Genetic and Environmental Overlaps Among Sasang Constitution Types: A Multivariate Twin Study

Exploring Stroke Risk through Mendelian Randomization: A Comprehensive Study Integrating Genetics and Metabolic Traits in the Korean Population

Numerous risk factors play a role in the causation of stroke, and the cardiometabolic condition is a one of the most important. In Korea, various treatment methods are employed based on the constitutional type, which is known to differ significantly in cardiometabolic disease. In this study, we compared the estimates obtained for different groups by applying the Mendelian randomization method to investigate the causal effects of genetic characteristics on stroke, according to constitutional type. In clinical analysis, the subtypes differ significantly in diabetes or dyslipidemia. The genetic association estimates for the stroke subtype risk were obtained from MEGASTROKE, the International Stroke Genetics Consortium (ISGC), UKbiobank, and BioBank Japan (BBJ), using group-related SNPs as instrumental variables. The TE subtypes with higher risk of metabolic disease were associated with increased risk (beta = 4.190; s.e. = 1.807; p = 0.035) of cardioembolic stroke (CES), and the SE subtypes were associated with decreased risk (beta = -9.336, s.e. = 1.753; p = 3.87 × 10-5) of CES. The findings highlight the importance of personalized medicine in assessing disease risk based on an individual's constitutional type.

Lifestyle, genomic types and non-communicable diseases in Korea: a protocol for the Korean Medicine Daejeon Citizen Cohort study (KDCC)

INTRODUCTION

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide, including in Korea; thus, customised techniques for chronic disease management for the prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of NCDs are crucial. The Korean Medicine Daejeon Citizen Cohort (KDCC) study has been tasked with developing precise health promotion model for preventing and managing chronic diseases that considers individual traits, lifestyle factors and clinical data based on traditional Korean medicine.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The KDCC study is a prospective cohort study of the community-based population in Korea. This study will sample 2000 adults aged 30-55 years in Daejeon area using stratified cluster sampling. The baseline survey began in 2017 and was completed in 2019, and follow-up surveys will be conducted three times every 2 years until 2025. In follow-ups, factors related to cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and relevant diseases, as well as respondents' health status information, will be examined via questionnaire surveys and health examinations.

DISCUSSION

The KDCC study will investigate the effects of an interaction of Korean medicine type with genome based, lifestyle and various clinical information on chronic diseases and individuals' health status using longitudinal epidemiological data. These findings are expected to inform the development of tailored health promotion programmes based on precision Korean medicine.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

KCT0004297.

The South Korean Twin Registry

The South Korean Twin Registry (SKTR) is an ongoing nationwide volunteer registry of South Korean twins and their families. Since its inception, from preschooler to young adult, twins have been registered with the SKTR and have demonstrated that relative influences of genetic and environmental factors explaining individual differences in various psychological, mental health and physical traits in South Koreans are similar to those found in many Western twin studies. Currently, studies at the SKTR focus on identification of the process of gene-by-environment interactions as well as developmental differences in genetic and environmental influences on psychological and mental health traits in South Koreans. This report provides a brief overview, recruitment strategies, current samples, zygosity assessment, measures and future directions of the SKTR.

Effect of Lifestyle Factors on Hypertension by Constitution Type: A Large Community-Based Study

Background. The risk of hypertension differs according to lifestyle factors and individual constitution types. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of lifestyle factors on hypertension and to assess whether those effects differ according to the constitution types. Methods. A total of 5,793 men and women were recruited between 2012 and 2014. Odds ratios for hypertension associated with constitution types and lifestyle factors were estimated. Lifestyle factors included smoking status, body mass index, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and sleep quality. Constitution types were estimated based on the Sasang constitutional medicine as the TE type, SE type, and SY type. Results. The risk of hypertension was significantly higher for SY (odds ratio 1.25 (95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.52) and TE types (1.38 (1.10 to 1.74)) than the SE type even with adjustment of health behaviors. Compared with individuals who had an unhealthy lifestyle, those with healthy lifestyle scores showed significantly lower risk of hypertension in only SY (odds ratio 0.62 (95% confidence interval 0.48 to 0.81)) and TE types (0.69 (0.58 to 0.81)). The difference in risk for hypertension among constitution types was decreased with a healthy lifestyle (1.34 in SY and 2.35 in TE types, as compared with the SE type) versus an unhealthy lifestyle (2.21 in SY and 3.64 in TE types, as compared with the SE type). Conclusion. The risk of hypertension was different by Sasang constitution types. The impact of lifestyle factors differed according to Sasang constitution types, and the difference in risk of hypertension among constitution types was decreased with a healthy lifestyle.