Comparative clinical outcomes of dronedarone and sotalol in Asian patients with atrial fibrillation: a nationwide cohort study.

We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of dronedarone versus sotalol in real-world practice in Asian patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Using the Korean nationwide claims database from August 2013 to December 2016, we identified patients with AF recently prescribed dronedarone or sotalol and analyzed the hospitalization risk and all-cause death until December 2017. Overall, 3119 and 1575 patients treated with dronedarone and sotalol, respectively, were included.

A novel adiposity index as an integrated predictor of cardiometabolic disease morbidity and mortality.

We propose a new anthropometric index, weight-adjusted-waist index (WWI), to assess adiposity by standardizing waist circumference (WC) for weight. WWI, calculated as WC (cm) divided by the square root of weight (kg) (cm/√kg), was measured from 465,629 subjects in the Korean nationwide cohort (2008-2013). Cox regression analysis was used to compare WWI with BMI, WC, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and a body shape index (ABSI) for cardiometabolic morbidity and mortality risk in diagnostic and prognostic prediction models.

Ten-Year Mortality Trends for Adults with and without Diabetes Mellitus in South Korea, 2003 to 2013.

Background: To estimate and compare the trends of all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates for subjects with and without diabetes in South Korea, from 2003 to 2013.

Methods: Using a population-based cohort (2003 to 2013), we evaluated annual mortality rates in adults (≥30 years) with and without diabetes. The number of subjects in this analysis ranged from 585,795 in 2003 to 670,020 in 2013.

Tussilagonone-induced Nrf2 pathway activation protects HepG2 cells from oxidative injury.

Tussilagonone is a compound derived from the medicinal plant Tussilago farfara L., which is used as a traditional medicine for respiratory diseases, including asthma and pneumonia. Recent reports suggest that tussilagonone exhibits anti-inflammatory effects; however, the scope of protective functions has not been elucidated yet.

Increased Vascular Disease Mortality Risk in Prediabetic Korean Adults Is Mainly Attributable to Ischemic Stroke.

Background And Purpose: Prediabetes is a known risk factor for vascular diseases; however, its differential contribution to mortality risk from various vascular disease subtypes is not known.

Methods: The subjects of the National Health Insurance Service in Korea (2002-2013) nationwide cohort were stratified into normal glucose tolerance (fasting glucose <100 mg/dL), impaired fasting glucose (IFG) stage 1 (100-109 mg/dL), IFG stage 2 (110-125 mg/dL), and diabetes mellitus groups based on the fasting glucose level. A Cox regression analysis with counting process formulation was used to assess the mortality risk for vascular disease and its subtypes-ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke.

Identifying depressive symptom trajectory groups among Korean adults and psychosocial factors as group determinants.

Background: Longitudinal research is needed to examine the depressive symptom trajectories of different groups during adulthood and their antecedents and consequences, because depressive symptoms may be changeable and heterogeneous over time.

Aims: This study examined the number of trajectory groups describing the depressive symptoms of Korean adults, as well as the shape of the trajectories and the association between trajectory group membership and psychosocial factors identified based on the ecosystem model.

Method: This study used Nagin's semi-parametric group-based modeling to analyze Year 1 to Year 7 data from Korea Welfare Panel Survey (N = 13,735), a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling adults.