Comparison of triglyceride-glucose index and HOMA-IR for predicting prevalence and incidence of metabolic syndrome.

Background And Aims: Insulin resistance is related closely to metabolic syndrome (MetS). The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) is the most commonly used insulin resistance index, but the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index has been suggested as a reliable alternative insulin resistance index. This study aims to compare the predictive powers of TyG index and HOMA-IR for the prevalence and incidence of MetS in a large, community-based, prospective cohort over 12 years of follow-up.

Are high medical costs incurred by people with disabilities excessive?: An empirical analysis of Korean National Health Insurance Data.

A crude comparison of medical costs between people with disabilities (PWD) and without disabilities (PWoD) shows a much higher expenditure among PWD and such results have been a cause for further stigmatization. This study aims to empirically analyze whether the medical costs for PWD are actually high when characteristics related to medical costs are adjusted. Ten percent of the total population was randomly selected from the Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) Database in 2016.

Survey for Government Policies Regarding Strategies for the Commercialization and Globalization of Digital Therapeutics.

Purpose: This study was conducted to build a direction for government policies regarding strategies for the commercialization of digital therapeutics in Korea, as well as its globalization.

Materials And Methods: The study included 37 participants from the Korea Digital Health Industry Association (KODHIA). The data was based on a survey conducted in 2020 targeting employees of companies engaged in the digital health industry in Korea.

Designing a Logic Model for Mobile Maternal Health e-Voucher Programs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: An Interpretive Review.

Despite the increasing transition from paper vouchers to mobile e-vouchers for maternal health in low- and middle-income countries, few studies have reviewed key elements for program planning, implementation, and evaluation. To bridge this gap, this study conducted an interpretive review and developed a logic model for mobile maternal health e-voucher programs. Pubmed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched to retrieve relevant studies; 27 maternal health voucher programs from 84 studies were identified, and key elements for the logic model were retrieved and organized systematically.

Socioeconomic inequality in compliance with precautions and health behavior changes during the COVID-19 outbreak: an analysis of the Korean Community Health Survey 2020.

Objectives: This study examined socioeconomic inequalities in compliance with precautions and health behavior changes during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak using a representative Korean sample.

Methods: This exploratory study utilized around 210,000 participants aged ≥25 years in the Korean Community Health Survey 2020. Socioeconomic status was measured with educational attainment and household income.

Korea hypertension fact sheet 2021: analysis of nationwide population-based data with special focus on hypertension in women.

Background: The Korean Society of Hypertension has published the Korea Hypertension Fact Sheet 2021 to provide an overview of the magnitude and management status of hypertension and their recent trends.

Methods: The Fact Sheets were based on the analyses of Korean adults aged 20 years or older of the 1998-2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the 2002-2019 National Health Insurance Big Data.

Results: Currently, the population average of systolic/diastolic blood pressure was 119/76 mmHg in Korean adults aged 20 years or older showing little change in the recent decade.

Quantification of visceral perfusion and impact of femoral cannulation: in vitro model of aortic dissection.

Objectives: We aimed to simulate blood flow at an aortic dissection in an in vitro vascular model and assess the impact of the cannulation method on visceral perfusion.

Methods: An aortic-dissection model with an acrylic aortic wall and silicone intimal flap was developed to study visceral perfusion under various cannulation conditions. The primary tear was placed in the proximal descending aorta and the re-entry site in the left common iliac artery.

A 52 weeks dupilumab treatment for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis in Korea: long-term efficacy and safety in real world.

Previously, we have reported short term effectiveness and safety of dupilumab in Korea. In this study, we are trying to report the long-term effectiveness and safety of dupilumab in Korea. Ninety-nine patients with moderate to severe AD were analyzed.

A novel paper MAP method for rapid high resolution histological analysis.

Three-dimensional visualization of cellular and subcellular-structures in histological-tissues is essential for understanding the complexities of biological-phenomena, especially with regards structural and spatial relationships and pathologlical-diagnosis. Recent advancements in tissue-clearing technology, such as Magnified Analysis of Proteome (MAP), have significantly improved our ability to study biological-structures in three-dimensional space; however, their wide applicability to a variety of tissues is limited by long incubation-times and a need for advanced imaging-systems that are not readily available in most-laboratories. Here, we present optimized MAP-based method for paper-thin samples, Paper-MAP, which allow for rapid clearing and subsequent imaging of three-dimensional sections derived from various tissues using conventional confocal-microscopy.

Family resilience factors affecting family adaptation of children with cancer: A cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Pediatric cancer impacts all family members, including parents and siblings, who strive to adjust to a multitude of changes brought about by the illness. Family resilience is an important factor in the successful adaptation of families of children with cancer. Therefore, we aimed to identify risk and protective factors for family resilience at the child, family, and community levels that affect the adaptation of families of children with cancer.

Association of frailty with regional sagittal spinal alignment in the elderly.

The degenerative changes in the spine of the frail elderly gradually exacerbate the alignment of the spine as the degeneration progresses. This study was conducted to assess the relationship between frailty and spine sagittal alignment measured in terms of global, cervical, thoracic, and lumbo-pelvic parameters. In total, 101 patients aged 75 years and older hospitalized for spine surgery were prospectively enrolled.

Altered thalamic gray matter volume in firefighters with heavy alcohol use.

Background: Alcohol, a known addictive substance, affects the structural properties of the brain. In this study, we explored associations between alcohol use and gray matter properties among firefighters, who are often exposed to significant occupational stress.

Methods: Gray matter volume (GMV) was evaluated using voxel-based morphometry in 287 male firefighters (mean age: 48.

A novel biguanide (IM1761065) inhibits bioenergetics of glioblastoma tumorspheres.

Purpose: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a rapidly growing tumor in the central nervous system with altered metabolism. Depleting the bioenergetics of tumors with biguanides have been suggested as an effective therapeutic approach for treating GBMs. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of IM1761065, a novel biguanide with improved pharmacokinetics, on GBM-tumorspheres (TSs).

Efficacy and safety of temperature-controlled intraductal radiofrequency ablation in advanced malignant hilar biliary obstruction: A pilot multicenter randomized comparative trial.

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of temperature-controlled intraductal radiofrequency ablation (ID-RFA) for advanced malignant hilar biliary obstruction (MHBO).

Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to RFA group (ID-RFA and bilateral plastic stent [PS]) or non-RFA group (bilateral PS) at a 1:1 ratio. Exchange to self-expanding metal stent (SEMS) was performed after 3 months or when premature PS occlusion occurred.

The effect of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on changes in the brain structure of firefighters: An analysis using data from the Firefighters Research on Enhancement of Safety & Health study.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are formed during incomplete combustion of organic matter, and firefighters are highly exposed to these toxic compounds at fire sites. Exposure to PAHs can cause cognitive decline and neurodegeneration; however, to date, few studies have examined the potential effects of PAH exposure on structural changes in the brain. We aimed to investigate the association between the four types of PAH metabolites and the corresponding changes in neuroimaging markers based on smoking status and hypertension in male firefighters.

Economic burden attributable to Clostridioides difficile infections in South Korea: a nationwide propensity score-matched study.

Background: Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile is an important pathogen that causes diarrhoea in patients who take antibacterial drugs. Considering the limited medical resources, it is necessary to prioritize the management of threats caused by antibiotic use and the spread of germs, but there are little available data, especially for C. difficile infections in South Korea.

Factors Associated With Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: Prospective Observational Study Using Actigraphy.

Background: Although disclosing the predictors of different behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) is the first step in developing person-centered interventions, current understanding is limited, as it considers BPSD as a homogenous construct. This fails to account for their heterogeneity and hinders development of interventions that address the underlying causes of the target BPSD subsyndromes. Moreover, understanding the influence of proximal factors-circadian rhythm-related factors (ie, sleep and activity levels) and physical and psychosocial unmet needs states-on BPSD subsyndromes is limited, due to the challenges of obtaining objective and/or continuous time-varying measures.

Regulates Chemoresistance in Association With by Inhibiting Apoptosis Pathway in Patients With Cervical Cancer.

Background/aim: Cryptochrome 1 (CRY1), a core circadian gene, modulates circadian rhythm and carcinogenesis. Here, we investigated the role of CRY1 and its correlation with NANOG, a stem cell transcription factor, in cervical cancer.

Materials And Methods: Immunohistochemistry with tissue microarray was performed to evaluate CRY1 and NANOG expression in cervical cancer tissues, and their functional roles were assessed in cervical cancer cell lines.

The effects of information-seeking behaviours on prevention behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic: the mediating effects of anxiety and fear in Korea.

Objectives: Identifying determinants of prevention behaviours during the emergence of a new infectious disease is important. We investigated the associations between information-seeking and prevention behaviours during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and mediating effects of psychiatric factors.

Methods: In total, 1,970 participants from the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Etiology Research Center cohort participated in an online survey 55 days after the first COVID-19 case in Korea was diagnosed.

Factors associated with assisted ventilation use in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a nationwide population-based study in Korea.

Few studies have investigated the factors associated with assisted ventilation use in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in western countries with a relatively small number of participants. This study aimed to evaluate the factors associated with assisted ventilation use using a large nationwide cohort covering the entire Korean population. We selected patients with primary or secondary diagnoses of ALS (ICD-10 code: G12.

Cohort profile: the Environmental-Pollution-Induced Neurological EFfects (EPINEF) study: a multicenter cohort study of Korean adults.

The general population is exposed to numerous environmental pollutants, and it remains unclear which pollutants affect the brain, accelerating brain aging and increasing the risk of dementia. The Environmental-Pollution-Induced Neurological Effects study is a multi-city prospective cohort study aiming to comprehensively investigate the effect of different environmental pollutants on brain structures, neuropsychological function, and the development of dementia in adults. The baseline data of 3,775 healthy elderly people were collected from August 2014 to March 2018.