Chong-Do Lee

Influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on lung cancer mortality.

PURPOSE Previous studies have suggested that higher levels of physical activity may lower lung cancer risk; however, few prospective studies have evaluated lung cancer mortality in relation to cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), an objective marker of recent physical activity habits. METHODS Thirty-eight thousand men, aged 20-84 yr, without history of cancer, received a preventive medical examination at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas, between 1974 and 2002. CRF was quantified as maximal treadmill exercise test duration and was grouped for analysis as low (lowest 20% of exercise duration), moderate (middle 40%), and high (upper 40%). RESULTS A total of 232 lung cancer deaths occurred during follow-up (mean = 17 yr). After adjustment for age, examination year, body mass index, smoking, drinking, physical activity, and family history of cancer, hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for lung cancer deaths across low, moderate, and high CRF categories were 1.0, 0.48 (0.35-0.67), and 0.43 (0.28-0.65), respectively. There was an inverse association between CRF and lung cancer mortality in former (P for trend = 0.005) and current smokers (P for trend < 0.001) but not in never smokers (trend P = 0.14). Joint analysis of smoking and fitness status revealed a significant 12-fold higher risk of death in current smokers (hazard ratio = 11.9, 95% confidence interval = 6.0-23.6) with low CRF as compared with never smokers who had high CRF. CONCLUSIONS Although the potential for some residual confounding by smoking could not be eliminated, these data suggest that CRF is inversely associated with lung cancer mortality in men. Continued study of CRF in relation to lung cancer, particularly among smokers, may further our understanding of disease etiology and reveal additional strategies for reducing its burden.

Lifestyle Factors and Coronary Artery Calcification.

The effective prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a global health challenge. Adopting a combined primary (prevention of the first episode of coronary heart disease or stroke) and primordial (prevention of the causal risk factors of CVD) prevention strategy is the best approach to prevent CVD. Most importantly, the primordial prevention strategy should in the first place be to promote cardiovascular health across individual and population levels by improving the underlying causal risk factors for CVD (i.e., unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, obesity, and cigarette smoking). Epidemiological evidence indicates that maintaining favorable underlying risk factors (lifestyle factors) is associated with a lower risk of incident CVD. Prevention of early atherosclerotic vascular disease is also an important strategy to prevent CVD. However, there has been limited research on the association between lifestyle factors and early atherosclerotic vascular disease (i.e., coronary or carotid atherosclerosis) across race and gender groups in population-based studies. This article briefly reviews whether lifestyle factors relate to subclinical atherosclerosis as assessed by coronary artery calcification in asymptomatic individuals.

Front & Back Matter

of Review Articles: Should be divided into the following subsections: Background, Summary and Key Messages. The Background should provide a brief clinical context for the review and is followed by the Summary, which should include a concise description of the main topics covered in the text. The Key Messages encapsulate the main conclusions of the review. Submit the abstract on a separate page. The abstract should be less than 300 words. Abstracts of Original Papers: Each paper needs an abstract of up to 300 words. It should be structured as follows:s of Original Papers: Each paper needs an abstract of up to 300 words. It should be structured as follows: Background/Aims: What is the major problem that prompted the study? Methods: How was the study performed? Results: Most important findings? Conclusion: Implications, future directions

Contents Vol. 2, 2014

Walter Abhayaratna, Canberra, A.C.T. Fabio Angeli, Perugia Chen-Huan Chen, Taipei Julio Chirinos, Philadelphia, Pa. Olga Fedorova, Baltimore, Md. Jong-Won Ha, Seoul Berthold Hocher, Nuthetal Sae Young Jae, Seoul Xiongjing Jiang, Beijing Yuhei Kawano, Osaka Jae-Ryong Kim, Daegu Kee-Sik Kim, Daegu Kwang-il Kim, Seoul Carmen McEniery, Cambridge Abdul Rashid Rahman, Cyberjaya Ernst R. Rietzschel, Ghent Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss, Basel Jim Sharman, Hobart, Tas. Kohji Shirai, Sakura-shi Jun Tao, Guangzhou Hirofumi Tomiyama, Tokyo Raymond Townsend, Philadelphia, Pa. Hongyu Wang, Beijing Editor

Effects of Red Ginseng Intake on Muscle Injury Due to Eccentric Exercise*: 2056

This study examined the effects of Korean red ginseng (RG) on muscle injury induced by eccentric exercise. Eighteen college male students were randomly assigned to either the RG group or the placebo group (P). The RG group ingested RG extract at 20 g/day (mixed with 200 mL of water) for 7 days prior to performing a downhill treadmill exercise and for 3 days after performing the downhill treadmill exercise, while the P group ingested 200 mL of water containing Agastachis Herba for 7 days prior to and 3 days following a downhill treadmill exercise. All subjects performed 2 bouts of a downhill treadmill exercise (6 km, -14 degree slope, 12 km/hr speed) with a 5 minute resting interval between bouts. Blood samples were drawn immediately before and after exercise, and at 1 hr, 24 hr, 48 hr, and 72 hr. Two-way repeated ANOVA documented that creatine kinase (CK) levels in the RG group were significantly reduced at 48 hr after exercise, as compared with P group, and remained constant until 72 hr after exercise. Lactate levels in the RG group were also significantly lower at 24 hr and 72 hr after exercise as compared to the P group. We conclude that supplementation of RGreduces CK levels and may prevent muscle injury induced by eccentric exercise.

Association of White Blood Cell Count With Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Body Composition, and Blood Lipids in Female College Students

Whether inflammatory markers are associated with cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and blood lipids across gender and ethnic groups remains less clear. We investigated the relations of white blood cell (WBC) count with cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition (percent body fat), and blood lipids, i,e, total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG), in 145 Korean female college students. We measured WBC count and blood lipids, and cardiorespiratory fitness levels were indirectly assessed by Harvard 5-minute step test. Pearson product-moment correlation was used to investigate the partial associations of WBC count with cardiorespiratory fitness, percent body fat, and blood lipids (TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG) after adjustment for age, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, and dietary habits. WBC count was inversely associated with cardiorespiratory fitness (r=-0.27) and positively associated with percent body fat (r=0.31) after adjustment for multiple risk factors. However, there was a weak and non-significant association between WBC count with TC (r=0.04), HDL-C (r=0.07), LDL-C (r=-0.13), and TG (r=0.02) respectively. We conclude that improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness may reduce white blood cell count, while being obese may increase white blood cell count in Korean female college students.