The Prevalence of Chronic Physical Diseases Comorbid with Depression among Different Sex and Age Groups in South Korea: A Population-Based Study, 2007-2014.

Objective: People with depression often suffer from comorbid, chronic physical diseases. Little is known about how demographic characteristics such as age and sex influence the prevalence of chronic physical diseases comorbid with depression. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the age and sex differences in the prevalence of diverse, chronic physical diseases comorbid with depression.

Association between Healthcare Utilization and Depression in Korean Women with Cardiovascular Conditions.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the associations between depression and both coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRs) in Korean women. Furthermore, this study sought to determine whether depression was associated with use of healthcare services in women with CAD or CVRs.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 26,335 women who were aged 19 years or older, and who participated in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2014).

Association between depression and metabolic syndrome in korean women: Results from the korean national health and nutrition examination survey (2007-2013).

Background: A considerable amount of research suggests that depression may be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the risk factors for the development of CVD such as metabolic syndrome (MetS). This study aimed to investigate the associations between depression, MetS, and combinations of the individual MetS components in Korean women.

Methods: Cross-sectional data for 23,385 women who aged 19 years and older were obtained from the nationally representative Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2013).

Mental health services and R&D in South Korea.

World Health Organization has asserted that mental illness is the greatest overriding burden of disease in the majority of developed countries, and that the socioeconomic burden of mental disease will exceed that of cancer and cardiovascular disorders in the future. The life-time prevalence rate for mental disorders in Korea is reported at 27.6 %, which means three out of 10 adults experience mental disorders more than once throughout their lifetime.

Safety and immunogenicity of therapeutic DNA vaccine with antiviral drug in chronic HBV patients and its immunogenicity in mice.

Background & Aims: Here, we evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA vaccine, HB-110, in mice and Korean patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) undergoing adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) treatment.

Methods: For animal study, mice (BALB/c or HBV transgenic) were immunized with mHB-110, and T-cell and antibody responses were evaluated. For clinical study, 27 patients randomly received either ADV alone or ADV in combination with HB-110.

Impact of adherence to peginterferon-ribavirin combination therapy in chronic hepatitis C patients on achieving a sustained virologic response.

Background/aims: Various predictive factors for peginterferon alpha and ribavirin therapy in chronic hepatitis C have been reported, but the effect of adherence to therapy has not been established. We investigated how adherence affects the sustained virologic response (SVR).

Methods: We analyzed 92 chronic hepatitis C patients receiving peginterferon alpha and ribavirin combination therapy.