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Objectives: Road traffic injuries (RTIs) pose a significant public health burden, and more than half of these fatalities are attributed to vulnerable road users (VRUs). This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology and outcomes of severe RTIs in Korea by focusing on different types of road users., Methods: This is nationwide retrospective observational study. Using data from the Korean Nationwide Severe Trauma Registry, this study analyzed severe RTI cases from 2016 to 2020. The study included EMS-treated severe trauma patients, defining severe RTI as cases with an injury severity score (ISS) ≥16 or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The main variable of interest was the road user type, classified as motor vehicle occupants (MVOs), pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists. Trends and injury characteristics by road user type were analyzed, and multivariate logistic regression was conducted to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) of road user type for in-hospital mortality., Results: Of the 143,021 EMS-treated severe trauma cases, 24,464 were included in this study. Pedestrians represented the largest group (n = 8,782; 35.9 %). More than half of the patients died (n = 12,620, 51.6 %), and a high proportion of patients had OHCA (n = 10,048, 41.1 %). There was no significant change in the overall severe RTI numbers from 2016 to 2020, but a decrease in pedestrian cases and an increase in motorcyclist cases were noted (both p for trend<0.05). Low usage of safety devices was observed (28.2 % of motor vehicle occupants used seat belts, 35.9 % of motorcyclists used helmets, and 9.6 % of bicyclists used helmets). Head injuries were most common, particularly among bicyclists (77.0 %) and motorcyclists (69.8 %). Compared to motor vehicle occupants, pedestrians (AOR [95 % CI] 1.12 [1.04-1.20]) and others (AOR [95 % CI] 1.30 [1.02-1.65]) had higher odds of mortality, while motorcyclists (AOR [95 % CI] 0.64 [0.59-0.69]) and bicyclists (AOR [95 % CI] 0.68 [0.60-0.76]) had lower odds of mortality., Conclusion: We found varying trends and injury characteristics in severe RTIs according to road user type. Adapting prevention strategies for evolving road user patterns, with particular attention to increasing safety device usage and addressing the high mortality associated with severe RTIs are warranted., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objective: To assess the efficacy of pharmacopuncture (PA) in improving lipid profiles of patients under statin therapy., Design and Setting: Single-center retrospective study., Interventions: Fifty-nine patients who were previously under statins were retrospectively analyzed. We injected 10 cc of PA twice or thrice a week for 12 to 16 weeks at the acupoint (CV5). The PA solution was based on aqueous extracts of various herbs: Taraxaci Herba, Artemisiae Annuae Herba, Elsholtziae Herba, Acanthopanacis Cortex, and Rumecis Radix., Main Outcome Measures: Lipid profiles, including total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) levels, were compared before and after PA treatment within patients., Results: The mean age was 59.03 ± 19.82 years, and 50.8% were women (n=30). TC and LDL-C levels decreased from 233.6 ± 54.6 mg/dL to 202.0 ± 26.4 mg/dL (P = 1.27×10-6) and from 175.1 ± 46.2 mg/dL to 133.1 ± 21.6 mg/dL (P = 1.37×10-10), respectively. Interestingly, HDL-C level increased from 30.4 ± 14.6 mg/dL to 43.1 ± 12.1 mg/dL (P = 4.39×10-10), where men demonstrated better improvement than women (P = 1.73×10-3)., Conclusion: Our findings highlight the adjuvant effects of PA treatment on the lipid profile in patients under statins and the sex interaction in HDL-C improvement, which provides a clinical foundation for future clinical trials with personalized treatment strategies to establish the clinical benefits of PA treatment with statins.

Background: Menopause induces various health problems and is associated with obesity, but the association between menopausal status and obesity is unclear due to several confounding factors, such as aging and reduced physical activity. The objective of this study was to examine the association of menopausal status with anthropometric indices and body composition indices in South Korean women., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 734 subjects (297 postmenopausal women, 437 premenopausal women) from five university hospitals in South Korea were included. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association of menopause with anthropometric indices and body composition indices., Results: Height, body mass index, waist-to-height ratio, waist-to-hip ratio, and neck, armpit, chest, rib, waist, iliac, and hip circumferences were associated with menopausal status in the crude analysis, but these associations disappeared in the adjusted models. Among the body composition indices, menopausal status was strongly associated with total body water, skeletal muscle mass, body fat mass, and body fat percentage in the crude analysis. However, the associations with body fat mass and body fat percentage disappeared in the adjusted models. Only the associations with total body water and skeletal muscle mass remained in the adjusted models., Conclusion: Most of the anthropometric indices and body composition indices were not associated with menopausal status, but total body water and skeletal muscle mass were significantly lower in postmenopausal women than in premenopausal women., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Lee et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

An extensive evaluation of disease occurrence after statin use based on a "hypothesis-free" approach remains scarce. To examine the effect of statin use on the potential risk of developing diseases, a propensity score-matched cohort study was executed using data from the National Sample Cohort in South Korea. A total of 7847 statin users and 39,235 nonstatin users were included in the final analysis. The period of statin use was defined as our main time-dependent exposure and was divided into three periods: current, recent, and past. The main outcomes were defined as new-onset diseases with ≥100 events based on the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision. We calculated the adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Cox regression. We found that statin use significantly increased the risk of developing iron deficiency anemia up to 5.04 times (95% CI, 2.11 to 12.03). Therefore, the iron levels of patients using statins should be monitored carefully.

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have identified more than 400 distinct genetic loci associated with diabetes and nearly 120 loci for fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and fasting insulin level to date. However, genetic risk factors for the longitudinal deterioration of FPG have not been thoroughly evaluated. We aimed to identify genetic variants associated with longitudinal change of FPG over time., Methods: We used two prospective cohorts in Korean population, which included a total of 10,528 individuals without T2DM. GWAS of repeated measure of FPG using linear mixed model was performed to investigate the interaction of genetic variants and time, and meta-analysis was conducted. Genome-wide complex trait analysis was used for heritability calculation. In addition, expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis was performed using the Genotype-Tissue Expression project., Results: A small portion (4%) of the genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) interaction with time explained the total phenotypic variance of longitudinal change in FPG. A total of four known genetic variants of FPG were associated with repeated measure of FPG levels. One SNP (rs11187850) showed a genome-wide significant association for genetic interaction with time. The variant is an eQTL for NOC3 like DNA replication regulator (NOC3L) gene in pancreas and adipose tissue. Furthermore, NOC3L is also differentially expressed in pancreatic β-cells between subjects with or without T2DM. However, this variant was not associated with increased risk of T2DM nor elevated FPG level., Conclusion: We identified rs11187850, which is an eQTL of NOC3L, to be associated with longitudinal change of FPG in Korean population.

Abstract: Personal mobility devices (PMDs) have emerged as new factors in motor vehicle accidents, and related injuries are increasing. We aimed to describe the characteristics of PMD-related injuries presented to emergency departments (EDs) through a cross-sectional study for 7 years.This study is a multicenter cross-sectional study using the Emergency Department-based Injury In-Depth Surveillance database in South Korea. We identified all PMD-related injuries from 2011 to 2017 based on text searching. We categorized them into 3 groups based on their distinguishable characteristics: electric standing scooter (E-scooter), electric self-balancing wheel (E-wheel), and electronic board (E-board).A total of 448 PMD-related injuries were observed during the observation period. E-scooter-, E-wheel-, and E-board-related injuries occurred in 284, 138, and 26 cases, respectively. Most patients were between the ages of 19 and 59 years (69.2%), men (66.3%), and injured because of leisure activity (61.2%). The mechanism of injury was mostly traffic accidents (75.2%), but regarding injuries involving E-wheel and E-board, 25.4% and 30.8% of patients slipped from the device. The most commonly injured body part was the head, which accounted for 58.1% of E-scooter injuries, 38.4% of E-wheel injuries, and 53.9% of E-board injuries. Only 6 of all patients wore a helmet at the time of accident.PMD users and PMD-sharing programs are increasing, and more accidents are expected in the future. As PMDs are convenient to move and more people are willing to use them, proper riding and safety rules based on the type of PMD are needed to reduce the risk of injury. The results of this study can be used as basic data for developing safety policies., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

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. Therefore, we investigated whether the HIRA's quality assessments have decreased asthma exacerbations using national health insurance claims data from 2013 to 2017 of 83,375 primary-clinic and 15,931 tertiary-hospital patients with asthma. These patients were classified into four groups based on disease severity according to the monthly prescribed amount of asthma medication using K-means clustering. The associations between HIRA assessments and asthma exacerbation were analyzed using a generalized estimating equation. Our results showed that exacerbation odds gradually decreased as the HIRA assessments progressed, especially in the mild-severity group, and that exacerbation risk among patients with asthma decreased in the order of assessment grades: "Unsatisfactory," "Satisfactory," and "Tertiary." Therefore, we may conclude that asthma exacerbations may decrease with high quality asthma management; appropriate quality assessment could be helpful in reducing asthma exacerbations.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Oryeong-san (ORS) is a traditional formula that has long been used for the treatment of dysfunctions of body fluids and electrolyte homeostasis in Korea, China and Japan. Recent reports have shown that ORS may suppress hypertension by controlling the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in the kidney, but its action mechanism has not been well defined., Aim of the Study: The aim of this study was to decipher the ORS mechanisms in the treatment of hypertension using a systems pharmacology approach., Materials and Methods: The compounds of ORS were obtained from the TM-MC (database of medicinal materials and chemical compounds in Northeast Asian traditional medicine), and the drug-likeness (DL) and oral bioavailability (OB) of the compounds were evaluated. The potential targets of the compounds were identified using various pharmacology databases. To analyze the mechanisms of the ORS for hypertension, a Compound-Target-Disease (C-T-D) network was established with respect to the genes related to hypertension., Results: A screening evaluation of the DL and OB of the ORS compounds identified a list of 232 active compounds. The pharmacological activity of the targets was investigated by exploring the interaction network between the compounds and the targets. Analysis of the interactions between the compounds and the hypertension-related targets revealed that 14 ORS compounds regulate the RAAS and vasoconstrictors in the kidney., Conclusions: This study used the systems pharmacology approach to decipher the mechanisms of action of ORS for the treatment of hypertension. When hypertension drugs and ORS are used in combination for treatment, possible side effects should be considered because most hypertension drugs are related to the RAAS. The results of this study may provide clues to not only analyze the pharmacological activity of ORS for the treatment of hypertension but other diseases as well., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Metformin, a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), has recently been recognized for its pleotropic anti-proliferative, anti-cancer, and anti-aging effects. Contrary to the studies characterizing metformin effects in prostate cancer, little is known about these effects in BPH progression. With the Sample Cohort DB data during 2007 and 2017 from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) in South Korea, we investigated the preventative effect of metformin on BPH progression. The study population consisted of 211,648 BPH naïve patients that were diagnosed with BPH in 2009 and a follow-up occurrence of prostatectomy until 2017 that was defined as progression of BPH. These patients were divided into three treatment groups: without T2DM, T2DM without metformin, and T2DM with metformin. The hazard ratio in the T2DM with metformin group was 0.86 for prostatectomy compared to the group without T2DM (CI = 0.77-0.96, P value = 0.007) after adjusting for confounding factors such as age, comorbidity, residential area, level of hospital, and category of BPH medications. The T2DM with high-dose metformin group had a significantly lower risk of prostatectomy with hazard ratio of 0.76 (CI = 0.62-0.92, P value = 0.005) in stratified analysis. Our results suggest that metformin may improve BPH progression based on the reduced risk of prostatectomy, although T2DM effects on BPH were unclear. Future observational studies and prospective trials are needed to confirm the effects of metformin on BPH progression., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation not being adequately treated with oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy, with therapy underutilization or premature termination, have been commonly reported. However, studies on the utilization pattern of OAC therapy for patients with atrial flutter (AFL) are few. The aim of this study was to investigate the utilization of OAC therapy, and its influencing factors for patients with AFL in South Korea, as well as the types and percentages of anticoagulants used., Methods: We analyzed Aged Population Sample data compiled by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service from 2011 to 2015. We identified patients with AFL having the KCD-6 code I48.1. Patients at high risk of stroke with a congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥75 years, diabetes mellitus, stroke (or transient ischemic attack), vascular disease, sex score of ≥2 and at low risk of bleeding with an anticoagulation and risk factors in atrial fibrillation score of ≤4 were included in the study. Oral anticoagulant therapy underutilization was estimated in these patients using anticoagulant underutilization (ACU) scales. Demographic and clinical factors associated with OAC therapy underutilization were investigated using a logistic regression model., Results: The mean ACU value was calculated as 67.4% between 2011 and 2015. Positive risk factors for ACU were identified as follows: female sex, aspirin utilization, and limited anticoagulant options. Negative risk factors included comorbidities, such as congestive heart failure and valvular heart disease, and a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack., Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that two-third of patients with AFL in South Korea failed to obtain adequate stroke prevention treatment, even in the era of direct OAC availability. This tendency was more profound in women or those on aspirin therapy.

Aim: Several recent studies have suggested that assessing heart rate variability (HRV) is an easy method for obtaining prognostic information on cancer patients; however, these studies had limitations such as uncontrolled confounders and small numbers in a heterogeneous group. The intention of our study was to explore and validate the role of HRV variables in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Method: A total of 167 patients who were eligible for HRV testing were consecutively enrolled from a regional hospital in South Korea. Demographic and clinical variables, including the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status grade, NSCLC stage, therapeutic intervention, and other data were also recorded. The effects of time-domain and frequency-domain indices of HRV were compared with other clinical factors to determine overall survival., Results: Among the HRV parameters, standard deviation of all normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN) significantly predicted poor survival by univariate analysis. However, multivariate analysis revealed that it was not an independent prognosticator for survival in NSCLC patients, as the HRV parameters significantly correlated with the ECOG performance status grade., Conclusion: HRV variables should be used to monitor advanced NSCLC patients' general well-being and ability to perform the activities of daily living rather than to predict their overall survival.

Background: Dry eye syndrome is a frequent complication of refractive surgery. Acupuncture has been widely used to alleviate the associated symptoms. However, the use of acupuncture for patients who suffer from dry eye syndrome following refractive surgery has certain drawbacks. This pilot study aims to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture treatment in treating the signs and symptoms of dry eye syndrome after refractive surgery., Methods/design: Forty participants will be randomly assigned to the acupuncture plus usual care group or the usual care control group. The acupuncture plus usual care group will undergo treatments on seventeen acupuncture points, three times per week for four weeks. The control group will receive only usual care during the same period. The primary outcomes will be scores on the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and the results of examinations at 1, 3, 5, and 13 weeks. The secondary outcomes will be Tear Film Break-up Time (TBUT), as well as scores on the Schirmer-I test, visual analog scale (VAS), and quality of life (QOL) questionnaire for the self-assessment of ocular discomfort. Digital photographs will be taken to document the pattern of fluorescein staining observed on the corneal surface. The results of the Schirmer-I test, TBUT, and fluorescein-stained corneal surface digital photographs will be assessed at the screening and at week 13. VAS scores will be assessed at the screening, as well as at 1, 3, 5, and 13 weeks. QOL will be evaluated at 1, 3, 5, and 13 weeks., Discussion: This trial will provide primary data with which to investigate the clinical effectiveness and safety of acupuncture treatment for dry eye syndrome after refractive surgery., Trial Registration: Current Controlled (Identifier: KCT0000727).

Background: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is the main dose-limiting side effect of neurotoxic chemotherapeutic agents. CIPN can lead not only to loss of physical function, difficulties in activities of daily living (ADLs), and decreased quality of life, but also to dose reduction, delay or even cessation of treatment. Currently, there are few proven effective treatments for CIPN. This randomized controlled clinical trial is designed to evaluate the effects and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) for patients with CIPN., Methods/design: This is a multicenter, two-armed, parallel-design, patient-assessor-blinded, randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial. Forty eligible patients with CIPN will be randomized in a ratio of 1:1 to the EA or sham EA arms. During the treatment phase, patients will undergo eight sessions of verum EA or sham EA twice weekly for four weeks, and then will be followed-up for eight weeks. Electrical stimulation in the EA group will consist of a mixed frequency of 2/120 Hz and 80% of bearable intensity. Sham EA will be applied to non-acupoints, with shallow needle insertion and no current. All outcomes and analyses of results will be assessed by researchers blinded to treatment allocation. The effects of EA on CIPN will be evaluated according to both subjective and objective outcome measures. The primary outcome measure will be the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life questionnaire to assess CIPN (QLQ-CIPN20). The secondary outcome measures will be the results on the numerical rating scale, the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test, the nerve conduction study, and the EORTC QLQ-C30, as well as the patient's global impression of change and adverse events. Safety will be assessed at each visit., Discussion: The results of this on-going study will provide clinical evidence for the effects and safety of EA for CIPN compared with sham EA., Trial Registration: Clinical Research Information Service: KCT0000506.

Rodents and soricomorphs are animal hosts of fleas and associated zoonotic microbial pathogens. A total of 4,889 small mammals were collected from Gyeonggi and Gangwon Provinces, Republic of Korea, from 2008 through 2010, including: Apodemus agrarius (4,122, 84.3%), followed by Crocidura lasiura (282, 5.8%), Microtus fortis (257, 5.3%), Myodes regulus (77, 1.6%), Micromys minutus (71, 1.5%), Mus musculus (63, 1.3%), and 4 other species (17, 0.3%). A total of 1,099 fleas belonging to 10 species and 7 genera were collected. Ctenophthalmus congeneroides (724, 65.9%) was the most commonly collected flea, followed by Stenoponia sidimi (301, 27.4%), Neopsylla bidentatiformis (29, 2.6%), and Rhadinopsylla insolita (25, 2.3%). The remaining species accounted for only 1.8% (20, range 1-6) of all fleas collected. The 2 dominant flea species, C. congeneroides and S. sidimi, showed an inverse seasonal pattern, with higher populations of C. congeneroides from January-September, whereas S. sidimi was more frequently collected during October-December. The overall flea infestation rates (FIR) and flea indices (FI) were 14.1% and 0.22, respectively, and were highest during April-June (19.7% and 0.30, respectively). A total of 735 of the 1,099 fleas were assayed for the detection of Bartonella spp. by PCR using Bartonella-specific primers, of which 515 were positive for Bartonella, with an overall maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) of 700.7/1,000. The highest MLE values were observed during April-June (899.2) and July-September (936.2) trapping periods and, although lower, were similar for January-March (566.7) and October-December (574.1). C. congeneroides demonstrated high MLEs for all seasons (range 752.5-934.8), while S. sidimi was positive for Bartonella only during January-March (MLE=342.1) and October-December (MLE=497.2) collection periods. Continued long-term surveillance of small mammals and associated ectoparasites is needed to improve our understanding of the prevalence of Bartonella spp. in fleas and the role of fleas in the zoonotic maintenance and transmission of Bartonella to humans.

Background: Even though chronic fatigue syndrome and idiopathic chronic fatigue are quite common, there are no clearly known causes. Most treatments are therefore symptomatic in nature, and chronic fatigue syndrome and idiopathic chronic fatigue patients are highly interested in using oriental medicine or complementary and alternative medicine treatment. Acupuncture, one of the major treatments used in oriental medicine, is effective in treating various diseases. This study will attempt to analyze the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic fatigue by comparing the two treatment groups (body acupuncture, Sa-am acupuncture) and the control group (usual care)., Methods/design: This study consists of a four-center, three-arm, randomized, controlled, and open-label trial. One hundred and fifty participants are randomly divided into treatment groups A and B and a control group. The treatment groups will receive acupuncture treatments either two or three times per week for a total of 10 sessions over a period of 4 weeks. The control group will not receive acupuncture treatments and will continue their usual care during this period. The primary outcome variable is the Fatigue Severity Scale, which will be utilized 5 weeks after randomization. Secondary outcome variables are the Fatigue Severity Scale at 13 weeks, a short form of the Stress Response Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Numeric Rating Scale, and the EuroQol-5 Dimension at 5 and 13 weeks after randomization., Discussion: This study will provide evidence with high external validity on the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture as a treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome and idiopathic chronic fatigue., Trial Registration: Clinical Research Information Service KCT0000508.