced differences between East Asians and Westerners. Across 91 comparisons, the average cross-cultural effect was d = .84. The effect emerged in all 30 methods, except for comparisons of implicit self-esteem. Within cultures, Westerners showed a clear self-serving bias (d = .87), whereas East Asians did not (d = -.01), with Asian Americans falling in between (d = .52). East Asians did self-enhance in the methods that involved comparing themselves to average but were self-critical in other methods. It was hypothesized that this inconsistency could be explained in that these methods are compromised by the "everyone is better than their group's average effect" (EBTA). Supporting this rationale, studies that were implicated by the EBTA reported significantly larger self-enhancement effect for all cultures compared to other studies. Overall, the evidence converges to show that East Asians do not self-enhance.

  4. Acculturation, Skin Tone Preferences, and Tanning Behaviours Among Young Adult Asian Australians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Day, Ashley K; Wilson, Carlene J; Hutchinson, Amanda D; Roberts, Rachel M

    2016-10-01

    Australia has a significant proportion of residents of Asian heritage. Although the incidence of skin cancer is lower in those of Asian heritage than Caucasians, their prognosis is often worse. Sociocultural variables are central to the tanning behaviours of individuals from Western cultures. We examined the role of sociocultural variables in the tanning behaviours (outdoor tanning, indoor/solarium and fake tan use) among Asian Australians. A sample of 399 young adults identifying either as a person of Asian heritage or as Asian Australian participated in an online survey. Our results suggest that Asian Australians are at risk of skin cancer; over 35 % of the sample reported engaging in outdoor tanning and over 10 % in solarium tanning. After controlling for demographic factors and skin cancer knowledge, preferring a darker skin tone and being acculturated to Australia were significantly associated with tanning behaviour. Participants' low levels of skin cancer knowledge are of concern, and possibilities for improving knowledge levels in this group are considered. Further, we recommended that future research studies investigate sociocultural and appearance-related beliefs associated with tanning behaviours in this population, in order to determine best avenues for intervention.

  5. Asian Americans: Diabetes Prevalence Across U.S. and World Health Organization Weight Classifications

    OpenAIRE

    Oza-Frank, Reena; Ali, Mohammed K.; Vaccarino, Viola; Narayan, K.M. Venkat

    2009-01-01

    OBJECTIVE To compare diabetes prevalence among Asian Americans by World Health Organization and U.S. BMI classifications. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data on Asian American adults (n = 7,414) from the National Health Interview Survey for 1997–2005 were analyzed. Diabetes prevalence was estimated across weight and ethnic group strata. RESULTS Regardless of BMI classification, Asian Indians and Filipinos had the highest prevalence of overweight (34–47 and 35–47%, respectively, compared with 20–...

  6. Short-cut transport path for Asian dust directly to the Arctic: a case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Zhongwei; Huang, Jianping; Wang, Shanshan; Zhou, Tian; Jin, Hongchun; Hayasaka, Tadahiro

    2015-01-01

    Asian dust can be transported long distances from the Taklimakan or Gobi desert to North America across the Pacific Ocean, and it has been found to have a significant impact on ecosystems, climate, and human health. Although it is well known that Asian dust is transported all over the globe, there are limited observations reporting Asian dust transported to the Arctic. We report a case study of a large-scale heavy dust storm over East Asia on 19 March 2010, as shown by ground-based and space-borne multi-sensor observations, as well as NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data and HYSPLIT trajectories. Our analysis suggests that Asian dust aerosols were transported from northwest China to the Arctic within 5 days, crossing eastern China, Japan and Siberia before reaching the Arctic. The results indicate that Asian dust can be transported for long distances along a previously unreported transport path. Evidence from other dust events over the past decade (2001–2010) also supports our results, indicating that dust from 25.2% of Asian dust events has potentially been transported directly to the Arctic. The transport of Asian dust to the Arctic is due to cyclones and the enhanced East Asia Trough (EAT), which are very common synoptic systems over East Asia. This suggests that many other large dust events would have generated long-range transport of dust to the Arctic along this path in the past. Thus, Asian dust potentially affects the Arctic climate and ecosystem, making climate change in the Arctic much more complex to be fully understood. (letter)

  7. Leading Causes of Death among Asian American Subgroups (2003-2011.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katherine G Hastings

    Full Text Available Our current understanding of Asian American mortality patterns has been distorted by the historical aggregation of diverse Asian subgroups on death certificates, masking important differences in the leading causes of death across subgroups. In this analysis, we aim to fill an important knowledge gap in Asian American health by reporting leading causes of mortality by disaggregated Asian American subgroups.We examined national mortality records for the six largest Asian subgroups (Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs from 2003-2011, and ranked the leading causes of death. We calculated all-cause and cause-specific age-adjusted rates, temporal trends with annual percent changes, and rate ratios by race/ethnicity and sex. Rankings revealed that as an aggregated group, cancer was the leading cause of death for Asian Americans. When disaggregated, there was notable heterogeneity. Among women, cancer was the leading cause of death for every group except Asian Indians. In men, cancer was the leading cause of death among Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese men, while heart disease was the leading cause of death among Asian Indians, Filipino and Japanese men. The proportion of death due to heart disease for Asian Indian males was nearly double that of cancer (31% vs. 18%. Temporal trends showed increased mortality of cancer and diabetes in Asian Indians and Vietnamese; increased stroke mortality in Asian Indians; increased suicide mortality in Koreans; and increased mortality from Alzheimer's disease for all racial/ethnic groups from 2003-2011. All-cause rate ratios revealed that overall mortality is lower in Asian Americans compared to NHWs.Our findings show heterogeneity in the leading causes of death among Asian American subgroups. Additional research should focus on culturally competent and cost-effective approaches to prevent and treat specific diseases among these growing diverse populations.

  8. Leading Causes of Death among Asian American Subgroups (2003-2011).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hastings, Katherine G; Jose, Powell O; Kapphahn, Kristopher I; Frank, Ariel T H; Goldstein, Benjamin A; Thompson, Caroline A; Eggleston, Karen; Cullen, Mark R; Palaniappan, Latha P

    2015-01-01

    Our current understanding of Asian American mortality patterns has been distorted by the historical aggregation of diverse Asian subgroups on death certificates, masking important differences in the leading causes of death across subgroups. In this analysis, we aim to fill an important knowledge gap in Asian American health by reporting leading causes of mortality by disaggregated Asian American subgroups. We examined national mortality records for the six largest Asian subgroups (Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese) and non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) from 2003-2011, and ranked the leading causes of death. We calculated all-cause and cause-specific age-adjusted rates, temporal trends with annual percent changes, and rate ratios by race/ethnicity and sex. Rankings revealed that as an aggregated group, cancer was the leading cause of death for Asian Americans. When disaggregated, there was notable heterogeneity. Among women, cancer was the leading cause of death for every group except Asian Indians. In men, cancer was the leading cause of death among Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese men, while heart disease was the leading cause of death among Asian Indians, Filipino and Japanese men. The proportion of death due to heart disease for Asian Indian males was nearly double that of cancer (31% vs. 18%). Temporal trends showed increased mortality of cancer and diabetes in Asian Indians and Vietnamese; increased stroke mortality in Asian Indians; increased suicide mortality in Koreans; and increased mortality from Alzheimer's disease for all racial/ethnic groups from 2003-2011. All-cause rate ratios revealed that overall mortality is lower in Asian Americans compared to NHWs. Our findings show heterogeneity in the leading causes of death among Asian American subgroups. Additional research should focus on culturally competent and cost-effective approaches to prevent and treat specific diseases among these growing diverse populations.

  9. Asian American mental health: a call to action.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sue, Stanley; Yan Cheng, Janice Ka; Saad, Carmel S; Chu, Joyce P

    2012-10-01

    The U.S. Surgeon General's report Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity--A Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001) was arguably the best single scholarly contribution on the mental health of ethnic minority groups in the United States. Over 10 years have now elapsed since its publication in 2001. This article highlights advances and illuminates gaps in the knowledge gained about the mental health and psychotherapeutic treatment of Asian Americans in the past decade. Though larger epidemiological surveys point to lower prevalence rates of mental illness in Asian Americans, further advances are needed in culturally valid assessment and quantification of cultural biases in symptom reporting in order to draw definitive conclusions about the state of Asian American mental health. A focus on prevalence in Asian Americans as a whole also shrouds important subgroup elevations such as heightened suicide risk in Asian elderly women or greater posttraumatic stress disorder in Southeast Asian refugees. Despite important developments in our knowledge about mental health prevalence, help-seeking behaviors, and culturally competent treatments for Asian Americans, it appears that troublingly low rates of service utilization still remain even when one accounts for the seemingly low prevalence rates among Asian Americans. Some progress has been made in the cultural adaptations of psychotherapy treatments for Asian Americans. In order to reduce mental health care disparities, greater efforts are needed to provide outreach at the community level and to bridge the gap between mental health and other medical or alternative health facilities. We call for innovation and provide recommendations to address these issues in the next decade.

  10. Racial disparity in mental disorder diagnosis and treatment between non-hispanic White and Asian American patients in a general hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Carrie; Chiang, Mathew; Harrington, Amy; Kim, Sun; Ziedonis, Douglas; Fan, Xiaoduo

    2018-04-01

    The present study sought to examine the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders comparing Asian American (AA) and non-Hispanic Whites (WNH) drawn from a population accessing a large general hospital for any reason. Socio-demographic predictors of diagnosis and treatment were also explored. Data were obtained from de-identified medical records in the Partner Health Care System's Research Patient Data Registry. The final sample included 345,070 self-identified WNH and 16,418 self-identified AA's between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009. WNH patients were more likely than AA patients to carry a diagnosis of a mental disorder (18.1% vs. 8.6%, p mental disorder or use of psychotropic medication. Our findings on the racial disparity in mental disorder diagnosis and treatment between AA and WNH patients suggest that mental disorders are under-recognized and mental health services are under-utilized in the AA community. There remains a need for health care providers to improve screening services and to gain a better understanding of the cultural barriers that hinder mental health care among AA patients. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Utilizing a diabetic registry to manage diabetes in a low-income Asian American population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seto, Winnie; Turner, Barbara S; Champagne, Mary T; Liu, Lynn

    2012-08-01

    Racial and income disparities persist in diabetes management in America. One third of African and Hispanic Americans with diabetes receive the recommended diabetes services (hemoglobin A1c [A1c] testing, retinal and foot examinations) shown to reduce diabetes complications and mortality, compared to half of whites with diabetes. National data for Asian Americans are limited, but studies suggest that those with language and cultural barriers have difficulty accessing health services. A diabetic registry has been shown to improve process and clinical outcomes in a population with diabetes. This study examined whether a community center that serves primarily low-income Asian American immigrants in Santa Clara County, California, could improve diabetes care and outcomes by implementing a diabetic registry. The registry was built using the Access 2007 software program. A total of 580 patients with diabetes were identified by reviewing charts, the appointment database, and reimbursement records from Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance companies. Utilizing the registry, medical assistants contacted patients for follow-up appointments, and medical providers checked and tracked the patients' A1c results. Among the 431 patients who returned for treatment, the mean A1c was reduced from 7.27% to 6.97% over 8 months (P<0.001). Although 10.8% of the patients changed from controlled to uncontrolled diabetes post intervention, 32.6% of patients with uncontrolled diabetes converted to controlled diabetes (P<0.001). The diabetes control rate improved from 47% to 59% at the end of the study. This study demonstrated that a diabetic registry is an effective tool to manage an underserved population with diabetes, thereby reducing disparities in diabetes management.

  12. Modelling the Asian summer monsoon using CCAM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nguyen, Kim Chi; McGregor, John L. [CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Aspendale, VIC (Australia)

    2009-02-15

    A ten-year mean (1989-1998) climatology of the Asian summer monsoon is studied using the CSIRO Conformal-Cubic Atmospheric Model (CCAM) to downscale NCEP reanalyses. The aim of the current study is to validate the model results against previous work on this topic, in order to identify model strengths and weaknesses in simulating the Asian summer monsoon. The model results are compared with available observations and are presented in two parts. In the first part, the mean summer rainfall, maximum and minimum temperatures and winds are compared with the observations. The second part focuses on validation of the monsoon onset. The model captures the mean characteristics such as the cross-equatorial flow of low-level winds over the Indian Ocean and near the Somali coast, rainfall patterns, onset indices, northward movements, active-break and revival periods. (orig.)

  13. Clinically identified postpartum depression in Asian American mothers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goyal, Deepika; Wang, Elsie J; Shen, Jeremy; Wong, Eric C; Palaniappan, Latha P

    2012-01-01

    To identify the clinical diagnosis rate of postpartum depression (PPD) in Asian American subgroups (Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese) compared to non-Hispanic Whites. Cross-sectional study using electronic health records (EHR). A large, outpatient, multiservice clinic in Northern California. A diverse clinical population of non-Hispanic White (N = 4582), Asian Indian (N = 1264), Chinese (N = 1160), Filipino (N = 347), Japanese (N = 124), Korean (N = 183), and Vietnamese (N = 147) mothers. Cases of PPD were identified from EHRs using physician diagnosis codes, medication usage, and age standardized for comparison. The relationship between PPD and other demographic variables (race/ethnicity, maternal age, delivery type, marital status, and infant gender) were examined in a multivariate logistic regression model. The PPD diagnosis rate for all Asian American mothers in aggregate was significantly lower than the diagnosis rate in non-Hispanic White mothers. Moreover, of the six Asian American subgroups, PPD diagnosis rates for Asian Indian, Chinese, and Filipino mothers were significantly lower than non-Hispanic White mothers. In multivariate analyses, race/ethnicity, age, and cesarean were significant predictors of PPD. In this insured population, PPD diagnosis rates were lower among Asian Americans, with variability in rates across the individual Asian American subgroups. It is unclear whether these lower rates are due to underreporting, underdiagnosis, or underutilization of mental health care in this setting. © 2012 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

  14. UK ethnicity data collection for healthcare statistics: the South Asian perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iqbal Gulnaz

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Ethnicity data collection has been proven to be important in health care but despite government initiatives remains incomplete and mostly un-validated in the UK. Accurate self-reported ethnicity data would enable experts to assess inequalities in health and access to services and help to ensure resources are targeted appropriately. The aim of this paper is to explore the reasons for the observed gap in ethnicity data by examining the perceptions and experiences of healthy South Asian volunteers. South Asians are the largest ethnic minority group accounting for 50% of all ethnic minorities in the UK 2001 census. Methods Five focus groups, conducted by trained facilitators in the native language of each group, recruited 36 South Asian volunteers from local community centres and places of worship. The topic guide focused on five key areas:1 general opinions on the collection of ethnicity, 2 experiences of providing ethnicity information, 3 categories used in practice, 4 opinions of other indicators of ethnicity e.g. language, religion and culture and 5 views on how should this information be collected. The translated transcripts were analysed using a qualitative thematic approach. Results The findings of this Cancer Research UK commissioned study revealed that participants felt that accurate recording of ethnicity data was important in healthcare with several stating the increased prevalence of certain diseases in minority ethnic groups as an appropriate justification to improve this data. The overwhelming majority raised no objections to providing this data when the purpose of data collection is fully explained. Conclusions This study confirmed that the collection of patients' ethnicity data is deemed important by potential patients but there remains uncertainty and unease as to how the data may be used. A common theme running through the focus groups was the willingness to provide these data, strongly accompanied by a desire

  15. Organizational Life and Political Incorporation of Two Asian Immigrant Groups: A Case Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aptekar, Sofya

    2009-10-14

    Civil society is the foundation of a healthy democracy but its immigrant element has received little attention. This paper is a case study of immigrant organizations of highly-skilled Asian Indians and Chinese immigrants in a suburban town of Edison, New Jersey. I find that civic participation of Asian Indian immigrants spills over into political incorporation while Chinese immigrant organizations remain marginalized. I argue the local processes of racialization are central in explaining differences in political incorporation of immigrants. In the local context, the Chinese are seen as successful but conformist model minorities and Asian Indians as invaders and troublemakers. The racialization of Asian Indians has resulted in more political activity and higher levels of political visibility of their organizations. The results highlight shortcomings of current assimilation theories, which give little space to civic and political incorporation and view human capital in an unqualifiedly positive light.

  16. Modernity and Tradition in Shakespeare’s Asianization

    OpenAIRE

    Yang Lingui

    2013-01-01

    Do Marjorie Garber’s premises that Shakespeare makes modern culture and that modern culture makes Shakespeare apply to his reception in Asian contexts? Shakespeare’s Asianization, namely adaptation of certain Shakespeare elements into traditional forms of local cultures, seems to testify to his timelessness in timeliness. However, his statuses in modern Asia are much more complicated. The complexity lies not only in such a cross-cultural phenomenon as the Asianizing practice, but in the Shake...

  17. The Hmong Diaspora: preserved South-East Asian genetic ancestry in French Guianese Asians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brucato, Nicolas; Mazières, Stéphane; Guitard, Evelyne; Giscard, Pierre-Henri; Bois, Etienne; Larrouy, Georges; Dugoujon, Jean-Michel

    2012-01-01

    The Hmong Diaspora is one of the widest modern human migrations. Mainly localised in South-East Asia, the United States of America, and metropolitan France, a small community has also settled the Amazonian forest of French Guiana. We have biologically analysed 62 individuals of this unique Guianese population through three complementary genetic markers: mitochondrial DNA (HVS-I/II and coding region SNPs), Y-chromosome (SNPs and STRs), and the Gm allotypic system. All genetic systems showed a high conservation of the Asian gene pool (Asian ancestry: mtDNA=100.0%; NRY=99.1%; Gm=96.6%), without a trace of founder effect. When compared across various Asian populations, the highest correlations were observed with Hmong-Mien groups still living in South-East Asia (Fst<0.05; P-value<0.05). Despite a long history punctuated by exodus, the French Guianese Hmong have maintained their original genetic diversity. Copyright © 2012 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

  18. Long-term treatment with tenofovir in Asian-American chronic hepatitis B patients is associated with abnormal renal phosphate handling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tien, Connie; Xu, Jason J; Chan, Linda S; Chang, Mimi; Lim, Carolina; Lee, Sue; Huh, Brian; Shinada, Shuntaro; Bae, Ho S; Fong, Tse-Ling

    2015-02-01

    Increased risk of defective urinary phosphate reabsorption and osteoporosis has been reported in HIV and chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). Goals of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of renal phosphate wasting and abnormal bone mineral density in CHB patients taking TDF compared to CHB patients treated with entecavir (ETV) and untreated CHB patients. This is a cross-sectional study of 146 consecutive Asian-American CHB patients who were treatment naïve (n = 60) or treated with either TDF (n = 42) or ETV (n = 44). Proximal tubular handling of phosphate was assessed by the maximal rate of tubular reabsorption of phosphate (TmPO4) divided by glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (TmPO4/GFR). Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry. TmPO4/GFR was similar among CHB patients treated with TDF compared to untreated patients and patients taking ETV. However, among patients treated with ≥18 months of TDF or ETV, prevalence of abnormal TmPO4/GFR was higher among patients treated with TDF compared to ETV (48.5 % (16/33) vs. 12.5 % (3/24), p = 0.005). Overall prevalence of osteoporosis in this cohort of CHB patients was 14 %, with no significant difference between the three groups. Renal phosphate handling did not correlate with osteoporosis. Chronic hepatitis B patients treated with ≥18 months of TDF experienced an increased risk of proximal tubular dysfunction. TDF did not increase the risk of osteoporosis. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these findings.

  19. 'It Was about Claiming Space': Exposure to Asian American Studies, Ethnic Organization Participation, and the Negotiation of Self among Southeast Asian Americans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trieu, Monica M.

    2018-01-01

    Despite the growing number of Asian American Studies (AAS) programs and Asian ethnic organizations across colleges and universities since the 1970s, surprisingly little empirical research examines the role of these aspects of higher education on Asian American identity. How do the roles of AAS curriculum and Asian American student organizations…

  20. Challenges in Collating Spirometry Reference Data for South-Asian Children: An Observational Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lum, Sooky; Bountziouka, Vassiliki; Quanjer, Philip; Sonnappa, Samatha; Wade, Angela; Beardsmore, Caroline; Chhabra, Sunil K.; Chudasama, Rajesh K.; Cook, Derek G.; Harding, Seeromanie; Kuehni, Claudia E.; Prasad, K. V. V.; Whincup, Peter H.; Lee, Simon; Stocks, Janet

    2016-01-01

    Availability of sophisticated statistical modelling for developing robust reference equations has improved interpretation of lung function results. In 2012, the Global Lung function Initiative(GLI) published the first global all-age, multi-ethnic reference equations for spirometry but these lacked equations for those originating from the Indian subcontinent (South-Asians). The aims of this study were to assess the extent to which existing GLI-ethnic adjustments might fit South-Asian paediatric spirometry data, assess any similarities and discrepancies between South-Asian datasets and explore the feasibility of deriving a suitable South-Asian GLI-adjustment. Methods Spirometry datasets from South-Asian children were collated from four centres in India and five within the UK. Records with transcription errors, missing values for height or spirometry, and implausible values were excluded(n = 110). Results Following exclusions, cross-sectional data were available from 8,124 children (56.3% male; 5–17 years). When compared with GLI-predicted values from White Europeans, forced expired volume in 1s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) in South-Asian children were on average 15% lower, ranging from 4–19% between centres. By contrast, proportional reductions in FEV1 and FVC within all but two datasets meant that the FEV1/FVC ratio remained independent of ethnicity. The ‘GLI-Other’ equation fitted data from North India reasonably well while ‘GLI-Black’ equations provided a better approximation for South-Asian data than the ‘GLI-White’ equation. However, marked discrepancies in the mean lung function z-scores between centres especially when examined according to socio-economic conditions precluded derivation of a single South-Asian GLI-adjustment. Conclusion Until improved and more robust prediction equations can be derived, we recommend the use of ‘GLI-Black’ equations for interpreting most South-Asian data, although ‘GLI-Other’ may be more

  1. Fractional ablative carbon dioxide laser resurfacing for skin rejuvenation and acne scars in Asians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Nicola P Y; Ho, Stephanie G Y; Yeung, Chi K; Shek, Samantha Y N; Chan, Henry H

    2010-11-01

    Ablative fractional resurfacing (AFR) is a new modality for photorejuvenation and acne scars which combines carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser ablation with fractional photothermolysis. The objective is to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of a new fractional CO₂ ablative device (Fraxel Re:pair) for skin rejuvenation and acne scars in Asians. Nine patients underwent one full-face treatment. The energy levels ranged from 30-70 mJ with coverage between 30% and 45%. Improvement in skin texture, laxity, wrinkles, enlarged pores, overall pigmentation irregularity, and adverse effects were assessed up to 6 months post-treatment. Standardized photographs using the Canfield Visia CR system® were assessed by two independent observers. Subjective improvement was assessed by patient questionnaires. Nine Chinese patients (skin types III and IV, mean age 44.8) were included. Statistically significant improvements were seen for skin texture, skin laxity, wrinkles, enlarged pores, and acne scars. The post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation rate was 55.5% and 11.1% at 1 and 6 months post-treatment, respectively. Eighty-six percent of patients were overall satisfied to very satisfied with the treatment. Ablative fractional CO₂ laser resurfacing was overall safe and effective for skin rejuvenation and acne scars in Asians. However, in view of the high post-inflammatory rate and the statistically significant but only mild to moderate improvement after a single treatment as observed in this study, there is a need to review the current role of fractional ablative CO₂ laser treatment as compared to fractional non-ablative for skin rejuvenation and acne scar treatment in Asians. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  2. East Asian Values Surveys : making a case for East Asian-origin values survey concepts

    OpenAIRE

    Vinken, Henk

    2006-01-01

    This paper aims to contribute to social scientific work towards enhancing the cultural fit of comparative values surveys projects on a conceptual level both for Western and East Asian survey research communities and their publics. It starts with noting that, after a long period in which Western values were regarded superior ('orientalism'), in recent decades certain East Asian and specifically Confucian values are much celebrated ('reversed orientalism'). Yet, most contemporary cross-cultural...

  3. Commentary: An Asian Americanist Perspective on Child Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Richard M; Y J Kim, Adam; Zhou, Xiang

    2016-07-01

    In this commentary, we put forth an Asian Americanist perspective on child development that frames, expands upon, and at times challenges the contextual, conceptual, and methodological ideas put forward by Kiang et al., Mistry et al., and Yoshikawa et al. (this volume). This Asian Americanist perspective draws upon scholarship in Asian American Studies and critical race theory to bridge the historical, conceptual, and methodological contributions of the three articles. We also aim to challenge current and future generations of scholars studying Asian American child development to look at Asian American youth and families as autonomous, self-determining agents who are capable of challenging, resisting, and affecting change in a racialized society. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

  4. Asian International Students’ Perceptions of their University Experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cody J. Perry

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Asian students make up the largest proportion of international students who study in the United States. Seeking a degree in higher education can be challenging for any student, but Asian students often encounter more obstacles to completion than many other international and domestic students. Culture, family and health concerns, and safety are some of the largest concerns that this study found among Asian students in the US. The study found that East-Asian international students had more issues than students from other parts of Asia and difficulty with the English language was of major importance to respondents. In addition, safety is an issue that Asian students were concerned with while studying in the US. The study was exploratory in nature and informs the field on future avenues of research.

  5. Body shape perception and dieting in preadolescent British Asian girls: links with eating disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, A J; Bhatti, R

    1995-03-01

    Body shape dissatisfaction and dieting have previously been reported in 9-year-old Caucasian girls. As British adolescents of Asian origin appear at least as vulnerable to eating disorders, the present study investigated these issues in preadolescent British Asian girls. Fifty-five Asian and 42 Caucasian 9-year-olds completed assessments of dietary restraint, body esteem, body satisfaction, and body figure preferences. The study revealed a high priority for thinness in both the Asian and Caucasian girls. Their desire for thinness was present even though the Asian girls had a significantly lower body weight than their Caucasian peers. Both groups of high restraint girls expressed body shape discontent and lower body esteem. In addition, an association was found in the Asian sample between reported dieting and the cultural orientation of their family. These results demonstrate the wide appeal of thinness, which in combination with intercultural and intrafamilial conflict, may strongly influence eating and contribute to the development of eating disorders.

  6. The Asian Future of Evolutionary Psychology

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    Geoffrey Miller

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Asia's population, wealth, cognitive capital, and scientific influence are growing quickly. Reasonable demographic, economic, and psychometric projections suggest that by the mid-21st century, most of the world's psychology will be done in Asia, by Asians. Even if evolutionary psychology wins the battles for academic respectability in the United States and European Union, if it ignores the rise of Asian psychology, it will fail to have any serious, long-term, global influence in the behavioral sciences after the current generations of researchers are dead. I outline a ‘marketing strategy’ for promoting evolutionary psychology in the current Asian powers (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, the new Asian mega-powers (China, India, and other developing Asia countries (e.g. Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, in a way that takes advantage of Asia's relative secularism, freedom from political correctness, sex-positive social attitudes, and intellectual traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.

  7. The prognostic value of dobutamine stress echocardiography amongst British Indian Asian and Afro-Caribbean patients: a comparison with European white patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Driscoll, Jamie M; Rossato, Claire; Gargallo-Fernandez, Paula; Araco, Marco; Giannoglou, Dimitrios; Sharma, Sanjay; Sharma, Rajan

    2015-08-06

    The incidence of cardiovascular disease is considerably disparate among different racial and ethnic populations. While dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) has been shown to be useful in Caucasian patients, its role among ethnic minority groups remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic importance of DSE in three ethnic groups in the UK. DSE was performed on 6231 consecutive patients. After exclusions, 5329 patients formed the study (2676 [50.2%] Indian Asian, 2219 [41.6%] European white and 434 [8.1%] Afro-Caribbean). Study outcome measures were non-fatal cardiac events (NFCE) and all-cause mortality. There were 849 (15.9%) NFCE and 1365 (25.6%) deaths over a median follow-up period of 4.6 years. In total 1174 (22%) patients had inducible myocardial ischaemia during DSE, 859 (16.1%) had fixed wall motion abnormalities and 3645 (68.4%) patients had a normal study. Ethnicity did not predict events. Among the three ethnic groups, ischaemia on DSE was associated with 2 to 2.5 times the risk of non-fatal cardiac events and 1.2 to 1.4 times the risk of all-cause mortality. Peak wall motion score index was the strongest independent predictor of non-fatal cardiac events and all-cause mortality in all groups. The C statistic for the prediction of NFCE and all-cause mortality were significantly higher when DSE parameters were added to the standard risk factors for all ethnic groups. DSE is a strong predictor of NFCE and all-cause mortality and provides predictive information beyond that provided by standard risk factors in three major racial and ethnic groups. No major differences among racial and ethnic groups in the predictive value of DSE was detected.

  8. Thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke with alteplase in an Asian population: results of the multicenter, multinational Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Non-European Union World (SITS-NEW).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rha, Joung-Ho; Shrivastava, Vasantha Padma; Wang, Yongjun; Lee, Kim En; Ahmed, Niaz; Bluhmki, Erich; Hermansson, Karin; Wahlgren, Nils

    2014-10-01

    Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Non-European Union World was a multinational, prospective, open, monitored, observational study of intravenous alteplase as thrombolytic therapy in clinical practice. Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Non-European Union World was required to assess the safety of alteplase in an Asian population by comparison with results from the European Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Monitoring Study and pooled results from randomized controlled trials. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous alteplase (0·9 mg/kg) as thrombolytic therapy within three-hours of onset of acute ischaemic stroke in an Asian population. The 591 patients included were treated at 48 centers in four countries (South Korea, China, India, and Singapore) between 2006 and 2008. Primary outcomes were symptomatic (deterioration in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥4 or death within the first 24 h) intracerebral haemorrhage type 2 22-36 h after the thrombolysis and mortality at three-month follow-up. The secondary outcome was functional independence (modified Rankin Scale score 0-2) at three-months. Results were compared with those from Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Monitoring Study (n = 6483) and pooled results of patients (n = 415) who received intravenous alteplase (0·9 mg/kg) zero- to three-hours from onset of stroke symptoms in four randomized controlled trials (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke A and B, Altephase Thrombolysis for Acute Noninterventional Therapy in Ischaemic Stroke, and European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study II). Results are presented as Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Non-European Union World vs. Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Monitoring Study vs. pooled randomized controlled trials. Median age was 64 vs. 68 vs. 70 years, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at baseline was 12 vs. 12 vs. 13

  9. Physical and Mental Health Disparities among Young Children of Asian Immigrants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Keng-Yen; Calzada, Esther; Cheng, Sabrina; Brotman, Laurie Miller

    2013-01-01

    Objective To examine physical and mental health functioning among Asian-American children of US-born and immigrant parents. Study design We used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998–1999 base-year public data file. The sample was restricted to 7726 Asian and US-born white children. Asian subgroups were created based on parents’ country of birth. Child physical and mental health was assessed based on multiple sources of data and measures. Analyses included multivariate linear and logistic regression. Results After adjusting for demographic and contextual differences, disparities were found for physical and mental health indicators. Children of foreign-born Asian families (from east, southeast, and south Asia) were at greater risk for poor physical health, internalizing problems, and inadequate interpersonal relationships compared with children of US-born white families. Conclusion There is little support for the “model minority” myth with regard to physical and mental health. Evidence of physical and mental health disparities among young Asian-American children and differing risk based on region of origin of immigrant parents suggests the need for culturally informed prevention efforts during early childhood. PMID:21907351

  10. Focus: Asian migration to Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobayashi, A

    1988-01-01

    This collection of 5 short essays on Asian migration to Canada focuses on the relationships between individual migrants and their social contexts, both Asian and Canadian. Papers by Anderson and Kobayashi adopt research perspectives of outsider and insider, respectively. Vibert provides a historical overview against which the substantive issues introduced in the other 3 papers can be understood, and he illustrates the links between circumstances of migration and the larger issues by which the course of Canadian social progress has been steered. Mercer provides an introduction to issues that dominate the agenda of contemporary research, to show that Canadian communities of Asian heritage continue to grow in size, diversity, and complexity, as they become more established on the Canadian landscape. This collection is as much about the geography of racism as it is about migration.

  11. The role of conflict with parents in disordered eating among British Asian females.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furnham, A; Husain, K

    1999-09-01

    Previous studies have found British Asian schoolgirls' EAT-26 (Eating Attitudes Test) scores to be higher than those of White schoolgirls and positively associated with parental overprotection as measured by the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). This study aimed to determine whether conflict with parents is associated with EAT scores in young British Asian student-aged females. Participants completed three questionnaires. A Parent Conflict Questionnaire was devised, consisting of items regarding Role of Women, Marriage Choices, Going Out, and Choice of Friends. This was administered along with the PBI and EAT-26 to equivalent groups of 82 White and 55 Asian females. Contrary to hypothesis there were no significant differences between Whites and Asians on EAT scores. PBI parental overprotection scores and all conflict scores were, however, higher among the Asians. EAT scores and conflict with parents over Going Out and Choice of Friends were correlated in the Asian group. The results suggest that British Asian female conflicts with parents over socializing may be one factor that leads to the development of eating disturbances in this population. However, limitations of the study concerned with sampling, self-report and cross-sectional rather than longitudinal data gathering suggests further work needs to be done to examine socio-cultural correlates of eating disorders.

  12. Do East Asian and Euro-Canadian women differ in sexual psychophysiology research participation?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woo, Jane S T; Brotto, Lori A; Yule, Morag A

    2010-07-01

    Evidence from studies of ethnic differences in sexual conservativeness and Papanicolaou (Pap) testing behaviors suggests that there may be culture-linked differences in rates of participation in physically invasive sexuality studies, resulting in volunteer bias. The effects of ethnicity and acculturation on participation in female psychophysiological sexual arousal research were investigated in a sample of Euro-Canadian (n = 50) and East Asian (n = 58) women. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires and were given either course credits or $10 for their participation. Participants were then informed about the opportunity to participate in a second phase of the study, which involved psychophysiological sexual arousal testing and which was completely optional. Contrary to expectations, the results showed that the East Asian women were more likely to participate in Phase 2 than the Euro-Canadian women. Among the East Asian women, greater heritage acculturation and lower mainstream acculturation predicted a lower likelihood of Phase 2 participation. The findings suggest the need to be wary of overgeneralizing female psychophysiological sexual arousal research results and may have implications for improving Pap testing behaviors in East Asian women.

  13. Comparison of FOLFOX and DOF regimens as first-line treatment in East Asian patients with advanced gastric cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu M

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Mengyao Liu,1,2 Guofang Hu,2 Yuan Wang,2 Jun Guo,2 Liyan Liu,2 Xiao Han,2 Zhehai Wang2 1School of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Jinan-Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, 2Department of Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital, affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, People’s Republic of China Background: Our study retrospectively assesses the safety and efficacy of the FOLFOX (oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin versus DOF (docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and fluorouracil regimens in untreated locally advanced gastric cancer (AGC.Patients and methods: A total of 108 patients underwent DOF (N=58 and FOLFOX (N=50 regimens. The end points were overall response rate (ORR, survival, and toxicity. Kaplan–Meier curve was used to estimate overall survival (OS and progression-free survival (PFS and Cox regression for multivariate analysis.Results: The ORRs were 50% for DOF and 30% for FOLFOX groups (P<0.05, and disease control rates were 91.4% and 72%, respectively. The median PFS and OS in DOF group were significantly better than FOLFOX group (8.2 versus 6.4 months, P<0.05; 16.3 versus 11.2 months, P<0.001. Both groups showed acceptable toxicity; all grades and grade 3–4 toxicity had no significant differences (P=0.071; P=0.247. However, the incidence of grade 3–4 peripheral neuropathy was significantly higher in DOF group (10.3% versus 2%, P<0.05. In the subgroup analysis for elderly AGC patients (≥65 years, administration of DOF also resulted in a superior PFS (8.5 versus 5.9 months; P=0.038 and OS (15.3 versus 9.8 months; P=0.004 compared with FOLFOX. However, DOF regimen was associated with more neutropenia (67% versus 30%; P<0.05, thrombocytopenia (61% versus 52%; P<0.05, and peripheral neuropathy (49% versus 22%; P<0.05.Conclusion: DOF regimen was more effective than FOLFOX for AGC, both in younger and older patients. The adverse effects of the two regimens were

  14. The mtDNA haplogroup P of modern Asian cattle: A genetic legacy of Asian aurochs?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noda, Aoi; Yonesaka, Riku; Sasazaki, Shinji

    2018-01-01

    Background Aurochs (Bos primigenius) were distributed throughout large parts of Eurasia and Northern Africa during the late Pleistocene and the early Holocene, and all modern cattle are derived from the aurochs. Although the mtDNA haplogroups of most modern cattle belong to haplogroups T and I, several additional haplogroups (P, Q, R, C and E) have been identified in modern cattle and aurochs. Haplogroup P was the most common haplogroup in European aurochs, but so far, it has been identified in only three of >3,000 submitted haplotypes of modern Asian cattle. Methodology We sequenced the complete mtDNA D-loop region of 181 Japanese Shorthorn cattle and analyzed these together with representative bovine mtDNA sequences. The haplotype P of Japanese Shorthorn cattle was analyzed along with that of 36 previously published European aurochs and three modern Asian cattle sequences using the hypervariable 410 bp of the D-loop region. Conclusions We detected the mtDNA haplogroup P in Japanese Shorthorn cattle with an extremely high frequency (83/181). Phylogenetic networks revealed two main clusters, designated as Pa for haplogroup P in European aurochs and Pc in modern Asian cattle. We also report the genetic diversity of haplogroup P compared with the sequences of extinct aurochs. No shared haplotypes are observed between the European aurochs and the modern Asian cattle. This finding suggests the possibility of local and secondary introgression events of haplogroup P in northeast Asian cattle, and will contribute to a better understanding of its origin and genetic diversity. PMID:29304129

  15. The mtDNA haplogroup P of modern Asian cattle: A genetic legacy of Asian aurochs?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noda, Aoi; Yonesaka, Riku; Sasazaki, Shinji; Mannen, Hideyuki

    2018-01-01

    Aurochs (Bos primigenius) were distributed throughout large parts of Eurasia and Northern Africa during the late Pleistocene and the early Holocene, and all modern cattle are derived from the aurochs. Although the mtDNA haplogroups of most modern cattle belong to haplogroups T and I, several additional haplogroups (P, Q, R, C and E) have been identified in modern cattle and aurochs. Haplogroup P was the most common haplogroup in European aurochs, but so far, it has been identified in only three of >3,000 submitted haplotypes of modern Asian cattle. We sequenced the complete mtDNA D-loop region of 181 Japanese Shorthorn cattle and analyzed these together with representative bovine mtDNA sequences. The haplotype P of Japanese Shorthorn cattle was analyzed along with that of 36 previously published European aurochs and three modern Asian cattle sequences using the hypervariable 410 bp of the D-loop region. We detected the mtDNA haplogroup P in Japanese Shorthorn cattle with an extremely high frequency (83/181). Phylogenetic networks revealed two main clusters, designated as Pa for haplogroup P in European aurochs and Pc in modern Asian cattle. We also report the genetic diversity of haplogroup P compared with the sequences of extinct aurochs. No shared haplotypes are observed between the European aurochs and the modern Asian cattle. This finding suggests the possibility of local and secondary introgression events of haplogroup P in northeast Asian cattle, and will contribute to a better understanding of its origin and genetic diversity.

  16. Efficacy and safety of everolimus in combination with trastuzumab and paclitaxel in Asian patients with HER2+ advanced breast cancer in BOLERO-1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toi, Masakazu; Shao, Zhimin; Hurvitz, Sara; Tseng, Ling-Ming; Zhang, Qingyuan; Shen, Kunwei; Liu, Donggeng; Feng, Jifeng; Xu, Binghe; Wang, Xiaojia; Lee, Keun Seok; Ng, Ting Ying; Ridolfi, Antonia; Noel-Baron, Florence; Ringeisen, Francois; Jiang, Zefei

    2017-04-11

    The current exploratory analysis was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of everolimus for treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) advanced breast cancer in the Asian subset of patients in the BOLERO-1 trial. Postmenopausal women with HER2+ advanced breast cancer, who had not received systemic therapy for advanced disease, were randomized 2:1 to receive everolimus or placebo, plus trastuzumab and paclitaxel. The two primary end points were investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) in the full population and in the hormone receptor-negative (HR-) subpopulation. Secondary end points included assessment of the objective response rate, the clinical benefit rate, and safety. In the Asian subset, median PFS was similar in the everolimus (n = 198) and placebo (n = 105) arms in the full analysis set (hazard ratio = 0.82 (95% CI 0.61-1.11)). In the HR- subpopulation, everolimus prolonged median PFS by 10.97 months vs placebo (25.46 vs 14.49 months; hazard ratio = 0.48 (95% CI 0.29-0.79)). In the everolimus arm of the Asian subset, the most common adverse events of any grade were stomatitis (62.2%), diarrhea (48.0%), rash (43.4%) and neutropenia (42.3%). Neutropenia (grade 3: 27.6%; grade 4: 4.6%) and decreased neutrophil count (grade 3: 11.2%; grade 4: 3.6%) were the most frequent grade 3/4 adverse events. Serious adverse events included pneumonia (5.1%), pneumonitis (3.1%), and interstitial lung disease (3.1%). There were three deaths (1.5%) during treatment in the everolimus arm vs none in the placebo arm. The efficacy and safety of everolimus plus trastuzumab and paclitaxel as first-line treatment for HER2+ advanced breast cancer in the Asian subset was consistent with that reported previously in the overall population. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00876395 . Registered on 2 April 2009.

  17. Asian educational discourse: construction of ontological security

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalya V. Khalina

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This article considers the problem of ontology security through Asian educational discourse, which is structurally determined by the process of moral self-improvement. Considered are trends in improving the management of educational system by developing the culture of quality, which is considered as the next stage of the Asian education systems development after the “quality of education” stage. We suggest an approach for assessing the vitality of educational process and its product based on monitoring trainees’ aptitudes system and school capabilities in developing and maintaining this system. In this study we refer to the concept of vitality and viability when describing the general theory of viability in connection with the core principles of Asian educational discourse. We outline main trends in the development of modern educational system in Asian university given the process of globalization and its impact on educational reforms in the Asia-Pacific region. Thus, the category of education quality in Asian system of higher education and narrative monitoring of Chinese students’ cognitive structures viability at Altai State University are introduced.

  18. Development of an Asian American parental racial-ethnic socialization scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juang, Linda P; Shen, Yishan; Kim, Su Yeong; Wang, Yijie

    2016-07-01

    To develop a measure of parental racial-ethnic socialization that is appropriate for Asian American families. To test the reliability and validity of this new measure, we surveyed 575 Asian American emerging adults (49% female, 79% U.S. born). Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the results show 7 reliable subscales: maintenance of heritage culture, becoming American, awareness of discrimination, avoidance of other groups, minimization of race, promotion of equality, and cultural pluralism. Tests of factorial invariance show that overall, the subscales demonstrate, at minimum, partial metric invariance across gender, age, nativity, educational attainment, parent educational attainment, geographic region of residence, and Asian-heritage region. Thus, the relations among the subscales with other variables can be compared across these different subgroups. The subscales also correlated with ethnic identity, ethnic centrality, perceptions of discrimination, and pluralistic orientation, demonstrating construct validity. In an increasingly complex and diverse social world, our scale will be useful for gaining a better understanding of how Asian American parents socialize their children regarding issues of race, discrimination, culture, and diversity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  19. The database of chromosome imbalance regions and genes resided in lung cancer from Asian and Caucasian identified by array-comparative genomic hybridization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lo, Fang-Yi; Nandi, Suvobroto; Salgia, Ravi; Wang, Yi-Ching; Chang, Jer-Wei; Chang, I-Shou; Chen, Yann-Jang; Hsu, Han-Shui; Huang, Shiu-Feng Kathy; Tsai, Fang-Yu; Jiang, Shih Sheng; Kanteti, Rajani

    2012-01-01

    Cancer-related genes show racial differences. Therefore, identification and characterization of DNA copy number alteration regions in different racial groups helps to dissect the mechanism of tumorigenesis. Array-comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) was analyzed for DNA copy number profile in 40 Asian and 20 Caucasian lung cancer patients. Three methods including MetaCore analysis for disease and pathway correlations, concordance analysis between array-CGH database and the expression array database, and literature search for copy number variation genes were performed to select novel lung cancer candidate genes. Four candidate oncogenes were validated for DNA copy number and mRNA and protein expression by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH), reverse transcriptase-qPCR (RT-qPCR), and immunohistochemistry (IHC) in more patients. We identified 20 chromosomal imbalance regions harboring 459 genes for Caucasian and 17 regions containing 476 genes for Asian lung cancer patients. Seven common chromosomal imbalance regions harboring 117 genes, included gain on 3p13-14, 6p22.1, 9q21.13, 13q14.1, and 17p13.3; and loss on 3p22.2-22.3 and 13q13.3 were found both in Asian and Caucasian patients. Gene validation for four genes including ARHGAP19 (10q24.1) functioning in Rho activity control, FRAT2 (10q24.1) involved in Wnt signaling, PAFAH1B1 (17p13.3) functioning in motility control, and ZNF322A (6p22.1) involved in MAPK signaling was performed using qPCR and RT-qPCR. Mean gene dosage and mRNA expression level of the four candidate genes in tumor tissues were significantly higher than the corresponding normal tissues (P<0.001~P=0.06). In addition, CISH analysis of patients indicated that copy number amplification indeed occurred for ARHGAP19 and ZNF322A genes in lung cancer patients. IHC analysis of paraffin blocks from Asian Caucasian patients demonstrated that the frequency of PAFAH1B1 protein overexpression was 68

  20. Self-harm in British South Asian women: psychosocial correlates and strategies for prevention

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Waheed W

    2006-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Objective To review the rates of self-harm in British South Asian women, look into the factors that contribute to these high rates of self-harm and discuss possible strategies for prevention and provision of culturally sensitive service for South Asian women who harm themselves. Method Review. Results South Asian women are significantly more likely to self harm between ages 16–24 years than white women. Across all age groups the rates of self harm are lower in South Asian men as compared to South Asian women. These women are generally younger, likely to be married and less likely to be unemployed or use alcohol or other drugs. They report more relationship problems within the family. South Asian women are less likely to attend the ER with repeat episode since they hold the view that mainstream services do not meet their needs. Conclusion South Asian women are at an increased risk of self harm. Their demographic characteristics, precipitating factors and clinical management are different than whites. There is an urgent need for all those concerned with the mental health services for ethnic minorities to take positive action and eradicate the barriers that prevent British South Asians from seeking help. There is a need to move away from stereotypes and overgeneralisations and start from the user's frame of reference, taking into account family dynamics, belief systems and cultural constraints.

  1. Asian consensus workshop report: expert consensus guideline for the management of intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in Asia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Kwang-Hyub; Kudo, Masatochi; Ye, Sheng-Long; Choi, Jong Young; Poon, Roonni Tung-Ping; Seong, Jinsil; Park, Joong-Won; Ichida, Takafumi; Chung, Jin Wook; Chow, Pierce; Cheng, Ann-Lii

    2011-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly prevalent disease in many Asian countries, accounting for 80% of victims worldwide. Screening programs improve the detection of early HCC and have a positive impact on survival, but the majority of HCC patients in Asia still present with advanced stage disease. The treatment outcomes of HCC are affected by multiple variables, including liver function, performance status of the patient, and tumor stage. Therefore, it is not easy to apply a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach for optimal management. At present, limited numbers of HCC patients are eligible for curative therapies such as surgery or ablation in Asia. Therefore, most patients are eligible for only palliative treatments. For optimal management, the treatment choice is guided by staging systems and treatment guidelines. Numerous staging systems have been proposed and treatment guidelines vary by region. According to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) guideline based on evidence from randomized clinical trials, only transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is recommended for intermediate stage HCC and sorafenib for advanced stage HCC. However, treatment guidelines from Asian countries have adopted several other therapeutic modalities such as a surgical approach, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, external radiation, and their combinations based on clinical experiences for intermediate and advanced stage HCC. Although TACE is the main therapeutic modality in the intermediate stage, overall therapeutic outcomes depend on the tumor size. In the advanced stage, the prognosis depends on the tumor status, e.g. major vessel invasion or extrahepatic spread. Thus, a new staging system representing prognoses suitable for Asian HCC patients and a corresponding optimal treatment algorithm should be further investigated using evidence-based data, which will finally bring about an Asian consensus for the management of intermediate and advanced stage HCC. Copyright

  2. Asian Cinema and the Social Imaginary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dissanayake, Wimal

    2009-01-01

    There is growing interest by schools and universities in understanding Asian societies and cultures. One way of deepening this interest productively is through the imaginative use of cinema. In this article, the author explores how cinema can be a window into the dynamics of contemporary Asian societies and cultures. Through "aesthetic…

  3. Model Minority Stereotype: Influence on Perceived Mental Health Needs of Asian Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Alice W; Chang, Janet; O'Brien, Janine; Budgazad, Marc S; Tsai, Jack

    2017-06-01

    This study examined the influence of the model minority stereotype on the perceived mental health functioning of Asian Americans. It was hypothesized that college students would perceive Asian Americans as having fewer mental health problems and clinical symptoms than Whites due to the model minority stereotype. Four hundred and twenty-five undergraduate students from a predominately White college campus in the American northeast were randomly exposed to one of four conditions: (1) a clinical vignette describing a White college student suffering from adjustment disorder; (2) the same vignette describing an Asian American college student; (3) a newspaper article describing a success story of Whites and the White clinical vignette; (4) the same newspaper article and clinical vignette describing an Asian American. Following exposure to one of the conditions, participants completed a memory recall task and measures of colorblindness, attitudes towards Asian Americans, attitudes towards out-group members, and perceived mental health functioning. Participants exposed to the vignettes primed with the positive/model minority stereotype perceived the target regardless of race/ethnicity as having better mental health functioning and less clinical symptoms than the condition without the stereotype. Additionally, the stereotype primer was found to be a modest predictor for the perception of mental health functioning in Asian American vignettes. Results shed light on the impact of the model minority stereotype on the misperception of Asian Americans' mental health status, contributing to the invisibility or neglect of this minority group's mental health needs.

  4. Comparison of trauma care systems in Asian countries: A systematic literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Se Jin; Oh, Moon Young; Kim, Na Rae; Jung, Yoo Joong; Ro, Young Sun; Shin, Sang Do

    2017-12-01

    The study aims to compare the trauma care systems in Asian countries. Asian countries were categorised into three groups; 'lower middle-income country', 'upper middle-income country' and 'high-income country'. The Medline/PubMed database was searched for articles published from January 2005 to December 2014 using relevant key words. Articles were excluded if they examined a specific injury mechanism, referred to a specific age group, and/or did not have full text available. We extracted information and variables on pre-hospital and hospital care factors, and regionalised system factors and compared them across countries. A total of 46 articles were identified from 13 countries, including Pakistan, India, Vietnam and Indonesia from lower middle-income countries; the Islamic Republic of Iran, Thailand, China, Malaysia from upper middle-income countries; and Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore from high-income countries. Trauma patients were transported via various methods. In six of the 13 countries, less than 20% of trauma patients were transported by ambulance. Pre-hospital trauma teams primarily comprised emergency medical technicians and paramedics, except in Thailand and China, where they included mainly physicians. In Iran, Pakistan and Vietnam, the proportion of patients who died before reaching hospital exceeded 50%. In only three of the 13 countries was it reported that trauma surgeons were available. In only five of the 13 countries was there a nationwide trauma registry. Trauma care systems were poorly developed and unorganised in most of the selected 13 Asian countries, with the exception of a few highly developed countries. © 2017 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

  5. Occupational dermatoses: An Asian perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhatia, Riti; Sharma, Vinod Kumar

    2017-01-01

    Occupational dermatoses contribute to a significant portion of work-related diseases, especially in Asia, where a major portion of the workforce is in the unorganized sector. This review article is focussed on the frequency and pattern of occupational skin diseases reported across Asian countries and type of allergens implicated in different occupations. The literature was searched systematically using key words 'occupational dermatoses,' 'occupational skin disease' and name of each Asian country. Ninty five full-text articles were considered relevant and evaluated. Some of the dermatoses seen in industrial workers in Asian countries are similar to those in Western countries, including dermatoses due to chromate in construction and electroplating workers, epoxy resin, and chromate in painters, wood dust in workers in the furniture industry, azo dyes in textile workers and formaldehyde and chromates in those working in the leather and dyeing industries, dermatoses in domestic workers, chefs and health-care workers. Dermatoses in workers engaged in agriculture, beedi (tiny cigars) manufacture, agarbatti (incense sticks) production, fish processing, carpet weaving, sanitation and those working in coffee plantations and coal mines appear to be unique to Asian countries. Recognition of clinical patterns and geographic variations in occupational skin diseases will provide an impetus to further strengthen future research in these areas, as well as improving their management.

  6. Structure, Organization, and Delivery of Critical Care in Asian ICUs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arabi, Yaseen M; Phua, Jason; Koh, Younsuck; Du, Bin; Faruq, Mohammad Omar; Nishimura, Masaji; Fang, Wen-Feng; Gomersall, Charles; Al Rahma, Hussain N; Tamim, Hani; Al-Dorzi, Hasan M; Al-Hameed, Fahad M; Adhikari, Neill K J; Sadat, Musharaf

    2016-10-01

    Despite being the epicenter of recent pandemics, little is known about critical care in Asia. Our objective was to describe the structure, organization, and delivery in Asian ICUs. A web-based survey with the following domains: hospital organizational characteristics, ICU organizational characteristics, staffing, procedures and therapies available in the ICU and written protocols and policies. ICUs from 20 Asian countries from April 2013 to January 2014. Countries were divided into low-, middle-, and high-income based on the 2011 World Bank Classification. ICU directors or representatives. Of 672 representatives, 335 (50%) responded. The average number of hospital beds was 973 (SE of the mean [SEM], 271) with 9% (SEM, 3%) being ICU beds. In the index ICUs, the average number of beds was 21 (SEM, 3), of single rooms 8 (SEM, 2), of negative-pressure rooms 3 (SEM, 1), and of board-certified intensivists 7 (SEM, 3). Most ICUs (65%) functioned as closed units. The nurse-to-patient ratio was 1:1 or 1:2 in most ICUs (84%). On multivariable analysis, single rooms were less likely in low-income countries (p = 0.01) and nonreferral hospitals (p = 0.01); negative-pressure rooms were less likely in private hospitals (p = 0.03) and low-income countries (p = 0.005); 1:1 nurse-to-patient ratio was lower in private hospitals (p = 0.005); board-certified intensivists were less common in low-income countries (p structure, organization, and delivery in Asia, which was related to hospital funding source and size, and country income. The lack of single and negative-pressure rooms in many Asian ICUs should be addressed before any future pandemic of severe respiratory illness.

  7. Evaluation of Angiopoietin-2 as a biomarker in gastric cancer: results from the randomised phase III AVAGAST trial

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hacker, Ulrich T; Escalona-Espinosa, Laura; Consalvo, Nicola; Goede, Valentin; Schiffmann, Lars; Scherer, Stefan J; Hedge, Priti; Van Cutsem, Eric; Coutelle, Oliver; Büning, Hildegard

    2016-01-01

    Background: In the phase III AVAGAST trial, the addition of bevacizumab to chemotherapy improved progression-free survival (PFS) but not overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced gastric cancer. We studied the role of Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), a key driver of tumour angiogenesis, metastasis and resistance to antiangiogenic treatment, as a biomarker. Methods: Previously untreated, advanced gastric cancer patients were randomly assigned to receive bevacizumab (n=387) or placebo (n=387) in combination with chemotherapy. Plasma collected at baseline and at progression was analysed by ELISA. The role of Ang-2 as a prognostic and a predictive biomarker of bevacizumab efficacy was studied using a Cox proportional hazards model. Logistic regression analysis was applied for correlations with metastasis. Results: Median baseline plasma Ang-2 levels were lower in Asian (2143 pg ml−1) vs non-Asian patients (3193 pg ml−1), P<0.0001. Baseline plasma Ang-2 was identified as an independent prognostic marker for OS but did not predict bevacizumab efficacy alone or in combination with baseline VEGF. Baseline plasma Ang-2 correlated with the frequency of liver metastasis (LM) at any time: Odds ratio per 1000 pg ml−1 increase: 1.19; 95% CI 1.10–1.29; P<0.0001 (non-Asians) and 1.37; 95% CI 1.13–1.64; P=0.0010 (Asians). Conclusions: Baseline plasma Ang-2 is a novel prognostic biomarker for OS in advanced gastric cancer strongly associated with LM. Differences in Ang-2 mediated vascular response may, in part, account for outcome differences between Asian and non-Asian patients; however, data have to be further validated. Ang-2 is a promising drug target in gastric cancer. PMID:27031850

  8. The problem of integration: Asian people and diabetes.

    OpenAIRE

    Kelleher, D; Islam, S

    1994-01-01

    There is a high prevalence of non-insulin dependent diabetes (NIDD) in some Asian populations in the UK. The study by Mckeigue showed that the prevalence was high amongst the Bangladeshi population. Most doctors were aware of this and concerned that they did not know sufficient about the everyday lives and eating patterns of their patients to advise them about how to adjust their lifestyle to control their diabetes. As non-insulin dependent diabetes is managed by controlling eating, and by ta...

  9. Challenging the Model Minority Myth: Engaging Asian American Students in Research on Asian American College Student Experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suyemoto, Karen L.; Kim, Grace S.; Tanabe, Miwa; Tawa, John; Day, Stephanie C.

    2009-01-01

    In this article, the authors introduce a method of understanding the experiences and needs of Asian American students on college campuses through the research process. Specifically, the authors offer a students-as-researchers approach to connect the transformative educational aims of Asian American studies to the scholarship, service, and lived…

  10. Natural selection on HFE in Asian populations contributes to enhanced non-heme iron absorption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Kaixiong; Cao, Chang; Lin, Xu; O'Brien, Kimberly O; Gu, Zhenglong

    2015-06-10

    HFE, a major regulator of iron (Fe) homeostasis, has been suggested to be under positive selection in both European and Asian populations. While the genetic variant under selection in Europeans (a non-synonymous mutation, C282Y) has been relatively well-studied, the adaptive variant in Asians and its functional consequences are still unknown. Identifying the adaptive HFE variants in Asians will not only elucidate the evolutionary history and the genetic basis of population difference in Fe status, but also assist the future practice of genome-informed dietary recommendation. Using data from the International HapMap Project, we confirmed the signatures of positive selection on HFE in Asian populations and identified a candidate adaptive haplotype that is common in Asians (52.35-54.71%) but rare in Europeans (5.98%) and Africans (4.35%). The T allele at tag SNP rs9366637 (C/T) captured 95.8% of this Asian-common haplotype. A significantly reduced HFE expression was observed in individuals carrying T/T at rs9366637 compared to C/C and C/T, indicating a possible role of gene regulation in adaptation. We recruited 57 women of Asian descent and measured Fe absorption using stable isotopes in those homozygous at rs9366637. We observed a 22% higher absorption in women homozygous for the Asian-common haplotype (T/T) compared to the control genotype (C/C). Additionally, compared with a group of age-matched Caucasian women, Asian women exhibited significantly elevated Fe absorption. Our results indicate parallel adaptation of HFE gene in Europeans and Asians with different genetic variants. Moreover, natural selection on HFE may have contributed to elevated Fe absorption in Asians. This study regarding population differences in Fe homeostasis has significant medical impact as high Fe level has been linked to an increased disease risk of metabolic syndromes.

  11. Neighborhood Walkability and Walking for Transport Among South Asians in the MASALA Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelley, Elizabeth A; Kandula, Namratha R; Kanaya, Alka M; Yen, Irene H

    2016-05-01

    The neighborhood built environment can have a strong influence on physical activity levels, particularly walking for transport. In examining racial/ethnic differences in physical activity, one important and understudied group is South Asians. This study aims to describe the association between neighborhood walkability and walking for transport among South Asian men and women in the United States in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014 using the baseline dataset of the MASALA study (N = 906). Mean age was 55 years old and 54% of the sample was male. Weekly minutes spent walking for transport was assessed using a questionnaire adapted from the Cross-Cultural Activity Participation Study. Neighborhood walkability was measured using Walk Score, a composite index of walkability. After adjusting for covariates, with each 10-point increase in Walk Score, South Asian American men engaged in 13 additional minutes per week of walking for transport (P = .008). No association was observed between walkability and walking for transport in South Asian American women. Results provide new evidence for how the effects of environmental influences on walking for transport may vary between South Asian men and women.

  12. Human papillomavirus vaccine initiation in Asian Indians and Asian subpopulations: a case for examining disaggregated data in public health research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Budhwani, H; De, P

    2017-12-01

    Vaccine disparities research often focuses on differences between the five main racial and ethnic classifications, ignoring heterogeneity of subpopulations. Considering this knowledge gap, we examined human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine initiation in Asian Indians and Asian subpopulations. National Health Interview Survey data (2008-2013), collected by the National Center for Health Statistics, were analyzed. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted on adults aged 18-26 years (n = 20,040). Asian Indians had high income, education, and health insurance coverage, all positive predictors of preventative health engagement and vaccine uptake. However, we find that Asian Indians had comparatively lower rates of HPV vaccine initiation (odds ratio = 0.41; 95% confidence interval = 0.207-0.832), and foreign-born Asian Indians had the lowest rate HPV vaccination of all subpopulations (2.3%). Findings substantiate the need for research on disaggregated data rather than evaluating vaccination behaviors solely across standard racial and ethnic categories. We identified two populations that were initiating HPV vaccine at abysmal levels: foreign-born persons and Asian Indians. Development of culturally appropriate messaging has the potential to improve these initiation rates and improve population health. Copyright © 2017 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Positive Predictive Value of BI-RADS Categorization in an Asian Population

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yah-Yuen Tan

    2004-07-01

    Full Text Available The Breast Imaging Reporting And Data System (BI-RADS categorization of mammograms is useful in estimating the risk of malignancy, thereby guiding management decisions. However, in Asian women, in whom breast density is increased, the sensitivity of mammography is correspondingly lower. We sought to determine the positive predictive value of BI-RADS categorization for malignancy in our Asian population and, hence, its value in helping us to choose between the various modalities for breast biopsy. We retrospectively reviewed all patients with occult breast lesions detected on mammography or ultrasound who underwent needle-localization open breast biopsy (NLOB in our institution over a 6-year period. There were 470 biopsies in 427 patients; 16% of lesions were malignant. The positive predictive value of BI-RADS 4 and 5 lesions for cancer was 0.27 and 0.84, respectively. While most BI-RADS 5 mass lesions were invasive cancers, the majority of calcifications in this category were in situ carcinomas. We conclude that BI-RADS remains useful in aiding decision-making for biopsy in our Asian population. Based on positive predictive values, we recommend percutaneous breast biopsy for initial evaluation of lesions categorized as BI-RADS 4 or less. For BI-RADS 5 lesions with microcalcifications, open surgical biopsy as a diagnostic and therapeutic procedure may be more appropriate. In the case of a BI-RADS 5 lesion associated with a mass, initial percutaneous biopsy may be useful for diagnosis, followed by a planned single-stage surgical procedure as necessary.

  14. Northeast Asian economy cooperation: study on energy resource cooperation in Northeast Asian region

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Woo Jin [Korea Energy Economics Institute, Euiwang (Korea)

    1999-12-01

    In Northeast Asian region, there are East Russia with abundant resources, Japan a large energy consumption country, Korea and China with rapidly increasing energy consumption due to their economic development, but the utilization rate of East Russian resources are very low and the resource trading and investment among Korea, China and Japan are also low. Korea and Japan use most of energy imported from Middle East. It is expected that import of petroleum and gas except coal will be increasing in China and most of imported energy will be imported mainly from the Middle East. For Korea, with not much energy resources and foreign-oriented economic system, if investment on resource development among Northeast Asian countries is active and energy transportation among these countries is liberalized, the enhancement of energy cooperation in Northeast Asia has a high possibility to provide North and South Korean energy cooperation as well as to secure energy security and to develop energy industry. Therefore, Korean government needs to promote Northeast Asian energy cooperation by taking its lead. (author). 28 refs., 8 figs., 44 tabs.

  15. Risk of Peritoneal Dialysis-Related Peritonitis in a Multi-Racial Asian Population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ong, Loke Meng; Ch'ng, Chin Chin; Wee, Hong Chin; Supramaniam, Premaa; Zainal, Hadzlinda; Goh, Bak Leong; Bavanandan, Sunita; Mushahar, Lily; Hooi, Lai Seong; Ahmad, Ghazali

    ♦ BACKGROUND: Peritonitis is one of the most common complications of peritoneal dialysis (PD). Understanding the risk factors of peritonitis in a multi-racial Asian population may help to improve outcomes on PD. ♦ METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study to identify risk factors for PD-related peritonitis over a 1-year period in 15 adult PD centers. All peritonitis episodes were independently adjudicated. ♦ RESULTS: A total of 1,603 participants with a mean age of 51.6 years comprising 52.7% females, 62.6% ethnic Malays, 27.0% Chinese, and 8.1% Indians were recruited. The overall peritonitis rate was 1 episode per 44.0 patient-months with 354 episodes recorded in 282 (17.6%) patients over 15,588 patient-months. Significant risk factors of peritonitis were severe obesity (incidence-rate ratio [IRR] 3.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.30, 8.45), hypoalbuminemia (IRR 1.61, 95% CI: 1.06, 2.46), Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage (IRR 2.26, 95% CI: 1.46, 3.50), and use of Fresenius system (Fresenius Medical Care North America, Waltham, MA, USA) (IRR 2.49, 95% CI: 1.27, 4.89). The risk of peritonitis was lower in those on automated PD compared with standard PD (IRR 0.43, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.74), and in centers with a patient-staff ratio of 15 to 29.9 (IRR 0.67, 95% CI: 0.49, 0.90) and ≥ 30 (IRR 0.52, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.80). Prevalent patients and exit-site care with topical antibiotics were also protective against peritonitis. Peritonitis rates varied between racial groups. The IRRs of overall peritonitis and gram-positive peritonitis in Chinese versus other racial groups were 0.65 (95% CI: 0.46, 0.90) and 0.47 (95% CI: 0.24, 0.91), respectively. ♦ CONCLUSIONS: Multiple patient, center, and PD-system factors influence the risk of peritonitis. In the Asian population, there are racial differences in the risk of peritonitis. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis.

  16. Disparities in cervical cancer survival among Asian-American women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nghiem, Van T; Davies, Kalatu R; Chan, Wenyaw; Mulla, Zuber D; Cantor, Scott B

    2016-01-01

    We compared overall survival and influencing factors between Asian-American women as a whole and by subgroup with white women with cervical cancer. Cervical cancer data were from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry; socioeconomic information was from the Area Health Resource File. We used standard tests to compare characteristics between groups; the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test to assess overall survival and compare it between groups; and Cox proportional hazards models to determine the effect of race and other covariates on overall survival (with and/or without age stratification). Being 3.3 years older than white women at diagnosis (P Asian-American women were more likely to be in a spousal relationship, had more progressive disease, and were better off socioeconomically. Women of Filipino, Japanese, and Korean origin had similar clinical characteristics compared to white women. Asian-American women had higher 36- and 60-month survival rates (P = .004 and P = .013, respectively), higher overall survival rates (P = .049), and longer overall survival durations after adjusting for age and other covariates (hazard ratio = 0.77, 95% confidence interval: 0.68-0.86). Overall survival differed across age strata between the two racial groups. With the exception of women of Japanese or Korean origin, Asian-American women grouped by geographic origin had better overall survival than white women. Although Asian-American women, except those of Japanese or Korean origin, had better overall survival than white women, their older age at cervical cancer diagnosis suggests that they have less access to screening programs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Asian longhorned beetle complicates the relationship ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urban foresters routinely emphasise the importance of taxonomic diversity to reduce the vulnerability of tree assemblages to invasive pests, but it is unclear to what extent diversity reduces vulnerability to polyphagous (i.e. generalist) pests. Drawing on field data from seven communities in metropolitan Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, we tested the hypothesis that communities with higher diversity would exhibit lower vulnerability to the polyphagous Asian longhorned beetle, which currently threatens the region. Based on street tree compositions and the beetle?s host preferences, Asian longhorned beetle threatened up to 35.6% of individual street trees and 47.5% of the total basal area across the study area, but we did not see clear connections between taxonomic diversity and beetle vulnerability among study communities. For example, the city of Fairfield was among the least diverse communities but had the lowest proportion of trees vulnerable to Asian longhorned beetle, whereas the city of Wyoming exhibited high diversity and high vulnerability. On the other hand, Forest Park aligned with our original hypothesis, as it was characterised by low diversity and high vulnerability. Our results demonstrate that relatively high taxonomic diversity in street tree assemblages does not necessarily lead to reduced vulnerability to a polyphagous pest. Considering the threats posed by polyphagous pests, selecting a set of relatively pest resistant trees known to perform well in urb

  18. Gestational weight gain and perinatal outcomes of subgroups of Asian-American women, Texas, 2009.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Hsiu-Rong; Walker, Lorraine O; Brown, Adama; Lee, Ju-Young

    2015-01-01

    Asian-American subgroups are heterogeneous, but few studies had addressed differences on gestational weight gain (GWG) and perinatal outcomes related to GWG among this growing and diverse population. The purposes of this study were to examine whether Asian-American women are at higher risk of inadequate or excessive GWG and adverse perinatal outcomes than non-Hispanic White (NH-White) women, and to compare those risks among Asian-American subgroups. This retrospective study included all singleton births to NH-Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnam, and NH-White women documented in 2009 Texas birth certificate data (N = 150,674). Data were analyzed using the χ(2) test, t test, multinomial logistic regression, and binary logistic regression. Chinese women were the reference group in the comparisons among Asian subgroups. Asian women had a higher risk of inadequate GWG and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) than NH-White women. No difference in the odds of excessive GWG was found among Asian subgroups, although Japanese women had the highest risk of inadequate GWG. After adjusting for confounders, Korean women had the lowest risk of GDM (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.49), whereas Filipino women and Asian Indian had the highest risks of gestational hypertension (AOR, 2.01 and 1.61), cesarean birth (AOR, 1.44 and 1.39), and low birth weight (AOR, 1.94 and 2.51) compared with Chinese women. These results support the heterogeneity of GWG and perinatal outcomes among Asian-American subgroups. The risks of adverse perinatal outcomes should be carefully evaluated separately among Asian-American subpopulations. Copyright © 2015 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Macroeconomic impacts of oil price shocks in Asian economies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cunado, Juncal; Jo, Soojin; Perez de Gracia, Fernando

    2015-01-01

    This paper analyzes the macroeconomic impact of structural oil shocks in four of the top oil-consuming Asian economies, using a VAR model. We identify three different structural oil shocks via sign restrictions: an oil supply shock, an oil demand shock driven by global economic activity and an oil-specific demand shock. The main results suggest that economic activity and prices respond very differently to oil price shocks depending on their types. In particular, an oil supply shock has a limited impact, while a demand shock driven by global economic activity has a significant positive effect in all four Asian countries examined. Our finding also includes that policy tools such as interest rates and exchange rates help mitigating the effects of supply shocks in Japan and Korea; however, they can be more actively used in response to demands shocks. - Highlights: • We analyze the effects of three structural oil price shocks on Asian economies. • Supply shocks have limited impact on the economic activity of Asian economies examined. • Demand shocks due to economic activity boosts GDP of all economies. • CPIs in India and Indonesia were only marginally affected by oil price shocks. • Monetary and exchange rate tools help mitigating supply shocks in Korea and Japan.

  20. Developing precision medicine for people of East Asian descent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McAllister, Stacy L; Sun, Katherine; Gross, Eric R

    2016-11-11

    The goal of precision medicine is to separate patient populations into groups to ultimately provide customized care tailored to patients. In terms of precision medicine, ~540 million people in the world have a genetic variant of the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) enzyme causing a flushing response and tachycardia after alcohol consumption. The genetic variant is identified as ALDH2*2 and originates from East Asian descendants of the Han Chinese. The variant is particularly important to consider when discussing lifestyle choices with patients in terms of risk for developing specific diseases, preventative screening, and selection of medications for treatment. Here we provide examples why patients with an ALDH2*2 variant need more individualized medical management which is becoming a more standard practice in the precision medicine era.

  1. Improving detection of dementia in Asian patients with low education: combining the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narasimhalu, Kaavya; Lee, June; Auchus, Alexander P; Chen, Christopher P L H

    2008-01-01

    Previous work combining the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) has been conducted in western populations. We ascertained, in an Asian population, (1) the best method of combining the tests, (2) the effects of educational level, and (3) the effect of different dementia etiologies. Data from 576 patients were analyzed (407 nondemented controls, 87 Alzheimer's disease and 82 vascular dementia patients). Sensitivity, specificity and AUC values were obtained using three methods, the 'And' rule, the 'Or' rule, and the 'weighted sum' method. The 'weighted sum' rule had statistically superior AUC and specificity results, while the 'Or' rule had the best sensitivity results. The IQCODE outperformed the MMSE in all analyses. Patients with no education benefited more from combined tests. There was no difference between Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia populations in the predictive value of any of the combined methods. We recommend that the IQCODE be used to supplement the MMSE whenever available and that the 'weighted sum' method be used to combine the MMSE and the IQCODE, particularly in populations with low education. As the study population selected may not be representative of the general population, further studies are required before generalization to nonclinical samples. (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  2. Globalization and Women in Southeast Asian Higher Education Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luke, Carmen

    2002-01-01

    This case study of Southeast Asian women in higher education management investigates culture-specific dimensions of "glass ceiling" impediments to career advancement in higher education. Respondents note that despite considerable training and expertise, Asian values and ideologies demand enactment of a construct of Asian femininity that…

  3. Asian American Evangelicals in Multiracial Church Ministry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathleen Garces-Foley

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Since the 1990s, evangelical efforts to create multiracial churches (MRCs have grown exponentially. This article analyzes the experiences of Asian American evangelical ministers leading MRCs. Through interviews we explore how Asian American evangelicals came to be involved in MRC-ministry and how they approach issues of racial diversity in this context. We compare the racial attitudes of Asian American evangelical ministers leading MRCs with those of White and Black evangelicals delineated in Emerson and Smith’s Divide by Faith. Rather than conform to the colorblind approach of many White evangelicals, the majority of our respondents utilize structural explanations for social inequality and promote a colorconscious approach to diversity. We conclude that Asian American evangelicals utilize a unique framework for MRC-ministry, what we call a ‘racialized multiculturalism,’ that has much to offer American evangelicalism.

  4. High Prevalence of the BIM Deletion Polymorphism in Young Female Breast Cancer in an East Asian Country.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ching-Hung Lin

    Full Text Available A rapid surge of female breast cancer has been observed in young women in several East Asian countries. The BIM deletion polymorphism, which confers cell resistance to apoptosis, was recently found exclusively in East Asian people with prevalence rate of 12%. We aimed to evaluate the possible role of this genetic alteration in carcinogenesis of breast cancer in East Asians.Female healthy volunteers (n = 307, patients in one consecutive stage I-III breast cancer cohort (n = 692 and one metastatic breast cancer cohort (n = 189 were evaluated. BIM wild-type and deletion alleles were separately genotyped in genomic DNAs.Both cancer cohorts consistently showed inverse associations between the BIM deletion polymorphism and patient age (≤35 y vs. 36-50 y vs. >50 y: 29% vs. 22% vs. 15%, P = 0.006 in the consecutive cohort, and 40% vs. 23% vs. 13%, P = 0.023 in the metastatic cohort. In healthy volunteers, the frequencies of the BIM deletion polymorphism were similar (13%-14% in all age groups. Further analyses indicated that the BIM deletion polymorphism was not associated with specific clinicopathologic features, but it was associated with poor overall survival (adjusted hazard ratio 1.71 in the consecutive cohort.BIM deletion polymorphism may be involved in the tumorigenesis of the early-onset breast cancer among East Asians.

  5. Culture and aesthetic preference: comparing the attention to context of East Asians and Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masuda, Takahiko; Gonzalez, Richard; Kwan, Letty; Nisbett, Richard E

    2008-09-01

    Prior research indicates that East Asians are more sensitive to contextual information than Westerners. This article explored aesthetics to examine whether cultural variations were observable in art and photography. Study 1 analyzed traditional artistic styles using archival data in representative museums. Study 2 investigated how contemporary East Asians and Westerners draw landscape pictures and take portrait photographs. Study 3 further investigated aesthetic preferences for portrait photographs. The results suggest that (a) traditional East Asian art has predominantly context-inclusive styles, whereas Western art has predominantly object-focused styles, and (b) contemporary members of East Asian and Western cultures maintain these culturally shaped aesthetic orientations. The findings can be explained by the relation among attention, cultural resources, and aesthetic preference.

  6. Acculturation, gender disparity, and the sexual behavior of Asian American youth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Yuying

    2013-01-01

    Asian American youth are less likely to be sexually active than adolescents from other ethnic groups; however, with acculturation, they may adopt the more liberal sexual norms of American society. Moreover, owing to differing parental expectations for sons and daughters about sexuality, gender disparity might exist in the adoption of American sexual norms. This article used the proportional hazards model and the generalized estimating equations Poisson model to examine how acculturation influences the initiation of sexual intercourse and the number of sexual partners. The results show that acculturation leads to more liberal sexual mores among Asian American youth. However, despite what might be expected from the sexual double standard, the models show that more acculturated females, as indicated by their use of English at home, had an earlier onset of sexual intercourse and a higher number of sexual partners. This is the opposite of what would be predicted by the sexual double standard theory. This might be due to the fact that Asian females tend to be more socially accepted by the host society than Asian males. Information on partners shows that Asian American females have more diversified racial backgrounds than their male counterparts. They are also more likely to have older sexual partners.

  7. Physician contact by older Asian Americans: the effects of perceived mental health need

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duy Nguyen

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Duy NguyenSilver School of Social Work, New York University, New York, NY, USAObjective: The use of physicians is more common than of behavioral specialists, especially in underserved Asian American communities. Despite a rapidly aging Asian American population, research has overlooked older people. This study examines the way mental health need affects the number of physician contacts by older Asian Americans.Method: This study uses data on self-identified Asian Americans aged over age 50 years derived from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey. A total of 1191 Asian Americans from Chinese, Filipino, Korean, and Vietnamese backgrounds were studied. Replicate weights were applied to account for the survey’s complex sampling methods. Linear regression was used to identify the number of physician contacts.Results: Overall, respondents had seen a doctor an average of five times in the previous 12 months; 7% perceived that they had a mental health need. Perceiving a mental health need was associated with a decreased number of physician contacts for Filipino and Korean Americans.Conclusion: This study revealed interethnic differences among older Asian Americans’ contact with physicians. As older Filipino and Korean Americans who perceive a mental health need have fewer contacts with their physician, correctly identifying mental health needs in the health care system for these groups is crucial. Health and mental health professionals can work toward reducing mental health disparities by accounting for older Asian Americans’ help-seeking patterns when designing evidence-based interventions.Keywords: minority groups, Asians, health service use

  8. Proximal myopathy in lacto-vegetarian Asian patients responding to Vitamin D and calcium supplement therapy - two case reports and review of the literature

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Thabit, Hood

    2011-05-13

    Abstract Introduction Severe proximal myopathy can occasionally be the first presenting complaint of patients with osteomalacia. This may lead to investigations and misdiagnosis of a neuromuscular disease, rather than a metabolic bone disease. Case presentations We present here two cases of severe proximal myopathy in patients who were both of South Asian origin and lacto-vegetarians: a 31-year-old Indian man and a 34-year-old Indian woman. In both cases, their clinical symptoms fully resolved following vitamin D and calcium replacement therapy. These patients were at risk of osteomalacia due to their dietary intake and ethnicity. The role of dietary intake and sunlight exposure in the development of osteomalacia in certain ethnic groups living in Western Europe is reviewed here. Conclusion These two cases emphasize the importance of recognizing osteomalacia in at-risk individuals, as the condition is reversible and easily treated with vitamin D and calcium supplementation. It may also help avoid prolonged and unnecessary investigations of these patients.

  9. Proximal myopathy in lacto-vegetarian Asian patients responding to Vitamin D and calcium supplement therapy - two case reports and review of the literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sreenan Seamus

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Severe proximal myopathy can occasionally be the first presenting complaint of patients with osteomalacia. This may lead to investigations and misdiagnosis of a neuromuscular disease, rather than a metabolic bone disease. Case presentations We present here two cases of severe proximal myopathy in patients who were both of South Asian origin and lacto-vegetarians: a 31-year-old Indian man and a 34-year-old Indian woman. In both cases, their clinical symptoms fully resolved following vitamin D and calcium replacement therapy. These patients were at risk of osteomalacia due to their dietary intake and ethnicity. The role of dietary intake and sunlight exposure in the development of osteomalacia in certain ethnic groups living in Western Europe is reviewed here. Conclusion These two cases emphasize the importance of recognizing osteomalacia in at-risk individuals, as the condition is reversible and easily treated with vitamin D and calcium supplementation. It may also help avoid prolonged and unnecessary investigations of these patients.

  10. Proximal myopathy in lacto-vegetarian Asian patients responding to Vitamin D and calcium supplement therapy - two case reports and review of the literature.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Thabit, Hood

    2012-02-01

    INTRODUCTION: Severe proximal myopathy can occasionally be the first presenting complaint of patients with osteomalacia. This may lead to investigations and misdiagnosis of a neuromuscular disease, rather than a metabolic bone disease. CASE PRESENTATIONS: We present here two cases of severe proximal myopathy in patients who were both of South Asian origin and lacto-vegetarians: a 31-year-old Indian man and a 34-year-old Indian woman. In both cases, their clinical symptoms fully resolved following vitamin D and calcium replacement therapy. These patients were at risk of osteomalacia due to their dietary intake and ethnicity. The role of dietary intake and sunlight exposure in the development of osteomalacia in certain ethnic groups living in Western Europe is reviewed here. CONCLUSION: These two cases emphasize the importance of recognizing osteomalacia in at-risk individuals, as the condition is reversible and easily treated with vitamin D and calcium supplementation. It may also help avoid prolonged and unnecessary investigations of these patients.

  11. Development and initial validation of the internalization of Asian American stereotypes scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Frances C; Wang, Yu-Wei; Swanson, Jane L

    2011-07-01

    This research consists of four studies on the initial reliability and validity of the Internalization of Asian American Stereotypes Scale (IAASS), a self-report instrument that measures the degree Asian Americans have internalized racial stereotypes about their own group. The results from the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses support a stable four-factor structure of the IAASS: Difficulties with English Language Communication, Pursuit of Prestigious Careers, Emotional Reservation, and Expected Academic Success. Evidence for concurrent and discriminant validity is presented. High internal-consistency and test-retest reliability estimates are reported. A discussion of how this scale can contribute to research and practice regarding internalized stereotyping among Asian Americans is provided.

  12. Racial/ethnic disparities in prevalence and care of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferdinand, Keith C; Nasser, Samar A

    2015-05-01

    As of 2012, nearly 10% of Americans had diabetes mellitus. People with diabetes are at approximately double the risk of premature death compared with those in the same age groups without the condition. While the prevalence of diabetes has risen across all racial/ethnic groups over the past 30 years, rates are higher in minority populations. The objective of this review article is to evaluate the prevalence of diabetes and disease-related comorbidities as well as the primary endpoints of clinical studies assessing glucose-lowering treatments in African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. As part of our examination of this topic, we reviewed epidemiologic and outcome publications. Additionally, we performed a comprehensive literature search of clinical trials that evaluated glucose-lowering drugs in racial minority populations. For race/ethnicity, we used the terms African American, African, Hispanic, and Asian. We searched PubMed for clinical trial results from 1996 to 2015 using these terms by drug class and specific drug. Search results were filtered qualitatively. Overall, the majority of publications that fit our search criteria pertained to native Asian patient populations (i.e., Asian patients in Asian countries). Sulfonylureas; the α-glucosidase inhibitor, miglitol; the biguanide, metformin; and the thiazolidinedione, rosiglitazone have been evaluated in African American and Hispanic populations, as well as in Asians. The literature on other glucose-lowering drugs in non-white races/ethnicities is more limited. Clinical data are needed for guiding diabetes treatment among racial minority populations. A multi-faceted approach, including vigilant screening in at-risk populations, aggressive treatment, and culturally sensitive patient education, could help reduce the burden of diabetes on minority populations. To ensure optimal outcomes, educational programs that integrate culturally relevant approaches should highlight the importance of risk-factor control in

  13. Asian FTAs: Trends and challenges

    OpenAIRE

    Kawai, Masahiro; Wignaraja, Ganeshan

    2009-01-01

    Although a latecomer, economically important Asia has emerged at the forefront of global free trade agreement (FTA) activity. This has sparked concerns about the negative effects of Asian FTAs, including the noodle bowl problem. Amid slow progress in the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Doha negotiations and the global financial crisis, however, Asian regionalism seems to be here to stay and the focus for policymakers should be how best to minimize the costs of FTAs while maximizing their ben...

  14. The more from East-Asian, the better: risk prediction of colorectal cancer risk by GWAS-identified SNPs among Japanese.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abe, Makiko; Ito, Hidemi; Oze, Isao; Nomura, Masatoshi; Ogawa, Yoshihiro; Matsuo, Keitaro

    2017-12-01

    Little is known about the difference of genetic predisposition for CRC between ethnicities; however, many genetic traits common to colorectal cancer have been identified. This study investigated whether more SNPs identified in GWAS in East Asian population could improve the risk prediction of Japanese and explored possible application of genetic risk groups as an instrument of the risk communication. 558 Patients histologically verified colorectal cancer and 1116 first-visit outpatients were included for derivation study, and 547 cases and 547 controls were for replication study. Among each population, we evaluated prediction models for the risk of CRC that combined the genetic risk group based on SNPs from GWASs in European-population and a similarly developed model adding SNPs from GWASs in East Asian-population. We examined whether adding East Asian-specific SNPs would improve the discrimination. Six SNPs (rs6983267, rs4779584, rs4444235, rs9929218, rs10936599, rs16969681) from 23 SNPs by European-based GWAS and five SNPs (rs704017, rs11196172, rs10774214, rs647161, rs2423279) among ten SNPs by Asian-based GWAS were selected in CRC risk prediction model. Compared with a 6-SNP-based model, an 11-SNP model including Asian GWAS-SNPs showed improved discrimination capacity in Receiver operator characteristic analysis. A model with 11 SNPs resulted in statistically significant improvement in both derivation (P = 0.0039) and replication studies (P = 0.0018) compared with six SNP model. We estimated cumulative risk of CRC by using genetic risk group based on 11 SNPs and found that the cumulative risk at age 80 is approximately 13% in the high-risk group while 6% in the low-risk group. We constructed a more efficient CRC risk prediction model with 11 SNPs including newly identified East Asian-based GWAS SNPs (rs704017, rs11196172, rs10774214, rs647161, rs2423279). Risk grouping based on 11 SNPs depicted lifetime difference of CRC risk. This might be useful for

  15. Medication Errors in the Southeast Asian Countries: A Systematic Review.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahrzad Salmasi

    Full Text Available Medication error (ME is a worldwide issue, but most studies on ME have been undertaken in developed countries and very little is known about ME in Southeast Asian countries. This study aimed systematically to identify and review research done on ME in Southeast Asian countries in order to identify common types of ME and estimate its prevalence in this region.The literature relating to MEs in Southeast Asian countries was systematically reviewed in December 2014 by using; Embase, Medline, Pubmed, ProQuest Central and the CINAHL. Inclusion criteria were studies (in any languages that investigated the incidence and the contributing factors of ME in patients of all ages.The 17 included studies reported data from six of the eleven Southeast Asian countries: five studies in Singapore, four in Malaysia, three in Thailand, three in Vietnam, one in the Philippines and one in Indonesia. There was no data on MEs in Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Timor. Of the seventeen included studies, eleven measured administration errors, four focused on prescribing errors, three were done on preparation errors, three on dispensing errors and two on transcribing errors. There was only one study of reconciliation error. Three studies were interventional.The most frequently reported types of administration error were incorrect time, omission error and incorrect dose. Staff shortages, and hence heavy workload for nurses, doctor/nurse distraction, and misinterpretation of the prescription/medication chart, were identified as contributing factors of ME. There is a serious lack of studies on this topic in this region which needs to be addressed if the issue of ME is to be fully understood and addressed.

  16. Distinct genetic alteration profiles of acute myeloid leukemia between Caucasian and Eastern Asian population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Hui; Wang, Ying; Zhou, Chunlin; Lin, Dong; Liu, Bingcheng; Liu, Kaiqi; Qiu, Shaowei; Gong, Benfa; Li, Yan; Zhang, Guangji; Wei, Shuning; Gong, Xiaoyuan; Liu, Yuntao; Zhao, Xingli; Gu, Runxia; Mi, Yingchang; Wang, Jianxiang

    2018-02-10

    Racial and ethnic disparities in malignancies attract extensive attention. To investigate whether there are racial and ethnic disparities in genetic alteration between Caucasian and Eastern Asian population, data from several prospective AML trials were retrospectively analyzed in this study. We found that there were more patients with core binding factor (CBF) leukemia in Eastern Asian cohorts and there were different CBF leukemia constitutions between them. The ratios of CBF leukemia are 27.7, 22.1, 21.1, and 23.4%, respectively, in our (ChiCTR-TRC-10001202), another Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Eastern Asian cohorts, which are significantly higher than those in ECOG1900, MRC AML15, UK NCRI AML17, HOVON/SAKK AML-42, and German AML2003 (15.5, 12.5, 9.3, 10.2, and 12%, respectively). And CBFbeta-MYH11 occurred more prevalently in HOVON/SAKK AML- 42 and ECOG1900 trials (50.0 and 54.3% of CBF leukemia, respectively) than in Chinese and Japanese trials (20.1 and 20.8%, respectively). The proportion of FLT3-ITD mutation is 11.2% in our cohort, which is lower than that in MRC AML15 and UK NCRI AML17 (24.6 and 17.9%, respectively). Even after excluding the age bias, there are still different incidence rates of mutation between Caucasian and Eastern Asian population. These data suggest that there are racial and ethnic disparities in genetic alteration between Caucasian and Eastern Asian population.

  17. Bibliometric Analysis of Orthopedic Literature on Total Knee Arthroplasty in Asian Countries: A 10-year Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eom, Sang Hwa; Bamne, Ankur B; Chowdhry, Madhav; Chae, Ihn Seok; Kim, Tae Kyun

    2015-09-01

    We aimed to determine the quantity and quality of research output of selected Asian countries in the field of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the last 10 years. Top 15 Asian countries were selected according to their gross domestic product. The Science Citation Index Expanded database was used to search for the literature published between 2004 and 2013 using "Total Knee Arthroplasty". The numbers of articles, journals and citations and the contribution of each country were analyzed. The articles were classified according to the type of study and the relative proportion of each type was analyzed. Asian surgeons have increasingly contributed to orthopedic literature on TKA for the past 10 years, but the dominant contribution came from only a few countries. The total number of articles published by Asian countries increased by 261%, with Japan producing most of the studies and China showing the maximum growth rate. The majority of studies were published in low impact factor journals. Korea published the highest proportion of articles in high impact factor journals. Clinical papers were most frequent. Our identification of research productivity pertaining to TKA among Asian countries gives a unique insight into the level of academic research in the field of TKA in these countries. There is a need to improve the quality of research to enhance the publishing power in high impact journals as well as the need for more basic research and epidemiological studies considering the unique differences among Asian patients undergoing TKA.

  18. Artificial selection on introduced Asian haplotypes shaped the genetic architecture in European commercial pigs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bosse, Mirte; Lopes, Marcos S; Madsen, Ole; Megens, Hendrik-Jan; Crooijmans, Richard P M A; Frantz, Laurent A F; Harlizius, Barbara; Bastiaansen, John W M; Groenen, Martien A M

    2015-12-22

    Early pig farmers in Europe imported Asian pigs to cross with their local breeds in order to improve traits of commercial interest. Current genomics techniques enabled genome-wide identification of these Asian introgressed haplotypes in modern European pig breeds. We propose that the Asian variants are still present because they affect phenotypes that were important for ancient traditional, as well as recent, commercial pig breeding. Genome-wide introgression levels were only weakly correlated with gene content and recombination frequency. However, regions with an excess or absence of Asian haplotypes (AS) contained genes that were previously identified as phenotypically important such as FASN, ME1, and KIT. Therefore, the Asian alleles are thought to have an effect on phenotypes that were historically under selection. We aimed to estimate the effect of AS in introgressed regions in Large White pigs on the traits of backfat (BF) and litter size. The majority of regions we tested that retained Asian deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) showed significantly increased BF from the Asian alleles. Our results suggest that the introgression in Large White pigs has been strongly determined by the selective pressure acting upon the introgressed AS. We therefore conclude that human-driven hybridization and selection contributed to the genomic architecture of these commercial pigs. © 2015 The Author(s).

  19. Racial and ethnic disparities in patient-provider communication, quality-of-care ratings, and patient activation among long-term cancer survivors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palmer, Nynikka R A; Kent, Erin E; Forsythe, Laura P; Arora, Neeraj K; Rowland, Julia H; Aziz, Noreen M; Blanch-Hartigan, Danielle; Oakley-Girvan, Ingrid; Hamilton, Ann S; Weaver, Kathryn E

    2014-12-20

    We examined racial and ethnic disparities in patient-provider communication (PPC), perceived care quality, and patient activation among long-term cancer survivors. In 2005 to 2006, survivors of breast, prostate, colorectal, ovarian, and endometrial cancers completed a mailed survey on cancer follow-up care. African American, Asian/Pacific Islander (Asian), Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white (white) survivors who had seen a physician for follow-up care in the past 2 years (n = 1,196) composed the analytic sample. We conducted linear and logistic regression analyses to identify racial and ethnic differences in PPC (overall communication and medical test communication), perceived care quality, and patient activation in clinical care (self-efficacy in medical decisions and perceived control). We further examined the potential contribution of PPC to racial and ethnic differences in perceived care quality and patient activation. Compared with white survivors (mean score, 85.16), Hispanic (mean score, 79.95) and Asian (mean score, 76.55) survivors reported poorer overall communication (P = .04 and P Asian survivors (mean score, 79.97) reported poorer medical test communication (P = .001). Asian survivors were less likely to report high care quality (odds ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.30 to 0.72) and reported lower self-efficacy in medical decisions (mean score, 74.71; P Asian disparities remained significant. Asian survivors report poorer follow-up care communication and care quality. More research is needed to identify contributing factors beyond PPC, such as cultural influences and medical system factors. © 2014 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

  20. About the Geographic Distribution of Economic Science in Asian Russia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Nikolaevich Demyanenko

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The article presents the results of empirical studies of modern geographic distribution of economic science in Asian Russia (i. e. three macro-regions of Russia: Far East, Siberia and the Urals Region. The study is based on an original database of articles on Economics and related disciplines which arearranged within the Elibrary platformfor 2005-2013. These articles arewritten by fellows of research organizations that are located in the Asian part of Russia.Statistical analysis of the main indicators of publication activity shows that there are significant differences in the scope, dynamics, and quality of the results of this activity among the research organizations of various types.The authors focused on the territorial structure of the study of the economy defined as a set of scientific centers of varying scale and type, as well as networks of scientific communication.It is revealed that publication activity of economic research institutions in Asian Russia has a high level of spatial concentration and the system of scientific communication, formed by the scientific journals of the region, has a high level of fragmentation

  1. Occupational dermatoses: An Asian perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Riti Bhatia

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Occupational dermatoses contribute to a significant portion of work-related diseases, especially in Asia, where a major portion of the workforce is in the unorganized sector. This review article is focussed on the frequency and pattern of occupational skin diseases reported across Asian countries and type of allergens implicated in different occupations. The literature was searched systematically using key words 'occupational dermatoses,' 'occupational skin disease' and name of each Asian country. Ninty five full-text articles were considered relevant and evaluated. Some of the dermatoses seen in industrial workers in Asian countries are similar to those in Western countries, including dermatoses due to chromate in construction and electroplating workers, epoxy resin, and chromate in painters, wood dust in workers in the furniture industry, azo dyes in textile workers and formaldehyde and chromates in those working in the leather and dyeing industries, dermatoses in domestic workers, chefs and health-care workers. Dermatoses in workers engaged in agriculture, beedi (tiny cigars manufacture, agarbatti (incense sticks production, fish processing, carpet weaving, sanitation and those working in coffee plantations and coal mines appear to be unique to Asian countries. Recognition of clinical patterns and geographic variations in occupational skin diseases will provide an impetus to further strengthen future research in these areas, as well as improving their management.

  2. Close relationships between asian american and european american college students

    OpenAIRE

    Chen, C; Edwards, K; Young, B; Greenberger, E

    2001-01-01

    The authors examined attitudes and behaviors regarding close relationships between European and Asian Americans, with a particular emphasis on 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Filipino Americans). Participants were 218 Asian American college students and 171 European American college students attending a culturally diverse university. The European Americans did not differentiate among the various subgroups of Asian Americans. Their attitudes reg...

  3. Cultural identity and mental health: differing trajectories among Asian and Latino youth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers-Sirin, Lauren; Gupta, Taveeshi

    2012-10-01

    Asians and Latinos are the 2 fastest growing immigrant populations in the United States. In this 3-year longitudinal study, we explored trajectories of mental health symptoms (withdrawn/depressed and somatic symptoms) among 163 first- and second-generation Asian (n = 76) and Latino (n = 97) adolescents. The focus of the study was to examine how ethnic identity and U.S. identity, as 2 separate processes of identity development, affect mental health symptoms, and whether these relationships are moderated by ethnic group, Asian or Latino. Participants were recruited when they entered 10th grade, and 2 additional waves of data were gathered at 12-month intervals. Results revealed that somatic and depressed symptoms decreased over time for both groups. Similarly, for both groups, U.S. identity and ethnic identity increased over time. Ethnic identity was associated with lower levels of withdrawn/depressed symptoms for both Latino and Asian youth. Ethnic identity was associated with lower levels of somatic symptoms for Asian youth, but not for Latino youth. U.S. identity was not associated with reduced levels of somatic or withdrawn/depressed symptoms for either group. Implications for clinicians are discussed. (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

  4. Testing a multiple mediation model of Asian American college students' willingness to see a counselor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Paul Youngbin; Park, Irene J K

    2009-07-01

    Adapting the theory of reasoned action, the present study examined help-seeking beliefs, attitudes, and intent among Asian American college students (N = 110). A multiple mediation model was tested to see if the relation between Asian values and willingness to see a counselor was mediated by attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help and subjective norm. A bootstrapping procedure was used to test the multiple mediation model. Results indicated that subjective norm was the sole significant mediator of the effect of Asian values on willingness to see a counselor. The findings highlight the importance of social influences on help-seeking intent among Asian American college students.

  5. Asian Shades of Spirituality: Implications for Multicultural School Counseling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanna, Fred J.; Green, Alan

    2004-01-01

    In the current practice of school counseling, little consideration is given to the spiritual background of students of Asian cultures. Although there is a body of literature on Asian culture in counseling, the authors could find remarkably few articles pertaining to counseling students in the context of Asian religious and spiritual traditions. In…

  6. Social Norm, Family Communication, and HBV Screening among Asian Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juon, Hee-Soon; Rimal, Rajiv N; Klassen, Ann; Lee, Sunmin

    2017-12-01

    Individuals' behaviors are influenced by those of others in their social environment (i.e., descriptive norms), as well as by how individuals perceive they should behave in that environment (e.g., injunctive norms). Although social norms are thought to play an important role in hepatitis B virus (HBV) screening, limited theoretical or empirical guidance exists on how the underlying process works. In addition, norms are social phenomena that are spread through family discussion about the importance of getting HBV screening. Using the theory of normative social behavior (TNSB), this study examined the roles of injunctive norms (IN), descriptive norms (DN), and family discussion in HBV screening behavior among Asian Americans. Data from a survey of Asian Americans in the Baltimore Washington metropolitan area (N = 877) were used to test underlying theoretical propositions. DN and family discussion emerged as key factors in HBV screening behavior among all Asian Americans. IN were associated with HBV screening among Chinese and Korean Americans, but not for Vietnamese Americans. Family discussion moderated the influence of DN on behavior among Chinese and Vietnamese Americans. However, the main effect of DN on screening behavior was not modified by IN (no interactions between DN and IN). The results indicate that family discussion and social norms are integral in enabling Asian Americans to undergo HBV screening and warrant sensitivity in the design and implementation of a liver cancer prevention program in this high-risk group of Asian Americans.

  7. Regional conditions in East Asian development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Søborg, Henrik

    2006-01-01

    The present volume contains case studies of how government og firms in a number of Asian countries have responded to challenges of globalisation and how that has affected their economic transformation.......The present volume contains case studies of how government og firms in a number of Asian countries have responded to challenges of globalisation and how that has affected their economic transformation....

  8. Child Physical Abuse Prevalence, Characteristics, Predictors, and Beliefs about Parent-Child Violence in South Asian, Middle Eastern, East Asian, and Latina Women in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maker, Azmaira H.; Shah, Priti V.; Agha, Zia

    2005-01-01

    The present study examined the prevalence, characteristics, beliefs, and demographic predictors of parent-child physical violence among South Asian, Middle Eastern, East Asian, and Latina women in the United States. Two hundred fifty-one college-educated women from a middle to high SES (South Asian/Middle Eastern, n = 93; East Asian, n = 72;…

  9. Selecting Children's Picture Books with Positive Chinese, Japanese, and Other Asian and Asian-American Fathers and Father Figures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heller, Craig; Cunningham, Bruce; Lee, Ginny; Heller, Hannah M.

    2000-01-01

    Discusses distinctive children's picture books that depict Asian fathers and other men who play significant roles in the lives of children. Books are grouped by theme, such as fairly tale versus real life, Asian immigration to North America, and discipline. Includes guidelines for selecting and evaluating books and appropriate classroom teaching…

  10. Learning Style Preferences of Southeast Asian Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Clara C.

    2000-01-01

    Investigated the perceptual learning style preferences (auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and tactile) and preferences for group and individual learning of Southeast Asian students compared to white students. Surveys indicated significant differences in learning style preferences between Southeast Asian and white students and between the diverse…

  11. Identification of Ethnically Specific Genetic Variations in Pan-Asian Ethnos

    OpenAIRE

    Yang, Jin Ok; Hwang, Sohyun; Kim, Woo-Yeon; Park, Seong-Jin; Kim, Sang Cheol; Park, Kiejung; Lee, Byungwook

    2014-01-01

    Asian populations contain a variety of ethnic groups that have ethnically specific genetic differences. Ethnic variants may be highly relevant in disease and human differentiation studies. Here, we identified ethnically specific variants and then investigated their distribution across Asian ethnic groups. We obtained 58,960 Pan-Asian single nucleotide polymorphisms of 1,953 individuals from 72 ethnic groups of 11 Asian countries. We selected 9,306 ethnic variant single nucleotide polymorphism...

  12. Cyborg Dreams in Asian American Transnationality: Transgression, Myth, Simulation, Coalition

    OpenAIRE

    Song, Mary

    2012-01-01

    By deploying a cyberculture theory of cyborg politics in my literary analyses of Asian American literature, I deconstruct Asian American subjectivity through the trope of transnationality. In the Asian American transnational, I locate four prominent traits of Donna Haraway's socialist feminist cyborg: boundary transgression, the recognition and re-scripting of myth, simulations of identity, and coalitions of affinity. By adopting the language of cyberculture, I envision Asian American literat...

  13. Explanatory models of psychosis amongst British South Asians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhikha, Aqeela; Farooq, Saeed; Chaudhry, Nasim; Naeem, Farooq; Husain, Nusrat

    2015-08-01

    A strong interest in the understanding, exploring, and extracting explanatory models of psychosis has recently arisen. Explanatory models (EMs) offer justifications and propose explanations when coping with and treating illnesses. Therefore, they may be important predictors of clinical outcome. Explanatory models of psychosis have been explored in many non-Western countries. However, very little research has examined EMs of psychosis in the UK. We therefore, aimed to elicit and describe explanatory models of psychosis amongst British South Asians, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. EMs of psychosis were examined using the Short Explanatory Model Interview (SEMI) in a cross-sectional sample of 45 patients. Most patients (55.5%) attributed their illness to supernatural causes. Few patients cited a biological (4.4%) cause. Majority of patients held dual EMs of psychosis (77.7%), combining prescribed medication and seeing a traditional healer as a treatment method. Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP) was not significantly associated with EMs of psychosis. The results suggest that patients hold multi-explanatory models in order to make sense of their illness and these stem from deep rooted traditional beliefs. This highlights the importance of educational intervention, culturally adapted psychological interventions and possibly working together with traditional healers in the UK to provide a positive support system. Further work is required in order to fully understand the relationship between EMs of psychosis and DUP. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Examining Factors Influencing Asian American and Latino American Students' College Choice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang-Yeung, Leilani Weichun

    2016-01-01

    This dissertation examines the gap in college enrollment between Asian Americans and Latino Americans regarding the effects of family and school factors, classifying them into the six ethnic/generational status groups (Asian American first generation, Asian American second generation, Asian American third generation and plus, Latino American first…

  15. Asian horses deepen the MSY phylogeny.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Felkel, S; Vogl, C; Rigler, D; Jagannathan, V; Leeb, T; Fries, R; Neuditschko, M; Rieder, S; Velie, B; Lindgren, G; Rubin, C-J; Schlötterer, C; Rattei, T; Brem, G; Wallner, B

    2018-02-01

    Humans have shaped the population history of the horse ever since domestication about 5500 years ago. Comparative analyses of the Y chromosome can illuminate the paternal origin of modern horse breeds. This may also reveal different breeding strategies that led to the formation of extant breeds. Recently, a horse Y-chromosomal phylogeny of modern horses based on 1.46 Mb of the male-specific Y (MSY) was generated. We extended this dataset with 52 samples from five European, two American and seven Asian breeds. As in the previous study, almost all modern European horses fall into a crown group, connected via a few autochthonous Northern European lineages to the outgroup, the Przewalski's Horse. In total, we now distinguish 42 MSY haplotypes determined by 158 variants within domestic horses. Asian horses show much higher diversity than previously found in European breeds. The Asian breeds also introduce a deep split to the phylogeny, preliminarily dated to 5527 ± 872 years. We conclude that the deep splitting Asian Y haplotypes are remnants of a far more diverse ancient horse population, whose haplotypes were lost in other lineages. © 2018 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

  16. Common genetic determinants of breast-cancer risk in East Asian women: a collaborative study of 23 637 breast cancer cases and 25 579 controls

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Wei; Zhang, Ben; Cai, Qiuyin; Sung, Hyuna; Michailidou, Kyriaki; Shi, Jiajun; Choi, Ji-Yeob; Long, Jirong; Dennis, Joe; Humphreys, Manjeet K.; Wang, Qin; Lu, Wei; Gao, Yu-Tang; Li, Chun; Cai, Hui; Park, Sue K.; Yoo, Keun-Young; Noh, Dong-Young; Han, Wonshik; Dunning, Alison M.; Benitez, Javier; Vincent, Daniel; Bacot, Francois; Tessier, Daniel; Kim, Sung-Won; Lee, Min Hyuk; Lee, Jong Won; Lee, Jong-Young; Xiang, Yong-Bing; Zheng, Ying; Wang, Wenjin; Ji, Bu-Tian; Matsuo, Keitaro; Ito, Hidemi; Iwata, Hiroji; Tanaka, Hideo; Wu, Anna H.; Tseng, Chiu-chen; Van Den Berg, David; Stram, Daniel O.; Teo, Soo Hwang; Yip, Cheng Har; Kang, In Nee; Wong, Tien Y.; Shen, Chen-Yang; Yu, Jyh-Cherng; Huang, Chiun-Sheng; Hou, Ming-Feng; Hartman, Mikael; Miao, Hui; Lee, Soo Chin; Putti, Thomas Choudary; Muir, Kenneth; Lophatananon, Artitaya; Stewart-Brown, Sarah; Siriwanarangsan, Pornthep; Sangrajrang, Suleeporn; Shen, Hongbing; Chen, Kexin; Wu, Pei-Ei; Ren, Zefang; Haiman, Christopher A.; Sueta, Aiko; Kim, Mi Kyung; Khoo, Ui Soon; Iwasaki, Motoki; Pharoah, Paul D.P.; Wen, Wanqing; Hall, Per; Shu, Xiao-Ou; Easton, Douglas F.; Kang, Daehee

    2013-01-01

    In a consortium including 23 637 breast cancer patients and 25 579 controls of East Asian ancestry, we investigated 70 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 67 independent breast cancer susceptibility loci recently identified by genome-wide association studies (GWASs) conducted primarily in European-ancestry populations. SNPs in 31 loci showed an association with breast cancer risk at P Asians and provided evidence for associations of breast cancer risk in the East Asian population with nearly half of the genetic risk variants initially reported in GWASs conducted in European descendants. Taken together, these common genetic risk variants explain ∼10% of excess familial risk of breast cancer in Asian populations. PMID:23535825

  17. Asian Women in Management, cracking the glass ceiling ?

    OpenAIRE

    Kim, So Won

    2007-01-01

    Research on the corporate Asian woman has been limited as most studies on women in management have focused within the Anglo-Saxon and European contexts. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present a general overview of Asian female managers and compare it to their western counterparts. Similar individual, organizational and institutional career barriers have been found in the Asian context. However, the institutional perspective seems to play a larger role in the representation of Asia...

  18. Breast cancer histology and receptor status characterization in Asian Indian and Pakistani women in the U.S. - a SEER analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kakarala, Madhuri; Rozek, Laura; Cote, Michele; Liyanage, Samadhi; Brenner, Dean E

    2010-01-01

    Recent reports suggest increase in estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) negative breast cancer yet little is known about histology or receptor status of breast cancer in Indian/Pakistani women.in the U.S. We examined the United States National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Cancer program to assess: a) frequency of breast cancer by age, b) histologic subtypes, c) receptor status of breast cancer and, d) survival in Indians/Pakistanis compared to Caucasians. There were 360,933 breast cancer cases diagnosed 1988-2006. Chi-Square analyses and Cox proportional hazards models, to estimate relative risks for breast cancer mortality after adjusting for confounders, were performed using Statistical Analysis Software 9.2. Among Asian Indian/Pakistani breast cancer patients, 16.2% were < 40 yrs. old compared to 6.23% in Caucasians (p < 0.0001). Asian Indian women had more invasive ductal carcinoma (69.1 vs. 65.7%, p < 0.0001), inflammatory cancer (1.4% vs. 0.8, p < 0.0001) and less invasive lobular carcinoma (4.2% vs. 8.1%, p < 0.0001) than Caucasians. Asian Indian/Pakistani women had more ER/PR negative breast cancer (30.6% vs. 21.8%, p = 0.0095) than Caucasians. Adjusting for stage at diagnosis, age, tumor grade, nodal status, and histology, Asian Indian/Pakistani women's survival was similar to Caucasians, while African Americans' was worse. Asian Indian/Pakistani women have higher frequency of breast cancer (particularly in age < 40), ER/PR negative invasive ductal and inflammatory cancer than Caucasians

  19. Evaluation of efficacy and safety of fixed dose lovastatin and niacinER combination in Asian Indian dyslipidemic patients: a multicentric study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manoj Sharma

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available Manoj Sharma1, Deepika R Sharma1, Vikram Singh1, RB Panwar2, HS Hira3, Bishav Mohan4, Naveen Kumar4, SK Sharma5, Rajeev Gupta61Clinical Research Division, Panacea-Biotec Ltd, New Delhi; 2SP Medical College, Bikaner; 3Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi; 4Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana; 5SMS Medical College, Jaipur; 6Monilek Hospital and Research Center, Jaipur, India.Abstract: Asian Indian dyslipidemia is characterized by: borderline high low-density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein (apo B; high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL cholesterol and apoA1; and high lipoprotein(a (lp[a]. We performed a controlled multicentric trial in India to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a fixed dose combination of lovastatin and niacin extended release (niacinER formulation in patients with moderate to severe dyslipidemia. Consecutive subjects that satisfied the selection criteria, agreed to an informed consent, and with no baseline presence of liver/renal disease or heart failure were enrolled in the study. After a 4-week run-in period there were 142 patients with LDL levels ≥ 130 mg/dL. Eleven patients were excluded because of uncontrolled hyperglycemia and 131 patients were recruited. After baseline evaluation of clinical and biochemical parameters all subjects were administered lovastatin (20 mg and niacinER (500 mg combination once daily. Dose escalation was done on basis of lipid parameters at 8 weeks and in 11 patients increased to lovastatin (20 mg and niacinER (1000 mg. An intention-to-treat analysis was performed and data was analyzed using nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank test. Thirteen patients (10% were lost to follow-up and 4 (3% withdrew because of dermatological adverse effects: flushing, pruritus, and rash. The mean values of various lipid parameters (mg/dL at baseline, and at weeks 4, 12, and 24 respectively were: total cholesterol 233.9 ± 27, 206.3 ± 27, 189.8 ± 31, and 174.9 ± 27 mg/dL; LDL

  20. Performance of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget's Revised Race and Ethnicity Categories in Asian Populations*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holup, Joan L; Press, Nancy; Vollmer, William M; Harris, Emily L; Vogt, Thomas M; Chen, Chuhe

    2007-09-01

    OBJECTIVES: The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidelines for collecting and reporting race and ethnicity information recently divided the "Asian or Pacific Islander" category into "Asian" and "Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander". The OMB's decision to disaggregate the "Asian or Pacific Islander" category was the first step toward providing these communities with information to better serve their needs. However, whether individuals who formerly made up the combined group categorize themselves as the new guidelines intend is a question analyzed in this report. METHODS: A subset of adults participating in the Hemochromatosis and Iron Overload Screening Study completed both the OMB-minimum and the expanded race and ethnicity measure used in the National Health Interview Survey. We compared responses on the expanded measure contained within the OMB "Asian" definition (Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Asian Indian, Chinese, and/or Other Asian) to "Asian" responses on the OMB-minimum measure. RESULTS: Mixed heritage Asians less often marked "Asian". Among mixed heritage Japanese, Chinese, and Filipinos, 27%, 49%, and 52% did not mark "Asian" on the OMB measure, respectively. Eleven percent of single-heritage Filipinos did not mark "Asian." CONCLUSIONS: Many individuals formerly making up the combined "Asian or Pacific Islander" group do not categorize themselves as the revised OMB guidelines intend. This is particularly evident among Filipinos and among Asians of mixed heritage. This research illuminates the reliability and utility of the broad "Asian" category and points to possible consequences of collapsing groups into a single category, i.e., missed information and/or erroneous generalization.