Because T2DM increases the risk of coronary atherosclerosis and CAD and new noninvasive techniques to assess CVD risk have gained considerable popularity, it is important to know how these tools relate to each other. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the extent of coronary artery calcification measured by MDCT, plasma OPG levels, baPWV and the established cardiovascular risk factors in Korean patients with T2DM. From November 2006 to December 2007, 110 asymptomatic Korean patients with T2DM without prior evidence of CAD were assessed (mean age 57.2 years). CAC imaging was performed using a 40-slice MDCT. Serum OPG levels were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Oscotec, Korea) from the serum samples of each subject. We measured the baPWV as an index of arterial stiffness. In addition, we measured fasting glucose, HbA(1)C, hsCRP and lipid profiles. A total of 74 patients (67.3%) had minimal or insignificant CAC (<10). The CACS, OPG and baPWV showed significant positive correlations with each other. The CACS was significantly associated with the baPWV, smoking and use of a statin. The baPWV was significantly associated with age, duration of DM, total cholesterol and CACS by multiple linear regression models of the dependent variables of CACS or baPWV. CAC and baPWV were significant predictors of each other (r = 0.359, P = 0.014 and r = 0.361, P = 0.004). The results of this study showed that CAC, baPWV and serum OPG levels were significantly correlated with each other in asymptomatic Korean patients with T2DM. Furthermore, our results suggest that arterial stiffness, as determined by baPWV, may predict the extent of coronary calcification by MDCT.

Of two major forms (myo- and chiro-inositol) of inositols, only chiro-inositol enhances the activity of proteins involved in intracellular glucose metabolism. This study aims to determine the urinary myo-/chiro-inositol ratio in type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients and compare its ratio with the normal control group. The 24-hour urinary myo- and chiro-inositols in 71 Korean diabetes patients and 39 control subjects have been quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography, and their ratios have been evaluated as indices of insulin resistance. The level of 24-hour urinary myo-inositol was significantly higher in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes than with the control group, whereas the urinary chiro-inositol in type 1 or type 2 diabetes was lower than that in normal subjects. The myo-/chiro-inositol ratio in diabetes patients was higher than that in the control group. Twenty four-hour urinary myo-/chiro-inositol ratios were significantly elevated in type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients compared to the control group, suggesting that a high ratio of urinary myo-/chiro-inositol in type 2 diabetes patients might be used for an index of insulin resistance.

Energy efficiency and indoor air quality have become main issue to develop healthy and sustainable building in these days. As an effort to reduce the energy consumption in multiresidential building, many attempts as like passive design strategies and renewable energy as well as active control method are tried. However, underground parking lot in multi-residential building seldom adopt the sustainable strategies and only mechanical system is installed as usual. Moreover, the mechanical system installed in underground parking lot is rarely operated due to the electric demand for operation after completion.In this study, as an energy efficient measure, natural ventilation system using stack effect as a driving force for underground parking lot will be proposed and the performance of the suggested system will be analyzed by simulation method.

This study was conducted with the aim of examining the acculturation process of children and parents from multicultural families, which can affect the self-esteem of the children concerned. The participants from each family consisted of the fathers, mothers, and school-age children of 179 households. The results of this study reveal the following: (1) First, the multicultural children scored higher than the average in self-esteem in most areas except school life. Furthermore, the children and parents had a comparatively positive attitude toward acculturation (2) Second, the children's level of self-esteem had significant correlations only with the acculturation of mothers as opposed to fathers. (3) Third, the impacts of acculturation of the children and their parents on the children's self-esteem followed different patterns according to the sub-areas of self-esteem. Specifically, the self-esteem for overall self-value and family relations rose when the

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