High fat stores in ectopic compartments in men with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: an anthropometric determinant of carotid atherosclerosis and insulin resistance.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to analyze how fat partitioning in the liver, muscle and visceral compartments is altered by diabetes and age, and whether altered fat distribution is associated with a higher carotid artery intima-media thickness (C-IMT) and insulin resistance. METHODS: This was an observational study performed on 21 young healthy men (mean age + or - s.d., 28.6 + or - 3.8 years) and 73 men with newly developed type 2 diabetes (38 young (29.2 + or - 4.1 years) and 35 middle-aged (47.1 + or - 6.0 years) subjects). Abdominal visceral and subcutaneous fat areas, mid-thigh muscle attenuation and liver attenuation characteristics were determined; the mid-thigh muscle was divided into low- and normal-density muscle areas. RESULTS: The young and middle-aged diabetic subjects had higher visceral fat areas, higher liver attenuation and higher lipid-rich muscle (greater low-density muscle area and decreased muscle attenuation) when compared with healthy individuals; however, no differences were observed between the two diabetic groups. In contrast, the C-IMT increased with both age and diabetes. On the basis of multiple regression analyses, mid-thigh low-density muscle area and muscle attenuation were independently associated with the C-IMT, and the mid-thigh normal-density muscle area and muscle attenuation were independent factors of insulin resistance. CONCLUSIONS: High fat stores within ectopic compartments were observed at an early stage in the development of diabetes. Furthermore, altered lipid partitioning within muscle was independently associated with carotid atherosclerosis and insulin resistance.

Epidemiological characteristics of the 2002 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the Republic of Korea.

The Republic of Korea experienced a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak during May-June 2002. The present study describes epidemiological characteristics of the 2002 FMD outbreak in Korea, including the pattern of the outbreak in both time and space, transmission routes among infected farms, and control measures. One of the notable features of the 2002 FMD epidemic in Korea was that the virus infected mostly pigs [15 of 16 infected premises (IPs)], despite the presence of other susceptible animals on infected and neighbouring farms. The epidemic showed temporal clustering at 8-9 day intervals, suggesting five generations of infection during the outbreak, and 13 of 16 (81.3%) IPs were located within a 10 km-radius of the index case. The clinical signs that prompted notification of infection included vesicles around hooves and snouts. The age of lesions was significantly less among cases reported by farmers compared with veterinarians. The high awareness of farmers from an earlier FMD outbreak greatly helped the animal hygiene authority in efforts associated with disease control and eradication. The outbreak was eradicated within <2 months as a result of the intensive control efforts of the animal hygiene authorities and the cooperation of the Korean people. Although the outbreak was a costly lesson for the Korean people, the experience gained will contribute to future efforts in the prevention and control of animal infectious diseases.

Simulation analyses to evaluate alternative control strategies for the 2002 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the Republic of Korea.

Using the stochastic and spatial simulation model of between-farm spread of disease, InterSpread Plus, we evaluated the effect of alternative strategies for controlling the 2002 epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the Republic of Korea. InterSpread Plus was parameterised to simulate epidemics of FMD in the population of farms containing susceptible animal species in the Korean counties of Yongin, Icheon, Pyongtaek, Anseong, Eumseong, Asan, Cheonan, and Jincheon. The starting point of our analyses was the simulation of a reference strategy, which approximated the real epidemic. The results of simulations of alternative epidemic-control strategies were compared with this reference strategy. Ring vaccination (when used with either limited or extended pre-emptive depopulation) reduced both the size and variability of the predicted number of infected farms. Reducing the time between disease incursion and commencement of controls had the greatest effect on reducing the predicted number of infected farms.