Hyperuricemia is not only a risk factor for gout but also an independent determinant of hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney diseases. Although the incidence of gout in Korean adults is increasing, epidemiologic studies on hyperuricemia in the general Korean population are limited. Thus, this study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of hyperuricemia and its associated factors among non-institutionalized Korean adults. The present study included 5548 participants (2403 men and 3145 women) aged ≥ 19 years from The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Based on the new 2016 census data, the age-standardized prevalence and mean uric acid level were calculated using the chi-square test and t test, respectively. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the risk factors associated with hyperuricemia. The age-standardized prevalence of hyperuricemia and mean uric acid level in the general Korean population was 11.4% (17.0% in men and 5.9% in women) and 5.1 mg/dL (5.83 mg/dL in men and 4.36 mg/dL in women), respectively. The prevalence of hyperuricemia was high in young Korean adults, and a U-shaped association was observed between hyperuricemia and age. While obesity, metabolic syndrome, renal impairment, and low-grade inflammation were positively associated with hyperuricemia in both sexes, alcohol consumption, education, and current smoking status had a positive association with hyperuricemia only in women. Hyperuricemia is prevalent in the young population in Korea, and special efforts are necessary to reduce the potential harmful effects of hyperuricemia on the health of adults, particularly the younger-generation adults, in Korea.

BackgroundAlthough hemorrhoids are one of the most common anal diseases among Koreans, risk factors for hemorrhoids have not been well identified.MethodsWe analyzed the data from the 4th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) between 2007 and 2009. Study subjects were 17,228 participants of KNHANES who were aged 19 years or older. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate associations between hemorrhoids and probable risk factors.ResultsOverall prevalence of hemorrhoids among study subjects was 14.4%, being more prevalent among women (15.7%) than among men (13.0%). Obesity and abdominal obesity were associated with a higher risk of hemorrhoids with odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence intervals, 95% CI) of 1.13 (1.01 to 1.26) and 1.16 (1.04 to 1.30), respectively. Both self-reported depression (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.62 to 2.08) and physician diagnosed depression (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.35 to 2.17) were associated with significantly higher risk of hemorrhoids. No regular walking (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.23) and experience of pregnancy (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.17 to 2.25) for women were also associated with higher risk of hemorrhoids. However, educational level, alcohol consumption, physical activities, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, fiber, fat intake, and energy intake were not associated with a risk of hemorrhoids. Low quality of life assessed with EuroQol-5 Dimension and EuroQol-Visual Analogue Scale was significantly associated with hemorrhoids.ConclusionThis nationwide cross-sectional study of Korean adults suggests that obesity, abdominal obesity, depression, and past pregnancy may be risk factors for hemorrhoids and hemorrhoids affect quality of life negatively.

To develop high-energy density dielectric materials, hybrid BaTiO 3 particles with diblock copolymer shielding layers were fabricated and the dielectric properties of barium titanate-copolymer/polystyrene composites were examined. A significantly large breakdown strength of up to 222 V/μm at high permittivity was obtained. In our approach to formation of a robust polymer shell, polystyrene-blockpoly(styrene-co-vinylbenzylchloride) (PS-b-PSVBC) was introduced for the complete wrapping of the BT nanoparticles. The two-step processes to form polymer shielding and the resulting self-assembled layers result in excellent dielectric properties, where a charged layer is buried to minimize the development of the breakdown path and leakage current. Consequently, the maintained high breakdown strength, in spite of the large incorporation of BT particles to give high permittivity, afforded a noticeable energy density value of 9.7 J/cm 3 .

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