The impact of Streptococcus pneumoniae coinfection on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prognosis remains uncertain. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who underwent a pneumococcal urinary antigen (PUA) test to assess its clinical utility. Results showed that PUA-positive patients required more oxygen support, high-flow nasal cannula, and dexamethasone compared to PUA-negative patients.Furthermore, the significantly higher incidence of a National Early Warning Score ≥5 in the PUA-positive group (P<0.001) suggests that a positive PUA test is associated with a severe disease course. However, no significant difference in mortality was observed between the two groups, and antibiotics were used in almost all patients (96.2%). While the PUA test may help guide antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients, its interpretation should be approached with caution.

The impact of Streptococcus pneumoniae coinfection on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prognosis remains uncertain. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who underwent a pneumococcal urinary antigen (PUA) test to assess its clinical utility. Results showed that PUA-positive patients required more oxygen support, high-flow nasal cannula, and dexamethasone compared to PUA-negative patients.Furthermore, the significantly higher incidence of a National Early Warning Score ≥5 in the PUA-positive group (P<0.001) suggests that a positive PUA test is associated with a severe disease course. However, no significant difference in mortality was observed between the two groups, and antibiotics were used in almost all patients (96.2%). While the PUA test may help guide antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients, its interpretation should be approached with caution.

The impact of Streptococcus pneumoniae coinfection on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prognosis remains uncertain. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who underwent a pneumococcal urinary antigen (PUA) test to assess its clinical utility. Results showed that PUA-positive patients required more oxygen support, high-flow nasal cannula, and dexamethasone compared to PUA-negative patients.Furthermore, the significantly higher incidence of a National Early Warning Score ≥5 in the PUA-positive group (P<0.001) suggests that a positive PUA test is associated with a severe disease course. However, no significant difference in mortality was observed between the two groups, and antibiotics were used in almost all patients (96.2%). While the PUA test may help guide antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients, its interpretation should be approached with caution.

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: Solid-organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) receiving immunosuppressive therapy are expected to have worse clinical outcomes from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, published studies have shown mixed results, depending on adjustment for important confounders such as age, variants, and vaccination status. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively collected the data on 7,327 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from two tertiary hospitals with government-designated COVID-19 regional centers. We compared clinical outcomes between SOTRs and non-SOTRs by a propensity score-matched analysis (1:2) based on age, gender, and the date of COVID-19 diagnosis. We also performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to adjust other important confounders such as vaccination status and the Charlson comorbidity index. Results: After matching, SOTRs (n=83) had a significantly higher risk of high-flow nasal cannula use, mechanical ventilation, acute kidney injury, and a composite of COVID-19 severity outcomes than non-SOTRs (n=160) (all P <0.05). The National Early Warning Score was significantly higher in SOTRs than in non-SOTRs from day 1 to 7 of hospitalization ( P for interaction=0.008 by generalized estimating equation). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, SOTRs (odds ratio [OR], 2.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12–4.11) and male gender (OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.26– 5.45) were associated with worse outcomes, and receiving two to three doses of COVID-19 vaccine (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.24–0.79) was associated with better outcomes. Conclusion Hospitalized SOTRs with COVID-19 had a worse prognosis than non-SOTRs. COVID-19 vaccination should be implemented appropriately to prevent severe COVID-19 progression in this population.

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: Solid-organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) receiving immunosuppressive therapy are expected to have worse clinical outcomes from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, published studies have shown mixed results, depending on adjustment for important confounders such as age, variants, and vaccination status. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively collected the data on 7,327 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from two tertiary hospitals with government-designated COVID-19 regional centers. We compared clinical outcomes between SOTRs and non-SOTRs by a propensity score-matched analysis (1:2) based on age, gender, and the date of COVID-19 diagnosis. We also performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to adjust other important confounders such as vaccination status and the Charlson comorbidity index. Results: After matching, SOTRs (n=83) had a significantly higher risk of high-flow nasal cannula use, mechanical ventilation, acute kidney injury, and a composite of COVID-19 severity outcomes than non-SOTRs (n=160) (all P <0.05). The National Early Warning Score was significantly higher in SOTRs than in non-SOTRs from day 1 to 7 of hospitalization ( P for interaction=0.008 by generalized estimating equation). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, SOTRs (odds ratio [OR], 2.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12–4.11) and male gender (OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.26– 5.45) were associated with worse outcomes, and receiving two to three doses of COVID-19 vaccine (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.24–0.79) was associated with better outcomes. Conclusion Hospitalized SOTRs with COVID-19 had a worse prognosis than non-SOTRs. COVID-19 vaccination should be implemented appropriately to prevent severe COVID-19 progression in this population.

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: Solid-organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) receiving immunosuppressive therapy are expected to have worse clinical outcomes from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, published studies have shown mixed results, depending on adjustment for important confounders such as age, variants, and vaccination status. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively collected the data on 7,327 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from two tertiary hospitals with government-designated COVID-19 regional centers. We compared clinical outcomes between SOTRs and non-SOTRs by a propensity score-matched analysis (1:2) based on age, gender, and the date of COVID-19 diagnosis. We also performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to adjust other important confounders such as vaccination status and the Charlson comorbidity index. Results: After matching, SOTRs (n=83) had a significantly higher risk of high-flow nasal cannula use, mechanical ventilation, acute kidney injury, and a composite of COVID-19 severity outcomes than non-SOTRs (n=160) (all P <0.05). The National Early Warning Score was significantly higher in SOTRs than in non-SOTRs from day 1 to 7 of hospitalization ( P for interaction=0.008 by generalized estimating equation). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, SOTRs (odds ratio [OR], 2.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12–4.11) and male gender (OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.26– 5.45) were associated with worse outcomes, and receiving two to three doses of COVID-19 vaccine (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.24–0.79) was associated with better outcomes. Conclusion Hospitalized SOTRs with COVID-19 had a worse prognosis than non-SOTRs. COVID-19 vaccination should be implemented appropriately to prevent severe COVID-19 progression in this population.