Trends in allergic sensitization and diseases in the Korean general population over a 9-year period.

Objectives: The prevalence of allergic sensitization and diseases varies over time owing to climate, environment, and lifestyle changes. To analyze changes in sensitization to house dust mites (HDM) and dogs and the prevalence of allergic diseases in the Korean general population over a 9-year period and identify contributing factors.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2010 and 2019.

Hyperarousal-state of Insomnia Disorder in Wake-resting State Quantitative Electroencephalography.

Objective: : Insomnia is associated with elevated high-frequency electroencephalogram power in the waking state. Although affective symptoms (e.g.

Sinonasal microbiome and inflammatory profiles in fungal ball and chronic rhinosinusitis.

Objective: Fungal balls (FB) are the main form of non-invasive fungal rhinosinusitis found in immunocompetent hosts. Bacterial coinfection affects clinical symptoms. We investigated the sinonasal microbiome and inflammatory profiles in FB and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients.

Expression of periostin in aeroallergen-sensitized children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy.

Objectives: The association between adenotonsillar hypertrophy (ATH) and allergies remains controversial. Periostin is an important player in allergic diseases. We aimed to investigate the expression of periostin in hypertrophic tonsils and adenoids in children.

Dialysis specialist care and patient survival in hemodialysis facilities: a Korean nationwide cohort study.

Background: It is important for the dialysis specialist to provide essential and safe care to hemodialysis (HD) patients. However, little is known about the actual effect of dialysis specialist care on the survival of HD patients. We therefore investigated the influence of dialysis specialist care on patient mortality in a nationwide Korean dialysis cohort.

Beta-Lactam Plus Macrolide for Patients Hospitalized With Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Difference Between Autumn and Spring.

Background: The 2017 Korean guideline on community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) recommended beta-lactam plus macrolide combination therapy for patients hospitalized with severe pneumonia, and beta-lactam monotherapy for mild-to-moderate pneumonia. However, antibiotic treatment regimen for mild-to-moderate CAP has never been evaluated for Korean patients.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, study patients were selected from three evaluation periods (October 1 to December 31, 2014; April 1 to June 30, 2016; October 1 to December 31, 2017) of the National Quality Assessment Program for CAP management and the National Health Insurance data on the selected patients was extracted from 1 year before the first patient enrollment and 1 year after the last patient enrollment at each evaluation period for the analysis of risk adjustment and outcomes.

Hemodialysis facility star rating affects mortality in chronic hemodialysis patients: a longitudinal observational cohort study.

Background: Many countries have their own hemodialysis (HD) quality assurance programs and star rating systems for HD facilities. However, the effects of HD quality assurance programs on patient mortality are not well understood. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of the Korean HD facility star rating on patient mortality in maintenance HD patients were evaluated.

Annual Case Volume and One-Year Mortality for Endovascular Treatment in Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Background: The association between endovascular treatment (EVT) case volume per hospital and clinical outcomes has been reported, but the exact volume threshold has not been determined. This study aimed to examine the case volume threshold in this context.

Methods: National audit data on the quality of acute stroke care in patients admitted via emergency department, within 7 days of onset, in hospitals that treated ≥ 10 stroke cases during the audit period were analyzed.

Continuing Quality Assessment Program Improves Clinical Outcomes of Hospitalized Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study in Korea.

Background: Pneumonia, which is the third leading cause of death in South Korea, is continuously increasing with the aging society. The Health Insurance Review and Assessment of South Korea conducted a quality assessment (QA) for improving the outcome of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Methods: We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study of hospitalized CAP in South Korea.

Clinical significance of hemodialysis quality of care indicators in very elderly patients with end stage kidney disease.

Introduction: Improvement in life expectancy has increased the number of very elderly patients undergoing hemodialysis. However, it is not clear which quality measures for hemodialysis should be employed in this population. Therefore, in this paper we investigated the association between major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) indicators of hemodialysis quality in very elderly patients.

The Impact of the Amendment of the Health Insurance Coverage for F-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography on the Healthcare Behaviors for Breast Cancer: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis of the Korean National Data From 2013 to 2018.

Background: F-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (F-18 FDG PET), which can cover the body from the skull base to the thigh in one scan, is beneficial for evaluating distant metastasis. F-18 FDG PET has interested policymakers because of its relatively high cost. This study investigated the effect of the F-18 FDG PET reimbursement criteria amendment on healthcare behavior in breast cancer using an interrupted time series (ITS) analysis.

Nurse Caseload and Patient Survival in Hemodialysis Units: A Korean Nationwide Cohort Study.

Introduction: The patient-to-nurse ratio is highly variable among dialysis facilities. However, there is little known about the association between nurse caseload and hemodialysis (HD) patient outcomes. We evaluated the association between patient-to-nurse ratio and mortality in the Korean patients undergoing HD.

Dialysis Adequacy and Risk of Dementia in Elderly Hemodialysis Patients.

Dementia is prevalent among elderly patients undergoing hemodialysis. However, the association between dialysis adequacy and the risk of dementia is uncertain. A total of 10,567 patients aged >65 years undergoing maintenance hemodialysis who participated in a national hemodialysis quality assessment program were analyzed.

Short- and long-term mortality after intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke: A propensity score-matched cohort with 5-year follow-up.

It remains unknown whether intravenous thrombolysis (IVT), thrombectomy, or poststroke antithrombotic medication lower short- and long-term mortality in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of IVT in AIS using propensity score matching, to determine whether IVT could reduce short- and long-term mortality, and to identify risk factors influencing short- and long-term mortality in AIS.During 2013 to 2014, the nationwide Korea Acute Stroke Assessment registry enrolled 14,394 patients with first-ever recorded ischemic stroke.

Short and Long-term Outcomes of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Treatment according to Hospital Volume in Korea: a Nationwide Multicenter Registry.

Background: Subarachnoid hemorrhage is a potentially devastating cerebrovascular attack with a high proportion of poor outcomes and mortality. Recent studies have reported decreased mortality with the improvement in devices and techniques for treating ruptured aneurysms and neurocritical care. This study investigated the relationship between hospital volume and short- and long-term mortality in patients treated with subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Clinical outcomes among hemodialysis patients with atrial fibrillation: a Korean nationwide population-based study.

Background: The number of patients requiring dialysis is increasing worldwide, and the atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter (AF) prevalence among hemodialysis (HD) patients is higher than in the general population. There have been no studies of Korean AF patients undergoing HD that investigated how AF affects outcomes, such as all-cause mortality, hospitalization, and stroke events. We conducted a large-scale retrospective cohort study with data from the National Health Insurance System to determine how AF affects these outcomes.

Influence of government-driven quality assessment program on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: The Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) has launched the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Quality Assessment Program (CQAP) since 2014. We aimed to reveal the influence of this national program on clinical outcomes and the burden of COPD in Korea.

Methods: The CQAP is conducted annually.

The nationwide retrospective cohort study by Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service proves that asthma management decreases the exacerbation risk of asthma.

Medical costs have recently increased in South Korea due to the rising rate of asthma. Primary clinics serve an important role in asthma management, as they are the first stop for patients presenting with symptoms. The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) in South Korea has assessed asthma-management quality since 2013, but studies are lacking on whether these assessments have been performed properly and contribute toward reducing asthma exacerbations.

The association between olfactory dysfunction and cardiovascular disease and its risk factors in middle-aged and older adults.

While previous studies have reported olfactory dysfunction (OD) in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD), few population-based studies have investigated whether such associations differ by sex. The purpose of this study was to identify the association between CVD and its risk factors with OD, and the sex-associated differences within the general population. We examined 20,016 adults aged 40 and older from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Health Insurance Status Is Related to Risk of Mortality and Hospitalization in Korean Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Background: There has been an increasing incidence of hemodialysis (HD) due to old age and comorbid condition such as diabetes. In general, socioeconomic status (SES) is known as one of the most important risk factors for patient mortality and morbidity. Whether low SES is associated with poorer outcome in HD patients is controversial.

Association of Depression With Functional Mobility in Schizophrenia.

Background: Functional immobility can cause functional disability in patients with schizophrenia and has been linked to prognosis and mortality. Although depression might be a barrier for physical activity engagement, scarce data are present on the relationship between depression and functional mobility (FM) in schizophrenia. Thus, we aimed to investigate the associations among FM, depression, and other clinical correlates in individuals with schizophrenia.

Impact of the Asthma Quality Assessment Program on Burden of Asthma.

Background: In 2013, the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service launched the Asthma Quality Assessment Program (AQAP) to assess whether patients with asthma were well managed.

Objective: To show the impact of the AQAP on the medical utilization behavior for asthma.

Methods: We used claims data linked with the results of the AQAP performed between July 2013 and June 2017.

Outdoor cycling improves clinical symptoms, cognition and objectively measured physical activity in patients with schizophrenia: A randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: The therapeutic effects of outdoor cycling (OC) and its benefits on physical activity (PA) were investigated in people with schizophrenia.

Methods: Sixty patients with schizophrenia were randomly assigned to 16-weeks of Outdoor Cycling (OC) (n = 30, 50% male; mean age, 38.7 ± 10.

Sex difference in IgE sensitization associated with alcohol consumption in the general population.

The association of alcohol consumption and immunoglobulin E (IgE) sensitization is debated. Few population-based studies have investigated whether such associations differ by sex. We explored the association of alcohol consumption with IgE sensitization in the general population, stratified by sex.