Forty oral cancer patients identified consecutively in Changhua Christian Hospital between 1990 and 1992 were compared with 160 population-based controls, matched for sex, age, area of residence, and educational background. Betel quid chewing was positively associated with the risk of oral cancer with adjusted odds ratio of 58.4 (95% CI: 7.6-447.6). The greater the number of years of chewing betel quid, the higher the risk of oral cancer; the adjusted odds rations were 12.9, 93.7 and 397.5 for < 21, 21-40, and > 40 years of betel chewing as compared with the non-users. The risk also increased with the quantity chewed per day; the odds ratios for those chewing < 10, 10-20 and > 20 quids/day were 26.4, 51.2 and 275.6, respectively. These odds ratio estimates were all statistically significantly different from the null value of unity.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to apply the MNA to estimate the prevalence of malnutrition in the elderly in a nationally representative sample. Results suggest that the MNA can identify malnourished elderly in a non-Caucasian population. However, it appears that the functionality of the instrument can be improved by adapting population-specific anthropometric cutoff standards.

We aimed to verify the beneficial effects of probiotic strain Lactobacillus reuteri 263 (Lr263) on hypolipidemic action in hamsters with hyperlipidemia induced by a 0.2% cholesterol and 10% lard diet (i.e., high-cholesterol diet (HCD)). Male Golden Syrian hamsters were randomly divided into two groups: normal (n = 8), standard diet (control), and experimental (n = 32), a HCD. After a two-week induction followed by a six-week supplementation with Lr263, the 32 hyperlipidemic hamsters were divided into four groups (n = 8 per group) to receive vehicle or Lr263 by oral gavage at 2.1, 4.2, or 10.5 × 109 cells/kg/day for 6 weeks, designated the HCD, 1X, 2X and 5X groups, respectively. The efficacy and safety of Lr263 supplementation were evaluated by lipid profiles of serum, liver and feces and by clinical biochemistry and histopathology. HCD significantly increased serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, hepatic and fetal TC and TG levels, and degree of fatty liver as compared with controls. Lr263 supplementation dose dependently increased serum HDL-C level and decreased serum TC, TG, LDL-C levels, LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, hepatic TC and TG levels, and fecal TG level. In addition, Lr263 supplementation had few subchronic toxic effects. Lr263 could be a potential agent with a hypolipidemic pharmacological effect.

SUMMARY.Plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity and lean body mass (LBM) (by anthropometry) were measured in 120 women (20-82 years) and 70 men (20-82 years). Plasma CK activity and LBM was higher in men than in women. In men plasma CK activity was significantly correlated (product moment correlation coefficient) with LBM and negatively with age. In women plasma CK activity was significantly correlated with age. Partial correlation coefficient calculation showed a significant correlation between plasma CK and LBM both in men and in women. We conclude that in healthy subjects the plasma CK activity is related to LBM, but the LBM is not a major determinant of plasma activity in healthy subjects.Measurement of creatine kinase (CK), adenosine triphosphate: creatine phosphotransferase EC 2.7.3.2, an enzyme present in muscle, heart and brain, is useful in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, in muscle disorders such as Duchenne muscular dystrophyI and in the study of exercise stress. However, the reference range for CK is wide and the specificity of CK in the detection of muscular dystrophy is 'low and attempts have been made to narrow the reference range. Many factors contribute to the wide reference range including age,2 hormone status," race" and sex", It is well known that men have a higher CK than women and most laboratories use sex-related reference ranges. It has also been suggested plasma CK is related to muscle mass?: 7 although some disagree." We have, therefore, studied the relationship between LBM and CK in a large group of subjects. Materials and methodsChinese individuals, living in a government housing estate, were studied. Each week, over several months, we collected blood samples from a group of to to 25 fasted individuals after anthropometric measurements--weight, height, and skinfold thickness measurement at biceps, triceps, subscapular, and suprailiac sites with a Langer skinfold caliper. Blood was collected into lithium heparin tubes, kept at 4°C, and centrifuged within 2 h. Plasma was separated and stored at -700C until analysis. We assayed CK on a centrifugal analyser (Encore, Baker Instruments, Allentown, PA, USA) by the IFCC recommended method. For CK activities of 62 and 237 UIL the withinbatch SD were 1·0 (CY 1·6%) and 7·1 UIL (CV 3,0%) and the between-batch SD were 1·4 (CY 2·2%) and 10·2 UIL (CY 4,3%), respectively. Lean body mass (LBM) was calculated from the sum of four skinfold thickness usinẽ quations described by Durnin and Wormsley. We also calculated the body mass index (BMI) (weight/heighr'). After excluding men and women whose log CK values exceeded the mean±3 SD for each sex, there were 120 women (20-82 years) and 70 men (20-82 years) in the study.Differences between groups were evaluated by Student's r-test. Log transformation of data was used to normalise distribution of CK. Product moment correlation coefficients and partial correlation coefficients were calculated according to Steel and Tome. 10