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Mutation spectrum of and founder effects affecting the PTS gene in East Asian populations

Chiu YH, Chang YC, Chang YH, Niu DM, Yang YL, Ye J, et al.

J Hum Genet, 2012 Feb;57(2):145-52.
PMID: 22237589 DOI: 10.1038/jhg.2011.146

The enzyme 6-pyruvoyl-tetrahydropterin synthase (PTPS, gene symbol: PTS) is involved in the second step of the de novo biosynthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), which is a vital cofactor of nitric oxide synthases and three types of aromatic amino acid hydroxylases; the latter are important enzymes in the production of neurotransmitters. We conducted a study of PTS mutations in East Asia, including Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia. A total of 43 mutations were identified, comprising 22 previously reported mutations and 21 new discovered mutations. Among these, the c.155A>G, c.259C>T, c. 272A>G, c.286G>A and c.84-291A>G mutations were the most common PTS mutations in East Asia, while the c.58T>C and c.243G>A mutations were, respectively, specific to Filipinos and Japanese originating from Okinawa. Further studies demonstrated that each of the mutations listed above was in linkage disequilibrium to a specific allele of polymorphic microsatellite marker, D11S1347. These results suggest the presence of founder effects that have affected these frequent mutations in East Asia populations. In this context, D11S1347 should become one of the most reliable polymorphic markers for use in prenatal diagnosis among PTPS deficient families, especially where mutations are yet to be identified.

Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Fulltext Intercountry prevalences and practices of betel-quid use in south, southeast and eastern Asia regions and associated oral preneoplastic disorders: an international collaborative study by Asian betel-quid consortium of south and east Asia

Lee CH, Ko AM, Warnakulasuriya S, Yin BL, Sunarjo, Zain RB, et al.

Int J Cancer, 2011 Oct 1;129(7):1741-51.
PMID: 21128235 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.25809

Health risks stemming from betel-quid (BQ) chewing are frequently overlooked by people. Updated epidemiological data on the increased BQ use among Asian populations using comparable data collection methods have not been widely available. To investigate the prevalence, patterns of practice and associated types of oral preneoplastic disorders, an intercountry Asian Betel-quid Consortium study (the ABC study) was conducted for Taiwan, Mainland China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal and Sri Lanka. A random sample of 8,922 subjects was recruited, and the data were analyzed using survey-data modules adjusted for the complex survey design. Chewing rates among men (10.7-43.6%) were significantly higher than women (1.8-34.9%) in Taiwan, Mainland China, Nepal and Sri Lanka, while women's rates (29.5-46.8%) were higher than that for men (9.8-12.0%) in Malaysia and Indonesia. An emerging, higher proportion of new-users were identified for Hunan in Mainland China (11.1-24.7%), where Hunan chewers have the unique practice of using the dried husk of areca fruit rather than the solid nut universally used by others. Men in the Eastern and South Asian study communities were deemed likely to combine chewing with smoking and drinking (5.6-13.6%). Indonesian women who chewed BQ exhibited the highest prevalence of oral lichen planus, oral submucous fibrosis and oral leukoplakia (9.1-17.3%). Lower schooling, alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking were identified as being associated with BQ chewing. In conclusion, the ABC study reveals the significant cultural and demographic differences contributing to practice patterns of BQ usage and the great health risks that such practices pose in the Asian region.

Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Association between painful physical symptoms and clinical outcomes in East Asian patients with major depressive disorder: a 3-month prospective observational study

Ang QQ, Wing YK, He Y, Sulaiman AH, Chiu NY, Shen YC, et al.

Int J Clin Pract, 2009 Jul;63(7):1041-9.
PMID: 19570122 DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-1241.2009.02107.x

Reports from non-Asian populations indicate that painful physical symptoms (PPS) are associated with poorer clinical and functional outcomes in major depressive disorder (MDD). The purpose of this study is to report comparative changes in disease severity, treatment patterns and quality of life observed in East Asian patients with MDD, with and without PPS, as assessed prospectively over a 3-month observation period.

Matched MeSH terms: Far East
On mobility and fertility transitions in east and southeast Asia

Skeldon R

Asian Pac Migr J, 1992;1(2):220-49.
PMID: 12343909

The relationship between fertility and mobility is examined with reference to Zelinsky's [1971] mobility transition hypothesis. Five Asian countries (Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, China) at different stages of development and mobility transition are compared with respect to shifting sectoral patterns of migration and changing levels of fertility. National trends suggest that the development sequence proposed by Zelinsky on the basis of the European experience does not generally apply to Asia. In four out of five cases examined, fertility declined before substantial urbanization took place. Zelinsky's sequence of mobility change should be modified to fit the experience of developing countries, but the importance of the interrelations hip between fertility decline and mobility change remains

Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Clandestine labor migration to Taiwan

Tsay C

Asian Pac Migr J, 1992;1(3-4):637-55.
PMID: 12285774

"Illegal migration to Taiwan is a recent phenomenon but with a rapid rate of increase. Most illegal foreign workers enter on visitor's visas and overstay. This paper's detailed analysis of official data reveals that Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand are the major sources, providing a stock of mostly male workers numbering around 40,000. Sociodemographic and attitudinal changes among Taiwanese workers coupled with labor shortages in low-skilled jobs are pressuring the Taiwanese government to formulate plans for a systematic importation of foreign labor."

Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Labor migration in Asia

Martin PL

Int Migr Rev, 1991;25(1):176-93.
PMID: 12316776

"A recent conference sponsored by the United Nations Center for Regional Development (UNCRD) in Nagoya, Japan examined the growing importance of labor migration for four major Asian labor importers (Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore) and five major labor exporters (Bangladesh, Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, and Thailand).... The conference concluded that international labor migration would increase within Asia because the tight labor markets and rising wages which have stimulated Japanese investment in other Asian nations, for example, have not been sufficient to eliminate migration push and pull forces...."

Matched MeSH terms: Far East
A seasonal analysis of Chinese births

Abeysinghe T

J Appl Stat, 1991;18(2):275-86.
PMID: 12343764
Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Age at first marital union and fertility: evidence from some Asian and Pacific countries

Kanjanapan W

Ingu munje nonjip, 1986 Jun.
PMID: 12222504
Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Migration of women to cities: the Asian situation in comparative perspective

Khoo SE, Smith PC, Fawcett JT

Int Migr Rev, 1984;18(4 Special Issue):1247-63.
PMID: 12340237
Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Larger than life: billboard communication in Southeast Asia

Barnard B

UFSI Rep, 1983.
PMID: 12339664
Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Study findings on evaluation of integrated family planning programme performance

Asian Pac Popul Programme News, 1980;9(1-2):10-1.
PMID: 12262020

PIP: In 1976 the United Nations's Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific launched a comparative study on integrated family planning programs in a number of countries in the region. In November 1979 the study directors from the participating countries meet in Bangkok to discuss the current status of the studies in their countries. The Korean and Malaysian studies were completed, the Bangladesh study was in the data collecting phase, and the Pakistani research design phase was completed. The meeting participants focused their attention on the findings and policy implications of the 2 completed studies and also discussed a number of theorectical and methodological issues which grew out of their research experience. The Malaysian study indicated that group structure, financial resources, and the frequency and quality of worker-client contact were the most significant variables determining program effectiveness. In the Korean Study, leadership, financial resources, and the frequency and quality of contact between agencies were the key variables in determining program effectiveness. In the Malaysian study there was a positive correlation between maternal and child health service performance measures and family planning service performance measures. This finding supported the contention that these 2 types of service provision are not in conflict with each other but instead serve to reinforce each other. Policy implications of the Korean study were 1) family planning should be an integral part of all community activities; 2) family planning workers should be adequately supported by financial and supply allocations; and 3) adequate record keeping and information exchange procedures should be incorporated in the programs.

Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Granny midwives can help with family planning in developing lands; in Iran they insert, remove IUDs

Int Fam Plann Dig, 1975 Dec;1(4):1-3.
PMID: 12277249

PIP: Traditional midwives are active in most villages and many urban areas of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. They deliver babies, provide prenatal and postpartum care, teach folk methods of birth control, treat infertility, and enjoy the confidence of many women. Most official family planning programs make little or no use of these traditional midwives. Research should be conducted into the most effective ways of recruiting and rewarding midwives in family planning programs. They seem to function best when provided with adequate training, supervision, and incentives. Traditional midwives are participating in the national family planning programs in Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Only in Iran do they participate in the medical aspects of family planning. Midwives in Iran do IUD insertions and their performance compares favorably with that of medical personnel.

Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Six-year multicenter study on short-term peripheral venous catheters-related bloodstream infection rates in 727 intensive care units of 268 hospitals in 141 cities of 42 countries of Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, South East Asia, and Western Pacific Regions: International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) findings

Rosenthal VD, Bat-Erdene I, Gupta D, Belkebir S, Rajhans P, Zand F, et al.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 2020 05;41(5):553-563.
PMID: 32183925 DOI: 10.1017/ice.2020.20

BACKGROUND: Short-term peripheral venous catheter-related bloodstream infection (PVCR-BSI) rates have not been systematically studied in resource-limited countries, and data on their incidence by number of device days are not available.
METHODS: Prospective, surveillance study on PVCR-BSI conducted from September 1, 2013, to May 31, 2019, in 727 intensive care units (ICUs), by members of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC), from 268 hospitals in 141 cities of 42 countries of Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, South East Asia, and Western Pacific regions. For this research, we applied definition and criteria of the CDC NHSN, methodology of the INICC, and software named INICC Surveillance Online System.
RESULTS: We followed 149,609 ICU patients for 731,135 bed days and 743,508 short-term peripheral venous catheter (PVC) days. We identified 1,789 PVCR-BSIs for an overall rate of 2.41 per 1,000 PVC days. Mortality in patients with PVC but without PVCR-BSI was 6.67%, and mortality was 18% in patients with PVC and PVCR-BSI. The length of stay of patients with PVC but without PVCR-BSI was 4.83 days, and the length of stay was 9.85 days in patients with PVC and PVCR-BSI. Among these infections, the microorganism profile showed 58% gram-negative bacteria: Escherichia coli (16%), Klebsiella spp (11%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6%), Enterobacter spp (4%), and others (20%) including Serratia marcescens. Staphylococcus aureus were the predominant gram-positive bacteria (12%).
CONCLUSIONS: PVCR-BSI rates in INICC ICUs were much higher than rates published from industrialized countries. Infection prevention programs must be implemented to reduce the incidence of PVCR-BSIs in resource-limited countries.

Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Fulltext Compulsory drug detention centers in East and Southeast Asia

Kamarulzaman A, McBrayer JL

Int J Drug Policy, 2015 Feb;26 Suppl 1:S33-7.
PMID: 25727259 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2014.11.011

Over the last three decades in response to a rise in substance use in the region, many countries in East and Southeast Asia responded by establishing laws and policies that allowed for compulsory detention in the name of treatment for people who use drugs. These centers have recently come under international scrutiny with a call for their closure in a Joint Statement from United Nations entities in March 2012. The UN's response was a result of concern for human rights violations, including the lack of consent for treatment and due process protections for compulsory detention, the lack of general healthcare and evidence based drug dependency treatment and in some centers, of forced labor and physical and sexual abuse (United Nations, 2012). A few countries have responded to this call with evidence of an evolving response for community-based voluntary treatment; however progress is likely going to be hampered by existing laws and policies, the lack of skilled human resource and infrastructure to rapidly establish evidence based community treatment centers in place of these detention centers, pervasive stigmatization of people who use drugs and the ongoing tensions between the abstinence-based model of treatment as compared to harm reduction approaches in many of these affected countries.

Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Differences in psychiatric symptoms among Asian patients with depression: a multi-country cross-sectional study

Sulaiman AH, Bautista D, Liu CY, Udomratn P, Bae JN, Fang Y, et al.

Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 2014 Apr;68(4):245-54.
PMID: 24829935

The aim of this study was to compare the symptomatic and clinical features of depression among five groups of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) living in China, Korea, Malaysia/Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Female labour force participation and fertility

Concepcion MB

Int Labour Rev, 1974;109(5-6):503-17.
PMID: 12307194
Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Fulltext Amphetamine type stimulant (ATS) induced psychosis: A rising problems in Malaysia

Ahmad, H.S.

Malaysian Journal of Psychiatry, 2008;17(2):1-4.
MyJurnal

The past decade has seen a marked increase in the popularity of ATS use, particularly methamphetamine, within East Asia,and the Pacific region. In Malaysia, the National Anti Drug Agency has identified 8,870 addicts (from January till August 2008) out of which 1,126 was ATS dependence. During the same period, the police have arrested 46,388 people under the Dangerous Drug Act 1952. They also has seize 283kg of syabu, 545kg of ecstacy powder, 66194 tablets of esctacy pills and 222,376 tablets of yaba pills from Jan till August this year. The occurrence of psychosis arising from the use of ATS was first reported in the late 1930's. With growing ATS use, particularly methamphetamine, ATS-induced psychosis has become a major impact on public health.Symptoms of ATS-induced psychosis: Methamphetamine use produces a variety of effects, ranging from irritability, to physical aggression, hyperawareness, hypervigilance, and psychomotor agitation. Repeated or high-dose use of the stimulant can cause drug-induced psychosis resembling paranoid schizophrenia, characterized by hallucinations, delusions and thought disorders. When used in long term, methamphetamine may lead to development of psychiatric symptoms due to dopamine depletion in the striatum. The most common lifetime psychotic symptoms among methamphetamine psychotic patients - as reported in a cross-country study involving Australia, Japan, the Philippines and Thailand - are persecutory delusion, auditory hallucinations, strange or unusual beliefs and thought reading. Those patients were also reported to suffer from impaired speech, psychomotor retardation, depression and anxiety. An ATS psychosis can be distinguished from primary psychotic disorders by time. In ATS-induced psychosis symptoms usually resolve after the drug is discontinued. If symptoms do not resolve within 2 weeks after cessation of stimulant use, a primary psychiatric disorder should be suspected. When compared with other stimulants, such as cocaine, psychosis is induced more commonly by ATS, possibly due to the longer duration of action produced by amphetamines.For example, while smoking cocaine produces a high that lasts for 20-30 minutes, smoking methamphetamine produces a high that lasts 8-24 hours. Other symptoms of ATS-induced psychosis reported include affective blunting,(6) violent behavior, and self-mutilation and self-injurious behavior.

Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Levels of trace elements, methylmercury and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in foraging green turtles in the South China region and their conservation implications

Ng CKY, Lam JCW, Zhang XH, Gu HX, Li TH, Ye MB, et al.

Environ Pollut, 2018 Mar;234:735-742.
PMID: 29245147 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.11.100

Sea turtles are globally endangered and face daily anthropogenic threats, including pollution. However, there is a lack of ecotoxicological information on sea turtles, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. This study aims to determine pollutant levels of foraging green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in South China, including Hong Kong, Guangdong and Taiwan, as a basis for their conservation. Scute, liver and muscle tissues of stranded green turtles were analysed for levels of 17 trace elements and methylmercury (MeHg) (n = 86 for scute and n = 14 for liver) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (n = 11 for muscle and n = 13 for liver). Ten-fold higher levels of Pb, Ba, V and Tl and 40-fold greater Cd levels were measured in green turtle livers in South China relative to other studies conducted over 10 years ago. Measured PBDE levels were also 27-fold and 50-fold greater than those reported in Australia and Japan. These results warrant further investigation of potential toxicological risks to green turtles in South China and their source rookeries in Malaysia, Micronesia, Indonesia, Marshall Islands, Japan and Taiwan. Research should target monitoring pollutant levels in sea turtles within the West Pacific/Southeast Asia regional management unit spanning East Asia to Southeast Asia to fill in knowledge gaps, in particular in areas such as Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines where less or no data is available and where foraging grounds of sea turtles have been identified.

Matched MeSH terms: Far East
Fulltext Genome-wide association analysis in East Asians identifies breast cancer susceptibility loci at 1q32.1, 5q14.3 and 15q26.1

Cai Q, Zhang B, Sung H, Low SK, Kweon SS, Lu W, et al.

Nat Genet, 2014 Aug;46(8):886-90.
PMID: 25038754 DOI: 10.1038/ng.3041

In a three-stage genome-wide association study among East Asian women including 22,780 cases and 24,181 controls, we identified 3 genetic loci newly associated with breast cancer risk, including rs4951011 at 1q32.1 (in intron 2 of the ZC3H11A gene; P=8.82×10(-9)), rs10474352 at 5q14.3 (near the ARRDC3 gene; P=1.67×10(-9)) and rs2290203 at 15q26.1 (in intron 14 of the PRC1 gene; P=4.25×10(-8)). We replicated these associations in 16,003 cases and 41,335 controls of European ancestry (P=0.030, 0.004 and 0.010, respectively). Data from the ENCODE Project suggest that variants rs4951011 and rs10474352 might be located in an enhancer region and transcription factor binding sites, respectively. This study provides additional insights into the genetics and biology of breast cancer.

Matched MeSH terms: Far East
The distribution of urban population and income: explorations using six Asian cases

Chakravorty S

GeoJournal, 1993 Feb;29(2):115-24.
PMID: 12318386

"Urban concentration (or primacy) and inequality (in size distribution of income) are expected to follow bell shaped curves through the development process. Spatial convergence (through investments in transportation etc.) is expected to precede income convergence. Using longitudinal data from six Asian countries (Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and India) this paper shows that (i) the bell shapes for urban concentration and income inequality generally hold, and (ii) the temporal relationship between the curve peaks is determined by geographical factors (for urban concentration); income inequality is seen to be more policy amenable."

Matched MeSH terms: Far East

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