Myopia and Nutrient Associations with Age-Related Eye Diseases in Korean Adults: A Cross-Sectional KNHANES Study.

This study assessed the prevalence of myopia, cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration among Koreans over 40, utilizing data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VII, 2018). We analyzed 204,973 adults (44% men, 56% women; mean age 58.70 ± 10.75 years), exploring the association between myopia and these eye diseases through multivariate logistic regression, adjusting for confounders and calculating adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results showed a myopia prevalence of 44.6%, cataracts at 19.4%, macular degeneration at 16.2%, and glaucoma at 2.3%, with significant differences across ages and genders. A potential link was found between myopia and an increased risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, but not with glaucoma. Additionally, a higher dietary intake of carbohydrates, polyunsaturated and n-6 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals correlated with lower risks of these diseases, underscoring the importance of the diet in managing and preventing age-related eye conditions. These findings highlight the need for dietary considerations in public health strategies and confirm myopia as a significant risk factor for specific eye diseases in the aging Korean population.

Impact of Dietary Nutrients on the Prevalence of Dry Eye Syndrome among Korean Women Aged 40 and above: Evidence from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of dry eye syndrome among Korean women aged 40 and above and explore the correlation between the syndrome and daily dietary nutrient intake. We analyzed data from 92,888 female participants (mean age: 63.35 ± 8.86 years) from the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES 2019). Dietary intake was evaluated using a personalized 24 h recall method for 21 nutrients, including macronutrients, macro- and micro-minerals, and both water- and fat-soluble vitamins. Associations between nutrient intake and dry eye syndrome were determined using odds ratios from multivariate logistic regression. We found a 7.7% prevalence of dry eye syndrome in the population studied. Intake of dietary fiber (adjusted OR: 0.72), protein (adjusted OR: 0.84), omega-3 fatty acids (adjusted OR: 0.90), water (adjusted OR: 0.76), calcium (adjusted OR: 0.82), phosphate (adjusted OR: 0.87), potassium (adjusted OR: 0.88), magnesium (adjusted OR: 0.87), vitamin A (adjusted OR: 0.78), vitamin C (adjusted OR: 0.73), and vitamin E (adjusted OR: 0.86) was inversely associated with dry eye syndrome prevalence (p < 0.0001 for all). Conversely, a higher intake of carbohydrates (adjusted OR: 1.23), sugar (adjusted OR: 1.30), fat (adjusted OR: 1.25), cholesterol (adjusted OR: 1.32), sodium (adjusted OR: 1.18), iron (adjusted OR: 1.28), and zinc (adjusted OR: 1.26) correlated with an increased risk (p < 0.0001 for all). No significant associations were found between the prevalence of dry eye syndrome and the intake of omega-6 fatty acids and vitamin D. Our study identified significant associations between specific dietary nutrients and the risk of dry eye syndrome among Korean women aged 40 and above. These findings suggest that dietary choices could influence the likelihood of developing dry eye syndrome, indicating a potential role for dietary intervention in its management. However, it is important to note that these observations are preliminary, and further research is necessary to confirm these relationships and explore their implications for dietary recommendations in dry eye syndrome prevention and management.

Nutritional intake, environmental factors, and their impact on myopia prevalence in Korean children aged 5-12 years.

BACKGROUND: Myopia is a complex condition influenced by numerous factors, including genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and lifestyle choices. Although evidence indicates that certain dietary factors may influence the development of myopia, this relationship is still not completely understood and is a topic of ongoing research. METHODS: This study analyzed the relationship between dietary habits, environmental factors, and the prevalence of myopia in a sample of 24,345 children aged 5-12 years from the seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VII). The average daily intake of dietary nutrients associated with the refractive error status of the participants was analyzed using analysis of variance (GLM) and the Scheffe method for post-hoc comparison. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted between the participant's refractive error status and daily dietary nutrient intake, while taking into consideration the age, sex, BMI, parental myopia, and near-work hours. RESULTS: The risk of myopia increased with age, especially notable between ages 11 and 12, and was higher in children with both parents having myopia. Dietary factors played a crucial role; children with myopia had significantly lower intake of fat, omega-3 fatty acids, and retinol but higher intake of other nutrients compared to emmetropic and hyperopic counterparts. High consumption of carbohydrates, protein, phosphorus, iron, potassium, and sodium was associated with increased myopia risk. High sodium intake was particularly associated with a 2.05-fold increased myopia risk. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the significant role of diet and lifestyle choices in the development of myopia in children. Our findings suggest the importance of considering these specific factors in the management and prevention strategies for myopia, underscoring the need for targeted interventions in children's health and vision care.

Effects of Fermented Artemisia annua L. and Salicornia herbacea L. on Inhibition of Obesity In Vitro and In Mice.

Plant extracts including secondary metabolites have anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity activities. This study was conducted to investigate the anti-obesity properties of fermented Artemisia annua (AW) and Salicornia herbacea (GW) in vitro and in mice. The metabolite profiling of AW and GW extracts was performed using UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS/MS, and gene expression was analyzed using real-time PCR for adipocyte difference factors. The anti-obesity effects in mice were measured using serum AST, ALT, glucose, TG, and cholesterol levels. Metabolites of the plant extracts after fermentation showed distinct differences with increasing anti-obesity active substances. The efficacy of inhibitory differentiation adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 adipocytes was better for GW than AW in a concentration-dependent manner. RT-PCR showed that the GW extract significantly reduced the expression of genes involved in adipocyte differentiation and fat accumulation (C/EBPα, PPARγ, and Fas). In C57BL/6 mice fed the HFD, the group supplemented with AW and GW showed reduced liver weight, NAS value, and fatty liver by suppressing liver fat accumulation. The GW group significantly reduced ALT, blood glucose, TG, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol. This study displayed significant metabolite changes through biotransformation in vitro and the increasing anti-obesity effects of GW and AW in mice. GW may be applicable as functional additives for the prevention and treatment of obesity.

Association between dietary nutrient intake and prevalence of myopia in Korean adolescents: evidence from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Background: The rise in myopia prevalence, particularly among adolescents in East Asia, is a cause for concern. While a combination of environmental and genetic factors is understood to contribute to this trend, the role of dietary nutrients is not yet fully clarified. Objective: To assess the potential association between the intake of specific nutrients and the prevalence of myopia in a large, population-based sample of Korean adolescents. Methods: Data from 18,077 adolescents (average age: 15.05 ± 1.67 years; 51.7% male, 48.3% female) who participated in the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VII, 2016) were analyzed. Refractive error was measured using an auto-refractor-keratometer (KR-8800) without cycloplegia. Dietary intake of 14 nutrients was assessed through a 24-h personalized dietary recall method. Results: The study revealed a myopia prevalence of 87.6% among the adolescents. Multivariable models adjusted for age, gender, BMI, and other confounding factors indicated that higher intakes of carbohydrates, proteins, cholesterol, sodium, and vitamin B2 were associated with an increased risk of myopia. Conversely, higher intake of vitamin C was found to be associated with a decreased risk. Conclusion: The findings suggested a potential association between dietary nutrient intake and myopia prevalence in Korean adolescents. While the study did not establish a causal link, the differences in nutrient intake between the myopic and non-myopic groups could indicate that diet plays a role in the development or progression of myopia. Further research is warranted to corroborate these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Potential Impact of the Involvement of Clinical Pharmacists in Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs on the Incidence of Antimicrobial-Related Adverse Events in Hospitalized Patients: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Although specialized pharmacists have been suggested to be essential members of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs), not all hospitals in Korea operate ASPs with pharmacists involved. We aimed to evaluate the association of involvement of clinical pharmacists as team members of multidisciplinary ASPs with the incidence of antimicrobial-related adverse drug events (ADEs). Five tertiary teaching hospitals participated in this retrospective cohort study. At each participating hospital, we randomly selected 1000 participants among patients who had received systemic antimicrobial agents for more than one day during the first quarter of 2017. We investigated five categories of antimicrobial-related ADEs: allergic reactions, hematologic toxicity, nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and antimicrobial-related diarrhea. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the potential impact of pharmacist involvement in ASPs on the incidence of ADEs. A total of 1195 antimicrobial-related ADEs occurred in 618 (12.4%) of the 4995 patients included in the analysis. The overall rate of ADE occurrence was 17.4 per 1000 patient days. Hospitals operating ASPs with pharmacists showed significantly lower AE incidence proportions than other hospitals (8.9% vs. 14.7%; p < 0.001). Multidisciplinary ASPs that included clinical pharmacists reduced the risk of antimicrobial-related ADEs by 38% (adjusted odds ratio 0.62; 95% confidence interval 0.50-0.77). Our results suggest that the active involvement of clinical pharmacists in multidisciplinary ASPs may contribute to reduce the incidence of antimicrobial-related ADEs in hospitalized patients.

Correlation between vancomycin clearance and cystatin C-based glomerular filtration rate in paediatric patients.

AIMS: Because of limitations with the serum creatinine-based glomerular filtration rate (GFRcr), estimates of the serum cystatin C-based glomerular filtration rate (GFRcys) are getting attention to predict vancomycin clearance (CLvan). We evaluated the correlations between (i) CLvan and GFRcr, and (ii) CLvan and GFRcys in paediatric patients. METHODS: We evaluated a retrospective cohort of patients between 1 and 19 years old admitted to a tertiary hospital between 2017 and 2019. CLvan was estimated using measured vancomycin trough concentrations. We conducted Spearman's correlation analyses between CLvan and 1/creatinine, GFRcr, 1/cystatin C and GFRcys. Subgroup analyses were conducted for the young child, child, adolescent subgroups, intensive care unit patients and low body weight (<10th percentile) patients. RESULTS: We analysed 40 patients. GFRcys correlated with CLvan better than GFRcr did (ρ = 0.731, P < 0.001 vs ρ = 0.504, P = 0.001). In the subgroup analyses, the correlation between GFRcys and CLvan was stronger than that between GFRcr and CLvan (child subgroup ρ = 0.712, P = 0.002 vs ρ = 0.282, P = 0.289; intensive care unit patients ρ = 0.772, P < 0.001 vs ρ = 0.540, P = 0.004; low body weight patients ρ = 0.671, P < 0.001 vs ρ = 0.464, P = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: Serum cystatin C-based GFR strongly correlates with vancomycin clearance, suggesting the possibility of better prediction models than creatinine-based GFR. Further prospective studies are required for the validation of the prediction model in a large paediatric population.

Effects of continuous ketamine infusion on hemodynamics and mortality in critically ill children.

We investigated the hemodynamic and mortality effects of continuous ketamine infusion in critically ill pediatric patients. We conducted a retrospective cohort study in a tertiary pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Patients who used continuous sedative from 2015 to 2017 for 24 hours or more were included. We compared blood pressure, heart and respiratory rates, vasogenic medications, and sedation and pain scores for 12 hours before and after initiation of continuous ketamine. The mortality rates for continuous ketamine and Non-ketamine groups were compared by multivariate logistic regression. A total of 240 patients used continuous sedation, and 82 used continuous ketamine. The median infusion rate of ketamine was 8.1 mcg/kg/min, and the median duration was 6 days. Heart rates (138 vs. 135 beat/minute, P = .033) and respiratory rates (31 vs. 25 respiration/minute, P = .001) decreased, but blood pressure (99.9 vs. 101.1 mm Hg, P = .124) and vasogenic medications did not change after ketamine infusion. Continuous ketamine was not a significant risk factor for mortality (hazard ratio 1.352, confidence interval 0.458-3.996). Continous ketamine could be used in PICU without hemodynamic instability. Further studies in randomized controlled design about the effects of continuous ketamine infusion on hemodynamic changes, sedation, and mortality are required.

Biochemical, Microbiological, and Sensory Characteristics of Stirred Yogurt Containing Red or Green Pepper (Capsicum annuum cv. Chungyang) Juice.

Hot pepper has anti-obesity effects by controlling appetite and reducing blood fat level. To reduce the pungency of capsaicin, red or green hot pepper juice was fermented with Bacillus licheniformis SK1230. Fermented hot pepper juice was then added into yogurt at different ratios. The pH of yogurt added with hot pepper juice was decreased from 4.61 to 4.48. Titratable acidity and counts of lactic acid bacteria were increased with increasing amount of pepper juice added. However, the viscosity was decreased significantly compared to the control. On chromaticity test, when more pepper juice was added, L*-value was decreased whereas a*- and b*- values were increased significantly (p<0.05). The spectrum of antimicrobial activity of yogurt was slightly changed compared to using pepper juice. Total polyphenol contents and antioxidant activity were increased with increasing amount of pepper juice added. Stirred yogurt added with fermented red pepper juice at 3% or green pepper juice at 1% showed high scores in flavor, appearance, texture, and overall acceptance in sensory test. Yogurt added with fermented pepper juice with reduced pungency showed also good palatability during storage at 4°C. Yogurt with added hot pepper juice can be play an important role in functional food relative to anti-obesity.

Pharmacist-led interdisciplinary medication reconciliation using comprehensive medication review in gynaecological oncology patients: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: Medication reconciliation is a key part of transitional care. This study examined the implementation of a pharmacist-led medication reconciliation programme for short-term hospitalised patients and explored the barriers and benefits. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in patients admitted to a gynaecological oncology department. Medications were reconciled on admission using a 'comprehensive medication review (CMR)' strategy. Patients received a reminder text message and were asked to bring their medications a day before admission for scheduled chemotherapy. Upon admission, a pharmacist reviewed patients' admission prescriptions and home medications, including non-prescription medications, based on clinical status and laboratory test results. Drug-related problems and unused or expired medications were assessed. Satisfaction with the CMR service and reasons for non-compliance were surveyed by an individual interview. The cost of the unused or expired medications was calculated based on the average drug acquisition cost. RESULTS: Sixty-four interventions in 95 patients were performed during the study-namely, correction of treatment duration (34 cases, 53.1%), recommendation of medications for untreated indications (18 cases, 28.1%), correct drug selection (5 cases, 7.8%), discontinuation of duplicate medications (4 cases, 6.3%), correction of dose, provision of alternatives for drug-drug interactions, unintended omissions (1 case each, 1.6%). The difference in the cost of unused or expired drugs before and after programme implementation was about US$1700. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacist-led medication reconciliation targeting short-term hospitalised patients improved drug use, prevented medication waste and reduced healthcare costs.

Quality Characteristics of Stirred Yoghurt Added with Fermented Red Pepper.

Pungency of hot pepper has limited its usage even though it shows various health beneficial effects. This study was conducted to develop the novel yoghurt containing hot pepper with diminishing pungency and aimed to examine the quality characteristics of yoghurt prepared with fermented red pepper. Hot pepper was first fermented with Bacillus licheniformis SK1230 to reduce the pungency of capsaicin. We then examined the quality, sensory characteristics, and antioxidant activity of yoghurt containing the fermented red pepper. The titratable acidity of this yoghurt increased whereas the viscosity decreased with increasing amounts of added red pepper. The total polyphenol content increased in proportion to the amount of added red pepper. The antioxidant activity significantly increased with the addition of red pepper (p<0.05). Color evaluation showed that the L value decreased whereas the a and b values increased significantly with the amount of red pepper added (p<0.05). In the sensory evaluation, yoghurt prepared with higher amounts of fermented red pepper received lower scores. However, yoghurt containing fermented red pepper at a concentration of 0.05% received higher scores for taste, flavor, and overall acceptability than yoghurt prepared with non-fermented pepper. Therefore, it can be concluded that the application of red pepper fermented by Bacillus licheniformis SK1230 gives beneficial feature to the preparation of yoghurt.

Use of multiattribute utility theory for formulary management in a health system.

PURPOSE: The application, utility, and flexibility of the multiattribute utility theory (MAUT) when used as a formulary decision methodology in a Korean medical center were evaluated. METHODS: A drug analysis model using MAUT consisting of 10 steps was designed for two drug classes of dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs). These two drug classes contain the most diverse agents among cardiovascular drugs on Samsung Medical Center's drug formulary. The attributes identified for inclusion in the drug analysis model were effectiveness, safety, patient convenience, and cost, with relative weights of 50%, 30%, 10%, and 10%, respectively. The factors were incorporated into the model to quantify the contribution of each attribute. For each factor, a utility scale of 0-100 was established, and the total utility score for each alternative was calculated. An attempt was made to make the model adaptable to changing health care and regulatory circumstances. RESULTS: The analysis revealed amlodipine besylate to be an alternative agent, with the highest total utility score among the dihydropyridine CCBs, while barnidipine hydrochloride had the lowest score. For ARBs, losartan potassium had the greatest total utility score, while olmesartan medoxomil had the lowest. CONCLUSION: A drug analysis model based on the MAUT was successfully developed and used in making formulary decisions for dihydropyridine CCBs and ARBs for a Korean health system. The model incorporates sufficient utility and flexibility of a drug's attributes and can be used as an alternative decision-making tool for formulary management in health systems.