Comparing ischemic cardiovascular effectiveness and safety between individual SGLT-2 inhibitors and DPP-4 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

Objectives: This study compared the ischemic cardiovascular events (iCVEs) effectiveness and safety of initiating empagliflozin or dapagliflozin with those of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4is), as well as the comparative effects between empagliflozin and dapagliflozin.

Methods: Using data from the National Health Insurance Service in Korea, patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who were newly prescribed empagliflozin, dapagliflozin, or DPP-4is from 2016 to 2019 and who did not have a recent CVE history were included. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for iCVEs and safety events.

Safety and efficacy of autologous blood tattooing for preoperative colonic localization: a comparative study with conventional India ink tattooing.

Background: India ink has been a popular choice for a tattooing agent in preoperative endoscopic localization but often results in unfavorable effects. Subsequently, autologous blood tattooing has arisen as an alternative option. Due to the limited availability of comparative studies on the matter, we conducted a study to compare the perioperative outcomes associated with India ink tattooing versus autologous blood tattooing.

Real-world evidence of brigatinib as second-line treatment after crizotinib for ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer using South Korean claims data (K-AREAL).

Purpose: There is a lack of real-world data in Asian populations for brigatinib, a next-generation anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study analysed real-world outcomes and dosing patterns for brigatinib in patients with crizotinib-refractory ALK+ NSCLC in South Korea.

Methods: This retrospective, non-interventional, cohort study used South Korean Health Insurance and Review Assessment claims data for adults with ALK+ NSCLC who initiated brigatinib between 19 April 2019 and 31 March 2021 after receiving prior crizotinib.

Lipid profile changes induced by glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1) agonists on the lipid profiles of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: We retrieved the data of phase 3 randomized controlled trials on GLP-1 agonists in patients with type 2 diabetes from the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library up to 11 February 2024. We extracted % changes in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol/total cholesterol (T-CHO) and triglycerides levels from baseline.

Real-world effectiveness of CDK4/6 inhibitors on patients with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer in South Korea, focusing on underrepresented patients.

Objective: We assessed the real-world effectiveness of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors as first-line treatments in postmenopausal patients with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer, focusing on younger (<45 years) and older (>78 years) populations not considered in clinical trials.

Methods: We analyzed nationwide claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service between November 2016 and February 2021. In this retrospective cohort study, patients using CDK4/6 inhibitors and aromatase inhibitors were selected and grouped by age as follows: 45-78 years (trial-enrolled), <45 years (younger), and >78 years (older).

Cost-effectiveness of improving patients' adherence to tuberculosis treatment in South Korea using discrete event simulation.

Background: Poor adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment is an obstacle to controlling the disease. The Korean government's national TB control plan includes a program on adherence to TB treatment to manage patients with TB. This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of a national TB program for improving patient adherence.

Is restrictive transfusion sufficient in colorectal cancer surgery? A retrospective study before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea.

Purpose: Blood transfusion is one of the most common procedures used to treat anemia in colorectal surgery. Despite controversy regarding the adverse effects of blood products, surgeons have maintained standards for administering blood transfusions. However, this trend was restrictive during the COVID-19 pandemic because of a shortage of blood products.

Concomitant Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors and Palbociclib Among Patients With Breast Cancer.

Importance: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly used drugs to relieve gastrointestinal tract symptoms, but their acid-inhibitory action negatively affects the bioavailability and clinical outcomes of orally administered concomitant drugs.

Objective: To identify the clinical outcomes of patients with advanced breast cancer who concomitantly use PPIs and palbociclib.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cohort study used nationwide claims data between November 1, 2016, and July 31, 2021, in South Korea.

Cost-Effectiveness of All-Oral Regimens for the Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Korea: Comparison With Conventional Injectable-Containing Regimens.

Background: Regimens for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) have been changed from injectable-containing regimens to all-oral regimens. The economic effectiveness of new all-oral regimens compared with conventional injectable-containing regimens was scarcely evaluated. This study was conducted to compare the cost-effectiveness between all-oral longer-course regimens (the oral regimen group) and conventional injectable-containing regimens (the control group) to treat newly diagnosed MDR-TB patients.

Validity of C-Reactive Protein as a Surrogate Marker for Infectious Complications After Surgery for Colorectal Cancer.

This study aimed to establish a threshold of C-reactive protein (CRP) level for early detection of post-operative infectious complications after surgery for colorectal cancer. In this single-center, retrospective analysis, we studied the data of 178 patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer between January 2018 and February 2022. Elective surgery with curative intent was performed, and serum CRP levels were measured on five consecutive days after surgery.

Survival differences between patients with de novo and relapsed/progressed advanced non-small cell lung cancer without epidermal growth factor receptor mutations or anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangements.

Background: We aimed to examine whether patients with de novo and relapsed/progressed stage IIIB-IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutations have different prognoses.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the Health Insurance Review and Assessment claims data in South Korea from 2013 to 2020. Patients with stage IIIB-IV NSCLC without EGFR or ALK mutations who received first-line palliative therapy between 2015 and 2019 were identified.

Posture-induced changes in intraocular pressure after ab externo XEN45 gel-stent implantation in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma.

Background: To investigate posture-induced changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) after ab externo XEN45 Gel-Stent implantation in patients with medically uncontrolled primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Methods: This prospective study included thirty-two eyes with POAG that underwent XEN45 Gel-Stent implantation as a standalone procedure using an ab externo approach at Chonnam National University Hospital. IOP was measured sequentially in the sitting position, supine position, and lateral decubitus position (LDP) before and at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months after surgery using an iCare IC200 rebound tonometer.

Health-related quality of life in adult patients with asthma according to asthma control and severity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The utility values are increasingly being used in economic evaluations and health policy decision making. This study aims to conduct a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of the utility values for asthma, particularly with respect to severity and asthma control. A literature search was conducted using the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases for studies published until July, 2020, reporting the utilities of adult asthma.

Influence of scan direction on subfoveal choroidal vascularity index using optical coherence tomography.

We investigated the influence of scan direction on subfoveal choroidal vascularity index (CVI) measurements using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in young healthy subjects. Seventy-eight eyes of 41 healthy volunteers were included. Choroidal structures were obtained using SD-OCT with enhanced depth imaging (EDI) through radial scans at the center of the macula.

Visual Outcomes and Optical Quality of Accommodative, Multifocal, Extended Depth-of-Focus, and Monofocal Intraocular Lenses in Presbyopia-Correcting Cataract Surgery: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-analysis.

Importance: A bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) can help compare the various types of multifocal and monofocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) used in clinical practice.

Objective: To compare outcomes of presbyopia-correcting IOLs frequently recommended in clinical practice through a bayesian NMA based on a systematic review.

Data Sources: Medline (PubMed) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched on May 15, 2021, from inception.

Clinical impact and economic burden of post-transplant infections following heart transplantation: A retrospective nationwide cohort study.

Background: Post-transplant infections are associated with high mortality rates. This retrospective nationwide cohort study examined the incidence and risk factors of infections requiring hospitalization after heart transplantation and the associated economic burden.

Methods: The entire heart transplant recipients' data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service between 2013 and 2020 was used.

Cancer risk associated with the use of valsartan in Korea: A nationwide cohort study.

Background: Despite valsartan's widespread use, few studies have explored its potential carcinogenicity. We evaluated the association between valsartan and cancer.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from 2002 to 2015 gathered from the National Health Insurance database.

Real-world association of adherence with outcomes and economic burden in patients with tuberculosis from South Korea claims data.

We analyzed tuberculosis (TB)-related costs according to treatment adherence, as well as the association between treatment adherence, treatment outcomes, and costs related to drug-susceptible TB in South Korea. Patients who had newly treated TB in South Korea between 2006 and 2015 were selected from nationwide sample claims data and categorized into adherent and non-adherent groups using the proportion of days TB drugs covered. Patients were followed-up from the initiation of TB treatment.

Clinical manifestation, economic burden, and mortality in patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis.

Background: Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis, also known as transthyretin cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is a poorly-recognized disease with delayed diagnosis and poor prognosis. This nationwide population-based study aimed to identify disease manifestations, economic burden, and mortality of patients with ATTR-CM.

Methods: Data of newly diagnosed patients with ATTR-CM between 2013 and 2018 from the Korean National Health Insurance Service were used, covering the entire population.

Optimal Indicator of Death for Using Real-World Cancer Patients' Data From the Healthcare System.

Information on patient's death is a major outcome of health-related research, but it is not always available in claim-based databases. Herein, we suggested the operational definition of death as an optimal indicator of real death and aim to examine its validity and application in patients with cancer. Data of newly diagnosed patients with cancer between 2006 and 2015 from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort data were used.

Adherence is an optimal factor for maximizing the effective and safe use of oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Few studies assessed the association between major adverse cardiovascular events and adherence to warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effects of adherence to oral anticoagulants (OACs) in patients with AF using claims data (July 2014-April 2019). Using the initial 3-month medication possession rate (MPR), patients were categorized into adherent (MPR ≥ 0.

Carvone and its eutectic mixtures as novel, biodegradable, and tunable solvents to extract hydrophobic compounds in substitution for volatile toxic solvents.

Finding safe solvents with low viscosities has been in great demand in extraction processes. Herein, R-(-)-carvone, a natural monoterpenoid rich in spearmint, was mixed with naturally occurring fatty acids and terpenes. Most eutectic mixtures presented a wide liquid window in the solid-liquid equilibrium phase diagrams.

Clinical Features of Advanced Glaucoma With Optic Nerve Head Prelaminar Schisis.

Purpose: To investigate the clinical characteristics of optic nerve head (ONH) prelaminar schisis in eyes with advanced glaucoma.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: One hundred sixteen eyes with advanced glaucoma (30-2 mean deviation <-12 dB) were included.

Trefoil factor 2 secreted from damaged hepatocytes activates hepatic stellate cells to induce fibrogenesis.

Liver fibrosis is a common characteristic of chronic liver diseases. The activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) plays a key role in fibrogenesis in response to liver injury, yet the mechanism by which damaged hepatocytes modulate the activation of HSCs is poorly understood. Our previous studies have established that liver-specific deletion of O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT)leads to hepatocyte necroptosis and spontaneous fibrosis.