PURPOSE: Recently, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have become one of the major nosocomial pathogens in Korea. However, there have been few studies on the epidemiology of VRE colonization among neonates. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of VRE colonization, risk factors for VRE, and how to control the spread of VRE infection in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Pusan National University Hospital (PNUH). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 192 neonates who were admitted to the NICU of PNUH from March 2006 to March 2007. Surveillance cultures from rectal swabs for detecting VRE were obtained weekly during the study period. We analyzed the prevalence of VRE and various risk factors. RESULTS: The rate of VRE colonization among NICU patients was 25% (48/192). Thirty five of these VRE colonized patients were transferred to the NICU from other local hospitals. Compared with the non-VRE group, the risk factors associated with VRE colonization were lower birth weight, congenital heart disease, applied mechanical ventilation, use of a central venous catheter, chest tubing, a history of surgery, and use of antibiotics. CONCLUSION: VRE colonization among patients admitted to the NICU is rapidly increasing. Monitoring and managing premature neonates from the beginning of the birth process, avoiding many invasive procedures, avoiding antibiotics such as vancomycin and third generation cephalosporin are important for preventing the emergence and spread of VRE colonization in the NICU.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Birth Weight ; Central Venous Catheters ; Colon ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Parturition ; Prevalence ; Respiration, Artificial ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Thorax ; Vancomycin ; Vancomycin Resistance

No abstract available.

Obesity has emerged as one of the most critical public health problems and is considered a global epidemic. Herein we summarized the recent epidemiology of obesity in Korean adults based on nationwide data.Current Concepts: The prevalence of obesity among Korean adults has steadily increased over the past 10 to 20 years, more prominently in men. In general, the prevalence of obesity is higher among men than among women, and it is the highest among men in their 30s and 40s and older women. In particular, morbid obesity (class 2 or class 3) has increased rapidly, showing the steepest increase in men compared to women, and in young adults compared to other age groups. The prevalence of abdominal obesity has also risen. The prevalence of abdominal obesity is higher in older age individuals, but the prevalence of abdominal obesity among young adults has shown a sharp increase in recent years. Chronic diseases are prevalent in individuals with obesity or abdominal obesity, compared to those without, and particularly in young adults. The prevalence of obesity is higher in individuals with lower income levels. The awareness of obesity and attempts to lose weight are significantly low, and lifestyles related to obesity appear to be uncontrolled in individuals with obesity compared to those without obesity.Discussion and Conclusion: It is necessary to recognize the current status of obesity in Korean adults and to make more active and multifaceted efforts to overcome it.

Obesity is a chronic disease associated with substantial health consequences, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Although lifestyle modifications remain foundational to treatment, pharmacotherapy has become a crucial strategy, particularly for patients unable to achieve sustained weight loss. This review aims to provide an updated overview of long-term anti-obesity medications, discussing their mechanisms of action, efficacy, safety profiles, clinical applicability, and future perspectives on emerging therapeutic agents.Current Concepts: Recent pharmacological advancements have substantially transformed obesity management. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists such as semaglutide (2.4 mg) and the dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/GLP-1 receptor agonist tirzepatide (15 mg) have demonstrated significant weight loss effects (15–21%) and have shown benefits across various obesity-related comorbidities, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Additionally, investigational agents such as CagriSema, retatrutide, and oral GLP-1 receptor agonists hold promise for enhanced efficacy and improved patient convenience. These developments underscore a shift toward personalized, mechanism-based pharmacotherapy.Discussion and Conclusion: Despite encouraging outcomes, significant challenges remain. Issues such as weight regain after discontinuation, limited long-term safety data, and access barriers due to high treatment costs continue to present obstacles. In Korea, the absence of insurance reimbursement for most anti-obesity medications severely restricts patient access, even among high-risk populations. Given the recognition of obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease, treatment strategies should incorporate the individual patient's comorbidity profile and personal needs. Alongside pharmacologic advancements, healthcare policies must evolve to ensure equitable medication access and optimize clinical outcomes.

Obesity is a chronic disease associated with substantial health consequences, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Although lifestyle modifications remain foundational to treatment, pharmacotherapy has become a crucial strategy, particularly for patients unable to achieve sustained weight loss. This review aims to provide an updated overview of long-term anti-obesity medications, discussing their mechanisms of action, efficacy, safety profiles, clinical applicability, and future perspectives on emerging therapeutic agents.Current Concepts: Recent pharmacological advancements have substantially transformed obesity management. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists such as semaglutide (2.4 mg) and the dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/GLP-1 receptor agonist tirzepatide (15 mg) have demonstrated significant weight loss effects (15–21%) and have shown benefits across various obesity-related comorbidities, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Additionally, investigational agents such as CagriSema, retatrutide, and oral GLP-1 receptor agonists hold promise for enhanced efficacy and improved patient convenience. These developments underscore a shift toward personalized, mechanism-based pharmacotherapy.Discussion and Conclusion: Despite encouraging outcomes, significant challenges remain. Issues such as weight regain after discontinuation, limited long-term safety data, and access barriers due to high treatment costs continue to present obstacles. In Korea, the absence of insurance reimbursement for most anti-obesity medications severely restricts patient access, even among high-risk populations. Given the recognition of obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease, treatment strategies should incorporate the individual patient's comorbidity profile and personal needs. Alongside pharmacologic advancements, healthcare policies must evolve to ensure equitable medication access and optimize clinical outcomes.

The traditional definition of obesity, relying solely on body mass index, inadequately captures individual health status and is insufficient for guiding therapeutic interventions. In January 2025, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission proposed a paradigm-shifting redefinition that introduces the concepts of “clinical obesity” and “preclinical obesity.” Clinical obesity is defined as a chronic, systemic illness characterized by excess adiposity resulting in functional impairments in tissues, organs, or overall individual health. In contrast, preclinical obesity involves excess adiposity without current functional impairment. This review examines the significance of this new diagnostic paradigm for cardiovascular disease prevention and risk assessment. From a cardiovascular perspective, the new framework offers several advantages: it facilitates personalized intervention strategies based on individual risk profiles, refines cardiovascular risk assessments by incorporating body fat distribution and functional parameters, promotes more efficient resource allocation, and shifts treatment goals toward functional improvements beyond mere weight loss. Although further research is required to evaluate practical implementation and long-term outcomes, this novel approach represents a substantial advancement in obesity management and cardiovascular disease prevention.

Obesity is a chronic disease associated with substantial health consequences, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Although lifestyle modifications remain foundational to treatment, pharmacotherapy has become a crucial strategy, particularly for patients unable to achieve sustained weight loss. This review aims to provide an updated overview of long-term anti-obesity medications, discussing their mechanisms of action, efficacy, safety profiles, clinical applicability, and future perspectives on emerging therapeutic agents.Current Concepts: Recent pharmacological advancements have substantially transformed obesity management. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists such as semaglutide (2.4 mg) and the dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/GLP-1 receptor agonist tirzepatide (15 mg) have demonstrated significant weight loss effects (15–21%) and have shown benefits across various obesity-related comorbidities, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Additionally, investigational agents such as CagriSema, retatrutide, and oral GLP-1 receptor agonists hold promise for enhanced efficacy and improved patient convenience. These developments underscore a shift toward personalized, mechanism-based pharmacotherapy.Discussion and Conclusion: Despite encouraging outcomes, significant challenges remain. Issues such as weight regain after discontinuation, limited long-term safety data, and access barriers due to high treatment costs continue to present obstacles. In Korea, the absence of insurance reimbursement for most anti-obesity medications severely restricts patient access, even among high-risk populations. Given the recognition of obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease, treatment strategies should incorporate the individual patient's comorbidity profile and personal needs. Alongside pharmacologic advancements, healthcare policies must evolve to ensure equitable medication access and optimize clinical outcomes.

Background: This study is aimed to verify individual and regional-level factors affecting the depression of Koreans and to develop social programs for improving the depressive status. Methods: This study used individual-level variables from the Korean Community Health Survey (2018) and used the e-regional index of the Korean Statistical Information Service as the regional-level variable. A multi-level logistic regression was executed to identify individual and regional-level variables that were expected to affect the extent of depressive symptoms and to draw the receiver operating characteristic curve to compare the volume of impact between variables from both levels. Results: The results of the multi-level logistic regression analysis in regards to individual-level factors showed that older age, female gender, a lower income level, a lower education level, not having a spouse, the practice of walking, the consumption of breakfast higher levels of stress, and having high blood pressure or diabetes were associated with a greater increase in depressive symptoms. In terms of regional factors, areas with fewer cultural facilities and fewer car registration had higher levels of depressive symptoms.The comparison of area under the curve showed that individual factors had a greater influence than regional factors. Conclusion This study showed that while both, individual and regional-level factors affect depression, the influence of the latter was relatively weaker as compared to the first. In this sense, it is necessary to develop programs focused on the individual, such as social prescribing at the local or community-level, rather than the city and nation-level approach that are currently prevalent.

Background: This study aimed to analyze the medical expenses covered by the Korean National Health Insurance Service (KNHIS) according to body mass index (BMI) in Korean adults. Methods: We included 1,170,464 adults (623,498 men and 546,966 women) aged ≥19 years from the KNHISNational Sample Cohort database (2016 to 2019) after excluding individuals with cancer. Average annual medical expenses per person and average annual medical expenses (Korean won [KRW], 1 United States dollar=1,292 KRW) by BMI classification were assessed according to age and sex. Medical expenses comprised those for medication and combined outpatient department (OPD) and hospitalization services. Means and 95% confidence intervals were analyzed using a two-part model. Results: Average annual medical expenses increased in higher BMI quintile groups (P for trend <0.001). Average annual medical expenses per person increased significantly as BMI increased in women but not in men. Average annual medical expenses were highest in the highest quintile of BMI among women and in all age groups.While BMI showed a U-shape association with medical expenses for OPD and hospitalization in young individuals, medical expenses for medication in all age groups and those for OPD and hospitalization in middle-aged individuals increased sharply in the highest BMI quintile. Conclusion All types of average annual medical expenses increased in higher BMI groups in Korean adults, particularly in women. Individuals with the highest BMI quintile incurred the greatest medical expenses among women and across all age groups. Strategies for preventing and managing obesity are warranted to reduce the burden of obesity-related medical expenses.

Background: This study aimed to analyze the medical expenses covered by the Korean National Health Insurance Service (KNHIS) according to body mass index (BMI) in Korean adults. Methods: We included 1,170,464 adults (623,498 men and 546,966 women) aged ≥19 years from the KNHISNational Sample Cohort database (2016 to 2019) after excluding individuals with cancer. Average annual medical expenses per person and average annual medical expenses (Korean won [KRW], 1 United States dollar=1,292 KRW) by BMI classification were assessed according to age and sex. Medical expenses comprised those for medication and combined outpatient department (OPD) and hospitalization services. Means and 95% confidence intervals were analyzed using a two-part model. Results: Average annual medical expenses increased in higher BMI quintile groups (P for trend <0.001). Average annual medical expenses per person increased significantly as BMI increased in women but not in men. Average annual medical expenses were highest in the highest quintile of BMI among women and in all age groups.While BMI showed a U-shape association with medical expenses for OPD and hospitalization in young individuals, medical expenses for medication in all age groups and those for OPD and hospitalization in middle-aged individuals increased sharply in the highest BMI quintile. Conclusion All types of average annual medical expenses increased in higher BMI groups in Korean adults, particularly in women. Individuals with the highest BMI quintile incurred the greatest medical expenses among women and across all age groups. Strategies for preventing and managing obesity are warranted to reduce the burden of obesity-related medical expenses.