Glucose Variability and Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Diabetes: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Background: Although diabetes is a well-known risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma, exactly which metabolic parameters of diabetes are associated with hepatocellular carcinoma remain unexplored. In this study, we investigated the relationship between glucose variability (GV) and hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with diabetes through a nationwide population-based study.

Methods: A population-based cohort study including 674,178 diabetic subjects participating in more than three health examinations within 5 years from the index year (2009 and 2010) were followed until the end of 2017.

Weight fluctuation and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: a nationwide population-based 8-million-subject study.

Background/aim: The importance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) caused by obesity has been emphasized. Many studies have shown that weight fluctuations as well as high BMI are associated with various adverse outcomes. In this study, we investigated the relationship between weight fluctuation and HCC in general populations drawn from a nationwide population-based cohort.

Lipid Level, Lipid Variability, and Risk of Multiple Myeloma: A Nationwide Population-Based Study of 3,527,776 Subjects.

(1) Background: There is evidence that abnormality in lipid metabolism promotes cancer development. This study investigated whether lipid level and its variability are associated with the development of MM at a population level. (2) Methods: A retrospective cohort study included a total of 3,527,776 subjects aged 40 and above who participated in ≥3 health examinations within the previous five years, including the index year (2012-2013).

Gastrectomy, vitamin B12 supplementation and the risk of Parkinson's disease: A nationwide cohort study.

Introduction: Previous evidence has suggested roles for α-synuclein propagation and vitamin B12 (VitB12) deficiency in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigated whether gastric cancer (GC) patients who underwent gastrectomy had a lower risk of PD and whether VitB12 supplementation modified the risk.

Methods: GC patients aged ≥50 years who underwent curative gastrectomy between 2007 and 2012 (n = 72,216) and matched comparison groups (n = 211,389) were identified from the Korean National Health Insurance database.

Association of Female Reproductive Factors With Incidence of Fracture Among Postmenopausal Women in Korea.

Importance: Although estrogen level is positively associated with bone mineral density, there are limited data on the risk of fractures after menopause.

Objective: To investigate whether female reproductive factors are associated with fractures among postmenopausal women.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This population-based retrospective cohort study used data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database on 1 272 115 postmenopausal women without previous fracture who underwent both cardiovascular and breast and/or cervical cancer screening from January 1 to December 31, 2009.

Technology progress on quantum dot light-emitting diodes for next-generation displays.

Quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) are widely recognised as great alternatives to organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) due to their enhanced performances. This focus article surveys the current progress on the state-of-the-art QD-LED technology including material synthesis, device optimization and innovative fabrication processes. A discussion on the material synthesis of core nanocrystals, shell layers and surface-binding ligands is presented for high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) quantum dots (QDs) using heavy-metal free materials.

Present and Future of Digital Health in Diabetes and Metabolic Disease.

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) in medical and healthcare services goes beyond everyday life. Expectations of a new medical environment, not previously experienced by ICT, exist in the near future. In particular, chronic metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity, have a high prevalence and high social and economic burden.

Screening Value of Timed Up and Go Test for Frailty and Low Physical Performance in Korean Older Population: The Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS).

Background: We evaluated the validity of the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) to screen for physical frailty and low physical performance in a nationwide community-dwelling Korean older population.

Methods: We used baseline records of 3,010 ambulatory participants with TUG data from the Korean Frailty Aging Cohort Study from 2016 to 2017. The population-specific distribution of TUG was assessed.

Association between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level and risk of hematologic malignancy.

This study investigated the relationships between HDL-C and major types of blood cancers. Competing risks regression was used to examine the hazard ratios of hematologic malignancies in 9,596,145 individuals (≥20 years) using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (2009-2017). The incidence of the following hematologic cancers was determined based on the International Classification of Diseases 10th revision: Multiple Myeloma (MM), Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL), Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL), Lymphoid Leukemia (LL), and Myeloid Leukemia (ML).

Menopausal factors and risk of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis in postmenopausal women: a nationwide cohort study of 1.36 million women.

In previous literature regarding development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), female reproductive factors have been described as protective factors, risk factors, or irrelevant, leading to inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of female reproductive factors on the incidence of seropositive RA. A large population-based retrospective cohort of the National Health Insurance Service data in South Korea was used.

Conditional Relative Survival and Competing Mortality of Patients with Prostate Cancer in Korea: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Background: Conditional relative survival (CRS) and competing mortality are important survivorship issues after cancer treatment. We aimed to investigate them among patients with prostate cancer treated by various modalities.

Methods: Using a nationwide population-based database, we calculated 5-year CRS conditioned on 1 through 5 years survival after diagnosis.

Association of anemia with mobility capacity in older adults: a Korean nationwide population-based cross-sectional study.

Background: Over 10% of adults aged ≥65 years have anemia, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). As the timed up and go (TUG) test is one of the most widely used tests of mobility, this study investigated whether anemia was associated with mobility capacity assessed using the TUG test in older adults.

Methods: Subjects belonging to the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Health Screening Cohort of the National Health Information Database were reviewed.

Conditional relative survival of cervical cancer: a Korean National Cancer Registry Study.

Objective: Conditional relative survival (CRS) considers changes in prognosis over time and may offer more useful estimates for survivors. We aimed to investigate CRS among patients with cervical cancer stratified by various factors that influence survival probability.

Methods: This nationwide retrospective study used data from the Korean Central Cancer Registry.

Disparities in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastric Cancer in Relation to Disabilities.

Introduction: We investigated potential disparities in the diagnosis, treatment, and survival of gastric cancer (GC) patients with and without disabilities.

Methods: We linked Korean National Disability Registry data with the Korean National Health Insurance database and Korean Central Cancer Registry data. This study included a total of 16,849 people with disabilities and 58,872 age- and sex-matched control subjects in whom GC had been diagnosed.

Conditional Survival of Patients Who Underwent Curative Resection for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Objective: To analyze conditional survival estimates of patients with esophageal cancer who underwent curative resection.

Summary Background Data: Conditional survival reflects dynamic prognosis updated to the current status and is a more relevant indicator for current healthcare and life decisions.

Methods: This study included 1883 patients who underwent complete resection for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma at a tertiary cancer center from 1994 to 2016.

Dual Roles of Autophagy and Their Potential Drugs for Improving Cancer Therapeutics.

Autophagy is a major catabolic process that maintains cell metabolism by degrading damaged organelles and other dysfunctional proteins via the lysosome. Abnormal regulation of this process has been known to be involved in the progression of pathophysiological diseases, such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Although the mechanisms for the regulation of autophagic pathways are relatively well known, the precise regulation of this pathway in the treatment of cancer remains largely unknown.

Association between Sarcopenia and Physical Function among Preoperative Lung Cancer Patients.

We aimed to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia using new diagnostic criteria and association of sarcopenia with cardiopulmonary function and physical activity (PA) in preoperative lung cancer patients. The data of 614 patients were obtained from the CATCH-LUNG cohort study. Patients were classified into three groups-normal ( = 520), pre-sarcopenia ( = 60, low skeletal muscle mass index only), and sarcopenia ( = 34, low SMI and strength).

Chlorogenic Acid Improves Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Interleukin-10 Knockout Mice.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic intestinal inflammation that is highly prevalent worldwide. Interleukin (IL)-10 can effectively inhibit negative cascades such as the production of inflammatory mediators (inducible nitric oxide synthase [iNOS], cyclooxygenase-2), accumulation of inflammatory infiltrates (macrophages, eosinophils, neutrophils), toxicity (lower T cell subsets), and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, TNF-) in tissues such as the spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), Peyer's patch (PP), and colon. In this study, we investigated whether chlorogenic acid (CHA) can regulate inflammation in IL-10 knockout (KO) mice used as an IBD animal model.

Nutritional Interventions Using Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals to Improve Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

The gastrointestinal tract, the second largest organ in the body, plays an important role in nutrient and mineral intake through the intestinal barrier. Dysfunction of intestinal permeability and related disorders commonly occur in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), one of the health problems in the Western societies that are considered to be mainly due to the Western diet. Although the exact etiology of IBD has not been elucidated, environmental and genetic factors may be involved in its pathogenesis.

Various biological effects of solar radiation on skin and their mechanisms: implications for phototherapy.

The skin protects our body from various external factors, such as chemical and physical stimuli, microorganisms, and sunlight. Sunlight is a representative environmental factor that considerably influences the physiological activity of our bodies. The molecular mechanisms and detrimental effects of ultraviolet rays (UVR) on skin have been thoroughly investigated.

Obesity and breast cancer risk for pre- and postmenopausal women among over 6 million Korean women.

Purpose: To examine the association between obesity measured by body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) according to menopausal status in Korean women.

Methods: We identified 6,467,388 women, using the Korean National Health Insurance System Cohort. Cox-proportional hazard models were used to generate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for breast cancer risk in relation to BMI and WC.

The Associations of Aspirin, Statins, and Metformin With Lung Cancer Risk and Related Mortality: A Time-Dependent Analysis of Population-Based Nationally Representative Data.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of aspirin, metformin, and statins with lung cancer risk and mortality using population-based nationwide cohort data.

Methods: This study included a total of 732,199 participants who underwent a national health check-up from 2002 to 2003. Lung cancer incidence and mortality were identified using a registered lung cancer diagnosis code (International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, code C34) and the Korean National Death Registry.

Association of Aspirin, Metformin, and Statin Use with Gastric Cancer Incidence and Mortality: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Anticancer effects of aspirin, metformin, and statins against gastric cancer, one of the most common cancers in the world, have been reported. This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate independent associations of aspirin, metformin, and statin use with gastric cancer incidence and mortality after adjustment for concomitant use of other drugs, using pooled cohort data extracted from the Korean National Health Insurance claim database. Follow-up started on January 1, 2004 and ended at the date of gastric cancer diagnosis, death, or December 31, 2013.

Robust In-Zn-O Thin-Film Transistors with a Bilayer Heterostructure Design and a Low-Temperature Fabrication Process Using Vacuum and Solution Deposited Layers.

We report on the design, fabrication, and characterization of heterostructure In-Zn-O (IZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with improved performance characteristics and robust operation. The heterostructure layer is fabricated by stacking a solution-processed IZO film on top of a buffer layer, which is deposited previously using an electron beam (e-beam) evaporator. A thin buffer layer at the dielectric interface can help to template the structure of the channel.

Disparities in Liver Cancer Surveillance Among People With Disabilities: A National Database Study in Korea.

Goal: The goal of this study was to determine disparities in liver cancer surveillance among people with disabilities is the goal of this study.

Background: Using the linked administrative database in Korea, we sought to investigate (1) whether there are disparities in liver cancer surveillance according to degree and type of disability and (2) temporal trends in liver cancer surveillance among people with disabilities.

Materials And Methods: We linked national disability registration data with national cancer surveillance data.