Effect of choline alfoscerate in older adult patients with dementia: an observational study from the claims data of national health insurance.

Background: Choline alfoscerate, a cholinergic precursor with limited evidence of efficacy in dementia management, has been used for various cognitive impairments in Korea. Partly due to its insurance coverage, this agent appears to incur significant expense for the insurance system. Thus, we aimed to describe choline alfoscerate prescription patterns and analyze their long-term effects in an older adult cohort with dementia.

Association between weight loss agents and elevated liver enzymes: a population-based cross-sectional study.

The widespread use of body weight control agents might be related to liver enzyme elevation, but this potential association has only been documented in a few case reports. This study aimed to investigate the associations between weight loss agents and elevated liver enzymes at the population-level. We conducted a cross-sectional study using Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) data from 2013 to 2019.

Effect of methylphenidate on height in pediatric attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methylphenidate (MPH), a first-line treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) management, has been the focus of debate for decades regarding its effect on growth. The aim of this PRISMA meta-analysis was to determine the effect of MPH on height in children/adolescents with ADHD and its predictive factors based on literature reports. Available full-text articles were systematically reviewed to identify clinical studies of pediatric ADHD patients with height Z-score (HZS) data for monotherapy MPH-treated and non-treated groups.

Antidepressants and the Risk of Ischemic Stroke in Older Adults According to the Degree of Serotonin Reuptake Inhibition: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: The effects of serotonin reuptake inhibition induced by antidepressants on ischemic stroke and its pathophysiology remain unclear despite the frequent use of antidepressants and high fatality of ischemic stroke. We estimated the risk of ischemic stroke associated with antidepressant use in older adults according to the degree of serotonin reuptake inhibition.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Effect of weekend catch-up sleep on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels according to bedtime inconsistency: a population-based cross-sectional study.

To investigate the associations of weekend catch-up sleep (WCS) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels according to bedtime inconsistency in the Korean population. In this cross-sectional study using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016-2018) with 17,665 participants, four groups were defined: no-WCS (WCS within ± 1 h of weekday sleep time), moderate WCS (1 ≤ , < 3 h), severe WCS (≥ 3 h), and inverse WCS (≤ - 1 h). An inconsistent bedtime was defined as a > 2 h difference between weekend and weekday bedtimes.

Associations of unspecified pain, idiopathic pain and COVID-19 in South Korea: a nationwide cohort study.

Background: Few studies have investigated unspecified or idiopathic pain associated with COIVD-19. This study aimed to provide the incidence rates of unspecified pain and idiopathic pain in patients with COVID-19 for 90 days after COVID-19 diagnosis.

Methods: A propensity score matched cohort was used, including all patients with COVID-19 in South Korea, and analyzed their electronic medical records.

Treatment patterns and cost of exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using multiple inhaler triple therapy in South Korea.

Background: Multiple inhaler triple therapy (MITT), comprising inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), long-acting beta-agonists (LABA), and long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA), has been used as an escalation treatment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, real-world use of MITT has not been investigated in Asia, including South Korea. This study reports baseline characteristics of patients with COPD initiated on MITT in South Korea, and their treatment patterns.

Association of Chronic Hepatitis B Infection and Antiviral Treatment With the Development of the Extrahepatic Malignancies: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Purpose: Epidemiologic studies suggest that chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a risk factor for various primary extrahepatic malignancies. Our aim was to evaluate the associations of CHB and nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) treatment with the risk of the development of extrahepatic malignancies.

Patients And Methods: We conducted an 18-month landmark analysis using nationwide claims data from the National Health Insurance Service of South Korea.

Real-world Treatment Patterns, Outcomes, and Healthcare Resource Utilization in Newly Treated Korean Patients With Asthma: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Purpose: Although asthma treatment guidelines recommend regular inhaled medication, real-world treatment patterns and outcomes in South Korea have not been examined. We examined real-world treatment patterns and outcomes among patients treated for asthma in South Korea.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study utilized data from the South Korean National Health Insurance database (2013-2016).

Preoperative percutaneous needle lung biopsy techniques and ipsilateral pleural recurrence in stage I lung cancer.

Objectives: A recent meta-analysis of individual patient data revealed that preoperative percutaneous transthoracic needle lung biopsy (PTNB) was associated with an increased risk of ipsilateral pleural recurrence in stage I lung cancer. This study aimed to examine whether particular PTNB techniques reduced the risk of pleural recurrence.

Methods: We retrospectively included 415 consecutive patients with stage I lung cancer who underwent preoperative PTNB and curative resection from 2009 through 2016.

The risk of pulmonary adverse drug reactions of rebamipide and other drugs for acid-related diseases: An analysis of the national pharmacovigilance database in South Korea.

Objective: The objective of this case/non-case study was to detect rebamipide-related pulmonary adverse events (AE) compared with other drugs for acid-related disorders based on population-level data.

Methods: From 2009 to 2018, AE reports on drugs for acid-related disorders, which are anatomical therapeutic chemical code A02B drugs, in the Korea Adverse Events Reporting System (KAERS) database were examined. The reporting odds ratio (ROR) was calculated, and the odds of reporting pulmonary AE for rebamipide and all other A02B drugs were compared.

Changes in respiratory diseases in South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic: an interrupted time series study.

Introduction: In South Korea, non-pharmaceutical interventions such as mask-wearing, hand washing and social distancing were strictly implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19 after a national crisis alert was raised to the highest level early in the pandemic (23 February 2020). We aimed to investigate changes in the occurrence of respiratory diseases at the national level after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Methods: The study period was from 1 January to 1 August 2019 (213 days) and from 1 January to 31 July 2020 (213 days).

Age- and sex-specific risk of urogenital infections in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors: A population-based self-controlled case-series study.

This study aimed to investigate the age- and sex-specific risk of urogenital infections in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated with sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. A self-controlled case series was conducted using annual national patient sample datasets from 2016 and 2017. Patients who were treated with SGLT2 inhibitors and who received antimicrobials for urogenital infections were included in the study.

Risk of fracture in antidepressant users with concurrent use of benzodiazepines: A self-controlled case-series analysis.

Objective: Despite the fracture risk associated with both antidepressant (AD) medication and benzodiazepines (BDZs), they are commonly prescribed simultaneously. However, studies elucidating the effects of concurrent use of BDZs and ADs on the risk fracture are scant. The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk of fracture associated with concurrent use of BDZs in AD users, using a self-controlled case-series analysis.

The Use of Social Media in Detecting Drug Safety-Related New Black Box Warnings, Labeling Changes, or Withdrawals: Scoping Review.

Background: Social media has become a new source for obtaining real-world data on adverse drug reactions. Many studies have investigated the use of social media to detect early signals of adverse drug reactions. However, the trustworthiness of signals derived from social media is questionable.

Impact of air pollution on benign paroxysmal positional vertigo incidence: a retrospective study of the citizens of Seoul, South Korea.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is among the most common inner ear diseases. Although BPPV is one of the most common causes of dizziness, its pathogenesis remains unknown. Air pollutants might reach the middle ear through the eustachian tube and be absorbed into the inner ear through the round window membrane, increasing the risk of BPPV.

Characterizing tramadol users with potentially inappropriate co-medications: A latent class analysis among older adults.

Background: Although tramadol is an effective weak opioid analgesic, careful monitoring of potential central nervous system adverse reactions in older adults is needed, especially when used with concomitant medications which may trigger the adverse effects. We aimed to characterize tramadol users with potentially inappropriate co-medications in older adults using a latent class analysis (LCA).

Method: Patients aged 65 years or older using tramadol and receiving potentially inappropriate co-medications were included from a nationwide healthcare claims database.

Clinical outcomes of prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy after coronary drug-eluting stent implantation in dialysis patients.

Background: End-stage renal disease yields susceptibility to both ischemia and bleeding. The optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation is not established in dialysis patients, who are usually excluded from randomized studies. Since recent studies implied the benefits of prolonged DAPT >12 months in chronic kidney disease, we investigated the effectiveness and safety of prolonged DAPT in dialysis patients with higher cardiovascular risks.

Association of Insulin, Metformin, and Statin with Mortality in Breast Cancer Patients.

Purpose: This study investigated the association of insulin, metformin, and statin use with survival and whether the association was modified by the hormone receptor status of the tumor in patients with breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: We studied 7,452 patients who had undergone surgery for breast cancer at Seoul National University Hospital from 2008 to 2015 using the nationwide claims database. Exposure was defined as a recorded prescription of each drug within 12 months before the diagnosis of breast cancer.

Patterns of percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) of the lung and risk of PTNB-related severe pneumothorax: A nationwide population-based study.

Background: As percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) of the lung is a well-established diagnostic method for the evaluating pulmonary lesions, evidence of safety based on representative data is limited. This study investigated the practice patterns of PTNB of the lung and assessed the incidence and risk factors of PTNB-related severe pneumothorax in Korea.

Methods: We used a national-level health insurance database between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2015.

Association between opioid analgesic plus benzodiazepine use and death: A case-crossover study.

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether concomitant use of benzodiazepines and opioids is associated with an increased risk of death in a population-based case-crossover setting.

Methods: We conducted a case-crossover study using the National Sample Cohort database. We introduced a 30-day hazard period before the onset of death and three consecutive previous 30-day control periods with a 30-day washout period.