Asian countries

Rice is grown in more than 100 countries and on every continent except Antarctica. In the world economy rice is an extremely important food, second only to wheat in total world production, and its yield per hectare exceeds that of wheat (57). Rice is the main staple food for more than half of the world s population and it accounts for one-third to one-half of the daily caloric intake in many Asian countries. It is also the major source of protein for the masses of Asian people. In many African and South American countries rice is rapidly becoming the staple food for much of the population. 

Procedures for the collection of whole blood are similar throughout the world. An interval from at least 8 weeks (United States) to 12 weeks (United Kingdom) is required between a donation of 450 mL blood, which yields about 250 mL plasma. In some countries a smaller volume of blood is collected, eg, 350—400 mL in Italy, Greece, and Turkey and as Httie as 250 mL in some Asian countries (147). Regulations concerning plasmapheresis donations vary more widely across the world eg, up to 300 mL of plasma can be taken in Europe in contrast to 1000 mL in the United States, both on a weekly basis. Consequentiy, both the mode of donation and the country in which it is given can have a profound effect on plasma collection (Table 6). 

Vegetable-tanning materials in commercial quantities come from many different countries. Quebracho is a principal tanning material from South America. Wattie or Mimosa is suppHed from several African sources. India and other Asian countries supply a variety of materials including Myrabolans, Gall Nuts, and Tara Pods (3). 

Worldwide capacity for oxo process chemicals reached 7.0 x 10 metric tons at the start of 1990 (35). Market share for oxo chemicals is divided between Western Europe (36%), the United States (30%), Eastern Europe (12%), Japan (10%), other Asian countries (8%), and South America and Mexico (4%). U.S. 0X0 manufacturers, products, and capacities are given ia Table 2. 

Consumption of NR Latex. The total world consumption of natural mbber latex was 585,000 t in 1993, more than double that of 10 years earlier. The proportion of total natural mbber used as latex concentrate also increased from 7% in 1983 to 11% in 1993. Malaysia remains the dominant latex concentrate producing country in the world (Table 12). Its decline in exports during the 1980s and early 1990s has been partly compensated by an increase in consumption within the country (Table 13). Since the 1970s there has been a gradual shift in latex consumption from the traditional consumers in Europe and the United States to Asian countries. In 1994 Malaysia consumed 175,000 t of latex, more than the combined consumption of Western Europe and the United States (see Table 13). 

Until the 1970s, the main production countries of sulfamic acid were the United States, several European countries, and Japan. The large amounts of dilute sulfuric acid by-product generated led to the difficult situation of by-product acid disposal. Concomitandy, the start of chemical production in developing Asian countries caused successional sulfamic acid production withdrawal in the 1980s. As of the mid-1990s production countries are Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, India, and China. The 1995 wodd production capacity was ca 96,000 metric tons. 

X(9-l,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptaii-2-ol [124-76-5]) produces camphor (43), an important product used in religious ceremonies in Asian countries (82). 

Camphor Manufacture. Camphor is obtained both naturally and synthetically. Natural camphor is obtained from the wood of the camphor tree, Cinnamormum camphora which grows ia China and Japan. The camphor is isolated by combination of steam distillation, filtration, distillation, and sublimation (169). Natural camphor is the (+)-camphor, whereas synthetic camphor is racemic both products are recognized by the USP. In 1995, the price of synthetic camphor was 7.15/kg (45). In 1992—1993, the total production of synthetic camphor ia India was 3800 t, which is estimated to be about 40% of the world consumption (170). The largest single use (80%) of camphor is for religious purposes ia Asian countries. 

Productivity of local craft labor also depends on the use and avail-abihty of modern mechanical tools and construction equipment. Normally, the low cost of labor in certain countries tends to cut out the purchase or hire of sophisticated laborsaving equipment and to encourage the employment of large pools of labor, particularly in developing countries such as India, Pakistan, southeast Asian countries, and many African countries. In turn, this usually leads to higher construc tion costs. The use of laborsaving eqiiipment is prevalent in Canada, western Europe, Japan, and, to an increasing extent, the Middle East. 

Breast Cancer. Many studies have observed low incidences of hormone-dependent cancers, particularly breast cancer, in Asian countries compared with Western countries and it is becoming increasingly accepted that dietary factors play an important role. Although breast cancer can occur in either males or females, only about 1 % of all cases occur in men, and male breast cancer is a rare disease in all parts of the world." Although there appear to be some similar risk factors for breast cancer in males and females, there is no indication in the literature that diet is either a risk or a protective factor for male breast cancer. The development of breast cancer is known to be highly dependent on the hormones associated with female reproductive functions, while established genetic factors have been... 

Prostate Cancer. Evidence that phytoestrogens can influence the incidence of male-speciflc diseases is restricted to prostate cancer, and is largely of an observational nature. In the UK, prostate cancer is the most common hormone-related cancer in men. However, like breast cancer in women, it is comparatively rare as a clinically evident disease in men living in Asian countries. 

Shellac is the refined form of lac, the secretion of the lac insect parasitic on certain trees in India, Burma, Thailand and to a minor extent in other Asian countries. 

Erythorbic acid is available as a 98+% Food Chemical Codex product (as per Pfizer sodium erythorbate FCC, although as Pfizer is now a pharmaceuticals company, much of the world s erythorbate is now supplied from China and other Asian countries) and in many diluted or blended forms, such as Nalco Sur-Gard . The ONDEO Nalco material is typical of products used within the industry, being based on erythorbic acid buffered with amine. A 1% solution of the product has a pH level of 6.3. 

Monascus pigments have been used in Asian countries for centuries as food colorants and spices and in traditional medicine. These pigments are produced by the fungi of Monascus genus cultivated on carbohydrate-rich substrates such as rice, wheat, com, potatoes, and soybeans. Three species of Monascus identified are pilosus. 

The main concern regarding the utilization of Monascus pigments relates to the production of the citrinin mycotoxin in Monascus cultures. Several methods for controlling the mycotoxin production were proposed, including selection of non-toxinogenic strains, control of citrinin biosynthesis, and modifications of culture conditions. Despite their wide and traditional food applications in Asian countries, Monascus pigments have not been approved for use in the United States or European Union. 

Monascus is cultivated on solid media in Asian countries to produce a red colorant named Anka and used as a food ingredient. A Chinese medical book on herbs published in the first century first mentioned the terms ang-kak and red mold rice. Red mold rice has been used as a food colorant or spice in cooking. In 1884, the French botanist Philippe van Thieghem isolated a purple mold on potato and linseed cakes and named it Monascus ruber. This ascomycete was so named because it has only one polyspored ascus. In 1895, Went isolated a mold from the red mold rice obtained from a market in Java, Indonesia. This fungus was named Monascus purpureus, after which several other species were isolated around the world. 

Addition of rice bran to the mixture of wheat bran and rice husk was the best substrates for the fungal pectinase production. The solid substrates that composed of wheat bran, rice bran and rice husk at the ratio of 6 12 2 was selected to be the best since rice bran are easily found in South-east Asian countries. Addition of either raw cassava starch or pectin as inducer is not needed. On the otherhand, pectin even inhibited the activity of the enzyme as well as that reported by Elegado and Fujio (6). 

More recently, the cultivation of tea has spread to other Asian countries such as Turkey, Iran, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Vietnam. 

Tea is found in every shape and size, grown and processed everywhere across a wide belt throughout China. In the U.S., we are used to only a few types of tea however, the varieties of Camellia sinensis found in China are almost endless. Each of them is given a name that often reflects the romantic and almost metaphysical nature of tea in Chinese culture. Probably nowhere else in the world is tea worshipped as a mystical and ceremonial beverage as in Asian countries, and especially in China, where C. sinensis finds its roots. 

Caffeine is so pervasive that about 80% of U.S. adults drink coffee or tea daily, in addition to consuming other caffeinated foods. The average adult in the U.S. and Canada consumes 4 mg/kg/day,29 and many exceed 15 mg/kg.1-30 While coffee is the most popular drink in the U.S., most drinkers in Asian countries prefer tea. Coffee (5 oz) averages 85 mg for... 

Table 11.1 Dosage of haloperidol (mg/day) prescribed by psychiatrists in Southeast and East Asian countries...

Compared to antipsychotics, there are even fewer studies on the prescribing patterns of antidepressants done in Asian countries. Pi etal. (1985) conducted a survey of psychotropic prescribing practices reported by psychiatrists in 29 medical schools in 9 Asian countries. Daily dose range of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) such as amitriptyline, imipramine, and nortriptyline in Asian countries was comparable to the practice in USA. This is despite differences found between Asian and non-Asian populations in the pharmacokinetics of TCAs (Pi et al, 1993). A questionnaire on the practical prescribing approaches in mood disorders administered to 298 Japanese psychiatrists was reported by Oshima et al. (1999). As first-line treatment, the majority of respondents chose newer TCAs or non-TCAs for moderate depression and older TCAs for severe depression. Combination of antidepressants and anxiolytics was preferred in moderate depression, while an antidepressant and antipsychotic combination was common in severe psychotic depression. Surprisingly, sulpiride was the most favored drug for dysthymia. In a naturalistic, prospective follow-up of 95 patients with major depression in Japan, the proportion of patients receiving 125 mg/day or less of imipramine was 69% at one month and 67% at six months (Furukawa et al., 2000). 

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