Differential effects of desvenlafaxine on hot flashes in women with breast cancer taking tamoxifen: a randomized controlled trial.

Hot flashes (HF) are a common adverse event of prolonged tamoxifen use in women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, impacting psychiatric health and quality of life. While desvenlafaxine does not interact with tamoxifen, its efficacy and safety in breast cancer patients remain unstudied. This phase 3, four-week, multi-center, three-arm, parallel-group, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated the efficacy and safety of desvenlafaxine for treating HF in women with breast cancer taking tamoxifen, assessing potential differential effects in patients with psychiatric and inflammatory conditions.

Differences in severity of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting between neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer: analysis of data from two prospective observational studies.

Purpose: We assessed the differences in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) severity in patients with breast cancer, receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and adjuvant chemotherapy (AC).

Methods: CINV severity in patients on anthracycline-based NAC (n = 203) and AC (n = 79) was assessed at baseline (C0) and after the first and fourth chemotherapy using a 10-point Likert scale. Group-by-time interaction term was used to evaluate the effect of the group on changes in CIN (cCIN) and CIV (cCIV) from C0 to the follow-up periods (C1, C4).

Association of loneliness with mental disorders in Korean adults: national mental health survey of Korea 2021.

Purpose: Loneliness is a risk factor for mental and physical disorders. Rapid individualization, with increasing associated social burden, is a contributing factor to loneliness among Koreans. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between loneliness and mental disorders, as well as to determine whether long-term loneliness is a factor predicting the occurrence of mental disorders in adults.

The Effect of Time Spent on Online Gaming on Problematic Game Use in Male: Moderating Effects of Loneliness, Living Alone, and Household Size.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between gaming time and problematic game use (PGU) within a large sample of Korean male gamers and to examine the potential moderating effects of loneliness, living alone, and household size.

Methods: This study employed data from 743 male gamers from the National Mental Health Survey 2021, a nationally representative survey of mental illness conducted in South Korea. Self-reported data on the average gaming time per day, severity of PGU, loneliness, living alone, and household size were used.

Is fear of disease progression associated with antiretroviral therapy adherence in persons with HIV/AIDS?

We examined the mediating role of depression and anxiety on the relationship between fear of disease progression (FoP) and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence and the moderating role of social support in the FoP-depression/anxiety-ART adherence relationship in persons with HIV/AIDS (PWHA). 202 PWHA completed self-report measures. Simple mediation and moderated mediation analyses were performed.

Validation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 in the General Korean Population.

Objective: The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and PHQ-2 have not been validated in the general Korean population. This study aimed to validate and identify the optimal cutoff scores of the PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 in screening for major depression in the general Korean population.

Methods: We used data from 6,022 participants of the Korean Epidemiological Catchment Area Study for Psychiatric Disorders in 2011.

A Novel Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Based Model for Mental Health in Occupational Health Implemented on Smartphone and Web-Based Platforms: Development Study With Results From an Epidemiologic Survey.

Background: While the importance of mental health is well-recognized in the field of occupational health, implementation of effective strategies in the workplace has been limited by gaps in infrastructure, program comprehensiveness, coverage, and adherence. The authors developed a Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model based occupational mental health intervention, and implemented in a web-based format with a smartphone application.

Methods: The SBIRT-based intervention was developed by a multidisciplinary team, including occupational health physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, and software developers.

Prevalence of Mental Disorders and Associated Factors in Korean Adults: National Mental Health Survey of Korea 2021.

Objective: Mental health is a global concern and needs to be studied more closely. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of mental disorders and their associated factors among the general population in Korea.

Methods: The National Mental Health Survey of Korea 2021 was conducted between June 19 and August 31, 2021 and included 13,530 households; 5,511 participants completed the interview (response rate: 40.

The Effect of Temperament on the Association Between Pre-treatment Anxiety and Chemotherapy-Related Symptoms in Patients With Breast Cancer.

Objective: Pre-treatment anxiety (PA) before chemotherapy increases complaints of chemotherapy-related symptoms (CRS). The results on the association have been inconsistent, and the effect of temperament remains unclear. We aimed to determine whether PA is a risk factor for CRS and the effect of differing temperaments on CRS.

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.

The longitudinal effects of chronotype on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Objective: The object of this longitudinal cohort study was to investigate whether chronotype affects the incidence of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) among patients with breast cancer.

Methods: The study included a total of 203 breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy using a regimen of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide with high emetogenicity. Patients received four cycles of chemotherapy in approximately three months.

Do posttraumatic stress symptoms predict trajectories of sleep disturbance and fatigue in patients with breast cancer? A parallel-process latent growth model.

Objective: Using a parallel-process latent growth model (LGM), this study examined whether posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are associated with the trajectory of sleep disturbance (SD) and fatigue and whether the SD trajectory mediates the PTSS-fatigue relationship.

Methods: Data were from 215 patients with breast cancer recruited from a tertiary hospital in South Korea. A self-report survey was administered at four time points during the course of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Morning Chronotype Decreases the Risk of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Women With Breast Cancer.

Background: The purpose of this longitudinal prospective cohort study was to investigate the role of chronotype in the incidence of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) among women with breast cancer.

Methods: We recruited women with breast cancer awaiting adjuvant chemotherapy, including four cycles of docetaxel. Participants reported peripheral neuropathy symptoms of numbness/tingling at the baseline, and at 4weeks after completion of chemotherapy.

Association Between Dementia Development and COVID-19 among Individuals Who Tested Negative for COVID-19 in South Korea: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

We aim to assess whether the number of newly diagnosed dementia increases and whether comorbid psychiatric symptoms of patients with dementia worsen, in people who were tested for COVID-19. We used electronic medical records from a nationwide cohort consisting of people who tested positive (positive group), tested negative (negative group), and those who did not receive the test (control group) for COVID-19. For people with neither a history of dementia nor mild cognitive disorder (MCI), the negative group was more likely to develop dementia than the control group, and less likely to develop MCI than the positive group.

Screening and Assessment Tools for Measuring Delirium in Patients with Cancer in Hospice and Palliative Care: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: This study reviewed screening and assessment tools that are used to measure delirium in patients with cancer in hospice and palliative care settings and examined their psychometric properties.

Methods: Four databases were searched for studies using related search terms (delirium, tools, palliative care, cancer, and others). The inclusion criteria were a) studies that included screening/assessment tools for measuring delirium in cancer patients receiving hospice/palliative care, and b) studies published in English or Korean.

Associations between game use and mental health in early adulthood: A nationwide study in Korea.

Background: The number of digital game users is increasing, and so is attention to digital gaming's effects on mental health. We aimed to reveal if risky (game addiction) and usual game use (non-risky) are associated with mental health in early adulthood.

Methods: Using data from the nationwide cross-sectional Korean Epidemic Catchment Area study for psychiatric disorders, 415 participants aged 18-30 years were divided into "non-game," "usual game," and "risky game" user groups based on the previous month's game use and cut-off value of game overuse screening questionnaire.

Psychiatric symptoms mediate the effect of resilience on health-related quality of life in patients with breast cancer: Longitudinal examination.

Objective: Patients with breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy are at increased risk of poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study examined clinical caseness on depression and anxiety mediate the relationship between resilience and HRQOL in patients with breast cancer.

Methods: A total of 193 patients with breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy completed questionnaires including the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast before the first session (T0), before the start of the last session (T1), and 6 months after the end (T2) of chemotherapy.