Objective: Previous studies have investigated obesity and appetite changes in patients with depression, which consisted of a small age range of adults and used body mass index rather than abdominal obesity. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between abdominal obesity and the risk of depression by sex and age groups. Methods: This study utilized the National Health Insurance Sharing Service (NHISS) database of South Korea, which includes those over 20 years old and who had undergone a health examination in 2009 and their claims data between 2009 and 2018. The diagnosis of depressive episodes was based on the International Statistical Classification of Disease and Related Health Problems 10th revision. Abdominal obesity was measured by waist circumference (WC) and was divided into six levels (cm). Cox proportional-hazard regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between abdominal obesity and the risk of depression by sex and age groups. Results: Among 9,041,751 participants, 1,376,279 were diagnosed with depression. Those with higher WC (90 cm or higher for males, 85 cm or higher for females) showed an increased risk for depression in both sexes (hazard ratio [HR]=1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.11 for males, HR=1.03, 95% CI: 1.02–1.05 for females). Underweight males (WC<80 cm) also showed an increased risk for depression (HR=1.05, 95% CI: 1.04–1.05). Conclusion It has been found that higher WC was associated with increased risks of depression in both sexes. Although underweight males showed an elevated risk of depression, a healthy weight is associated with fewer depression symptoms.

Objective: Previous studies have investigated obesity and appetite changes in patients with depression, which consisted of a small age range of adults and used body mass index rather than abdominal obesity. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between abdominal obesity and the risk of depression by sex and age groups. Methods: This study utilized the National Health Insurance Sharing Service (NHISS) database of South Korea, which includes those over 20 years old and who had undergone a health examination in 2009 and their claims data between 2009 and 2018. The diagnosis of depressive episodes was based on the International Statistical Classification of Disease and Related Health Problems 10th revision. Abdominal obesity was measured by waist circumference (WC) and was divided into six levels (cm). Cox proportional-hazard regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between abdominal obesity and the risk of depression by sex and age groups. Results: Among 9,041,751 participants, 1,376,279 were diagnosed with depression. Those with higher WC (90 cm or higher for males, 85 cm or higher for females) showed an increased risk for depression in both sexes (hazard ratio [HR]=1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.11 for males, HR=1.03, 95% CI: 1.02–1.05 for females). Underweight males (WC<80 cm) also showed an increased risk for depression (HR=1.05, 95% CI: 1.04–1.05). Conclusion It has been found that higher WC was associated with increased risks of depression in both sexes. Although underweight males showed an elevated risk of depression, a healthy weight is associated with fewer depression symptoms.

Background: Spinal anesthesia-induced hypotension (SAH) frequently occurs in older patients, many of whom have mild left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, often asymptomatic at rest. This study investigated the association between preoperative echocardiographic measurements and SAH in older patients with mild LV diastolic dysfunction. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study using data from electronic medical records. The patients ≥ 65 years old who underwent spinal anesthesia for urologic surgery between January 2016 and December 2017 and whose preoperative echocardiography within 6 months before surgery revealed grade I LV diastolic dysfunction were recruited. SAH was investigated using the anesthesia records. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed. Results: A total of 163 patients were analyzed. SAH and significant SAH developed in 55 (33.7%) patients. The mitral inflow E velocity was an independent risk factor for SAH (odds ratio [OR], 0.886; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.845–0.929; P < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve for mitral inflow E velocity to predict SAH was 0.819 (95% CI, 0.752–0.875; P < 0.001). If mitral inflow E velocity was ≤ 60 cm/s, SAH was predicted with a sensitivity of 83.6% and specificity of 70.4%. Conclusions The preoperative mitral inflow E velocity demonstrated the greatest predictability of SAH in older patients with mild LV diastolic dysfunction. This may assist in identifying patients at high risk of SAH and guiding preventive strategies in the future.

New supplements with preventive effects against skin photodamage are receiving increasing attention. This study evaluated the anti-photoaging effects of salmon nasal cartilage proteoglycan (SPG), acting as a functional material for skin health. We administered SPG to in vitro and in vivo models exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and assessed its moisturizing and anti-wrinkle effects on dorsal mouse skin and keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts cell lines. These results showed that SPG restored the levels of filaggrin, involucrin, and AQP3 in the epidermis of UVB-irradiated dorsal skin and keratinocytes, thereby enhancing the keratinization process and water flow. Additionally, SPG treatment increased the levels of hyaluronan and skin ceramide, the major components of intercellular lipids in the epidermis. Furthermore, SPG treatment significantly increased the levels of collagen and procollagen type 1 by down-regulating matrix metalloproteinase 1, which play a crucial role in skin fibroblasts, in both in vitro and in vivo models. In addition, SPG strongly inhibited mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) signaling, the including extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38. These findings suggest that dietary SPG may be an attractive functional food for preventing UVB-induced photoaging. And this SPG product may provide its best benefit when treating several signs of skin photoaging.

Differentiated thyroid cancer demonstrates a wide range of clinical presentations, from very indolent cases to those with an aggressive prognosis. Therefore, diagnosing and treating each cancer appropriately based on its risk status is important. The Korean Thyroid Association (KTA) has provided and amended the clinical guidelines for thyroid cancer management since 2007. The main changes in this revised 2024 guideline include 1) individualization of surgical extent according to pathological tests and clinical findings, 2) application of active surveillance in low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma, 3) indications for minimally invasive surgery, 4) adoption of World Health Organization pathological diagnostic criteria and definition of terminology in Korean, 5) update on literature evidence of recurrence risk for initial risk stratification, 6) addition of the role of molecular testing, 7) addition of definition of initial risk stratification and targeting thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations according to ongoing risk stratification (ORS), 8) addition of treatment of perioperative hypoparathyroidism, 9) update on systemic chemotherapy, and 10) addition of treatment for pediatric patients with thyroid cancer.

Background: The benefits of transradial access (TRA) over transfemoral access (TFA) for bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are uncertain because of the limited availability of device selection. This study aimed to compare the procedural differences and the in-hospital and long-term outcomes of TRA and TFA for bifurcation PCI using secondgeneration drug-eluting stents (DESs). Methods: Based on data from the Coronary Bifurcation Stenting Registry III, a retrospective registry of 2,648 patients undergoing bifurcation PCI with second-generation DES from 21 centers in South Korea, patients were categorized into the TRA group (n = 1,507) or the TFA group (n = 1,141). After propensity score matching (PSM), procedural differences, in-hospital outcomes, and device-oriented composite outcomes (DOCOs; a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization) were compared between the two groups (772 matched patients each group). Results: Despite well-balanced baseline clinical and lesion characteristics after PSM, the use of the two-stent strategy (14.2% vs. 23.7%, P = 0.001) and the incidence of in-hospital adverse outcomes, primarily driven by access site complications (2.2% vs. 4.4%, P = 0.015), were significantly lower in the TRA group than in the TFA group. At the 5-year follow-up, the incidence of DOCOs was similar between the groups (6.3% vs. 7.1%, P = 0.639). Conclusion The findings suggested that TRA may be safer than TFA for bifurcation PCI using second-generation DESs. Despite differences in treatment strategy, TRA was associated with similar long-term clinical outcomes as those of TFA. Therefore, TRA might be the preferred access for bifurcation PCI using second-generation DES.