Purpose The purpose of this pilot study is to assess the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a short-duration culturally tailored community-based diabetes self-management program (CTCDSP) for Korean immigrants with type 2 diabetes delivered at a non-clinic affiliated community center. Methods Forty-one Korean adults with type 2 diabetes participated in a 2-session CTCDSP delivered by a bilingual nurse practitioner at a Korean community center. Outcome measures included biological, behavioral, general health well-being, diabetes knowledge, and self-efficacy assessed at baseline, post-education, and 3 months follow-up. Repeated-measures ANOVAs were used to explore mean differences in outcomes across the three assessment points. Results From baseline to 3-month follow-up assessment, participants exhibited significant improvement on several physiological and behavioral measures. Mean levels of hemoglobin A1C and waist circumference decreased, while high-density lipoprotein levels increased. Additionally, participants reported an increase in weekly feet checks, and there was a trend increase in participants’ reported frequency of exercise activities. The feasibility of the CTCDSP was established and participant satisfaction with the program was high. Conclusions A short-duration CTCDSP may be an effective, feasible, and favorably-received approach to improving diabetes outcomes in Korean and potentially other underserved ethnic minority immigrants who have limited access to mainstream clinic-based diabetes self-management programs.

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Real-time PCR was applied to quantify the abundance of human adenoviruses in two southern California urban rivers, the San Gabriel and Los Angeles. A total of 114 river samples from five different locations were collected over a 1-year period and analyzed for human adenoviruses, along with fecal indicator bacteria and coliphages. Adenoviruses were detected by real-time PCR in ϳ16% of the samples, with concentrations ranging from 10 2 to 10 4 genomes per liter. However, a plaque assay using two human tissue culture cell lines, HEK-293A and A549, yielded negative results, suggesting that adenoviruses detected by real-time PCR are likely noninfectious. Enterovirus genome was detected in ϳ7% of the samples by reverse transcription-PCR. Analysis by Spearman's rho rank order correlation showed significant correlations between fecal indicator bacteria and indicator virus (total coliform, fecal coliform, enterococcus, and coliphage values). However, no significant correlations were found between human adenoviruses quantified by real-time PCR and culturable coliphages or fecal indicator bacteria. Kruskal-Wallis chi-square analysis showed significant seasonal variability of all fecal indicator bacteria and coliphages, while no significant variability was observed for adenoviruses or enteroviruses. This study presents the first quantitative measurement of human adenovirus genomes in urban rivers and their statistical relationship to fecal indicator bacteria and coliphages. The uncoupling between high-number genome copies of adenoviruses detected by real-time PCR and the absence of infectivity detected by tissue culture suggests that genome-based detection methods are inadequate for direct assessment of human health risk.

Acculturation may have a protective effect on smoking behavior in Asian men and a harmful effect in Asian women and adolescents. The magnitude of effect is larger in women and adolescents than in men. Smoking cessation programs should target acculturated women, adolescents, and traditional men.