Exploring possible causes of lower-than-expected suicide rates in Taiwan and South Korea during the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic: a time trend analysis by sex, age, and method.

AIMS: Decreases in suicide rates during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic were found in several countries, including Taiwan and South Korea. We investigated the pattern of the reduction in suicide by sex, age, method, and outbreak period in the two countries. METHODS: Suicide data for Taiwan (2015-2021) and South Korea (2017-2021) stratified by sex, age, method, and month were extracted from national mortality data files in the two countries. Negative binomial regression was used to estimate suicide rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals across outbreak and inter-outbreak periods during the pandemic, relative to that expected based on pre-pandemic trends, and their associations with economic and outbreak control stringency indicators. RESULTS: There were fewer-than-expected suicides in Taiwan (7%-16% fewer suicides over outbreaks and inter-outbreaks) and South Korea (17% fewer suicides in outbreaks III and IV). Fewer-than-expected suicides were found primarily in the working-age populations aged 25 to 64 years in Taiwan and those aged 45 to 64 years in South Korea. In both countries, fewer-than-expected suicides by charcoal burning during the pandemic were consistently found; the greatest reduction occurred when the outbreak control measures were most restricted. Increased time at residence was associated with decreased suicide rates in South Korea. CONCLUSION: Taiwan and South Korea showed reduced suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021. Potential reasons for the decrease in suicides may include reduced access to suicide means during outbreaks in the two countries.

Feasibility of big data analytics in disaster psychiatry: Impact of Seoul Itaewon tragedy on sentiment distribution on Twitter.

Numerous studies have highlighted the significant impact of disasters on mental health, often leading to psychiatric disorders among affected individuals. Timely identification of disaster-related mental health problems is crucial to prevent long-term negative consequences and improve individual and community resilience. To address the limitations of prior research that has focused solely on isolated incidents, we analyzed the impact of a recurring Halloween event in Itaewon, South Korea, which culminated tragically in a crowd crush incident in 2022. We conducted sentiment analysis on big data from Korean Twitter to gauge the impact of this disaster on public sentiment. We collected tweets 2 weeks before and after the annual festival from 2020 to 2022, allowing for the consideration of variability across years and days before the disaster. Using a pre-trained RoBERTa neural network model fine-tuned with public sentiment datasets, we categorized tweets into seven pre-defined emotional categories: Anger, sadness, happiness, disgust, fear, surprise, and neutrality. These sentiments were then analyzed as daily time-series data. The overall tweet volume across all sentiment categories increased, particularly showing an increase in the number of tweets indicating "Sadness" in 2022 compared with that in previous years. Post-disaster, a substantial increase was noted in the proportion of tweets expressing "Sadness" and "Fear." This trend was confirmed by Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with Exogenous Regressor models. Notably, there was an increase in the number of tweets expressing all sentiments, including "Happy." However, significant changes in proportions were observed only in tweets categorized as expressing "Sadness" [0.046 (95% CI: 0.024-0.068, P < 0.0001)] and "Fear" [0.033 (95% CI: 0.014-0.051, P < 0.0001)]. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of using sentiment data from social media, combined with sentiment classification, to assess distinct public mental health features following disasters. This approach provides valuable insights into the emotional impact of each event.

Delayed Perforation After Endoscopic Resection of Upper Gastrointestinal Tumors: CT Findings to Identify Patients Requiring Surgery.

PURPOSE: To determine the clinical and imaging factors associated with surgical treatment in patients with delayed perforation after endoscopic resection of upper gastrointestinal tumors. METHODS: We retrospectively included patients with delayed perforation after endoscopic tumor resection for gastric or duodenal tumors between January 2007 and December 2021 in a tertiary hospital. We compared the clinical, endoscopic, and CT findings of the surgical and conservative treatment groups. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify significant factors associated with surgery. RESULTS: Among 10,423 patients who had undergone endoscopic tumor resection, 52 (0.50%) experienced delayed perforation, with 20 patients (35.5%) treated surgically and 32 patients (64.5%) treated conservatively. The CT findings of gross perforation (adjusted odds ratio [OR]=6.75, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-43.89; P=0.045) and presence of peritonitis (OR=34.26, 95% CI, 5.52-212.50; P<0.001) were significantly associated with surgical treatment. Other clinical factors as well as CT-measured amount of pneumoperitoneum were not significant factors. CONCLUSIONS: CT findings of gross perforation and peritonitis are significant factors associated with surgery in delayed perforation after endoscopic tumor resection. These factors can aid in guiding the patients towards an appropriate treatment plan.

Social Inequities in the Survival of Liver Cancer: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Korea, 2007-2017.

BACKGROUND: To analyze the effects of socioeconomic status (type of insurance and income level) and cancer stage on the survival of patients with liver cancer in Korea. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was constructed using data from the Healthcare Big Data Platform project in Korea between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2017. A total of 143,511 patients in Korea diagnosed with liver cancer (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision [ICD-10] codes C22, C220, and C221) were followed for an average of 11 years. Of these, 110,443 died. The patient's insurance type and income level were used as indicators of socioeconomic status. Unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a Cox proportional hazards regression model to analyze the relationship between the effects of sex, age, and cancer stage at first diagnosis (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and the End Results; SEER), type of insurance, and income level on the survival of patients with liver cancer. The interactive effects of the type of insurance, income level, and cancer stage on liver cancer death were also analyzed. RESULTS: The lowest income group (medical aid) showed a higher risk for mortality (HR (95% CI); 1.37 (1.27-1.47) for all patients, 1.44 (1.32-1.57) for men, and 1.16 (1.01-1.34) for women) compared to the highest income group (1-6) among liver cancer (ICD-10 code C22) patients. The risk of liver cancer death was also higher in the lowest income group with a distant cancer stage (SEER = 7) diagnosis than for any other group. CONCLUSION: Liver cancer patients with lower socioeconomic status and more severe cancer stages were at greater risk of death. Reducing social inequalities is needed to improve mortality rates among patients in lower social class groups who present with advanced cancer.

A systematic review of psychosocial protective factors against suicide and suicidality among older adults.

BACKGROUND: Research on suicide rarely focuses on protective factors. The goal of this systematic review was to assess the evidence of the associations between protective factors and reduced suicidality among older adults. METHOD: First, a scoping review was conducted to identify pertinent terms that refer to various protective factors against suicidality. A systematic review, following the PRISMA guidelines, was then conducted on a selection of 15 protective factors (e.g., perceived control, well-being and quality of life, life satisfaction, purpose-in-life, resilience, coping, religiosity, hope, self-regulation, sense of belonging, mattering, positive relationship, social support, social connectedness, and social participation), with separate searches performed on each factor in five databases. Empirical studies were eligible if participants were adults aged 60 years and over, and if the studies reported predictive statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 70 studies were retained for the review. Suicidal ideation was the main outcome measure (91%). Significant associations were consistently observed between all protective factors and reduced suicidal ideations or behaviors, particularly for purpose-in-life, resilience, and positive relationships, indicating that these are solid components for suicide prevention. Using scales, instead of a single item, to measure protective factors (e.g. life satisfaction) was more efficient to capture the associations. On the other hand, results were similar whether studies used subjective (e.g., sense of belonging) or objective (e.g., social connectedness) measures. CONCLUSION: Protective factors were inversely associated with suicidal ideation. Improving protective factors is essential for the development of late-life suicide prevention and interventions, instead of merely focusing on risk factors.

Suicide risk of chronic diseases and comorbidities: A Korean case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: Chronic diseases including mental disorders have been associated with suicide. This study broadens the approach by incorporating a comprehensive list of chronic diseases and a context of comorbidities and explored their associations with suicide. METHODS: Data-linkage between death registry and Korean National Health Insurance data was conducted. Suicide cases (n = 64,099) between 2009 and 2013 were 1:4 matched for gender and age to an alive control (n = 256,396). A total of 92 individual diseases of 9 broad categories were identified from insurance claims data. Conditional logistic regression was applied to assess the associations, adjusting for mental and behavioral disorders and socioeconomic status. RESULTS: Suicide cases frequently experienced chronic diseases (90.0 %) and comorbidities (74.6 %). Chronic diseases greatly increased suicide risk and, among these, mental and behavioral disorders showed the highest suicide risk (OR = 7.53, 95 % CI = 7.32-7.74) followed by cardiovascular (OR = 3.36, 95 % CI = 3.26-3.47). For individual diseases, gastritis and duodenitis were most prevalent (68.1 %) among suicide cases but depressive disorder showed the highest risk (OR = 4.95, 95 % CI = 4.79-5.12). Suicide risk was strong in comorbid status sometimes comparable to odds for mental and behavioral disorder alone (e.g., OR for cardiovascular and eye vision-related diseases = 4.01, 95 % CI = 3.86-4.17). LIMITATIONS: Differentiation of comorbidity was limited to pairs between major disease categories, neglecting the heterogeneity within categories. CONCLUSION: Chronic diseases, in particular comorbidity, showed strong associations with suicide. This suggests that those with comorbidities feel that they are pushed to the extreme line, supporting comprehensive interventions for them to address wider reasons including psychological and social problems, besides medical problems.

Resistive versus active assisted robotic training for the upper limb after a stroke: A randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Selection of a suitable training modality according to the status of upper limb function can maximize the effects of robotic rehabilitation; therefore, it is necessary to identify the optimal training modality. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare robotic rehabilitation approaches incorporating either resistance training (RET) or active-assisted training (AAT) using the same rehabilitation robot in people with stroke and moderate impairment. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, we randomly allocated 34 people with stroke who had moderate impairment to either the experimental group (RET, n = 18) or the control group (AAT, n = 16). Both groups performed robot-assisted therapy for 30 min, 5 days per week, for 4 weeks. The same rehabilitation robot provided resistance to the RET group and assistance to the AAT group. Body function and structure, activity, and participation outcomes were evaluated before, during, and after the intervention. RESULTS: RET led to greater improvements than AAT in terms of smoothness (p = 0.006). The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA)-upper extremity (p < 0.001), FMA-proximal (p < 0.001), Action Research Arm Test-gross movement (p = 0.011), and kinematic variables of joint independence (p = 0.017) and displacement (p = 0.011) also improved at the end of intervention more in the RET group. CONCLUSIONS: Robotic RET was more effective than AAT in improving upper limb function, structure, and activity among participants with stroke who had moderate impairment.

Gender Inequalities in Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Population-based Study in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: This study explored the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on psychosocial stress in prime working-age individuals in Korea, focusing on gender inequalities. We hypothesized that the impact of COVID-19 on mental health would differ by age and gender, with younger women potentially demonstrating heightened vulnerability relative to men. METHODS: The study involved data from the Korea Community Health Survey and included 319 592 adults aged 30 years to 49 years. We employed log-binomial regression analysis, controlling for variables including age, education, employment status, marital status, and the presence of children. The study period included 3 phases: the period prior to the COVID-19 outbreak (pre-COVID-19), the early pandemic, and the period following the introduction of vaccinations (post-vaccination). RESULTS: The findings indicated that women were at a heightened risk of psychosocial stress during the early pandemic (relative risk [RR], 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98 to 1.05) and post-vaccination period (RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.10) compared to men. This pattern was prominent in urban women aged 30-34 years (pre-COVID-19: RR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.10; early pandemic: RR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.25; post-vaccination period, RR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.31). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has exerted unequal impacts on psychosocial stress among prime working-age individuals in Korea, with women, particularly those in urban areas, experiencing a heightened risk. The findings highlight the importance of addressing gender-specific needs and implementing appropriate interventions to mitigate the psychosocial consequences of the pandemic.

Increased suicide risk of psychiatric patients following the recent utilization of health care services: results from a nationwide cohort study in South Korea.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine whether and to what degree the suicide risk of psychiatric patients is associated with psychiatric and non-psychiatric health service utilization. Methods: We selected incident psychiatric patients, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, borderline personality disorder, depressive disorders, other affective disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder patients, in 2007-2010 and followed them up until 2017 based on the data linkage between the Korean National Health Insurance and National Death Registry. We analyzed the time-dependent association between suicide and four types of health service (psychiatric vs. non-psychiatric and outpatient vs. inpatient) utilization using a time-dependent Cox regression. Results: The suicide risk of psychiatric patients was significantly increased with recent psychiatric and non-psychiatric admission and psychiatric outpatient visits. The adjusted suicide hazard ratios for recent outpatient visits were similar to or even higher than those for recent psychiatric admission. The adjusted suicide hazard ratios of schizophrenia patients for psychiatric admission, psychiatric outpatient visits, and non-psychiatric admission within the recent 6 months were 2.34 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.12-2.58, p < 0.001), 2.96 (95% CI: 2.65-3.30, p < 0.001), and 1.55 (95% CI: 1.39-1.74, p < 0.001), respectively. Suicide risk was not associated with recent non-psychiatric outpatient visits in patients, except for the depressive disorders group showing a negative association. Conclusion: Our results highlight the priority of suicide prevention for psychiatric patients in the clinical setting. Additionally, our results warrant the precaution against increased suicide risk of psychiatric patients after psychiatric and non-psychiatric discharge.

Current Status of Genetically Engineered Pig to Monkey Kidney Xenotransplantation in Korea.

BACKGROUND: In South Korea, pig-to-nonhuman primate trials of solid organs have only been performed recently, and the results are not sufficiently satisfactory to initiate clinical trials. Since November 2011, we have performed 30 kidney pig-to-nonhuman primate xenotransplantations at Konkuk University Hospital. METHODS: Donor αGal-knockout-based transgenic pigs were obtained from 3 institutes. The knock-in genes were CD39, CD46, CD55, CD73, and thrombomodulin, and 2-4 transgenic modifications with GTKO were done. The recipient animal was the cynomolgus monkey. We used the immunosuppressants anti-CD154, rituximab, anti-thymocyte globulin, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and steroids. RESULTS: The mean survival duration of the recipients was 39 days. Except for a few cases for which survival durations were <2 days because of technical failure, 24 grafts survived for >7 days, with an average survival duration of 50 days. Long-term survival was observed 115 days after the removal of the contralateral kidney, which is currently the longest-recorded graft survival in Korea. We confirmed functioning grafts for the surviving transplanted kidneys after the second-look operation, and no signs of hyperacute rejection were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Although our survival results are relatively poor, they are the best-recorded results in South Korea, and the ongoing results are improving. With the support of government funds and the volunteering activities of clinical experts, we aim to further improve our experiments and contribute to the commencement of clinical trials of kidney xenotransplantation in Korea.

Widening Social Inequalities in Cancer Mortality of Children Under 5 Years in Korea.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the effect of parental social class on cancer mortality in children under 5 in Korea, two birth cohorts were constructed by linking national birth data to under-5 death data from the Statistics Korea for 1995-1999 (3,323,613 births) and 2010-2014 (2,297,876 births). METHODS: The Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for covariates was used in this study. RESULTS: Social inequalities of under-5 cancer mortality risk in paternal education and paternal employment status were greater in 2010-2014 than in 1995-1999. The gap of hazard ratio (HR) of under-5 cancer mortality between lower (high school or below) and higher (university or higher) paternal education increased from 1.23 (95% confidence interval, 1.041.46) in 1995-1999 to 1.45 (1.11-1.97) in 2010-2014; the gap of HR between parents engaged in manual work and non-manual work increased from 1.32 (1.12-1.56) in 1995-1999 to 1.45 (1.12-1.89) in 2010-2014 for fathers, and from 1.18 (0.7-1.98) to 1.69 (1.03-2.79) for mothers. When the parental social class was lower, the risk of under-5 cancer mortality was higher in not only adverse but normal births. CONCLUSION: Social inequalities must be addressed to reduce the disparity in cancer mortality of children under 5 years old.

Income Disparity in Breast Cancer Incidence and Stage at Presentation: A National Population Study of South Korea.

PURPOSE: This study aims to explore income-based disparities in breast cancer (BC) incidence and stage at presentation in a national population in South Korea, where a National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP) has been implemented. METHODS: In 2007, new patients with BC were identified using the Korea Central Cancer Registry database. We calculated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) to evaluate the association between individual income level and the risk of distant stage BC at presentation, adjusting for women's age, body mass index, disability registration, employment, region of residence, and year of diagnosis. RESULTS: The cumulative age-standardized incidence of BC in the 11 years was highest among women in the richest quintile (2,040 per 100,000 women for 11 years), whereas the proportion of distant stage at presentation was the highest (10.2%) among the medical aid beneficiaries. The aOR of distant stage diagnosis at presentation was higher for lower-income quintiles, and the risk was the highest in the medical aid beneficiaries (aOR, 2.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.97-2.58) than in the richest quintile. The income-based gradient in aORs for distant stage did not differ between younger (< 40 years) and older patients. CONCLUSION: A higher risk of distant stage BC at presentation among the lower-income and medical aid groups in the context of a NCSP was observed. A more focused approach toward women in lower-income groups is necessary to alleviate the disparity in the risk of advanced BC.

Income-based disparities in the risk of distant-stage cervical cancer and 5-year mortality after the introduction of a National Cancer Screening Program in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the socioeconomic gradient in the risk of distant-stage cervical cancer (CC) at presentation and 5-year mortality for new CC patients after the introduction of a national Cancer Screening Program (NCSP) in Korea. METHODS: All new CC cases from 2007 to 2017 were retrieved from the Korea Central Cancer Registry database linked with the National Health Information Database of the National Health Insurance Service. The age-standardized cumulative incidence of CC, adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of distant metastasis at presentation, and adjusted all-cause mortality hazard ratios (HRs) within 5 years post-diagnosis were assessed according to the income gradient. RESULTS: The 11-year age-standardized cumulative incidence of CC ranged from 48.9 to 381.5 per 100,000 women, with the richest quintile having the highest incidence. Of 31,391 new cases, 8.6% had distant metastasis on presentation, which was most frequent among Medical Aid beneficiaries (9.9%). Distant-stage CC was more likely when the income level was lower (OR, 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI]), 1.28 to 1.67 for the lowest compared to the richest) and among Medical Aid beneficiaries (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.24 to 1.82). The 5-year mortality was greater in the lower-income quintiles and Medical Aid beneficiaries than in the richest quintile. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of CC was higher in the richest quintile than in the lower income quintiles, while the risk of distant-stage CC and mortality was higher for women in lower income quintiles in the context of the NCSP. A more focused approach is needed to further alleviate disparities in the timely diagnosis and treatment of CC.

Preventive health behaviors among people with suicide ideation using nationwide cross-sectional data in South Korea.

This study aimed to investigate the association between suicide ideation and health-related behaviors and preventive health service use behaviors. We used data from the 2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), a nationally representative survey. The final sample included 4486 participants aged 40 years or older. Preventive health behaviors were assessed for smoking, high-risk drinking, physical activities, regular meal intake, influenza vaccination, general health examination, and cancer screening. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between suicide ideation and preventive health behaviors with a series of adjustments for covariates. In general, suicide ideation was associated with unfavorable outcomes of preventive health behaviors, except for flu vaccination. For example, the adjusted prevalence of suicide ideation and non-suicide ideation groups were 54.3% vs. 43.7% for flu vaccination, 23.1% vs. 41.6% for physical activity, and 24.8% vs. 18.6% for high-risk alcohol drinking. After adjustment for covariates, the associations of suicide ideation with behaviors remained significant for physical activity (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.34-0.81) and high-risk alcohol drinking (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.34-3.69). Suicide ideation leads to the disruption of self-management of health behaviours, especially for physical activity and high-risk alcohol drinking, independently of depressive feelings.

The effect of initial antidepressant type on treatment adherence in outpatients with new onset depression.

BACKGROUND: Continuous use of antidepressants can relieve depressive symptoms and prevent recurrence in people with depression; however, many studies have reported low drug compliance rates. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the type of initial antidepressants and treatment adherence in outpatients with new onset depression. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study using National Health Insurance claim data for services provided in 2012. We examined data from 142,336 individuals aged 18 years or older, who were continuously enrolled in treatment after a new episode of depression, and had initiated antidepressant treatment. A new diagnosis of depression, is defined as a first reported diagnosis of depression in the preceding five years. Adherence was operationally defined as the antidepressant being dispensed to the patient at least 80% of the time during the first three- and six-month treatment periods. To investigate the relationship between the initial type of antidepressants and treatment adherence, we estimated adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals using logistic regression analysis, adjusting for socio-demographic and health care utilization characteristics. RESULTS: A statistically significant association was found between initial antidepressant type and adherence in the first three- and six-month treatment periods for employed and self-employed patients newly diagnosed with major depression. In addition, patients with starting prescriptions for tricyclic antidepressants had significantly lower adherence compared to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. LIMITATIONS: This study used national insurance data; therefore, only variables on the claim form were available, and psychological and environmental factors were not considered. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first study to demonstrate the relationship between initial antidepressant type and treatment adherence among Korean outpatients with new onset depression.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in COVID-19 Incidence During Different Epidemic Phases in South Korea.

Objective: Area-level socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidence. However, the underlying mechanism of the association is context-specific, and the choice of measure is still important. We aimed to evaluate the socioeconomic gradient regarding COVID-19 incidence in Korea based on several area-level SES measures. Methods: COVID-19 incidence and area-level SES measures across 229 Korean municipalities were derived from various administrative regional data collected between 2015 and 2020. The Bayesian negative binomial model with a spatial autocorrelation term was used to estimate the incidence rate ratio (IRR) and relative index of inequality (RII) of each SES factor, with adjustment for covariates. The magnitude of association was compared between two epidemic phases: a low phase (<100 daily cases, from May 6 to August 14, 2020) and a rebound phase (>100 daily cases, from August 15 to December 31, 2020). Results: Area-level socioeconomic inequalities in COVID-19 incidence between the most disadvantaged region and the least disadvantaged region were observed for nonemployment rates [RII = 1.40, 95% credible interval (Crl) = 1.01-1.95] and basic livelihood security recipients (RII = 2.66, 95% Crl = 1.12-5.97), but were not observed for other measures in the low phase. However, the magnitude of the inequalities of these SES variables diminished in the rebound phase. A higher area-level mobility showed a higher risk of COVID-19 incidence in both the low (IRR = 1.67, 95% Crl = 1.26-2.17) and rebound phases (IRR = 1.28, 95% Crl = 1.14-1.44). When SES and mobility measures were simultaneously adjusted, the association of SES with COVID-19 incidence remained significant but only in the low phase, indicating they were mutually independent in the low phase. Conclusion: The level of basic livelihood benefit recipients and nonemployment rate showed social stratification of COVID-19 incidence in Korea. Explanation of area-level inequalities in COVID-19 incidence may not be derived only from mobility differences in Korea but, instead, from the country's own context.

Influences of ethanol and temperature on sucrose-evoked response of gustatory neurons in the hamster solitary nucleus.

Taste-responsive neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST), the first gustatory nucleus, often respond to thermal or mechanical stimulation. Alcohol, not a typical taste modality, is a rewarding stimulus. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of ethanol (EtOH) and/or temperature as stimuli to the tongue on the activity of taste-responsive neurons in hamster NST. In the first set of experiments, we recorded the activity of 113 gustatory NST neurons in urethane-anesthetized hamsters and evaluated responses to four basic taste stimuli, 25% EtOH, and 40°C and 4°C distilled water (dH2O). Sixty cells responded to 25% EtOH, with most of them also being sucrose sensitive. The response to 25% EtOH was significantly correlated with the sucrose-evoked response. A significant correlation was also observed between sucrose- and 40°C dH2O-and between 25% EtOH- and 40°C dH2O-evoked firings. In a subset of the cells, we evaluated neuronal activities in response to a series of EtOH concentrations, alone and in combination with 32 mM sucrose (EtOH/Suc) at room temperature (RT, 22°C-23°C), 40°C, and 4°C. Neuronal responses to EtOH at RT and 40°C increased as the concentrations increased. The firing rates to EtOH/Suc were greater than those to EtOH or sucrose alone. The responses were enhanced when solutions were applied at 40°C but diminished at 4°C. In summary, EtOH activates most sucrose-responsive NST gustatory cells, and the concomitant presence of sucrose or warm temperatures enhance this response. Our findings may contribute to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying appetitive alcohol consumption.

Financial hardship and suicide ideation: Age and gender difference in a Korean panel study.

BACKGROUNDS: Socioeconomic factors influence suicide risk but a systematic understanding of the role of financial hardship is unclear. We examined whether financial hardship had cumulative or contemporaneous impacts on suicide ideation and any gender and age differences in a large Korean sample. METHODS: Data of 67,728 observations from 14,321 individuals were extracted from seven waves of Korean Welfare Panel Study. The association of financial hardship at baseline and its change over two years with suicide ideation was investigated using generalized estimation equation to account for repeated measurements within an individual, adjusting for other socioeconomic factors. RESULTS: Financial hardship was associated with suicide ideation but the magnitude of association varied across age and gender groups. Specifically, the impact of financial hardship was persistent over two years presenting a cumulative effect among men aged 50-64 years and ≥65 years; e.g., adjusted OR (adjusted odds ratio) = 3.87, 95 % CI = 2.71-5.54 for emergent hardship group vs adjusted OR = 4.22, 95 %CI = 3.00-5.93 for persistent group in those aged ≥65 years. Financial hardship increased the risk of suicide ideation incrementally with age, although the pattern was less clear among women. LIMITATIONS: Financial hardship was identified as having changing nature, though it was assumed to occur over two years. CONCLUSION: In general, financial hardship plays a role in amplifying suicide ideation in a contemporaneous way but also in a cumulative way, predominantly among late-middle-aged and elderly men. Monitoring and intervention for financial hardship would be a promising strategy for suicide prevention.

Impact of insurance type on outcomes in cardiac arrest patients from 2004 to 2015: A nation-wide population-based study.

OBJECTIVES: There do not appear to be many studies which have examined the socio-economic burden and medical factors influencing the mortality and hospital costs incurred by patients with cardiac arrest in South Korea. We analyzed the differences in characteristics, medical factors, mortality, and costs between patients with national health insurance and those on a medical aid program. METHODS: We selected patients (≥20 years old) who experienced their first episode of cardiac arrest from 2004 to 2015 using data from the National Health Insurance Service database. We analyzed demographic characteristics, insurance type, urbanization of residential area, comorbidities, treatments, hospital costs, and mortality within 30 days and one year for each group. A multiple regression analysis was used to identify an association between insurance type and outcomes. RESULTS: Among the 487,442 patients with cardiac arrest, the medical aid group (13.3% of the total) had a higher proportion of females, rural residents, and patients treated in low-level hospitals. The patients in the medical aid group also reported a higher rate of non-shockable conditions; a high Charlson Comorbidity Index; and pre-existing comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and renal failure with a lower rate of providing a coronary angiography. The national health insurance group reported a lower one-year mortality rate (91.2%), compared to the medical aid group (94%), and a negative association with one-year mortality (Adjusted OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.71-0.76). While there was no significant difference in short-term costs between the two groups, the medical aid group reported lower long-term costs, despite a higher rate of readmission. CONCLUSIONS: Medical aid coverage was an associated factor for one-year mortality, and may be the result of an insufficient delivery of long-term services as reflected by the lower long-term costs and higher readmission rates. There were differences of characteristics, comorbidities, medical and hospital factors and treatments in two groups. These differences in medical and hospital factors may display discrepancies by type of insurance in the delivery of services, especially in chronic healthcare services.