Cholecystectomy reduces the risk of cholangiocarcinoma in patients with complicated gallstones, but has negligible effect on hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Gallstones have been reported to be positively associated with hepatobiliary cancers. However, risks of these cancers by cholecystectomy or in patients with complicated gallstones are controversial. We studied the effect of cholecystectomy on the risk of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with gallstones and subgroup of complicated gallstones. METHODS: Patients with gallstone disease (n = 958 677) and age-matched and sex-matched controls (n = 9 586 770) were identified using the Korean National Health Insurance database. Complicated gallstones were defined as gallstones associated with acute cholecystitis or acute cholangitis. Adjusted hazard ratios (adjusted hazard ratios, 95% confidence interval) of CCA and HCC incidences were evaluated in patients with gallstones who received cholecystectomy compared to the controls. We also analyzed these effects in patients with complicated gallstones. RESULTS: Patients with gallstones showed increased risks of CCA (1.80, 1.67-1.93) and HCC (1.03, 1.00-1.07) compared with controls. Cholecystectomy had minimal effects on the risks of CCA (1.94, 1.76-2.14) and HCC (0.93, 0.87-0.99) compared with those without cholecystectomy. However, patients with complicated gallstones showed highly increased CCA risk (5.62, 4.89-6.46) and a 30% risk reduction after cholecystectomy (3.91, 3.43-4.46). Risk reduction by cholecystectomy was greater for extrahepatic CCA than for intrahepatic CCA or ampulla of Vater cancer. However, the risk of HCC was not different in patients with complicated gallstones and those who underwent cholecystectomy compared to controls. CONCLUSION: The risk of CCA was markedly increased in patients with complicated gallstones and was partially reduced by cholecystectomy. The risk change of HCC was minimal with gallstones or cholecystectomy.

Incidence, mortality, and cardiovascular diseases in pituitary adenoma in Korea: a nationwide population-based study.

PURPOSE: Few nationally representative studies have evaluated the epidemiology of PA (pituitary adenoma). This South Korean study evaluated the incidence of different PA subtypes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and related mortality. METHODS: This population-based study evaluated 31,898 patients with PA during 2005-2015. The incidence of PA, mortality, and CVD occurrence in PA cases were evaluated during a median follow-up of 5.3 years (range: 0-10 years). Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations between CVD and mortality. RESULTS: The annual incidences (per 100,000 population) were 3.5 for non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA), 1.6 for prolactinoma (PRL), 0.5 for growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma (GH), and 0.2 for adrenocorticotropic or thyroid-stimulating hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma (ACTH + TSH). The standardized mortality ratios were 1.9 for ACTH + TSH, 1.7 for NFPA with hypopituitarism, 1.4 for NFPA without hypopituitarism, 1.3 for GH, and 1.1 for PRL. During 2005-2015, the overall incidence of CVD among PA patients was 6.6% (2106 cases), and the standardized incidence ratios were 4.1 for hemorrhagic stroke, 3.0 for ischemic stroke, and 1.7 for acute myocardial infarction. The standardized incidence ratios for stroke were significantly higher in the ACTH + TSH and NFPA groups, which also had higher risks of CVD-related mortality, relative to the PRL and GH groups. CONCLUSION: South Korea had a relatively high incidence of NFPA. The incidence of stroke was highest for ACTH + TSH and NFPA, which was directly related to mortality during long-term follow-up. Patients with these types of PA should receive stroke prevention measures to reduce their risk of mortality.

Incidence and Prognosis of Subsequent Cholangiocarcinoma in Patients with Hepatic Resection for Bile Duct Stones.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) often develops after the hepatic resection for hepatolithiasis as well as indwelling it. We studied the incidence and prognosis of subsequent CCA in patients with hepatolithiasis in South Korea. METHODS: We identified individuals with diagnosed CCA at the time of or after surgery, during 2002-2016, from the Korean National Health Insurance. The incidences and survival rates of subsequent CCA were analyzed and compared with concomitant CCA. The standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of CCA in this cohort were evaluated in the standard Korean population. All data were stratified by the presence of intrahepatic or extrahepatic CCA, age and sex. RESULTS: Of the 7852 patients with hepatectomy for BDS, 433 (5.84%) had concomitant CCA. Over the 12-year follow-up, 107 of 7419 (1.98%) patients were diagnosed with subsequent CCA. Patients with hepatic resection for BDS revealed higher SIRs for subsequent CCA (12.89, 95% CI 10.96-15.15) in cases of both intrahepatic CCA (13.40, 10.55-17.02) and extrahepatic CCA (12.42, 9.98-15.46). The median survival time for subsequent CCA was 0.87 years, while that for concomitant CCA was 2.79 years. Having subsequent CCA (HR 2.71, 95% CI 2.17-3.40) and being male (HR 1.28, 1.05-1.57) were related to a shorter survival time. The CCA site and age at CCA diagnosis were not related to prognoses. CONCLUSIONS: Subsequent CCA developed in 2% of the patients with hepatic resection for benign BDS until 10 years and was associated with poorer prognoses than concomitant CCA. Future studies focused on the long-term surveillance for CCA in such patients are needed.

A self-powered and supercapacitive microneedle continuous glucose monitoring system with a wide range of glucose detection capabilities.

Continuous detection of sudden changes in blood glucose is essential for individuals with diabetes who have difficulty in maintaining optimal control of their blood glucose levels. Hypoglycemic shock or a hyperglycemic crisis are likely to occurs in patients with diabetes and poses a significant threat to their lives. Currently, commercial continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has limits in the glucose concentration detection range, which is 40-500 mg/dL, making it difficult to prevent the risk of hyperglycemic shock. In addition, current CGMs are invasive, cause pain and irritation during usage, and expensive. In this research, we overcome these limitations by introducing a novel mechanism to detect glucose concentration using supercapacitors. The developed CGM, which is self-powered and minimally invasive due to the use of microneedles, can detect a wider range of glucose concentrations than commercial sensors. In addition, efficacy and stability were proven through in vitro and in vivo experiments. Thus, this self-powered, microneedle and supercapacitive-type CGM can potentially prevent both hypoglycemic and complications of hyperglycemia without pain and with less power consumption than current commercial sensors.

Corrigendum to "The Association of Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference with the Risk of Achilles Tendon Problems: A Nationwide Population-Based Longitudinal Cohort Study".

[This corrects the article on p. 488 in vol. 15, PMID: 37274500.].

The Association of Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference with the Risk of Achilles Tendon Problems: A Nationwide Population-Based Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) with the risk of Achilles tendinopathy (AT) or Achilles tendon rupture (ATR), using data from a nationwide population-based cohort. We hypothesized that higher BMI and WC would be independently associated with the increased risk of AT or ATR. In addition, a higher WC may potentiate the association between BMI and the risk of Achilles tendon problems. Methods: We used the National Health Insurance database that covers the entire South Korean population to follow up subjects who participated in the National Health Screening Program (NHSP) from January 2009 to December 2010. The NHSP data include subjects' BMI, WC, blood test results, blood pressure, and information about lifestyle. Among the subjects, those who were newly diagnosed as having AT or ATR before December 31, 2017, were selected. To examine the association of the variables with the risk of AT or ATR and determine whether the effect of higher BMI varied according to WC, multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used. Results: Among a total of 16,830,532 subjects, 125,814 and 31,424 developed AT and ATR, respectively. A higher BMI showed a greater association with the increased risk of ATR than AT (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 3.49 vs. 1.96). A higher WC was associated with the increased risk of AT (adjusted HR, 1.22), but not ATR. In a separate analysis, the association between BMI and the risk of AT was higher when subjects had higher WC as compared to those with lower WC, being most significant in individuals with both higher BMI and higher WC. Conclusions: Higher BMI was more associated with the increased risk of ATR than AT. Moreover, a high central fat distribution played an independent and potentiating role in the development of AT. This implies the greater importance of a high central fat distribution contributing to the development of AT in obese people.

Incidence and risk of pancreatic cancer in patients with acute or chronic pancreatitis: a population-based cohort study.

We aimed to evaluate the incidence and risk of pancreatic cancer (PC) in pancreatitis. We identified patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) (n = 225,811, 50.0%) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) (n = 225,685, 50.0%) from Korean population-based data and matched them with age- and sex-matched controls (n = 4,514,960). We analyzed the incidence and adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of PC among patients followed for more than 2 years or 5 years, and assessed risk changes over time in single episode of AP (SAP), recurrent AP (RAP), CP with AP, and CP without AP groups. We also performed subgroup analysis for both sexes. The incidences (per 104 person-years) and risks (aHR) of PC were higher in the RAP (12.69, 5.00) or CP with AP (12.12, 5.74) groups compared to the SAP (2.31, 1.32) or CP without AP (2.28, 1.57) groups. The risks of PC decreased over time, however, the risk of PC remained elevated in the RAP and CP with AP groups for more than 8 years. Females with RAP, SAP, and CP with AP had higher risks of PC than males. The risk of PC is higher and persists for longer duration in patients with RAP and CP with AP compared to those with SAP or CP without AP.

Cholecystectomy reduces the risk of myocardial and cerebral infarction in patients with gallstone-related infection.

We compared the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) or cerebral infarction (CI) in patients with or without-gallstone-related infection (GSI) and change in the risk following cholecystectomy. GSI (n = 84,467) and non-GSI (n = 406,800) patients with age- and sex-matched controls (n = 4,912,670) were identified from Korean population based data. The adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of MI or CI were analyzed in both groups treated with or without cholecystectomy. Subgroup analysis was performed for both sexes and different ages. The risk of MI or CI was higher in the GSI group than in the non-GSI group (aHR for MI; 1.32 vs. 1.07, aHR for CI; 1.24 vs. 1.06, respectively). The risk reduction rate of MI following cholecystectomy was 11.4% in the GSI group, whereas it was 0% in the non-GSI group. The risk of CI after cholecystectomy was more reduced in the GSI group than in the non-GSI group (16.1% and 4.7%, respectively). The original risk of MI or CI in patients with gallstones and risk reduction rates following cholecystectomy were higher in females and younger patients than in males and older patients. Increased risk of MI or CI and greater risk reduction following cholecystectomy were seen in patients with GSI.

Dyslipidemia Is Associated With Increased Risk of Achilles Tendon Disorders in Underweight Individuals to a Greater Extent Than Obese Individuals: A Nationwide, Population-Based, Longitudinal Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The association between dyslipidemia and Achilles tendinopathy (AT) or Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) remains controversial, although some studies have examined this topic. PURPOSE: To evaluate the correlation of dyslipidemia and the risk of AT or ATR, and its association with body mass index (BMI), by assessing data from a nationwide population-based cohort. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: We used the National Health Insurance database, which includes the entire population of the Republic of Korea, to evaluate participants in the National Health Screening Program between January 2009 and December 2010. Participants diagnosed with AT or ATR before December 31, 2017, were selected. The variables assessed were age, sex, frequency of high-intensity exercise per week, BMI, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and fasting blood glucose. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used for data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 16,830,532 participants were included. Of these, 125,814 and 31,424 participants developed AT and ATR, respectively. A higher level of LDL-C was associated with an increased risk of AT (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.16) and ATR (adjusted HR, 1.18). A slightly increased risk of AT was observed in participants with higher TG levels (adjusted HR, 1.03), whereas higher HDL-C level was associated with a slight risk reduction for AT (adjusted HR, 0.95). However, no significant association was observed between higher TG or HDL-C levels and ATR. In the underweight group (BMI <18.5 kg/m2), a higher LDL-C level was associated with an increased risk of AT and ATR by 37% and 116%, respectively, compared with lower LDL-C. Higher LDL-C level was associated with an increased risk of AT and ATR by 10% and 16%, respectively, in the obese group (BMI ≥25 kg/m2). CONCLUSION: Dyslipidemia was related to the development of AT and ATR. The association of higher LDL-C levels with AT and ATR risk was more pronounced in underweight than in overweight and obese individuals.

Incidence, Long-Term Visual Outcomes, and Mortality in Retinopathy of Prematurity in Korea: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence, visual prognosis, and mortality in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in Korea. Methods: We used the National Health Insurance and the Korean Disability Registry database, which covers the entire newborn population in 2006 to 2014 and includes information on all newborns diagnosed with ROP until 2016. Using these databases, we evaluated the incidence, rate of visual impairment (VI), and mortality in patients with ROP according to the birth weight categories and treatment modalities. Results: The ROP incidence per 1000 newborns was 1.99, which broke down into 317.14 in the very low birth weight (VLBW) less than 1500 g population, 25.45 in the 1500 to 2499 g population, and 0.29 in the 2500 g or greater population. When assessed at age 10, the VI rate was 2.2 per 100 person-years, which was highest at 4.5 per 100 person-years in the VLBW population compared with the population in other birth weight categories. Among treated cases, the proportion of VI in patients undergoing laser photocoagulation or cryotherapy was 1.6% (42/2595), which was lower than the 2.9% (2/68) of patients treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injection, and 32.2% (82/255) of patients undergoing vitrectomy or scleral buckling. The mortality rate was 4.8 per 1000 person-years, which was highest in the VLBW population, but similar across treatment modalities. Conclusions: The ROP incidence in Korea was approximately 1 in 500 among all newborns, and 1 in 3 in the VLBW population. As the first nationwide population-based study of long-term visual prognosis in ROP, we report the higher VI rate in ROP than previously determined in other studies. Differences in visual outcomes and comparable mortality risks between treatment modalities require further verification.

Similarities and Differences of Strategies between Bipolar and Depressive Disorders on Stress Coping.

OBJECTIVE: As coping strategies can influence the illness course of mood disorder, they could be potential targets for psychological intervention. The current study investigated the similarities and differences in stress coping styles between bipolar disorder (BD) and depressive disorder (DD). METHODS: Subjects with BD (n=135) and DD (n=100) who met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were included in this analysis. Coping strategies were assessed using the coping inventory for stressful situations and depressive symptoms were assessed by Beck depression inventory. RESULTS: The BD group showed significantly more avoidant and task-oriented coping than the DD group (t=2.714, p=0.007; t=2.193, p=0.039). After excluding the effect of the depressive symptoms themselves (by comparing two groups in non-depressive state), the BD group still showed significantly more avoidant and task-oriented coping than the DD group (t=2.040, p=0.045; t=2.556, p=0.013), but when the symptoms of depression get greater, the difference between BD and DD coping strategies were reduced. CONCLUSION: Subjects with BD tend to use more task and avoidant coping than DD subjects. But when the symptoms of depression get greater, the difference in coping strategies between BD and DD were reduced.

Anger-Related Characteristics According to Chronotypes in Bipolar or Depressive Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Though anger was highly associated with eveningness in general population, there is no study on the relationship between chronotype and anger-related characteristics in bipolar or depressive disorders. This study aimed to investigate the difference of anger-related characteristics according to chronotypes in bipolar or depressive disorders. METHODS: Patients with bipolar or depressive disorders (n=238) were included in this study. Their chronotypes and anger-related characteristics were assessed with a self-evaluation of the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM), the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) and the Anger Coping Scale (ACS). RESULTS: The eveningness group in patients with mood disorders showed the highest scores of anger-trait (p<0.001), anger-expression (p=0.002) and anger-in (p<0.001) in STAXI subscales, verbal aggression (p=0.010) in ACS subscales among three groups, but the morningess group showed the lowest scores of these subscales among three groups. However, there were no significant differences in all subscales of the STAXI and ACS according to diagnostic subtypes in the Friedman test. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggested that eveningness in patients with mood disorders might be related to anger proneness and maladaptive anger coping. To manage anger emotion in the patients with mood disorders, therapeutic interventions to modulate eveningness might be helpful.

Incidence and Mortality Rates of Second Pancreatic Cancer Among Survivors of Digestive Cancers: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

OBJECTIVES: We analyzed the incidence and mortality rates of second pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) among survivors of digestive cancers in South Korea. METHODS: We evaluated data from the Korea National Health Insurance to identify individuals with digestive cancers in 2005 to 2015. The standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of second PDACs and survival rates were evaluated. RESULTS: Among 772,534 patients with first digestive cancers, 1696 (0.22%) developed second PDACs. The incidence of second PDACs increased until 10 years since the first cancer diagnosis. Patients with biliary tract cancers (BTCs) showed a higher incidence of second PDACs than did those with gastrointestinal cancers or hepatocellular carcinoma. In ages 20 to 49 years, SIRs (95% confidence interval) were higher in survivors of hepatocellular carcinoma (3.08; 1.04-3.08), gastric cancer (3.40; 1.90-3.40), colorectal cancer (5.00; 2.75-5.00), gallbladder cancer (58.52; 11.81-58.52), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (86.99; 1.73-86.99), extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (89.41; 27.42-89.41), and ampulla of Vater cancer (156.78; 48.08-156.78). In ages 50 to 64 years, colorectal cancer (1.42; 1.04-1.42), gastric cancer (1.66; 1.29-1.66), and BTCs revealed higher SIRs. In ages more than 65 years, SIR was increased only in BTCs. Second PDACs revealed a more favorable prognosis than first PDACs. CONCLUSIONS: Careful surveillance for second PDACs after curative treatment of BTCs and colorectal cancers should be considered.

Which growth parameters can affect mortality in cerebral palsy?

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to identify growth parameters that can affect mortality of cerebral palsy (CP). METHOD: This was a birth cohort study based on the National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children database along with the National Health Insurance Service, which were linked using a personal identifier number. The birth cohort consisted of 2 191 956 subjects, representing 93.5% of live births from 2007-2011, with maximal 10-year follow-up (range, 5-10 years) until October 2016. Subjects with CP were identified. Growth parameters in terms of birth weight, underweight (weight-for-age below the 3rd percentile), rate of body weight gain were collected, along with all-cause mortality after the age of 1 year. RESULT: Prevalence of CP was 2.0 per 1000 live births (95% CI, 1.94-2.06). All-cause mortality after the age of 1 year was 0.09 deaths/1000 person-years (95% CI, 0.08-0.09) in the general population (GP) and 2.85 deaths/1000 person-years (95% CI, 2.32-3.50) in subjects with CP during the follow-up. Therefore, the incidence rate ratio for all-cause mortality was 32.15 (95% CI, 25.72-39.76) in subjects with CP compared to GP. Presence of underweight was significantly associated with higher mortality in both subjects with CP and GP, where the adjusted hazard ratio of death was 2.60 (95% CI, 1.93-3.50) at the age of 18-24 months, 3.12 at 30-36 months, 4.37 at 42-48 months, 5.12 at 54-60 months, and 4.17 at 66-71 months. Birth weight did not affect mortality in both subjects with CP and GP after the age of 1 year (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: While subjects with CP shows higher mortality, underweight is an important growth parameter that affects all-cause mortality of both subjects with CP and GP. This study urges increased awareness that subjects with CP who are underweight require special care.

Can Residual Symptoms During Inter-Episode Period after Partial Remission in Bipolar I Disorder Have Cyclic Patterns with Specific Frequencies?

This case report aimed to describe cyclic patterns of residual mood symptoms in partially remitted bipolar I patient. In a 24-year-old woman with bipolar I disorder, residual mood symptoms measured by self-rated daily mood chart for 18 months were analyzed using wavelet analysis. A 146-day periodicity was prominent for the first 100 days after discharge. Between 100-200 days, 146-day periodicity was progressively diminished and 21- and 8-day periodicity was prominent. Between 200-516 days, 21-day periodicity was diminished and 85-day periodicity became prominent. This case suggest that bipolar patients might have cyclic residual symptoms with specific frequencies.

Development of a shear force measurement dummy for seat comfort.

Seat comfort is one of the main factors that consumers consider when purchasing a car. In this study, we develop a dummy with a shear-force sensor to evaluate seat comfort. The sensor has dimensions of 25 mm × 25 mm × 26 mm and is made of S45C. Electroless nickel plating is employed to coat its surface in order to prevent corrosion and oxidation. The proposed sensor is validated using a qualified load cell and shows high accuracy and precision (measurement range: -30-30 N; sensitivity: 0.1 N; linear relationship: R = 0.999; transverse sensitivity: <1%). The dummy is manufactured in compliance with the SAE standards (SAE J826) and incorporates shear sensors into its design. We measure the shear force under four driving conditions and at five different speeds using a sedan; results showed that the shear force increases with speed under all driving conditions. In the case of acceleration and deceleration, shear force significantly changes in the lower body of the dummy. During right and left turns, it significantly changes in the upper body of the dummy.